FOR THOSE WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCTION & NON-LINEAR EDITING Issue 10 • October 2008 • www.dvuser.co.uk • £3.50 Panasonic AG-HMC151 DVuser launch i-Net Video Channel Panasonic AJ-HPX3000 review Sony Z5 review Turtle X review Sony Z5 New DVuser i-Net video channel NEWS • REVIEWS • FEATURES • ARTICLES • TUTORIALS • TECHNIQUES • TIPS • COMPETITIONS For the very best service, knowledge and expertise, contact your Specialist pan. Even more choice to feed Dealer. a on J orati your creative ambition p or C ony e S arks of th Introducing the new PMW-EX3, taking pride of place in the rapidly m expanding XDCAM EX family. e d a d tr ere New additions to the range are set to increase the flexibility and workflow egist benefits even further, including the PMW-EX3 semi-shoulder camcorder, the e r d ar PMW-EX30 memory recorder, and the PHU-60K professional hard-disk unit. ar C Able to capture stunning images with full 1920 x 1080 solid-state recording, ess M EX, SxS Expr sPHeMDle Wpc-rtoEaXdb3ul ecc tafiroamnm cdeoe rrdmaetaer nsg daivsne. dsS o yn,o ohuwo t whweeit vhwe iindr tyeeo rruca hnwaganeng to etfoa c bcrelaeap ltetiuvneres o oyppottuiioor nninsst ,ey tonhudere d A C D subject, you’ll be assured of success. ony, X S For more information on the Sony PMW-EX3 and the XDCAM EX family, visit www.sonybiz.net/ex or call 0870 60 60 456 PMW-EX3 PMW-EX1 SxS Pro Card PMW-EX30 Defining tomorrow. Be part of it. Sony_A4advert_XDCAM EX.indd 1 3/10/08 13:44:48 Opening Scene Contents Hello DVuser subscribers and welcome to yet another issue of the magazine. There are some really exciting articles in this issue. Ged Yeates takes a first look at NEWS Panasonic’s superb high-end P2 HPX3000 HD camcorder, Jim Panks reviews the Turtle X 4. All the latest news from the world of camcorder support system. I, personally, have digital video production and editing. written a comprehensive overview of the AVCHD codec and some of the AVCHD camcorders that are currently available, including the smaller ARTICLES handycams such as Panasonic’s SD900 and Canon’s HF11, as well as Panasonic’s superb semi- professional model the HMC151. I have written this feature from the angle of how AVCHD slots 6. AVCHD for professionals into professional waters. 22. Technophile Other interesting news, Sony have licensed their SxS technology to JVC. JVC will be bringing out their first SxS product in March next year; read the full story on page 30. 23. DVuser launch Video i-Net Channel But by far the most exciting news is not in this magazine, but on the DVuser website. If you are 28. Audio Files a regular visitor to the website you might have already noticed that there is a new category on the left-hand side called ‘DVuser TV’. We have set up an online video channel. There will be various 30. JVC go solid-state video reviews, as well as news, tutorials, tips and tricks and interviews. After all, DVuser it is all about video, so it makes perfect sense that our website should have video content in the form of an Internet video channel. The reviews for example will be short and to the point allowing the viewer REVIEWS to see any given piece of equipment being handled. This will allow the viewer to get a realistic idea 13. Panasonic AJ-HPX3000 review of the physical size, weight and ergonomics of the kit being reviewed. Video reviews will also have many other great benefits, for example, a review on a tracking dolly kit would enable the viewer to 16. Turtle X review actually see it in action. The usual (and much longer) written review will also appear on the DVuser 20. Sony PDW-U1 review website as usual, the latter containing more in-depth and technical information. This new Internet video channel is dynamically database driven, just like the rest of the site. After 24. Sony Z5 review much research we decided to use QuickTime for the video encoding and Flash for the buttons and header banner. We looked long and hard at Flash and I even went as far as buying Adobe Flash REGULAR ITEMS CS3 just for the video encoding. However, there are too many associated files attached to a Flash .flv file and website implementation starts to get tricky, not to mention the fact that Adobe have just 33. Sponsors - Thank you made a total complicated mess of the latest ActionScript. QuickTime has proved to produce better 35. Classifieds quality video using H.264 and at smaller file sizes too. As QuickTime is pre-loaded on all Macs and most PCs these days, and is a free download also, it made sense to go this way. Read all about our new online video channel on page 23. One of DVuser’s principal sponsors ProActive have launched their brand new website. ProActive are one of the few professional retail outlets that we highly recommend. As far as I’m concerned ProActive have the best after-sales service on the planet; this is second to none. They continue to support DVuser, so please show them your support by visiting their new website at www.proav. co.uk. Finally, don’t forget about the DVuser forums. This community is an ideal place to meet and talk to other like minded people as well as getting technical help with kit, or perhaps answering other people’s questions. I’ve also set up a ‘DVuser TV’ section so feel free to post your suggestions; perhaps for interviews, news, tutorials and review ideas etc. Nigel Cooper Founder/Editor DVuser.co.uk DVuser product review star ratings – how we star up our reviews. 1 star = poor, pitiful, appalling, atrocious, inexcusable - 2 stars = mediocre, second-rate, just average 3 stars = good, decent, fine, above average - 4 stars = great, first-rate, excellent, amazing, brilliant 5 stars = outstanding, exceptional, sheer brilliance, perfection, pure genius Cover photo by Nigel Cooper Our final ratings are based on a combination of: build quality - durability - ruggedness - features controls - functionality - usability - cost of ownership i.e. tapes/media cards/servicing costs etc. Editor: Nigel Cooper - [email protected] ©2008 DVuser. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or transmitted Sub Editor: Louise Wessman - [email protected] in any form or by means of electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior Contributors: Jim Panks, Ged Yeates, Simon Wyndham. written permission of the publishers. While every care Published by: DVuser UK. Tel: 020 7193 1955 has been taken in the compilation of this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any publishing errors or Advertising: 020 7193 1955 Subscriptions: www.dvuser.co.uk/magazine.php inaccuracies, or for any other loss, direct or consequential arising in connection with any information contained within www.dvuser.co.uk this publication. The views herein are not necessarily those of the publishers. Acceptance of advertisements The independent magazine for independent HD video producers & filmmakers does not imply recommendation by the publisher. www.dvuser.co.uk • DVuser Magazine • October 2008 • 3 Proactive UK Launch Their Brand New Website. Proactive UK Celebrate their 10th year with the launch of www.proav.co.uk a brand new website that is filled with fantastic new offers and information. As a Sony Specialist Dealer and with official Dealer Status from Panasonic, JVC and Canon you can rest assured that all of equipment supplied by www.proav.co.uk carry full manufacturer supported warranties. The new website has been designed to be both informative and to provide ease of use navigation which will enable customers to quickly locate products of interest. Catagories have now been expanded and the new website features even more products and accessories, all at very competitive prices. Visit: www.proav.co.uk Monitor Power Solutions from Hawk-Woods UK manufacturers Hawk-Woods can now provide a comprehensive range of LCD monitor power adaptors. These include both V-Lok and Mini DV battery options, available for a variety of today’s most popular broadcast monitors. The V-Lok range of adaptors gives the monitor operator complete V-Mount compatibility, allowing them to utilise the Hawk-Woods range of V-Lok batteries as the power source. While the Mini DV adaptor series is compatible with the popular Sony® NP-F type battery, these provide a compact on-board or stand-alone solution. Tel: 01233 638 715 or visit: www.hawkwoods.com New Fluorescent Lights from Ianiro Ianiro UK Ltd has introduced a new range of fluorescent lights that are lightweight and robust, making them ideal for both the moving image and photographic studio markets. The new lights combine low power consumption (just 1/10th of a tungsten light) with highly efficient output, giving a good spread of light with no inconvenient shadows. Available in two and four bar sizes and with either 3,200K or 5,600K light tubes, the new lights operate at a frequency of 56 KHz, ensuring flicker-free performance and low heat generation. “We have incorporated a range of control options that are designed to make these lights incredibly easy to use,” says Ianiro UK’s managing director Nick Allen-Miles. “Among these is DMX functionality, so that users can link up to a DMX console to control up to 512 channels, and an on-board Digital Dimmer, which allows users to change the light intensity and see an accurate readout of the intensity on an LED display.” The new lights are housed in a lightweight aluminium casing for optimum rigidity and durability and are available with optional Honeycomb and Gel Frames. All the lights in the range have yokes that can be adjusted in height, from head to foot, with an attached sliding block for maximum flexibility. Both two and four bar units are now in stock and retail for £395 and £495 respectively. For more details visit: www.ianirodirect.com Canon EOS 5D MK2 set to shake up the video world Ed Note: Yes I know it is a digital SLR, but Canon’s brand new EOS 5D MK2 could be set to shake up the video world. It features a new full HD video recording mode in full raster 1920x1080 progressive in 30p. I know 30p is not ideal for the video world, but there is a whisper that Canon could be doing a firmware update to allow for 25p video recording, which would be ideal. HD recording is by means of H.264 codec, which is superb. Audio is uncompressed Linear PCM via mini-jack mic input, not so ideal, but Beech-boxes are available. The quality of the footage on Canon’s website is truly amazing considering the price of this camera (£1,995inc vat). I’ll be doing a full review of this new camera in the next issue of DVuser magazine. 4 • October 2008 • DVuser Magazine • www.dvuser.co.uk CalumetDVUserAd_Autumn08:CalumetDVUserAd 20/8/08 11:44 Page 1 REVIEW €€€ THIS IS WHAT WE DO TO SUPPORT WHAT YOU DO SONY CANON JVC CAMBO MANFROTTO MATTHEWS SANDISK SENNHEISER TIFFEN ANTON BAUER 08706 03 03 03 menu option 4 WWW.CALUMETPHOTO.CO.UK www.dvuser.co.uk • DVuser Magazine • July 2007 • 5 Professionals need to look at these new Panasonic’s Semi-Professional AVCHD solid-state camcorders and AG-HMC151 AVCHD camcorder. understand that they have a place in the professional arena. ‘AVCHD for Professionals’ might seem like a very bold and unrealistic statement and there are plenty of professionals out there who would immediately poo poo this idea; and rightly so. Let’s face it, AVCHD is no substitute for the likes of HDCAM and Varicam, and it is not supposed to be. AVCHD is a consumer format, just like HDV. In fact, for me, AVCHD is an unofficial replacement for the tape-based HDV format. So just as HDV had a small/occasional part to play in the professional world, so does the new- improved AVCHD. If you are a working professional who is used to wielding a DigiBeta or Varicam type high-end professional camera, and you’ve already heard about AVCHD and have quickly dismissed it as an amateur/consumer camcorder for mums and dads, then read on and prepare to change your tune. If you have never heard of, or are not familiar with AVCHD, read on to be brought up to speed. I think it is important that professionals get familiar with the new AVCHD solid-state format and the place it has in semi-pro and professional acquisition. I’ve written this feature to explain about the format, the camcorders, and how TAPE IS DEAD camcorders like the Z1 were used when full- they can fit into your professional broadcast There are already tapeless solutions in the size professional camcorders could not. Smaller workflow. I’m not saying ditch your high-end professional arena with the likes of Sony’s HDV camcorders have been used in broadcast shoulder- mounted camera for one of these tiny XDCAM HD Professional Optical Disc System productions alongside larger professional consumer camcorders; that would be ludicrous. and Panasonic’s P2 solid-state card system. cameras such as DigiBeta, XDCAM, HDCAM, But I am saying that on rare occasions the Now AVCHD is the consumer tapeless HD Varicam etc. Instances include using smaller professional working cameraman has to put system. camcorders such as Sony’s Z1 by somebody down his/her heavy beast and pick up a tiny The days of HDV tape-based portable abseiling down a cliff edge, or the Sony camcorder; sometimes you will have no choice; camcorders such as the Sony Z1, JVC A1 HDV camcorder being strapped to the more on this later. ProHD and Canon XLH1 are numbered handlebars of a motorcycle for instance. These (in my opinion). In the past, compact HDV are just two instances where a professional would have to ditch his/her full-size shoulder- Transcend 8GB Class 6 SD card mount professional beast, and replace it with a somewhat more ‘portable’ recording device. So yes, the picture quality is nowhere near as good, but in these examples, professionals would have no other choice. We have to trade off one thing to gain another; every advantage has a disadvantage so to speak. There are just too many advantages to tapeless and solid-state acquisition camcorders and post production workflows, you would need a very large stick to shake at them all (see Advantages of solid-state over tape later). Tape on the other hand only has one advantage, price. With cheap tapeless media like Professional Optical Disc for Sony’s XDCAM HD and the prices of Panasonic’s professional solid-state P2 media falling, add to this the cheap SDHC cards for the more portable consumer and 6 • October 2008 • DVuser Magazine • www.dvuser.co.uk FEATURE µµµ semi-professional AVCHD camcorders and you have to seriously question the future of tape. I personally feel that tape is as ‘dead-in-the- water’ as 35mm film is for stills photography. Do you know anyone who actually shoots on a Nikon F3 anymore? Chances are it is a Canon EOS 5D or a Nikon D3 or D90 for example; armed with a stack of SD or CF cards; not a ton of Kodak film stock. I’ve been told that Panasonic have (unofficially) said that by 2009 they will no longer be manufacturing tape- based camcorders in the consumer and semi- professional marketplace. Canon are going to Panasonic’s Semi-Professional AG-HMC151 AVCHD camcorder. have to do something with their XL and XM series of HDV tape-based camcorders if they are to stay in the game; same for JVC. The future is most certainly tapeless and solid-state will/is going to be a very big part of it. WHAT IS AVCHD? AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) is a high-definition recording format created by Sony and Panasonic for use in modern digital tapeless camcorders. The format is comparable to other handheld video camera recording formats such as HDV and MiniDV. AVCHD is an unofficial replacement (in my solid state, and only one (price) advantage of Digital High Capacity) cards have a “write- opinion) for HDV. The most common type of HDV tape. protect” tab that can be slid back/forth to prevent AVCHD camcorders use a solid-state flash SD accidental erasure of footage recorded to it, or (Secure Digital) or SDHC (High Capacity) card, THE AVCHD CODEC to prevent further footage being recorded to it. but they are also available with built in hard AVCHD is kind of a ‘Super HDV’ if you like, With the write-protect tab in the down position it drives, smaller DVDs, or the hybrid models only recording to solid-state SD cards instead is write-protected and read-only. SD cards are which use both built-in computer-type hard of tape; it is the unofficial replacement for available in capacities of up to/including 4GB, drives with a card slot for SD/SDHC cards. HDV. AVCHD is the most advanced video while SDHC cards are available in up to 32GB. The AVCHD codec produces identical image codec on the market right now. The AVCHD It is worth noting that SDHC cards come quality to the ageing tape-based HDV codec, codec is loosely based on Panasonic’s superb in different ‘class’ forms. only it is more efficient. The primary advantage AVC-Intra 10-bit intra-frame H.264/MPEG-4 These are Class 2, 4 and of AVCHD camcorders is that they are more codec. The AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec 6. Although Class 2 cards portable than HDV models as there is no tape- High Definition) codec uses inter-frame long are fine with digital stills transport mechanism, and they use solid-state GOP compression and AC3 or PCM audio cameras, for use with SD/SDHC (High Capacity) memory cards (or codec. Both interlaced and progressive are AVCHD camcorders you’ll Memory Stick for Sony models) for the recording supported in a wide range of frame sizes right need to use either Class media. Although DVD discs are the original up to full 1920x1080 at bit-rates of up to 24- 4 or 6 as Class 2 won’t media specified in the AVCHD standard, they Mbps. Compared to HDV camcorders, which be able to handle the are less popular than the built-in hard drive or are based on the MPEG-2 codec and record at MB/s speed required for AVCHD camcorders SD/SDHC type. To reduce camcorder size, only 25Mbps constant bit-rate, AVCHD camcorders recording at higher quality settings such as smaller 8 cm discs, sometimes called miniDVDs achieve higher compression and lower data 24Mbps. are used. For this feature I’ll be concentrating rates with comparable image quality. Video on the most popular AVCHD format of solid- compression is MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, colour Here is a breakdown of the class-speeds: state SD/SDHC cards. space is 4:2:0. at 8 bits. The future is solid-state; get used to it. Class 2 Card: A speed of 2 MB/s or higher is Panasonic will cease production of all tape- THE SD & SDHC SOLID-STATE achieved. based consumer and prosumer camcorders CARDS Class 4 Card: A speed of 4 MB/s or higher is in 2009. I’m sure Canon will follow suit soon AVCHD camcorders record to 8cm DVD discs, achieved. after and I have also heard that Sony are internal hard drives and SD/SDHC cards; the Class 6 Card: A speed of 6 MB/s or higher is questioning the future of HDV. Even though latter being by far the most popular recording achieved. Sony has just announced the new HDR-FX1000 medium. The SD (Secure Digital) Memory Card (consumer) and HVR-Z5J (prosumer) high-def has been around since 1999. It was developed By law, all SDHC cards 4GB and over must HDV camcorders, I’m sure they will almost by Panasonic, SandDisk and Toshiba and was display the Class speed. This is easily certainly be ditching/replacing their consumer designed to compete with Sony’s Memory Stick identifiable by the symbol, which is basically a and prosumer HDV camcorders with AVCHD card, which was released the previous year. SD letter C with the number inside it. solid-state equivalents over the next few years. cards are now a firmly tried-and-tested proven Panasonic are pushing forward with the There are just too many great advantages to media. SD (Secure Digital) and SDHC Secure AVCHD format for some of their consumer www.dvuser.co.uk • DVuser Magazine • October 2008 • 7 µµµ FEATURE and semi-professional camcorders, so it is no Panasonic’s SD100 and Canon’s HF11. surprise that Panasonic have some super-fast and high capacity SDHC cards of 4, 6, 8, 12, 16 and 32GB capacity. These Panasonic cards also have a ‘Full HD Video’ logo on them. They are also faster. Speeds of up to 10MB/s Data Transfer Speed is achievable with the Class 4 SDHC cards, while speeds of up to 20MB/s Data Transfer Speed is achievable with the Class 6 SDHC cards. Panasonic branded SDHC cards cost approximately (street price) £165 for the 32GB Class 6 card, £70 for the 16GB Class 6 card, £50 for the 32GB Class 6 card, £70 for the 12GB Class 4 card. Companies like Sandisc, Transcend and many more make 4, 8, 16, and 32GB SDHC cards. These cost around £12 for 4GB class 4, £18 for 8GB class 4, £45 for 16GB class 4, £85 for 32GB class 4. Recording times vary according to the recording quality, but as a rough example. highest quality setting, but does hit 24 if its AVCHD camcorders that I think could be used Recording to a 12GB SDHC card at 17Mbps at encoder deems it necessary, so it sounds like in professional applications. Which applications full 1920x1080 you could expect approximately an AVCHD VBR codec that uses 21Mbps as an exactly I’ll talk about in the next section ‘AVCHD 90 minutes of full HD footage. At 13Mbps average. FOR PROFESSIONAL ACQUISITION’. 1920x1080 this would increase to around Starting at the cheaper end of the scale, my 120 minutes. For wedding guys needing long THE CAMCORDERS favourite three handycam/palmcorders are the record times for those boring speeches, it can AVCHD camcorders are currently made by Canon HF11, Panasonic SD100 and the Sony reach massive record times of approximately Canon, Panasonic, JVC and Sony. For now, TG3. The Canon and Panasonic have street 12 hours in a single take with a 32GB SDHC Panasonic’s AG-HMC151 and Canon’s HF11 prices of around £695 inc vat, while the Sony card in economy recording mode. Different are the only models that record at quality TG3 is around £525 inc vat. All three companies camcorder manufacturers quality settings vary. bitrates over 23-Mbps; the Sony and JVC were good enough to send me these models For example, Canon and Panasonic are the models have a maximum bit-rate of 16-Mbps; to play around with for a few days; my views/ only companies offering an AVCHD camcorder though I’m sure this will change as new models findings in just a minute. (for now) that record at the maximum quality come out. Also, it is only Panasonic and Canon Other higher end AVCHD camcorders are 24Mbps. The Canon model is the HF11 that have Progressive scan models. Sony’s are Panasonic’s semi-professional shoulder-mount handycam costing around £695. Panasonic interlaced models only; for now. built-in lens AG-HMC71 priced around £1,500. models such as their high-end consumer There are various models of AVCHD camcorder This is aimed squarely at the corporate/wedding handycam, the HDC-SD100 has a maximum out there already, and some pretty cool ones videographer. Then there is the Panasonic quality recording setting of 17-Mbps/VBR. that should be either available, or about to hit semi-professional AG-HMC151 model, costing Panasonic’s semi-pro model, the AG-HMC151 the streets by the time you read this. I won’t around £3,000. The AG-HMC151 is an AVCHD (street price around £3,000 and AVCHD go over every make and model here, instead version of the HVX200 P2 camcorder, or a equivalent to the HVX200) has bit-rates up to I’m going to pick out my personal favourite tapeless DVX100 if you like. Although smaller 24Mbps. It records at 21mpbs average on its and of a non-shoulder-mount type, the AG- Canon’s HF11 AVCHD solid-state camcorder. HMC151 is the better and more professional of the two. Panasonic name their professional (non- consumer) range of AVCHD camcorders ‘AVCCAM’; fine by me. The new AG-HMC151 handheld model incorporates three 1/3-inch progressive CCD imagers that produce stunning 1920x1080 resolution footage far exceeding older Long GOP formats like HDV. The AG-HMC151 is equipped with a high-performance wide-angle Leica Dicomar 13x zoom lens with 24 and 30-frame progressive capture in a full range of HD formats, making it well suited for all types of acquisition. With a full range of professional video and audio features the HMC151 is aimed at video professionals and enthusiasts looking for the best in affordable HD. The Panasonic AG-HMC151 supports a full range of HD formats including 1080/60i, 8 • October 2008 • DVuser Magazine • www.dvuser.co.uk FEATURE µµµ 1080/50i, 1080/30p, 1080/25p, 1080/24p Panasonic’s SD100 AVCHD solid-state camcorder. native, 720/60p, 720/50p, 720/30p, 720/25p, and 720/24p native and is 50-Hz/59.94-Hz switchable., a host of advanced video functions like Cinelike Gamma and Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS), Professional level connections including HDMI out, Component Out (D Terminal), Composite Out and RCA Audio out jacks, XLR audio inputs, USB 2.0 for file transfer, remote control for Zoom, Iris, Focus, Start/Stop, three neutral density filters and three user sets, two locking XLR inputs with switches for mic/line, +48V Phantom Power, a 3.5-inch LCD monitor to display thumbnail images for quick viewing and playback, and a time code/user bits menu, Auto/Manual level, and internal/external assignment, professional level assist functions like waveform monitor, vectorscope and two focus displays, a variety of editing solutions (Render files to almost any format or media). The camera also has remote jacks for Focus Iris and Start/Stop functions, cards are inexpensive, widely available, and camcorders such as their newer Z7. Sony will a pre-record feature that allows the camera can be reused over and over. Because AVCHD probably give these CF adaptors away with to capture footage occurring immediately records video as digital data files, content can their newer HDV tape-based camcorders like before real-time recording begins. Then there be transferred and stored on affordable, high- the HDR-FX1000 and HVR-Z5J, hence there is free downloadable AVCHD Transcoder for capacity hard disk drives (HDD) and optical is no need (for now) for Sony to bring out conversion to DVCPRO HD available at www. storage media such as Optical Professional an AVCHD equivalent of the aging Z1. The panasonic.com/avccam, built with a durable, disc, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. HVR-Z5 is kind of a Z1 replacement, but is still die-cast magnesium chassis frame for reliable Anyone who is familiar with Panasonic’s HDV tape-based. performance in tough environments, lightweight HVX200 will feel right at home with the So if you want a semi-professional native (under 6lbs.), hand-held design similar to the AG-HMC151 as it is pretty much the same SD/SDHC solid-state AVCHD camcorder, you’ll popular AG-DVX100, three-year warranty camcorder, only slightly smaller and it uses have to look in Panasonic’s direction, probably program (One year plus two year extension SDHC cards instead of P2 cards. at the new HMC151. upon registration). As you can see from the specs above, the Panasonic’s AG-HMC151 AVCHD camcorder Panasonic AG-HMC151 is aimed squarely PLAYBACK & EDITING brings the benefits of solid-state recording at the semi-professional market; the same With simple playback on many consumer to budget-conscious working professionals. market as the HVX200 and newer HVX201AE devices and players, from computers and video As with digital stills photography, recording P2 camcorders, only with more affordable game consoles to Blu-ray players and flat panel video onto SD/SDHC cards offers a fast and recording media. displays with SD card slots, with AVCHD it is simple IT-compatible workflow with ultra- Sony on the other hand are sticking to easier and quicker to view your footage on reliable performance, with resistance to shock, consumer camcorders for their AVCHD range. other devices without having to either edit/burn, vibration, extreme temperatures and adverse This could be because Sony have CF (Compact or plug your camcorder into the HDMI socket weather conditions. SD and SDHC memory Flash) card adaptors which come free with of your TV. Sony’s PS3 for example has an SD card slot right on the front, simply remove the card from your camcorder and stick it right in. I tried this with my PS3 and 46” Bravia TV and the images produced from both the Canon HF11 and Panasonic SD100 were pretty amazing considering both these camcorders cost less than £700. Once the card is in the SD slot on the PS3, you simply select ‘SD Slot’ from the PS3’s menu and hit play. You can then flick through clips and play them. In this instance, the PS3 is acting like a regular solid-state deck; nice! You can play back AVCHD footage off SDHC cards on many other regular games consoles and domestic Blu-Ray players that have the SD card slot. AVCHD is currently supported by a variety of editing solutions including: Grass Valley Edius PRO v4.5, Apple’s iMovie, Apple’s Final Cut Pro 6.0.1, Pinnacle Studio Plus 11, Nero-7 Premium Reloaded, Ulead Video Studio 11 Plus and DVD www.dvuser.co.uk • DVuser Magazine • October 2008 • 9 µµµ FEATURE Panasonic’s SD100 menus stick putty), then jammed into the right/left side of the dashboard up against the windscreen inside a car pointing at the driver. Because the cameras are so small and light, they don’t necessarily need the usual grip equipment, Blu-Tack and other cheap products can work equally as well. CANON HF11 & PANASONIC SD100 CONSUMER PALMCORDERS I spent a few days with these two compact handycam camcorders after Canon and Panasonic UK were kind enough to courier them over to me. I’m not going to go into any lengthy technical stuff here, it isn’t even going to be a full-on review. I’m briefly going to give you my findings of these two new sub £700 AVCHD HD solid-state handycams. The size and weight of both these compact camcorders is approximately the same. However, I personally preferred the Panasonic SD100 simply because it is about 20% narrower than the Canon HF11 and with better ergonomics too. The Panasonic fits in the hand perfectly and moulds into the contours of your palm. The Canon on the other hand is more ‘brick-like’ in comparison. The best news is that both models have a small mini-jack type microphone input socket, so you can plug in a Sennheiser wireless Movie Factory 6 Plus, to name a few. possible to use a full-on full-size professional Lavalier mic system for example when you are camera for shooting 100% of any given doing interviews or using a presenter. AVCHD FOR PROFESSIONAL programme. The build quality of both units is roughly the ACQUISITION Panasonic’s HVX200 P2 camcorder same. As expected from consumer camcorders So, where do these consumer and semi- will continue to be used alongside full-size like these, they are built from polycarbonate professional AVCHD camcorders come into camcorders for broadcast acquisition, and the plastic, which is relatively tough. play for professionals? new AG-HMC151 will almost certainly find its I found the image quality of both units to If you are a working professional in the place alongside the HVX200 too. However, be comparable overall, though the ‘reds’ on broadcast sector, the chances are you’ve had for production companies shooting on the Panasonic were a little over-saturated for to use more compact model camcorders on the Sony’s new 2/3rd inch PDW-700 XDCAM HD my personal taste. The Canon HF11’s colours odd occasion where a full-size shoulder-mount tapeless camera, there is now a better option were somewhat toned-down in comparison; model simply couldn’t be used for size/weight to the usual tape-based Z1 and A1 for when a preferable for me personally. reasons. compact camcorder is needed. Why shoot most Under low-light conditions, both were very During the LandRover G4 challenge, Sony of the programme in a tapeless environment, similar, although the Panasonic perhaps had A1s and Z1s were used alongside full-size only to slow up the whole production and post- the edge. I walked into my dark garage from XDCAM HD and HDCAM. These smaller HDV production by using HDV tape camcorders outside with the cameras on full auto; there camcorders were used by people abseiling alongside? was slightly less noise/grain with the Panasonic down cliff faces, inside Land Rovers and in So, I’d recommend using a solid-state AVCHD SD100; but only by a small margin. other confined and extreme conditions where model such as the Panasonic AG-HMC151, As with all consumer camcorders, both these the full-size cameras simply could not be used. or the very compact Canon HF11 handycam, units had a tendency to overexpose by half-to- This footage from the smaller HDV camcorders Panasonic SD100 or Sony G3; the latter is the one-stop. This is because they are aimed at Mr was cut in with the HDCAM and XDCAM HD smallest and toughest of the three as well as the Dad and Mrs Mum. To them, the bright pictures footage to make up the full programme. As less cheapest, only it does not have a mic input. look great, to professionals, they look washed than 15% of this programme was shot on HDV, Last year the Red Devil skydiving team used out with horrible greys instead of blacks. It is it is acceptable for HD broadcast as stipulated Sony G3 AVCHD camcorders fitted to their easy enough to fix this by using the ‘exposure by the likes of Discovery HD and BBC HD. helmets. This AVCHD shot footage was used compensation’, just knock it down a stop and Panasonic have similar stories with their as part of a bigger programme. you’ll be happy. However, the full auto mode HVX200 compact camcorder being used Anyone who has ever seen the TV programme goes out the window when using the exposure alongside their Varicam and other high-end Top Gear will have already witnessed footage compensation, which is a good thing in my HD shoulder-mount broadcast models such as shot on small handycam-style camcorders book. the HPX3000. Again, as long as the HVX200 is similar to these smaller AVCHD camcorders I was amazed at how well my medium and fast used for less than 15% of the entire programme mentioned here. A small Panasonic SD100 or pans across my garden held up. Grass usually duration, it is perfectly acceptable, as TV HD Canon HF11 could be stuck on top of a large blocks up like a mosaic with HDV camcorders broadcasters understand that it is not always blob of ‘Blu-Tack’ (or similar non-permanent 10 • October 2008 • DVuser Magazine • www.dvuser.co.uk