Panasonic Camcorder Takes Hi-Def To The Edge

Weighing just 4.2 pounds, the AG-HPX170 is nicely balanced and comfortable to hold. With the right hand slipped under the hand strap, regularly used recording controls, such as the zoom switch and the record button, are easily accessible.

The AG-HPX170 forgoes tape in favor of two of Panasonic's P2 cards, which are loaded behind a flip-down cover in the rear of the camera, just below the viewfinder. Essentially a PCMCIA card housing four SD memory cards in a RAID configuration, P2 is currently available in capacities up to 64 GB and can record in DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 and DVCPRO-HD formats. As current SD media continues to grow in size and decrease in price, P2 cards are expected to follow suit.

The top of the camera's handle contains a second zoom rocker switch, as well as an accessory shoe and a start/stop switch. There is a stereo microphone at the front of the handle and two XLR inputs along the right side. The XLR ports can be configured for either mic or line levels. A 13X Leica Dicomar zoom lens sits behind a square hood and projects images onto a one-third-inch, 3-CCD progressive sensor. Aspect ratio is switchable between 16:9 and 4:3. Capable of recording in up to 20 HD and SD formats, ranging from 1,080i, 1,080p, 720p, to 480i, the AG-HPX170 scans the original image at 1,080p/60 before any processing or compression takes place. During our testing, this allowed even standard-definition recordings to have the clarity of HD. The left side of the camera is where most of the settings are made. There are various focus and filter settings, as well as iris control via a thumbwheel.

A 3.5-inch LCD screen swings out from the left and exposes additional recording controls, such as audio input settings, channel selections and shutter speed. Above this area, at the front of the top-mounted handle, is a menu button and mini joystick, which controls even more settings via the LCD.

The 5,400mA battery mounts on the front of the camera and can be replaced with an adapter for AC power. Panasonic's specifications state a fully charged battery will last about 140 minutes. To the left of the battery is a selector dial to choose from up to six preset scene files, a Slot Select button to designate the active P2 slot, and a Mode button to switch between record and playback mode. Holding the Mode button in for a few seconds puts the camera into PC mode, which allows the P2 cards to be viewed as disk drives on a computer connected to one of the output ports. The bottom of this area is also where the IR receiver window for the wireless remote control is located.

The output ports are located behind a plastic flip-down cover to the right of the battery and include an SDI connector, a 1394 (FireWire) connector and a component video-out port. This area also has mini-jacks for headphones, and for wired remote-control of zoom/start/stop and focus/iris.

Aside from the extraordinary picture quality, one of the most noticeable features was the camera's ability to adjust for inadequate lighting. While experimenting with the unit prior to a recording session, the resulting files appeared just as clear and bright as the final clips recorded after professional lighting was set up. Although lighting is still preferred to avoid shadowing, we were hard-pressed to tell the difference between the "before" and "after" footage.

The AG-HPX170 comes with a 16-GB P2 card, battery, AC adapter/charger, accessory mic holder, component video cable with RCA-BNC adapters, remote control, shoulder strap and instruction manual. "The HVX and HPX Book" by Emmy Award winning producer Barry W. Green is also included.

At a list price of $5,695, the Panasonic AG-HPX170 is not for casual videography. It is, however, reasonably priced for the professional/business feature set it offers, as well as the excellent quality, high-definition recordings it takes.