AV Specialist - Africa Edition Vol 92 - (Page 21)

Within a month of taking delivery of his new camera, Rob Wladron was putting it through its paces on a project that required complex, multi-layered chroma-key work. “The camera more than lived up to my expections and the colour information in the footage was outstanding,” he says. He describes the AHDX900 as the “best value-for-money HD camera on the market”. Panasonic’s new HD camcorder runs with the wild dogs Panasonic’s ultra-versatile AJ-HDX900 2/3” HD camcorder has been extremely well received on the local market with five sold within a month of the camera becoming available. I n the last few months Avmark Systems has sold five AJ-HDX900 camcorder to the South African market. Managing director Renato Acqisto attributes the immediate popularity of the AJHDX900 to several factors, starting with the fact that it offers a true high definition codec at a remarkably affordable price point. “It also boasts numerous valuable features, such as the ability to appease both the progressive 720p and interlace 1080i markets plus the capacity to shoot at 50fps or 60fps, which is great for shooting slow-motion footage in the field,” says Renato. “Another great feature is its FireWire port, which means that users can stream HD content directly to a non-linear editing platform.” Opportunity to experiment Expressing similar sentiments, Henk Germishuizen of Puma Video says that the relative affordability of the AJ-HDX900 will give his clients the opportunity to begin experimenting with HD, thus equipping them to adopt the format more broadly. “Previously, HD technology was only accessible to production houses with large budgets,” says Henk. “Being far less expensive than competitor products, while still offering equivalent features, the AJHDX900 will allow smaller companies to get a foot in the proverbial HD door.” The local performance of the AJHDX900 reflects its resounding reception worldwide. “The ability of the AJ-HDX900 to record in all recognised HD formats at 100 Mbps onto DVCPRO HD tape has confirmed that amazing HD content can be produced at equal or below standard definition costs,” says Sean Loeve, sales manager at Panasonic Broadcast Systems. “By offering such a flexible product, Panasonic is driving the market towards full HD adoption at an increasingly rapid rate. Productions can now shoot HD for SD costs and, if necessary, down convert to SD output from the AJ-HDX900. This is an important factor in the future of both content production and the equipment used to produce it.” Best value-for-money Rob Waldron of Wild Dog Production, who purchased South Africa’s first AJHDX900, concurs, describing the camera as “the best value-for-money, true HD video camera on the market: nothing can compare.” Rob is particularly impressed with the AJ-HDX900’s interchangeable frame rates, which accommodate both NTSC and PAL; and its ability to support both 1080i and 720p. “The seven-second cache feature is also very handy for filming wildlife, as it stores the seven seconds’worth of action that is otherwise missed by the time-lag between pressing the roll button and actual filming,” he says. Within the first month of taking delivery of his AJ-HDX900, Rob has already put the camera through its paces on a project involving the behaviour of baboons under threat, as well as on a commercial where complex multi-layered chroma-key work was required. “In both instances, the camera has more than lived up my expectations and I am totally confident about using it for my next big project, which involves higher apes in the DRC,” says Rob. “I am also confident that the AJHDX900 will made HD broadcast production accessible to more people, which bodes well for the evolution of HD technology overall. Although South Africa lags world trends, there are numerous producers in this country who work for international organisations, which demand full HD specifications. The AJ-HDX900 will allow many more producers to compete at this level.” 21

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AV Specialist - Africa Edition Vol 92

Larger than life
Mediatech Aftrica shines bright in local market
HD camcorder runs with the wild dogs
Divers Down pursues tapeless workflow
Broadcast industy feedback

AV Specialist - Africa Edition Vol 92