American Cinematographer - April 2006 - 83

The

Panasonic's P2 stands for Professional
It

RELIABILITY UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS

Advantages of P2 Recording
Plug-in.

memory

virtually indestructible, and

are

shooting in extreme and adverse conditions of hot

digital cinematography. The P2 card,

encompassing four SD

small but

P2 cards

protected by a rugged die-cast frame. Real-life

bridges the worlds of computer peripherals

and

are

-

cards, acts

and cold

as

The

Advantages of Variable Frame Rates

Digital cinematography has

come a

necessary

storage to be taken. This frees up

recording space

long way in

on

the P2 card.

making more visually appealing, cinema-like images.

Also, the HVX200 captures in discrete progressive

Variable frame rate

frames, not interpolated frames. So, when you look

shooting is

a

main reason why.

temperatures as well as shock and
Rec and

the internal flash memory

vibration has been done, and the P2 card has

card, as well as an

external hard drive when used with

a

non-linear

Play at
24fps

performed with 100% reliability. The P2 card

Standard
editor.

Working with

The
not

NLE solutions

and

P2 is already

as

speed)

a

Overcranking

printed circuit

board, computer controllers for
maximum data

fast,

same

only the use of 4 SD memory

chips, but also
becomes easy

recording speed for movie production (playback at

design of the P2 card involves

encased in

a

speed, and all

rugged enclosure.

Only the top 1 % of chips

in the IT domain and

produced in the world is accepted
eliminates
since the

digitizing,

external hard drive. Here

are a

few of

ON-SITE CLIP SELECTION AND MEDIA MANAGEMENTaccess

allows for the

nature of P2

recording also

clips to be displayed as individual

thumbnails, which

can

the last frame

P2 card,

thereby

as you

would on tape;

140°F

Play at
24fps

1,500 G and vibration

Provides

15 G, operates in temperatures from -4 to

(-20 to 60°C), and

can

Undercranking

temperatures from -40 to 176°F (-40 to 80°C).
IT READY

-

drives and

Solid state memory

even

Rec at

is integral to com¬

12fps

display technologies such

worries about breaks in timecode. It is all taken

in the IT world

means

the P2

cameras

~!HI

rml

Shooting at half standard shooting speed

as

plasmas. Using P2 means you're IT ready. Being

no

half-speed slow-motion with standard playback

be stored in

puter technology, be it in digital cameras, portable

instantly be selected,

played or deleted. No need to worry about cueing
up to

withstands shock up to
up to

advantages of working with P2:

The random

a

providing optimum reliability.

clips will be

seen on an

the main

to be inside

Play at
24fps

integrate

~-

care

with

of with P2.

A REDUCTION IN YOUR MEDIA BUDGET
can use

cost of

the P2 cards up to

a

P2 card

saving you

can

money.

-

up

over

the data to lower cost

storage such as DLT, LTO or even DVD, and it's

are

you

media

concept alone can dramatically cut your

budget, since with tape,

you

can't

save

storage devices don't have to be

just

in the IT world and

now

they're a part of video production too. With the
current

prices of DLT storage at 25 cents

you can compare

cost

a

GB,

$50 worth of storage in DLT for

200 GB, whereas the

only saving the viable footage onto the P2

card. This

and archival

every computer system

time,

ready for the next project. And keep in mind

existing equipment in the IT domain. Backup

designed; they already exist. They are a part of

100,000 times, the

be amortized

Back

Because you

Provides 2x

equivalent videotape would

$200. Saving content to an IT device is less

expensive than tape.

The HVX200

employs the same variable frame

through the viewfinder while shooting in 24p, you

recording technology as the VariCam and is the first

are

hand-held HD camcorder to do

true

24p fashion.

The

advantages of shooting in variable frame rates

are

only limited by your imagination. Special effects

frame rate in
11

so.

The

shooting

720p native mode can be set for any of

steps (12, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30, 32, 36, 48, 60

watching exactly what is being recorded, in

fps) between 12fps and 60fps.

such

Unlike VariCam, however, the HVX200 records the

warp-speed effects, time-lapse creations, ghost

progressive frames onto the P2 cards, not to tape. It

effects, strobe effects, and much

does not need to

in-camera, which yields a more organic, and realistic

in

the

quick-motion with standard playback

flag the frames for later extraction

post-production. As

a

result, fewer frames are

good takes.
captured onto the P2 card, allowing for only the

as

creating

a

feel to the effects.

dream-like feeling, motion blurs,

more, are

all done
American Cinematographer - April 2006

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2006
