Blackmagic Forum

Hey guys,
Starting from scratch here on the camera end. What would you guys recommend for some basic 1080i or 720p live production cameras for 5K each?

*Would love lanc control for our ops

Would I need to run two-sdi to each camera to have a monitor for each camera? Or could I go camera>Monitor>SDI out of monitor back to switcher?

Thanks!

Panasonic AG-AC160A.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... dheld.html

Lanc. Decent wide angle to pretty tight zoom, 28-616mm (35mm equivalent) zoom range. Digital zoom, just in case. Records on SD cards. HD-SDI output. Overall a pretty good camera for the money.

We run out to a Marshall HD-SDI monitor and loop out to go down the line. But, if I were you, and planning out cable spools, I'd still put in that second coax for a reference input.

Do yourself a favor and go with the Panasonic HPX250 or HPX270. They have an excellent picture quality and a fantastic lens with a good wide angle side and a huge zoom (I think 22x).

But the best thing about these two cameras is, that they can be fully controlled via an inexpensive CCU from Datavideo than can control up to 4 cameras at once. You can remote control the iris and shade every single aspect of the picture (black control, manual white balance) so absolute ideal to match the cameras during production.

Cheers

Pro

The HPX 250 was replaced by the HPX255. I admittedly don't know too much about the HPX270.

I have several of both the HPX255 and the AJ160A. They use the same lens, have the same chipset, and are very similar cameras. Both great. The main difference between them are A) The HPX255 has CCU control available, B) The HPX255 uses P2 cards, whereas the AJ160A uses HDHC cards, and C) about $1800USD (plus the cost of the CCU, which is what makes this a valid choice).

My photogs are also the editors, and given a choice between the two for shooting in the field, they usually will opt for the 160A, due to the ease of use of having the SDHC cards.

Basically, if having camera control is really important, go for the HPX255. If it isn't, get the AJ160A.

For serious live productions CCU control is always essential. At such a low price (check the Datavideo MCU-200) it is a bargain.

Cheers

pro.

Panasonic 270 no CCU only Panasonic 255

pro---studio wrote:For serious liveproductions CCU control is always essential. At such a low price (check the Datavideo MCU-200) it is a bargain.

Cheers

pro.
(Emphasis change mine)

I do not disagree, however, you have to realize that "serious" is not black and white, but a sliding scale. When the OP requested a price of "5k each", the level of "serious" is already lowered. Some people would say that for "serious live production" you shouldn't be using these little cameras anyway, but should have a full sized camera. I mean, anyone serious enough, would never buy a camera with a permanent lens, they'd want the ability to choose different lenses.

He may also not have the staff (either in number of people or in technical know-how) to properly utilize a CCU. He may also not have the money in his budget. Give him options within the confines of his question, and let him decide.