Panasonic P2 AG-HVX170
Price: $10044
Features: Optical zoom: 13x
Video speed: 25/30 fps
Video resolutions: 1920×1080i
Supported memory media: P2
Pros: Superb 1080i/720p image quality, improved low-light performance, manageable size, loads of recording modes and frame rates
Cons: Prohibitively expensive (especially when price of P2 media is factored in), purists may weep at lack of tape drive
The final word: The P2 AG-HVX170 is a miniaturised upgrade of the P2 AG-HV202. With the exception of a Mini DV tape deck, it offers all of the same functionality as its big brother, along with some improvements. It should prove more than sufficient for commercial production, news gathering and independent movie making.
SINCE its inception in 2005, the Professional Plug-In (P2) video format has been a continued success for Panasonic. The current economic climate of pinched pennies and tightened belts has done nothing to slow its rise to the top, prompting fierce copycat-competition from the company’s rivals. In response, Panasonic has released an all-new addition to the P2 line-up, dubbed the AG-HVX170.
This P2-only model eschews its predecessor’s Mini DV drive in favour of completely tapeless operation. The result is a smaller and less cumbersome device with both feet planted firmly in the future of digital video.
Although it lacks the recording versatility of the Panasonic AG-HVX202, a host of additional enhancements puts this model firmly ahead of the curve. Like its tape-equipped predecessor, the AG-HVX170 is optimised for DVCPRO HD recording in either 1080i or 720p, alongside 18 other video formats (including 480i).
It uses P2 cards – Panasonic’s solid-state memory media that is roughly comparable to SSD ExpressCards. All of Panasonic’s high-end broadcast-quality cameras now use this technology, with most major vendors following suit with equivalents of their own. The benefits of solid-state media over HDV tape are substantial; they include a data transfer speed of up to 640 megabits per second, the ability to hot-swap between cards while recording, less power consumption (and thus longer battery life), superior 4-2-2 colour recording, completely soundless operation and instant movie access via PCMCIA-equipped notebooks.
