Category — HD

Canon released their first line of HD flash camcorders this month, the Canon HF10 and HF100. According to this news source, the two HF models are about the same:

“both camcorders are basically identical, with each featuring Full HD recording (1920×1080 resolution), 12x optical zoom, and the ability to record footage at 24p and 30p frame rates. Optical image stabilization and a 3.3 megapixel CMOS sensor round out the camcorders’ features.”

The HF10 relies on internal memory and/or flash memory cards, while the HF100 operates on memory cards only. Both camcorders are on the pricey side. But since Canon is a reliable brand, it would be a worthwhile investment.

The Canon HF10 starts at $879.

And the HF100 starts at $1099.

I decided to do some research on the latest hd camcorders available for commercial and personal use. Today, I’m going to take a look at what Panasonic has to offer.
Panasonic HD cameras cost depends on their ultimate uses. The consumer HD camcorders start around $2100 and then skyrocket to $48,000 for a top of the line commercial camcorder. All of these models are 3ccd camcorders that have increasing level of hd image and audio resolution.

The basic consumer camcorder is the 1/4″ ProLine trademarked camcorder with hdmi interface and miniDV capabilities.

Next in line is the 1/3″ 3-CCD HD/DVCPRO/DV Cinema P2 Camera starting at $5995. It employs their CineSwitch ™ Technology, which allows for variable frame rates up to 60fps all in 720p. The CineGamma ™ Software allows for eight specific gamma settings. But what’s a gamma setting anyway?

According to this source, “The gamma function controls the general brightness or luminance and the contrast curve. This control allows an operator to set what is known as the characteristic curve of the camera, or the way in which it reproduces various tones along the black-to-white scale. Again further it can be stated that the black gamma controls the contrast and detail in the shadow and black areas of the picture. This may be further subdivided into a black stretch control for enhancing shadow detail, and a black press function that increases contrast.”

So I guess this setting controls the tones of the picture, which I’m sure is key to filming in HD.

The next P2 solid state HD camcorder is the 2/3″ AG-HPX500 with much of the same features as the last model. However, this one costs 14K and records in 1080i.

After that Panasonic jumps into the commercial market with the AJHDX900 that’s a full HD camcorder ($26,500). With the AJHDX900 allows you to capture images that can integrate special effects seamlessly in HD. The next commercial full hd model is the VariCam that has easy button access variable rate capabilities at $45,000.

And lastly, the AJ-HPX3000 which Panasonic’s catalog states “is the industry’s first native 1080p one-piece camcorder to capture master-quality high definition video.” It has 1920x 1080i res and records on a solid state p2 card with the “Film-Rec mode (made popular by the VariCam), film-like shutter controls, intuitive film camera-like operation.” Basically, it’s the closest to a 35mm film camera with the portability of a camcorder. Sounds great, if I had the dough to throw down on it.

The Independent Spirit Awards take place tomorrow, since they’re always the Saturday before the Oscars. This year’s host is Rainn Wilson from “The Office”. The ceremony will be broadcast on IFC at 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific.

It seems I missed even more great movies from 2007, after looking at the nominee list. Of course, there’s a bit a of Oscar crossover, with No Country and Diving Bell. But that’s to be expected since Hollywood has been distributing and recognizing an increasing number of indie features.

I’m pulling for Parker Posey, since her performance in Broken English was perfect in every way. Broken English is a great example of a movie made with HDV camcorders that got released in a fair amount of theaters. The film’s director Zoe Cassavettes, daughter of John Cassavettes, probably helped the film garner recognition. But I’d like to think that the acting and substance of the film is what counts.

Check the trailer for Broken English:

I was reading up on the latest Non-linear editing systems to check if they were compatible with most HDV camcorders. HDVideoGuys gave a great overview of the latest HDV video cameras, despite some of it’s info not being quite up to date. It turns out that Canon, Sony, and JVC have been manufacturing camcorders since 2005 or earlier that produce the HDV format. Meanwhile Panasonic doesn’t output in HDV, but uses their unique DVCProHD format.

The HDR-HC5 seems to be a popular choice if you are looking to make the jump from miniDV to HD. It’s pretty affordable, ranging from $700-800 bucks.

At that price, why not join the HDV craze? Next, all I need is a Blu-Ray player and plasma tv to display my HDV footage.

Smart People, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Dennis Quaid, is finally coming to theaters. I’ve been hearing buzz around this movie for quite some time. That’s probably because my friend Camille Mana, most notably from UPN’s “One on One” fame, has a pretty big part in the film. She plays one of Dennis Quaid’s students, as you can see in the trailer on Yahoo Movies.

It just premiered at Sundance, so I think it will be out pretty soon. Sundance is becoming pretty hollywood these days. They say there’s celebrities everywhere you look. If I was there, I’d carry a Sony HD camcorder and try to grab interviews and reaction shots the whole time!

Ellen Page also stars in the movie alongside Mana, Quaid, and Parker. Maybe the Juno buzz will carry over?

Well at least the Wall Street Journal is interested in this movie.