Glen Kantziper, owner/operator of KPSR, Inc. (Greensboro, NC), purchased an AJ-PX270 camcorder, Panasonic’s first P2 HD handheld with AVC-ULTRA recording, as soon as it became available this spring. Since then, he has used the PX270 on many of the wide-ranging corporate and broadcast assignments that are the foundation of his production company.
Kantziper has provided professional field production support to broadcast clients such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and ESPN, as well as to corporate giants such as Hanesbrands and the VF Corporation. Over the past several weeks, the DP has utilized the PX270 to shoot extensive green screen work for Hanesbrands (Maidenform, Champion); an interview for the U.S. Army’s web series, “Starting Strong”; a segment for Al Jazeera America’s investigative show, “The System”; and a workplace violence awareness video for Piedmont Natural Gas. Kantziper also used the PX270 to shoot what turned out to be one of the last interviews with the late poet/performer Maya Angelou, footage that will be used as part of a planned documentary about her life and work.
“The PX270 is a small-form camera with full-size camera specs: for the first time ever, this camera offers the imagery, sensitivity and adjustability of a full-size camera,” said Kantziper.
“Capable of recording AVC-Intra 100 4:2:2 1080/60p, the PX270 allows me to shoot for normal, real-time or pull beautiful slo-mo. There’s no need to switch settings while shooting. I also get more flexibility in post production.”
Kantziper is a veteran Panasonic shooter, having purchased, years ago, an AG-HVX200 P2 HD handheld, then upgraded to an AG-HPX250, which he continues to use. He also owns an AG-AF100 micro four thirds imager camera. He has combined the PX270 and his older camcorders on three-camera shoots but, he said, “The PX270 imagery is so improved, it’s almost too good to use with the other gear.”
“With the PX270, I’m getting the expansive color space I require for my extensive green screen work, as well as the longer fixed lens I want for B-roll shoots,” the DP said. “I was already using the microP2 adapter with the HPX250, so I’m very happy with the PX270’s two standard microP2 slots. P2 media has afforded me bullet-proof reliability over the years and now I get that benefit along with the SD card form factor of the microP2 card.”
Kantziper noted that he finds the PX270 better balanced, lighter, faster and improved in low-light conditions. “Other assets include user buttons not being hidden by the LCD monitor, which means I can easily access controls I use the most, like zebra and waveform,” he said. “The new 22X lens is dramatically better, as is the LCD monitor. And being able to shoot 1080/60p is great! Great on its own merits, plus it lets me either extract 30p or pull slo-mo without changing the frame rate.”
For more information about DP Glen Kantziper’s work, visit www.kpsr.com.
About the AJ-HPX270
The AJ-PX270, Panasonic’s first P2 HD handheld camcorder with AVC-ULTRA recording, combines the high quality and incredible efficiency of low bit rate recording and the flexibility of 3G/4G/LTE wireless mobility. The five-pound PX270 provides all the key functionality of Panasonic’s high-end, shoulder-mount camcorder, and features newly-developed high-sensitivity, low-noise 1/3” 3-MOS imagers to produce stunning pictures, even in low light conditions.
With its innovative AVC-ULTRA codec, the PX270 features a wide range of recording modes, including high-quality 100Mbps AVC-Intra100, as well as optional 200 Mbps AVC-Intra200. For applications where file size is critical, the camcorder incorporates a choice of AVC-LongG quality levels; for high-speed file exchange, the PX270’s high-resolution AVC-Proxy encodes in parallel with higher bandwidth production formats, enabling fast, efficient offline editing,
For more information on Panasonic professional video products, visit www.panasonic.com/broadcast.
