GEAR
PANASONIC HC-X2
FIRST TEST
Having problems livestreaming? Panasonic is here to help with this great-value, yet capable camcorder CALL THE A-STREAM!
S plash out around three grand on a Panasonic broadcast-ready camera in your hands, which is not only light and portable, but has a massive zoom range and records in 4K/60p. You don’t need that sort of codec, but it lets you stream in a low-bandwidth codec while recording 4K footage, often in 10-bit 4:2:2, allowing a high-quality edit after the event. It’s the best of both worlds. Of course, if you’re used to a modern mirrorless or cinema camera with a full-frame or Super 35 sensor, then you’re not likely to be bowled over by the spec of the X2. The sensor is a one-inch type 15.03-megapixel 4K sensor that tops HC-X2 and you’ve got the basis of an entire outside- out in 4K 3840x2160 10-bit 4:2:2 in up to 30p, or 4:2:0 if you want 60p. There’s no 6K or 8K here – but that’s not what this camera is about. There are 13 stops of dynamic range, but this is when using V-Log – which isn’t what most WORDS AND PHOTOS ADAM DUCKWORTH
livestreamers will do. In standard gammas, dynamic range is good, although the narrow dynamic range of streaming in the commonly used Rec. 709 colour space is the limiting factor. An HLG option does exist for HDR, though. Its 20x zoom lens is a permanent fixture, so there isn’t any way of attaching your T1.3 cinema prime for super-shallow depth-of-field or boshing on an anamorphic. The fixed 8.8-176mm f/2.8-4.5 optic comes with a large lens hood to stop flare. It’s the 35mm equivalent of 24.5-490mm, which is the sort of vast range camcorder users want. It’s certainly more than enough for the majority of events, giving a wide end that’s good for in-your- face close-ups and a long end ideal for sports. If you need more range, a 32x digital zoom lets you crop in tight on distant subjects. With a decently wide maximum aperture, you can get a semblance of creative shallow depth-of-field if you focus close enough and select focal length wisely. But there’s no funky extreme focus pulls with touch-to-focus technology or on-sensor phase detection. Face tracking AF does feature, but only seems to work in full-auto mode. It works decently, though. What’s more important is a camera that works for virtually every shot you could possibly need without having to resort to screw- on teleconverters – and one that is always in focus. And the power zoom actually lets you smoothly zoom in and out at a controlled
speed. That’s the sort of thing the X2 is for – and excels at. If you want more creativity, you can record 1080p in VFR (variable frame rate) in increments from two to 60fps, as well as recording slow motion at up to 120fps. All the footage is recorded onto a pair of inexpensive SD cards, with U3-rated or faster cards needed for video bit rates above 100Mbps. You can record to both cards simultaneously, either as a backup or for recording high- and low-quality files at the same time to different cards. Or, simply use it as more space for relay recording. But the camera’s real strength is that it’s built for broadcast and streaming. So there’s timecode input and output, HDMI and 3G-SDI output, plus built-in Ethernet, USB and Wi-Fi. Those combinations
TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT
Easy access to ND filters, focus assist and exposure makes for winning spec
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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