New HPX3100 P2 camera due in October
 

Thanks Gary, I was wondering if this was going to be something Earth-shattering, but it's pretty mundane, just a marginal upgrade of the 3000.
Something like a 3000 but with 720P option would have been interesting, allowing 60P or 1080 depending on your needs.
Oh well.
Steve

Maybe it has that fantastic new noise filter as fitted to the 371 :)

Must admit I too thought that it was just an updated 3000 but could it be that it will be below $20,000 ?

Let the speculation begin!

Well, don't let's dismiss it just yet. The press release says :
The question being exactly what "multi-format HD capability" means? 720 and 1080 recording? Or just a choice of framerates?

The press release seems to NOT say more than it says. Price? And - "offers a number of improvements over its predecessor - but is it's successor the 3000, or the 2100? Is an upgrade to the 3100 - or a replacement for the 2100, with 2 megapixel chips?

It's like an HPX3000 in an HPX370 body. It's 8.6 lbs lighter than the 3000!
2.2 megapixel 2/3" CCD chips, multiple HD and SD formats, AVC-intra codec, 10-bit/4:2:2 sampling stuffed into the body of a 1/3" CMOS cam? I like it! I hope it's affordable enough to trade in my HPX500.

With Panny's recent record I'd be a little careful until you find out just how they've achieved these miracles - maybe this 3.6kg and 23% power saving come at a cost.
Steve

Looks like 1080 and 480 only, no 720. It touts a S/N ratio of 59db "with DNR on", so it would be interesting to compare this DNR to the HPX370 DNR. If the 3100 is less than $20K, including VF, it would seem to be an interesting camera vs. HPX300/370(albeit for more money, especially is lens is extra), Sony 350 XDCAM EX 2/3" camera, natural replacement for the HPX500 and competitor to the HPX2000/2700. It would certainly give me pause about buying a 3000/3700.

Too bad about no 720P and looks like it has limited off-speed frame rates, most likely no overcranking, same as the 3000/3700.

Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video

what's DNR?

The 720 - 50p is not nessasary - if it just had 1080- 50P. If they can put it into a small consumer camera then why not in the broadcast line.

http://pro-av.panasonic.net/en/sales.../index.html#p2

Where is the HD format specs to prove that their is no 720p modes?

Digital Noise Reduction would be my interpretation. They might also call it Dynamic Noise Reduction

One thing that baffles me, how can this camera be 3.9kg lighter than its predecessor? The HPX3000 only weighed 4.8kg, so is this one only 900g?
Steve

HPX3100 weighs 3.9kg, not 3.9kg lighter than 3000/3700. Color or B&W viewfinder is extra, ditto proxy board and wireless metadata, the latter of which is still under development. Power consumption is 23% less than HPX3000. No 720P modes are shown, just 1080, 576 and 480.

Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video

Yes Jeff, it's obviously a big fat typo on the Panny site!

Steve

Hmm. I think the 3000 is rated at 43watts without LCD screen etc, so this still makes the 3100 about 33 watts. I'm not sure that "23% less than HPX3000" is the same as "23% less power than conventional 2/3 3CCD camcorders". (The wording in the press release.)
Which again squares very badly with the press release wording - "The camcorder supports multi-format HD capability as well as SD....." How can 1080 only be described as "multi-format HD capability"?

It remains to be seen what the camera is like - and how much it will cost - but it's a pretty badly written press release.