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| Panasonic AG-HPX250 |
On this page I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the HPX250 with the Canon XF305, its direct rival. I’ve chosen the XF305, rather than the XF300, because they both have the timecode in/out and Genlock (and the XF300 does not) so it is a more fair comparison.
Now, within a certain price range all cameras are pretty similar, they all have to focus, white balance and exposure controls (iris, gain, shutter and ND filter). The differences really come down to ergonomics, the quality of the hardware components, how the video is compressed and software tweaks.
When people ask what kit should they buy – my first question is how much do you want to spend? We all have Champagne taste but sadly only beer money.
When people ask what kit should they buy – my first question is how much do you want to spend? We all have Champagne taste but sadly only beer money.
COSTS
The Panasonic AG-HPX250 is retailing around £3,550 plus VAT while the XF305 is £5,040 +VAT. A difference of £1,490 – quite a lot if you are on a tight budget. But, before you start flexing the credit card remember you’ll need some media to record onto.
The HPX250 records onto P2 – which isn’t the cheapest recording media out there but it is very reliable and unlike Compact Flash has 'write protect' to stop you accidentally deleting your media.
A 32GB P2 card is around - £375 inc VAT while a 64GB card could set you back £550 inc VAT.
In comparison a 32GB Compact Flash card for the XF305 would be about £95 inc VAT and a 64Gb around £320 inc VAT
If both cameras are recording at 50Mbps, the XF305 is cheaper to run. But if you record at the highest setting on the HPX250 at 100Mbps – the quality improves, but you’ll need more storage space. So, do factor that into the price.
Recording Format | Recording time on 64GB card | |
AVC-I 100 DVCPRO HD | 64 mins | Page 14 of the Panasonic manual |
AVC-I 50 | 128 mins | |
Canon 50Mbps | 160 mins | Page 194 of the Canon manual |
Please note: When I put this table together I assumed I’d got it wrong and checked again. But, these are the figures in the manuals. I must admit I don’t quite understand – what is going on with the recording times. If the XF305 can get 160 mins on a 64GB card (@50Mbps) then how come the HPX250 only gets 128 minutes. What else is it writing on the card?
50Mbps V 100Mbps
This leads me on to the next big difference between the two cameras: The XF305 can reach a maximum recording of 50Mbps while the HPX250 can do 50 and 100Mbps. For some of you that might be a deal breaker. It isn’t for me – I don’t need the extra quality 100Mbps would give me – plus that’s a lot more storage space I’m going to need…and at 100Mbps I’m going to need twice as much! Of course, I could get the extra out of my XF305 if I needed to by recording from the HD-SDI output. But that does mean having to attach a separate field recorder to the camera - which can be a pain. If 100Mbps is what you need - then the HPX250 should be on your shortlist.
50Hz V 60Hz
I only shoot in the UK for the web so the fact that my XF305 only has 50i, 50p and 25p is not really an issue (similarly, the 60Hz version is limited to 24/30/60). But some of you have clients in both 50Hz (PAL) and 50Hz (NTSC) areas and want to be able to switch easily from one to the other. Certainly a news bureaux would probably find it useful to be able to switch from 50Hz to 60Hz recording to feed pictures to different countries.
Canon XF305 | Panasonic HPX250 |
50Hz (PAL) area cameras 1080i50 1080p25 720p50 720p25 60Hz (NTSC) area cameras 1080i60 1080p30 1080p24 720p60 720p30 720p24 | Not area specific 1080i59.94 1080i50 720p59.94 720p50 480i59.94 576i50 |
You'll also notice on this table that the Panasonic does Standard Definition (SD) recording too. I know we all think the whole world has gone HD - but actually it hasn't. There are some countries quite happily recording and broadcasting in SD. This might be a good future proof camera for them - as they can easily change to HD when they are ready.
Flash Banding
The only other big difference I could find was something to keep the wedding videographer happy. At weddings and red carpet events you’ll see a lot of flash guns going off around you. Unfortunately if you are recording video using a camera with CMOS sensors (most modern cameras) those flashes can cause problems. This is called Flash Banding and you’ll see the brightness at the top of the screen won’t match that at the bottom .
There is a good example of it in this video.
The only other big difference I could find was something to keep the wedding videographer happy. At weddings and red carpet events you’ll see a lot of flash guns going off around you. Unfortunately if you are recording video using a camera with CMOS sensors (most modern cameras) those flashes can cause problems. This is called Flash Banding and you’ll see the brightness at the top of the screen won’t match that at the bottom .
There is a good example of it in this video.
The HPX250 does have a very interesting feature called Flash Band Compensation or FBC. This compensates for and minimises the banding when a flash photo is taken in the camera’s vicinity. So, if you shoot that sort of thing this feature might be of interest.
Side by side
For those of you who just want to do a quick side by side comparision of the features on both cameras I’ve compiled a table (below). Almost all of it is taken from the respective operator’s manuals, which are available if you click the links below. Please make sure you check the manuals before making any buying decisions. [But, if you find any errors in my table do let me know.]
Canon XF305 manual (PAL countries)
Canon XF305 manual (NTSC countries)
Panasonic HPX250 volume 1 quick start guide includes specifications
Panasonic HPX250 volume 2 operating manual
Please note: I have not done a bench test comparison of these two cameras. I don't have the facilities to do such a thing. But, I know a man who does. If you are a pixel peeper then you should read Alan Roberts' reports, which are very thorough. Unfortunately, he hasn't done one for the HPX250. But the BBC did approve the HPX250 based on Alan's testing of the HPX301 and HPX371 as it has the same chip set and codecs. So a look at those reviews is the best I can offer at the moment.
Alan Roberts report on Canon XF305
Alan Roberts report on Panasonic HPX301
Alan Roberts report on Panasonic HPX371
Canon XF305 | Panasonic HPX250 | |
 |  | |
PRICE | £5040 ex VAT £6,048 inc VAT [XF300 - £4,440 ex VAT £5,328 inc VAT] | £3,550 ex VAT £4,260 inc VAT |
CENSOR | Three 1/3inch CMOS | Three 1/3inch MOS |
PIXELS | 1920x1080 (also 1440x1080 @25Mbps) | 1920 x1080 |
LENS ZOOM | 18x optical 4.1mm to 73.8mm 29.3mm to 527.4mm equiv 35mm | 22x optical 3.9mm to 86mm 28mm to 616mm equiv 35mm |
FILTER DIAMETER | 82mm | 72mm |
ND FILTER | CLR ¼, 1/16, 1/64 | CLR ¼, 1/16, 1/64 |
LCD SCREEN | 10.1cm/4-inch 1,230,000dots | 3.45-inch/8.8cm 921,000 dots |
ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER | 1.3cm/half-inch 1,555,000 dots | 11.43mm/0.45-inches 1,226,000 dots |
WHITE BALANCE | Auto Preset 3200&5600K Mem A and B Manual kelvin setting/adjustment | Auto Preset 3200&5600K Mem A and B |
IRIS | Auto Manual | Auto Manual |
SHUTTER SPEED | Auto Speed Angle Clear Scan Slow shutter 1/3 to 1/2000 | Auto Speed Synchro Scan Slow shutter 1/6.25 to 1/2000 |
GAIN | Auto -6dB to 33dB Fine Tuning (in 0.5dB increments) | Auto 0dB to 30dB |
MINIMUM ILLUMINATION | 0.6lux at 50i, 33dB gain 1/3 shutter | 0.2Lux at 30dB gain 1/30 shutter |
IMAGE STABILSATION | Optical-Shift | Optical |
DIGITAL ZOOM | X1.5 (digital tele-converter) | X2, x5, x10 |
SIGNAL FORMAT | PAL area cameras 1080i50 1080p25 720p50 720p25 NTSC area cameras 1080i60 1080p30 1080p24 720p60 720p30 720p24 | Not area specific 1080i59.94 1080i50 720p59.94 720p50 480i59.94 576i50 |
FRAME RATES 50HZ 1080 | 12,15,18,20, 21,22,23,24,25fps | 1,2,4,6,9,12,15,18,20, 21,22,24,25fps |
FRAME RATES 50HZ 720 | 12,15,18,20, 21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,30, 32,34,37,42,45,48,50fps | 1,2,4,6,9,12,15,18,20, 21,22,24,25,26,27,28,30, 32,34,37,42,45,48,50fps |
FRAME RATES 60HZ 1080 | 12,15,18,20, 21,22,24,25,26,27,28,30fps | 1,2,4,6,9,12,15,18,20, 21,22,24,25,26,27,28,30fps |
FRAME RATES 60HZ 720 | 12,15,18,20, 21,22,24,25,26,27,28,30, 32,34,36,40,44,48,54,60fps | 1,2,4,6,9,12,15,18,20, 21,22,24,25,26,27,28,30, 32,34,36,40,44,48,54,60fps |
RECORDING FORMAT | MPEG-2 Long GoP MXF files 50Mbps 4:2:2 35Mbps 4:2:0 25Mbps 4:2:0 | AVC-Intra 100 -10bit AVC-Intra 50 -10bit DVCPRO HD - 8bit DVCPRO 50 - 8bit DVCPRO - 8bit DV - 8bit |
AUDIO | 2 XLR | 2 XLR |
AUDIO | 48kHz 16 bits 2 channels | 48kHz 16 bits 4 channels |
ON-BOARD MIC | Stereo | Stereo |
RECORDING MEDIA | CompactFlash 2 slots | P2 cards 2 slots |
ZEBRA 1 | 70-95% plus/minus 5 % | 50-109% |
ZEBRA 2 | 70-100% | 50-109% |
SCENE FILES/CUSTOM PICTURE | 9 on the camera 20 on the SD card | 6 on the camera 4 on the SD card |
WAVEFORM AND VECTORSCOPE | YES & YES | YES & YES |
PRE REC | 3 sec | 3 sec |
SD CARD FOR USER FILES & METADATA | YES | YES |
USER BUTTONS (ASSIGNABLE) | 13 | 5 |
PEAKING | White Red Yellow Blue | White only |
FACE DETECTION | YES | NO |
OUTPUTS | HD-SDI SD-SDI HDMI HD/SD component 3.5mm AV Video BNC 3.5mm Headphones 2.5mm remote USB 2.0 | HD-SDI SD-SDI HDMI 3.5mm Headphones 2.5 and 3.5mm remote USB 2.0 IEEE 1394 6 pin |
TIMECODE IN & OUT | YES | YES |
GENLOCK | YES | YES |
WEIGHT | 2,670g [2,630g – XF300] | 2,500g |
WIDTH x HEIGHT x DEPTH | 180mm x 236mm x 396mm | 180mm x 195mm x 438mm |