Videographer Todd Ruel, who shoots video stock footage and licenses it through Getty Images, recently took his new Panasonic AJ-PX270 P2 HD handheld camcorder to the Detroit and Chicago Auto Shows to document car manufacturers’ latest offerings.
“The PX270 produces brilliant images—this is the highest resolution camera that has ever landed within my price range,” Ruel said.
The Dayton, Ohio-based event videographer upgraded to the PX270 after many years working with Panasonic’s AG-HVX200 P2 HD handheld. “The HVX200 was a great camera; I used it in combination with Final Cut Pro 7 and Color to edit together montages and color grade them before I uploaded them to Getty,” Ruel said. “But clients really expect 1080p now, and the HVX200 was always at best a 720p camera. I did extensive research and decided on the PX270: it seemed like the best technical progression from my venerable HVX200, and the price was just within reach.”
Ruel described the Detroit Auto Show as “a giant exhibit hall full of brilliantly lit stages. Each carmaker’s exhibit is lit optimally, but every stage is different. For me, it makes so much sense to have a fixed lens camera that can create a superior image on the fly. It really suits my run-and-gun shooting style.”
Being able to control variables handily was essential to Ruel’s camera operation at both auto exhibits. “The PX270 produces outstandingly crisp images right out of the box,” he noted. “When you couple that with the fact that I can now create multiple settings that I can cycle through by using the Mode/Menu Cancel button, I really have the ability to make lots of adjustments more quickly and easily than before.”
Ruel, who does all his own editing, said that the ability to adjust color temperatures on the fly means he has less color correction on the back end. He often shoots off-speed to slow down a car that can be spinning too fast on a turntable. Being able to cycle through variable frame rates versus storing them in scene files has been another valuable efficiency.
When faced with a crowd gathered around an auto he needed to document, Ruel recounted being able to place the PX270 on a monopod extended four feet in the air, and shoot at 60fps to slow down any jitter. The videographer also called out the PX270’s waveform monitor, battery power indicator and microP2 media as additional benefits of the camera.
Ruel typically shoots AVC-Intra 100 in 1080/30p and now edits in Final Cut Pro X.
For samples of Ruel’s work, see http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?EventId=532838055&Editoria....
For additional information, visit www.toddruel.com.
Panasonic www.panasonic.com/broadcast