Choosing HD Ptz cameras

[timsabre]

My church has 4 Datavideo PTC-100 PTZ cameras primarily for making a live web stream of services. We're looking to upgrade them because they have an awful image lag of nearly 0.5 seconds which makes them very hard to control on a joystick and impossible to use for IMAG on the screen which would occasionally be a useful thing to be able to do.

 

Budget is somewhat limited at about £8000 and the possibilities look like the new Panasonic AW-HE40 or Datavideo's replacement the PTC-120 which I am assured does not have the image lag problem.

Does anyone have experience of either of these or know an alternative? Requirements are

-minimum image latency

-nice slow minimum zoom speed and minimum ptz speeds which can be used in-vision

-HDSDI video connection

-Visca control over RS232 or 422 (we have a custom software controller on a touchscreen PC)

[AHYoung]

We sell such things and were impressed enough by the datavideo ptc 120 camera that we bought one for our own stocks. Im aware that the old datavideo unit was pretty latent, but the 120 doesnt have the problem. We had nothing but good feedback from venues we have supplied to so id suggest that in the sub 2k area, Its the one to go for.

 

We have used it as main camera on a number of live events close shots of speakers onto side screens and the latencys been perfectly acceptable connected hdsdi via either panasonic or barco switchers. Im not sure you can use any camera invision off the joystick unless you are very agile, but its smooth running between presets if you have the speed down, but its sony visca protocol it uses so should work with any standard controller , allthow we have the datavideo one.

[timsabre]

Thanks that's useful.

I wasn't thinking of using the PTZ in vision off a joystick but our software controller can do things like a slow zoom out while panning upwards and that sort of thing. The current Datavideo camera moves slightly too fast for this to look good even on its slowest setting.

I'll PM you.

[jason5d]

WE use the Panasonic he120 for concert use, really good image, really nice control and no latency.

I don't know about the Panasonic AW-HE40 as it's a lot smaller. Holdan.co.uk supply

both of the cameras you are interested in and other ptz cameras, its probably best

if you talk to them.

[daveallenav]

We use Panasonic HE120's but have a couple of HE60s which are awful, so avoid them. Presumably they are one up from the 4o so you may have to rethink. You'll need a controller

[timsabre]

We use Panasonic HE120's but have a couple of HE60s which are awful, so avoid them. Presumably they are one up from the 4o so you may have to rethink. You'll need a controller

 

What's awful about them?

[Pete McCrea]

We've found the AW-HE60 to be a respectable little unit when we've cross hired them in. In a well lit environment the image was a good quality, and I certainly consider buying a pair. But then the HE20 is a much larger investment, and I believe a better quality of image - you'd hope so for the additional coinage that they cost.

 

Be interested to know your reasoning behind the comments daveallenav.