A Train Productions Invests in Three Panasonic Handheld Cameras

A Train Productions, a diversified video production company specializing in event and corporate videography based in Westfield, NJ, recently invested in three Panasonic AJ-PX270 P2 HD handhelds, which have become the company’s primary cameras.

“I’ve spent much of my career working at the top level of NYC production and postproduction, which inspires me to bring a higher-end sensibility to the realm of event videography,” said A Train principal Jonathan Applebaum. “After successfully building my business with successive generations of Panasonic camcorders—the AG-DVX100, and the AG-AC160—I’m now pushing our product further with the PX270.”

Applebaum explained that A Train’s work is dominated by wedding and bar/bat mitzvah coverage, as well as multi-camera production of musical and theatrical performances.

“We’ve been shooting with the PX270 for several months now, and have found its chief benefits to be the silky-smooth, ultra-slow servo zoom, luxurious color rendition, and low light performance,” he said.

“The lens on the PX270 is a significant improvement, enabling an almost imperceptibly slow zoom in or out on a ‘money’ shot, such as during the first dance at a wedding or a poignant moment in an interview,” Applebaum continued. “And in venues with super-saturated colors, the PX270 produces a beautifully rich image—no smearing, no blockiness—something I’ve never experienced in a 1/3” sensor camera.

“A Train does extensive shooting in synagogues, where we have zero control over the lighting conditions. Even in uneven, dimly-lit spaces, we’re achieving a much better image – with higher contrast and sharpness – than ever before.”

“For ultimate consistency, all our cameras must be ‘A’ cameras, and when it came time to upgrade, being able to afford a set of three was a major consideration,” he added, “The PX270 fits perfectly into the cost/benefit equation for the type of work we do.”

A Train records to microP2 media, and Applebaum edits in Final Cut Pro.