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Army increases shooting range with P2

The British Army News Team covers stories in places like Afghanistan where security, operational necessity or sensitivity mean it isn’t possible to facilitate general broadcasters.

The British Army News Team covers stories in places like Afghanistan where security, operational necessity or sensitivity mean it isn’t possible to facilitate general broadcasters.

It also covers less fraught stories, from underwater shoots to following wounded soldiers climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, for the British Forces Broadcasting Services and online outlets. The material also forms the basis of the national archive held at London’s Imperial War Museum.

As it works in hostile environments, power is often unavailable, so its tapeless workflow uses battery power throughout, from acquisition through post to transmission. The crew normally carries two Panasonic P2 cameras: the large, but relatively lightweight AG-HPX3100 and small AG-HPX250. The Army chose P2 after extensive testing.

“Often we may get one seat on a helicopter (or the back of an armoured personnel carrier) and this will govern what can be carried and how we work. The seamless P2 workflow allows us to carry the minimum amount of equipment, a camera, a laptop and a small satellite system,” explained team leader/senior cameraman, Kevin Capon.

“I can shoot, take my card out of the camera, place it into my laptop and edit with no need to ingest – simply put the material directly onto the timeline, edit and transmit, without carrying any additional peripherals,” he said.
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