Panasonic stands up to DSLRs with its new AG-AF101

In addition to the European premiere of the AG-AF101 4/3 HD camcorder, which will hit the market in December this year to address the growing DSLR market for video capture, and the HD and SD compatible camcorder with AVCHD encoding AG-HMC81 which will hit the market in October, Panasonic is also showing its already popular AG-3DA1 dual-lens 3D camera.

Jerome Berrard, director of AV Systems Europe Panasonic, has highlighted at this IBC 2010 that the European camcorder market is recovering after the downturn of Q2 2009, accelerating the adoption of solid state which reaches this year, according to data managed by Panasonic, 60% of the stored hours. For Berrard, 2010 is being a good year for the company in the European market since “we have managed to position ourselves with a share of over 40%)”.

With respect to 3D, Berrard has assured that the Panasonic 3D Innovation Center recently opened in Germany demonstrates this manufacturer's commitment to expanding the value chain in stereoscopy.

More than 800 units of the 3D camcorder have already been sold worldwide, and in Europe more than 150 units (of these purchases, 36% come from production companies, 16% from broadcasters, 21% from rentals, 7% from training centers and just 1% from corporate environments).

Berrard has also highlighted that 165,000 units of P2 and AVC Intra units have already been sold worldwide (40,000 of them in Europe, CIS, the Middle East and Africa).

During the press conference offered at this IBC, Darren Long, director of operations at Sky Sport, shared his experiences with the use of AVCIntra coding in HD environments with high production demands and immediate response such as sports production.

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At the Panasonic stand at the RAI Center we can see a complete stereoscopic workflow with pickup with the new AG-3DA1, mixing with the AG-HMX100 and outputting to professional monitors for 3D environments BT-3DL2550.

Demonstrations like this show, according to Christian Sokcevoic, general director of sales and marketing at AV Systems, that “3D can not only be affordable, but also… comfortable.”

In fact, Benjamin Klumpp, cameraman at Rat Pack, has commented on his 3D production experience with the AG-3DA1, stating that “sometimes, I forgot that I was recording in 3D due to the ease of use and a totally transparent workflow.”

Among the novelties that Panasonic exhibits, in addition to the stereoscopic AG-3DA1, we find the new AG-AF101 whose commercial launch is expected at the end of this year at a price that will be around 4,900 euros.

Since the launch of the Varicam in 2001 or the DVX-100 (24p) years later, Panasonic has always been very attentive to those looking for a cinema look. Now, this professional camcorder with 4/3RD sensor is finding excellent reception in advertising, video clips, short films, and all those productions that need a cinema look.

The new AG-AF101 4/3 HD camcorder is the first professional HD camcorder in the world that comes equipped with a four-thirds MOS image sensor, in addition to being the first model within Panasonic's AVCCAM series that offers the possibility of having interchangeable lenses. Optimized for high-definition video recording, its powerful image sensor allows professional users to achieve a cinematic look in both wide angle and depth of field.

Producer Barry Green said: "The AF101 promises a huge step forward for cinematographers who want a cost-effective camera that can provide the same feel you get with a 35mm, but without the problems and headaches that come with working with DSLRs. It allows us to achieve the cinematic feel we've always been looking for without having to use lens adapters or deal with the flaws and deficiencies found when using still cameras for video applications."

In a fun presentation Barry Green has outlined dozens of advantages that the AF1010 can have compared to the use of domestic DSLR cameras. Among them, the HDMi output, professional HD-SDI output, audio output, headphone jack, selectable line/micro zebras), vectorscope, manual audio control, uncompressed audio recording at 48 KHz, color settings like other Panasonic professional cameras, pre-recording, different aspect ratios in the viewfinder/LCD, aliasing elimination, robust recording format (PH AVCCAM mode), adjustable knee point and pedestal, possibility of marking valid and invalid clips, longer battery life, infrared remote control, color bar generator,… His endless list ended with a blunt “…and three years warranty.”

The AF101 uses a single micro four-thirds digital lens or cinematic lens such as a prime lens with a conversion adapter, plus professional audio input (XLR), providing the flexibility that professionals require.

The camera can record video in Full HD (1080i/p)/720p, including native Full HD mode with Variable Frame Rate (VFR) function. Records to higher capacity SDXC memory cards in high professional quality PH mode (up to 24Mbps). You can record to high capacity SDXC memory cards in high quality PH mode (up to 24 Mbps). Two SD slots allow you to switch from one SD card (SD/SDHC/SDXC) to another, expanding the continuous recording capacity up to 12 hours in PH mode or 48 in HE mode.

AG-HMC81

Panasonic is taking advantage of its visit to Amsterdam to present its AG-HMC81 camcorder to European professionals in the broadcast industry. The AG-HMC81, which was previewed at NAB in April, is being shown at Panasonic's booth at IBC ahead of its market introduction in October this year. The camera has been designed to meet the growing needs of industry professionals to allow more flexibility in capturing in both SD and HD.

The versatility of the model, which will be marketed at around 2.5590 euros, by recording standard definition in solid state with DV encoding, in addition to recording in HD, makes this camcorder ideal for those who need support in both formats. It has all the benefits of AVCCAM for schools, event camera operators, government and corporate environments who prefer to work with a camcorder on their shoulder but also need flexible connectivity options.

AJ-HPX3101

Among other innovations from Panasonic at IBC 2010 we can see the new AJ-HPX3101 2/3 inch broadcast camcorder that will be available in October for around 32,500 euros. Based on a 3CCD system, 2.2MPX sensor and AVC-Intra CODEC, this new model is intended to succeed the HPX-3000 or HPX-3700 models.

Weighing less than 4 kilos, Panasonic has reduced the usual consumption of 2/3 3CCD cameras by up to 23%. The camera offers multi-format recording capabilities, in HD and SD, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO and DV recording. The 100 AVC-Intra codec records high-quality images, using 10bit/4:2:2 sampling including high-quality 24-bit audio, while recording in AVC-intra mode. It will also offer a Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC) function to compensate for variations in lenses and the Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS) function, which allows you to suppress shadows and reflections.

The new camera will also include new features to improve workflow including wireless metadata input capability and a video encoder card capable of proxy recording with support for Final Cut Pro editing systems.

The new AJ-WM30 wireless module now allows any device (laptop, mobile phone, iPad...) to be interconnected to the camera so that it continuously sends information about what is being recorded. In this way, the journalist or editor can be on the go and in real time and reviewing, classifying or discarding material, thereby saving time. Also attracting attention at this show is the AG-MSU10 portable storage unit.

Finally, note that in remote cameras the 50 series stands out with IP network control and high video quality, composed of a mixer (AW-HS50), remote control (AW-RP50) and the cameras AW-HE50S (SDI) and AW-HE50H (HDMI).

In professional visualization, Panasonic now has a wide range of professional displays ranging from 32 to 152”, with new options for 3D in 85, 103 and 152” expected next year.