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Panasonic has expanded its
professional AVCCAM line with the introduction of a more compact,
lighter handheld camcorder – the AG-HMC40. Weighing less than
2.2 pounds, the new AVCCAM camcorder is packed with an impressive
range of professional features including full HD 3MOS
imagers, high-resolution 10.6-megapixal still photo capture, 12X
optical zoom and high-quality, solid-state AVCHD recording on
widely-available SD cards.
The HMC40 is an
AVCHD format based camcorder that
uses MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 high profile encoding, which provides a near
doubling of bandwidth efficiency and improved video performance
over the older MPEG-2 compression formats (e.g. HDV, DVD etc.).
AVCHD high definition recordings look clean and crisp, even during
fast motion, reducing the image degradation or dropout associated
with older HDV recordings.
The HMC40 features a full
resolution 2-megapixel, 1/4.1-inch 3MOS imager that produces
stunning 1920x1080 HD images with high sensitivity. The camera
captures still images with 10.6-megapixel resolution directly onto
the SD card as a JPEG image. The handheld offers a 12X optical zoom
(includes 2X, 5X, 10X) and professional image functions like
Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS) that
helps compensate for wide variations in lighting, and a
Cine-Like Gamma mode which gives
recordings a more film-like aesthetic.
The HD camcorder records in all
four professional AVCCAM recording modes, including the
high-quality PH mode (average 21 Mbps/Max 24Mbps), the HA mode
(approx.17 Mbps), the HG mode (approx.13 Mbps) and the extended
recording HE mode (approx. 6 Mbps). It supports 1080/59.94i (in all
modes) and 1080/29.97p, 1080/23.98p native, 720/59.94p, 720/20.97p,
and 720/23.98p native (in PH mode only).
Using just one 32GB SDHC memory
card, a user can record three hours of full resolution 1920x1080
video and audio in PH mode, four hours at HA mode and 5.3 hours at
HG mode. In the HE mode, the camera can record up to 12 hours of
1440x1080 HD content – all on a single 32GB SDHC
card.
The HMC40 comes standard with HDMI output, USB
2.0 (mini B-type devices), composite output (AV multi/ch1, ch2),
analog component (mini-D), detachable XLR audio input and audio REC
level adjustment dials. Users also have the choice of expanding the
camera’s audio capability with 2-channel input, mic/line
switchable and +48V options that are available for purchase
separately. The camera’s 2.7-inch LCD monitor offers simple
touch-panel operation and access to various solid-state recording
functions such as pre-record, interval recording, shot marker and
metadata capture.
In addition, this lightweight handheld offers
invaluable professional features including waveform monitor
display, focus assists such as focus bar display and enlarged
display, time date stamp, user assignable focus ring, auto focus
with face detection, zebra display, synchro-scan shutter function,
three programmable user buttons, time code/UB recording, remote
control terminal (for zoom, focus, aperture, REC start/stop
controls).
AVCCAM content recorded on the SD card can be
played back directly on a growing number of low cost consumer
devices including solid-state HD players, Blu-ray players, game
machines, laptop computers, and widescreen plasma displays with SD
card slots. For editing or playback, professionals can transfer
content from the SD Card to Mac or PC computers or by connecting
the camera directly via its USB 2.0 interface.
Panasonic’s AVCCAM series
brings the benefits of solid-state HD recording to budget-conscious
professionals with a range of affordable camera and recorder
products. In addition to HMC40, the AVCCAM line includes the
popular AG-HMC150 handheld, the shoulder-mount AG-HMC70 and the new
AG-HMR10 AVCCAM recorder and AG-HCK10 camera head. AVCCAM products
record stunning professional AVCHD video onto inexpensive, reusable
SD/SDHC cards, like digital still photography. As AVCHD files
are digital, they can be transferred and stored on affordable,
high-capacity hard disk drives (HDD) or optical storage media and
transferred to future storage media as technology
advances.
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