RedCam Central :: View topic - Panasonic introduces new AG-HMC150 and AG-HMC70

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Panasonic Broadcast showed their newest additions to their Pro AVCHD Camera lineup yesterday at a small press conference, which they will be debuting at NAB in April.

The most intriguing product looks to be the AG-HMC150, which is an AVCHD SD card-based addition to the affordable pro HD Camera group, which includes the popular HDV-based AG-HVX200.

Using a similar design to the AG-DVX100, standard def AG-DVX100, the HMC150 uses three new 1/3-inch CCDs with native 16:9 aspect ratios, and supports all of the flavors of HD resolutions, including 1080 and 720 progressive and interlaced options. For glass, the Camera comes with a fixed broader 28mm Leica lens, which is optically stabilized, and also includes XLR audio inputs, an HDMI output (among others), as well as remote control capability for iris and record.

One thing to keep an eye on is the bit-rate of the new AVCHD standard, which if limited, could cause software compatibility issues down the road. More information will be available on this by NAB.

Shipping is expected by the fall, but Panasonic has not yet determined the pricing for the HMC150. People are guesstimating somewhere in the $6K range, however.

Also, a less attractive model, but potentially a good fit for event videographers and institutions, the AG-HMC70, was introduced. Also SD card-based AVCHD, this Camera is designed to be shoulder-mounted and incorporates 3 1/4-inch CCDs and a 38.5mm-to-462mm-equivalent 12X zoom optically stabilized Leica lens to record 1080i video. It also supports still capture and uses pro audio connectors as well as BNC outputs. Shipping is expected in April for $2,495.

Also mentioned was the recent availablility of the 32GB P2 cards, as well as a 64GB version targeted for the fall.