Quick review of Panasonic AF100

Basically, the AF100 is what happens when you stuff the innards of a DLSR into the body of a video camera and slap some interchangeable lenses in front of it. Listing at $4,995, the AF100 rocks a Micro Four Thirds sensor that records to dual SD cards in AVCHD and outputs 8-bit uncompressed 4:2:2 video to an external recorder via an HD-SDI connection. It also attempts to solve the audio issues plaguing DSLR video shooting (namely, the difficulty of getting pro-level audio to play nice with a camera designed only for imaging) with its two phantom-powered XLR audio inputs and built-in stereo microphone.


Panasonic is also claiming to have lessened aliasing and the dreaded "jellycam" found in DSLR video with an optical low pass filter and faster scanning, while still boasting the wide viewing angle and shallow depth of field that movie-makers (and Vimeo users) know and love to death.

Panasonic launched new Viera 3D

TH-P65VT20K

Panasonic has officially launched two high-end Viera Full HD 3D plasma HDTVs in 50in and 65in sizes.

The 1080p 50in TH-P50VT20K and the 65in TH-P65VT20K models both utilise frame sequential technology to alternately deliver the left and right images required for 3D movies that work with the bundled LCD shutter glasses.

Panasonic's new plasma HDTVs now have a display which produces darker blacks, thanks to a new panel with improvements in the cell discharge area which produces enhanced black gradation and reduces energy consumption by up to 40% compared to earlier models.

The new plasma HDTVs also feature newly-developed fast-decay phosphors which reduces pixel afterglow by up to 30%, thus reducing the afterimage problem found in older plasma display panels.

As a result of Panasonic's improvements on its plasma technology, both models boast a 5,000,000:1 native contrast ratio.

Panasonic 3D camcorder

HDC-SDT750

Panasonic has unveiled the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750, at a press event in Japan.

The camcorder, when attached with a special 3D conversion lens, is capable of shooting amazing true-to-life 3D videos.

The 3D attachment uses two lenses to capture two images simultaneously - just like the human eyes - to form a 3D video.

The HDC-SDT750 records video in full 1080p resolution in AVCHD format with 5.1-channel audio.

The camcorder is also capable of taking still pictures and features Intelligent Auto mode, face detection and Hybrid OIS shake reduction system.

For editing the 3D videos, the camcorder comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T application which allows users to splice together videos and save them on a PC or burn them onto a Blu-ray or DVD disc.

Users can watch their 3D movies on a 3D capable TV such as the Panasonic Viera Full HD 3D TVs by hooking up the camcorder via a HDMI cable.

The camcorder uses a 3MOS system with improved noise reduction and manual ring for full control of the camcorder's zoom, focus and shutter speed.

It also has a large 3in touchscreen for easily accessing the camcorder's functions.

Panasonic expects to launch the HDC-SDT750 by the end of September.

The HDC-SDT750 camcorder with the 3D conversion lens is expected to retail for RM5,499.

HDC-SDX1

Compact camcorders

Panasonic also unveiled its new pocket-sized video camcorder, the HM-TA1 and HDC-SDX1.

The HM-TA1 records in HD video in full 1080p resolution and captures 8-megapixel still images.

Also, the HM-TA1 has built-in image stabilisation and a small LED flash for illuminating subjects.

The compact camcoder has an integrated USB port for transferring videos to a PC. It can also upload videos to Youtube and

Facebook directly with just a touch of a button.

Another cool feature is that the HM-TA1 can double up as a webcam for Skype calls when hooked up to a computer.

The camcorder supports higher capacity memory cards, namely SDHC and SDXC. Meanwhile, the HDC-SDX1 has 2.7in LCD touchscreen and a 35.8mm wide-angle lens with 23x optical zoom.

It records HD videos in 1080i resolution and captures 3-megapixel still images. Like the HM-TA1 it can function as a webcam for chatting on Skype.

The compact camcorder records in a variety of different formats that include AVCHD, MP4 and iFrame (for use with Apple iMovie video editing software).

The HM-TA1 (RM599) will be released in September and the HDC-SDX1 (RM1,699) by the end of August.