Affordable P2 HD camcorder

You’ll have to claw your way into the crowds to see what Panasonic is calling the “worlds’ first affordable 10-bit, 4:2:2 professional HD camcorder”.

The high-def, eight-pound shoulder mount camera records to P2 solid-state cards. It relies on proprietary 1/3in 3-MOS sensors and provides multiple professional features including; 10 stops of dynamic range, interchangeable lenses, the choice of AVC-Intra 100 and AVC-Intra 50 compression, and XLR audio connectors for microphones. It also offers a 1/2in LCOS color viewfinder, low power consumption (18W with battery and light), and it can capture individual frame images in 100Mb/s DVCPRO HD quality.

The camera supports most HD formats, including 1080/59.94i, 1080/29.97P and 1080/23.98P (native 24p/30p), and 720P with variable frames.

The camera output can be set for down conversion or cross-conversion with letterbox, 4:3 crop or squeeze. The camcorder comes equipped with a wide screen 1.2mega-dot LCOS color viewfinder plus a 921K-dot 3.2-inch LCD color monitor. The camcorder supports interchangeable lenses, but comes standard with a 17 x HD Fujinon lens.

The camera can be configured for studio application with a package that includes a base station, extension control unit and a remote control camera adapter. It also supports 1080/23.98PsF output (via HD-SDI) for use in high-end movie production. For SD-only stations, the output of the camera can be set for downconversion or crossconversion with letterbox, 4:3 crop or squeeze. The camera has a suggested list price of $10,700.

See Panasonic at booth numbers C3712, C3327.