NEWARK, N.J.—A new handheld camcorder has been introduced by Panasonic, the AG-AC30. Offering full HD 1080p recording, the camera also features 20x optical zoom, wide-angle 29.5mm lens, LED light, two-channel XLR audio inputs, and simultaneous record or relay record.

The AG-AC30 also comes with a 1/3.1-inch Back Side Illumination sensor with an increased effective area for image quality of 6.03M effective pixels. The sensor’s processing speed is 1.5 times conventional speed, and provides a new Noise Reduction function.

Dual SD card slots are available with the camera, and are capable of allowing users to record on both cards simultaneously. The AC30’s Relay Auto Switch functionality provides back-up recording or the ability to switch from one card to the other for extended recording times. The camera can record in AVCHD to 28Mbps and MP4/MOV to 50Mbps.

Additional features include Intelligent Auto Focus; 5-Axis Hybrid Optical Image Stabilization; illuminating LED ring; a 0.24-inch, 1.55 million-dot EVF; and LCD monitor.

Panasonic is planning to begin shipping the AG-AC30 in August at a retail price of $1,880.