Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 3CCD AVCHD 24fps Camcorder
From the ManufacturerThe cooler than cool AG-HMC150 drew big crowds at the 2008 NAB Show. Why? Simply because it offers an unheard ofBang for the Buck, in a 1/3-inch three-chip hand held tapeless HD camcorder, while retaining the core versatility of the DVX100B. The HMC150 sports a 28mm lens right out of the box and a new PH Record mode (21 Mbps) which offers higher resolution with a host of recording formats including 24p. Add to that, amazing low light performance, long record and battery time and professional Audio capabilities at a price that will make it an instant hit with a wide range of AV Shooters, Indie creators and Event video professionals.Shown with optional microphone (sold separately)The AG-HMC150 represents a major step forward in the introduction of a next generation solid state HD camera that extends the six year successful track record of the popular DVX100 plus a lot more. The HMC150’s lightweight (lightest 1/3-inch 3CCD available), well-balanced professional design features a high performance wide-angle Leica 13X zoom lens, 24 and 30 frame progressive capture, both in 720 and 1080 formats, making it perfect for even high level projects. Designed from a clean sheet of paper with much customer input to Panasonic's product development engineers, the HMC150 sports a Die Cast Alloy chassis and a Three year warranty (upon customer registration) that further endorses its reliability.Main Features:Full range of HD formats: 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p (Native); 720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p (Native)Higher bit-rate recording than consumer models (21 Mbps PH Mode)Three latest design 1/3-inch CCD Progressive Imagers13X Wide angle 28 mm lens out of the box (35mm equiv.), MOD .6 M, 72mm Ø (Shoot in confined spaces with no need to buy an accessory lens)Time Date Stamp for Legal Depositions or surveillanceWaveform Monitor, Vectorscope plus two Focus displays for accurate, quick focusProfessional XLR audio input connectionsTime code (DF, NDF, REC RUN, FREE RUN) and USER BITHDMI out, Component Out (mini D terminal), Composite Video Out and RCA Audio Out jacksExternal Time Code Link (Slave & Master Preset) uses the Composite Video Out terminalUSB 2.0 for file transfer (no need for a VTR)3.5-inch LCD monitor displays thumbnails for quick non-linear access to clipsRemote control connection for Zoom, Focus, Iris, and start/stop functions14 bit A to D converter and 19 bit Image processingCinelike Gamma & DRS Dynamic Range Stretch (Filmaker requested features)Three Neutral Density Filters 1/4, 1/16, 1/64Pre-Record (3 Seconds), Digital Zoom 2X / 5X / 10X (in 1080/60i & 720/60p only)Three User Set Buttons with 11 choices for customizing Camera to ShooterAdditional Highlights:Using the latest in compression technology (AVC High Profile)and widely available SD memory cards as the recording media, the AG-HMC150 is as easy to use as a digital still camera. The content recorded on the SD card can be directly played on a growing number of affordable consumer players, including select models of Playstation 3, Blu-ray players, plasma screens and PC’s. With most NLE systems now supporting AVCHD, content can be edited and rendered to play in any type of SD or HD playback system.Dynamic Range Stretch. With DRS ON your customer can capture better Video quality when shooting bright, halftone and dark objects in the same frame. (Bride’s white gown details and the Groom’s shades of tuxedo black.) This clever circuit estimates the gamma curve and knee slope of each pixel’s brightness and applies the estimate on a real time basis. The result is more accurate Video with a visually wider dynamic range.DVX100 users want more HD in a similar form factor at a reasonable price. DVX100 users are craving for a camcorder with the same size and and key design elements but with the increased resolution and color quality of the widescreen HD format. With Optical Image Stabilization and Manual & Auto Focus, the HMC150 appeals to a wide variety of shooters. In the new PH mode, the HMC150's image quality far exceeds what is possible with HDV, and at a lower bit rate. The HMC150 is simply an incredible value!Enhanced Tools to make better Video.The WFM allows for critical evaluation of too high Luminance levels which can ruin a job, like the shine on a model's forehead. The built-in Vectorscope allows for color analysis and matching because it measures color saturation as gain, and Phase (Hue) as the angle. When it comes to critical focus, two 'Focus aids' are on board. In addition to the Center Zoom which enlarges the center 2X filling the entire the entire LCD screen, the Histogram display shows fine focus as Amplitude & Frequency, making it easy to see critical focus.The feature-rich HMC150 raises the bar for video quality. As the camcorder & display market moves swiftly to High Definition, superior image quality and higher-end features are now a must-have. Panasonic is confident that the HMC150 will give customers the higher quality and creative edge they need to stay ahead of competitive shooters with SD or HDV pro camcorders. The HMC150 will meet and exceed the expectations of professionals who make their living shooting video.Professionals Need Great Audio. Two locking XLR inputs at the front, complete with hard switches for Line and Mic with +48V Phantom Power, Manual level controls, and Internal/External assignment. Up & down volume adjustments can be made to the internal speaker or stereo headphone output.Don't be afraid of the Dark or of your tape running out. With 14 bit Analog to Digital conversion and 19 bit Video processing, users can shoot in low light situations with virtiually no fear of video noise detracting from the highly detailed video. They can also forget about the 63 minute record time limit of DV & HDV and the need to estimate remaining battery life. The new Info Data battery system used in the AVCCAM line up updates remaining time left to the minute.Competitive Advantages of the AG-HMC150:Solid state capture and playback eliminates the problems inherent in tape and disc drives, while allowing high quality HD content to be captured on affordable, readily available SD cardsIts 21 Mbps PH mode records far higher picture quality than HDV Tape systemsMPEG-2 compression works with blocks of only 16 X 16 pixels whereas H.264 compression works with blocks down to 4 X 4 pixels. What’s more, AVCHD’s motion prediction is content dependantContinuous, silent recording of between 3 and 12 hours with Time Date Stamp is a powerful capabilityNo head wear, alignment or cleaning and it carries a Three Year Parts & Labor WarrantyLower storage needs & lower distribution costsHDMI Digital Output, HD Component Output, and selectable SD 16:9 Output (RCA)28 mm Lens achieves wide angle without having to buy attachmentsBuilt on a one piece die cast alloy chassis that is compact, well balanced and weighs less than 4.5 lbs. (4.37lbs with Battery, Mic Holder, AG-MC200 Mic and SD Card)Immediate Playback, random access & ability to preview shots and delete on locationBenefits of AVCHD:AVCHD is a new HD industry standard, tapeless format introduced by Panasonic and Sony and now supported by over 30 manufacturers (Advanced in compression, color and motion prediction)It utilizes the AVC High Profile codec- Providing the benefit of equal recording quality at about half the bit rate of older MPEG-2 used in HDV systems. More record time using less storage spaceAVCHD content can be played directly from an SD card in a growing number of affordable devicesContent can be edited and rendered to many different formats for use on other playback devicesLike Digital Still camera files, AVCHD content files can be transferred to and stored on any affordable, data storage device including HDD, optical discs, flash drives etc. No format specific deck (like HDV 720p or HDV 1080i) is needed for ingestUltra Solid state reliability -- Benefits in Temperature, Humidity, Vibration, Maintenance, No DropoutsNo FF or REW, no camera down time due to clogged tape heads or slipping, hardened pinch rollersPanasonic’s professional AVCHD camcorders use widely available SD or SDHC cards: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB & 32GB whose trend is increasing capacity and decreasing in costLonger recording time for capturing uninterrupted, extended events –between 3 and 12 hours depending on bit rate chosen with a 32GB SDHC cardFaster workflow -- like digital photography, no ingest, random access to content, lower storage and distribution costsAVCHD Editing-- AVCHD editing is now supported on both dual core PC and Intel based Mac platforms and files can be transferred as uncompressed HD video utilizing a simple HDMI to HD-SDI converter. Recently announced AVCHD editing support is available in: Apple iMovie, Apple Final Cut Express, Apple Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 & above, Adobe Premier Pro CS3, Grass Valley EDIUS Pro v4.5, Pinnacle Studio Plus/Ultimate 11 & 12, Nero7 Premium Reloaded, Ulead Video Studio 11 plus and DVD Movie Factory 6 Plus. An available free downloadable transcoder is also available to convert content to DVCPRO HD on our website.