Cameras: News and Updates

Panasonic Announces Pricing and Availability of HDC-Z10000 Compact, Twin-Lens 2D/3D Handheld Camcorder

By StudentFilmmakers.com
posted Dec 12, 2011, 19:27

Its Low Cost Makes It Ideal for Education, Training, and As an Accessory Camera

HDC-Z10000 Compact, Twin-Lens 2D/3D Handheld Camcorder(Secaucus, NJ) Panasonic announced pricing and availability for its latest professional 3D camcorder, the HDC-Z10000, delivering in December at a suggested list price of $3500. The Z1000 achieves the industry's nearest close-up of approximately 17.7 inches (45cm) for a twin-lens 3D camcorder, while maintaining an equivalent 32mm wide angle of view. It records close-up images that would be conventionally difficult to capture in crisp detail.

The Z10000 is Panasonic's first integrated twin-lens 2D/3D camcorder that is fully compatible with the AVCHD 3D/Progressive standard. Based on the AVCHD format, which offers high quality, efficient compression and excellent compatibility, this new standard has been upgraded to AVCHD 3D, which uses MVC (Multiview Video Coding) to record and play 3D images via the Frame Sequential Method (each frame is full resolution). AVCHD 3D/Progressive is the latest format in the 3D domain and assures frame-by-frame beautiful results.

Offering exclusive technologies, the Z10000 incorporates Panasonic's unique Double 3MOS System, which produces superb color and detail reproduction. Its advanced imaging system combines two large-diameter F1.5 lenses featuring a special Nano Surface Coating technology. Two independent, high-sensitivity 3MOS sensors (left and right) for superb color and detail reproduction and a newly developed Crystal Engine Pro II for high-speed processing and noise reduction make the Z10000 a breakthrough camera at its price point. With the two high-sensitivity 3MOS sensors (with an effective pixel count of 6.57 megapixels each) that are independently mounted left and right, the Double 3MOS system creates outstanding Full HD 3D video content (which can be viewed on any Panasonic consumer 3D TV). The same level of performance is also provided for 2D images, allowing remarkable 2D image quality in combination with 1920 x 1080, 60 progressive recording.

"The Z100000 is the first handheld 3D camcorder that makes capturing close-ups easy," said Jan Crittenden Livingston, Product Manager, Panasonic Solutions Company. "With its breakthrough convergence setting, the Z10000 is the affordable choice for shooting small subjects that are typically difficult to capture close-up in 3D such as flowers and jewelry, or in environments with little room, such as inside a vehicle."

The Z10000 features a 1,152,000-dot, 3.5-inch 3D LCD that requires no 3D eyewear to view. The user can check 3D images while shooting without having to connect to a 3D monitor by having it in the Mix Overlay mode, and focus is then easily achieved by using the left eye only. The display can also be switched between 2D and 3D.

Its new F1.5 lenses excel when shooting in low light conditions and enable the user to record bright images with reduced noise even in dark places. The Nano Surface Coating significantly reduces ghosting and flare to produce crisp, clear image rendering. A wide range of shooting situations is covered by this versatile lens, from 32mm (35mm equivalent) wide-angle shooting (29.8mm for 2D) to 10x optical zooming (12x for 2D shooting, 23x for shooting with Intelligent Zoom). This greatly extends the range of uses, from shooting in tight places to situations where the videographer and the subject are farther apart.

Three independent manual rings allow fine adjustment for the focus, zoom and iris to create precisely the intended image, and a dedicated dial lets the user finely adjust 3D convergence. Functions that are frequently used for recording, such as O.I.S. ON/OFF, Color Bar ON/OFF, Zebra Pattern Display, 3D Guide Display, Auto/Manual Iris, Auto/Manual Auto Focus, and Auto/Manual White Balance, are also arranged on the side of the camera body as separate buttons to enable quick, intuitive operation.

The camcorder features a 0.45-inch 1,226,880-dot EVF for high-resolution images and high-speed response. Advanced image tuning functions, such as gamma mode, knee point, detail, detail coring, chroma levels, chroma phase, and master pedestal, can be applied for greater expressive control. The Z10000 also incorporates powerful hand-shake correction in both 2D and 3D; when shooting in 3D, the system activates a POWER O.I.S. function that completely suppresses shakiness when using handheld or zooming operation.

In addition to built-in microphones for recording Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound/2-channel stereo, the Z10000's uncompromising audio quality is augmented by two XLR audio inputs with a 48-V phantom power supply for external microphone use. Uncompressed Linear PCM (2-channel only) is also supported.

The Z10000 includes Intelligent Auto (iA) functions that automatically select the optimal shooting mode with the press of a button. Quick-Start (0.6 sec) and Quick Power-On (2 sec) functions allow shooting to begin almost instantly. Up to six sets of camera data can be stored, enabling the user to instantly configure settings based on the shooting conditions. Frequently used functions can be allocated to three User buttons on the main unit and four User buttons on the LCD for easy access.

The Z10000 features dual SD card slots that can be deployed for either relay or back-up recording. Users can choose from among the following international recording modes: in NTSC, AVCHD 3D (1080/60i, 1080/24p, and 1080/30p*), AVCHD 3D/Progressive (1080/60p), and AVCHD (1080/24p, 1080/30p*, and 1080/60i PH/HA/HE mode). Other professional functions include Time Code, Time Lapse Recording (supported in 2D), and Still Picture Recording to capture a 2D (JPEG) or 3D (MPO compliant) 2.1M pixel still image at any time.

Resources:

www.panasonic.com/broadcast