It’s been just a week or so since Panasonic posted the official website for their micro 4/3 AG-AF camera family. Here we are with IBC in full swing and they’ve now posted a video with details galore about the AG-AF101. It’s the global introduction of the camera and it professes to combine both the benefits of a DSLR’s large sensor with the functionality, ergonomics and features of a proper video camera. Watching the video will probably answer quite a few questions about exactly what features Panasonic have packed into the unit.
It really does look like it has all proper inputs and output of a real video camera. It records AVCHD up to 24 mbps to SD cards. One thing I found interesting is that you can take the HDSDI out and connect it to Panasonic’s AG-HPG20 portable recorder to record in AVC-Intra, Panasonic’s “master quality codec.” AVC-Intra is a nice codec so this ability to get a less compressed signal out of the AF101 should quite some of the critics who’ll say that the 24 mb AVCHD on-board is too compressed. Hopefully devices like the Cinedeck will be able to work in this camera too since it includes both HDSDI and HDMI outputs. And don’t forget about the new AJA Ki Pro Mini!
It’s a bit funny looking …
… but does that really matter when you have that big sensor?
And here’s an interview with Barry Green from the IBC floor, who shot with the camera while in Amsterdam at IBC:
He sure seems to like the image that he got from the camera. Now all we need to do is to actually see some footage from the thing! And get a final cost too. Will Panasonic actually get the cheese?