Panasonic HD Camcorders
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Panasonic HD Camcorders Feature Comparison Chart
Video Direct also carries Panasonic MiniDV Camcorders, Panasonic DVD Camcorders and Panasonic SD Card/Hard Disc Drive Hybrid Camcorders.
Click on model number in the chart below to see photo and features.
Click on any underlined feature on this chart for a more detailed explanation.
DVD Camcorders Feature Explanations:
- 1 - 1920 x 1080 Full-HD Recording
- Images recorded by conventional HD camcorders have only 1,440 horizontal pixels, while full-HD camcorders have 1,920. In terms of total pixels, conventional HD camcorders record images with 1.55 million pixels, while those from Panasonic full-HD camcorders have around 2.07 million pixels -- about 30 percent more. The result is a level of detail and resolution that goes beyond anything you've experienced before. And because full-HD recordings contain a vast amount of picture information, they look beautiful not only on high-definition TVs, but on conventional (standard-definition) TVs as well.
HD images contain 4 times as much information as conventional standard-definition images. HDTV has 1,080 horizontal scan lines, standard-definition TV has 480. That translates into much higher resolution and much finer detail. Pictures are so clear and sharp, you can see the textures in an image. Also, HD uses a 16:9 aspect ratio, so the pictures you record have proportions that more closely match the human field of vision. This means that viewing is more natural and comfortable.
- 2 - High-Resolution AVCHD Format
- AVCHD is a standard developed jointly by Sony and Panasonic for HD digital camcorders. Using highly efficient codec technologies, it records 1080i highdefinition signals onto media such as 8-cm DVD discs and SD/SDHC Memory Cards. AVCHD allows an HD camcorder to make long-time recordings of high-density video information onto a DVD disc or SD/SDHC Memory Card.
- 3 - Recording Media
- The HDC-SX5 records onto convenient 8 cm DVD discs. There is never a need to rewind or fast-forward, so users can play back a scene immediately after recording. There's no need to find blank disc space, so you can start shooting right away, and it's easy to play or edit the results right on the camera. The video image and sound data are recorded directly onto the disc for easy storage. In the AVCHD format you can record onto a RAM, RW, R, or R-DL (Dual Layer) disc and get up to about 60 minutes* of continuous recording. The discs are easy to store and manage, save space, and can be played on a Blu-ray Disc player.
The HDC-HS9 hi-def hybrid camcorder boasts an extra-large 60GB** internal hard disk drive, which can hold up to 23 hours of your precious memories (in HE mode). And since this camcorder records to both the internal hard drive and SD card, you can add up to an additional six hours of recording (also in HE mode) onto a 16GB** SDHC memory card (sold seperately).
Use of the super-small SDHC/SD Memory Card helped Panasonic create the world's smallest, lightest 3CCD full-HD camcorder.*** The HDC-SD9 fits comfortably in the hand and can be used for long periods without causing fatigue.
- 4 - 3 CCD Imaging System
- HD is especially good for scenes with rich, vibrant colors. And Panasonic HD camcorders provide the best in color reproducibility, thanks to use of an advanced 3CCD camera system. This system, in which three separate CCDs capture and process the light information received through the lens, helps reproduce high-resolution HD images with magnificent color.
Most professional broadcasting cameras use the 3CCD system, with its superb color reproduction. In a single-CCD system, all of the incoming light information is processed by the same CCD. This single CCD captures only black-and-white images, which are then passed through red, green and blue filters in order to reproduce color. The more advanced 3CCD system uses three distinct CCDs for processing, so there is absolutely no light loss. The three separate 1/4-inch CCDs separate the color spectrum into red, green and blue for digital processing by the camera. The delicate hues, tones and gradations are then faithfully reproduced, resulting in a vivid, realistic image. The 3CCD camera system draws out the full potential of HD image quality.
- 5 - Variable Speed Zoom Leica Dicomar Lens
- Leica AG of Germany is the manufacturer of fine cameras and lenses favored by photographers everywhere. The Leica Dicomar lens featured on the HDC-HS9 and HDC-SX5 was developed specifically for HD digital video cameras. Drawing on Leica's renowned optical technology, this advanced lens captures clear, crisp, finely nuanced images with outstanding detail and contrast. The Leica Dicomar lens features 12 lens elements in eight groups and uses low-dispersion optical glass to reduce color blurring. A special multi-coating process is applied to the 14 lens element surfaces to minimize chromatic aberration, so images are crisp, clear, and free of flare and ghosting. This 10x zoom can fill the screen with even a distant subject. Because it's optical, there is no quality loss -- you get HD images in all their natural beauty. And focusing is fast even when zooming, so you catch all the best shots.
- 6 - Advanced Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.)
- Imagine taking video shots on a moving boat and then viewing them on a large-screen TV. They're likely to appear blurry from the boat's movement and unsteady hands. Panasonic solves this problem with their O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer). O.I.S. is an optical system, so image quality is in no way degraded. Panasonic's Advanced O.I.S. is a new image stabilizing function that achieves around eight times higher precision than their previous system. The system uses gyro-sensors to detect hand-shake, then shifts a lens and adjusts its optical axis to compensate. And while Panasonic's previous system checked and compensated for hand-shake around 480 times per second, the new Advanced O.I.S. works around 4,000 times per second. Advanced O.I.S. enables finer, more effective hand-shake compensation. Also, because the system is optical, no image quality is lost. With Advanced O.I.S., you'll capture images that are clear, sharp and beautiful on a big TV screen.
- 7 - Pre-Rec Function
- This clever new function* records three seconds of images even before you actually begin shooting. The images are held temporarily in the camcorder's internal memory, before recording onto the SDHC/SD Memory Card begins. This helps ensure that you won't miss the start of a moment you want to record, such as when an event begins all of a sudden. For example, if you're waiting to snap a shot of a jumping dolphin, you can press the REC button after you've made sure that the dolphin has cleared the surface of the water. The camcorder will record the entire scene, from the instant of the dolphin's jump until it disappears again into the sea.
- 8 - Intelligent Contrast Control
- By detecting the intensity of the ambient light and adjusting the exposure accordingly, Intelligent Contrast Control prevents blown highlights and blocked shadows. This helps render natural-looking, highly nuanced images with proper contrast. Even when you're shooting directly toward the light source -- a very challenging situation in photography -- Intelligent Contrast Control lets you capture clear images with enhanced depth.
- 9 - HD Advanced Pure Color Engine
- The HD Advanced Pure Color Engine is a special image processing circuit for the 3CCD HD camcorders. Able to process large amounts of data with high speed and precision, this engine achieves truly superb color reproduction for high-quality pictures.
- 10 - High 5 Lux Sensitivity / MagicPix® Images
- The new digital signal processor reduces noise to allow shooting all the way down to 5 lux illumination. You get natural-looking shots even in dim rooms or at dusk.
MagicPix Images gives you smoothly flowing pictures even in dark places, where it's normally difficult to capture good shots. This feature is a great way to record still images even in low-light settings. Now you can capture still images in full color onto the MiniDV tape and save priceless memories like a sleeping baby or a moonlit vacation night.
- 11 - Focus Assist
- This function enlarges the center of the image, making it easier for you to get a clear, sharp shot when focusing manually.
- 12 - Composition Guide Lines
- With wide LCD monitors, it's hard to keep images perfectly level. The SX5 and SD5 solve this by displaying horizontal and vertical Composition Guide Lines that make it easy to keep the subject straight and level.
- 13 - Tele-Macro
- Using the zoom at full magnification, you can shoot macro close-ups while maintaining a distance of 60 cm from your subject. This makes it much easier to capture extreme close-ups without your body or camera casting a shadow on the subject and while keeping the background in soft focus.
- 14 - Large Wide-Screen LCD
- The large, 3-inch LCD monitor displays bright, clear images with 250,000-pixel resolution. You can see even tiny details. It's more fun to shoot and view images on a wide monitor, and it's easier to picture just how the images will look on a TV screen.
The new 2.7-inch widedcreen LCD has a highly detailed, 300,000-pixel display, which places it in the top class of the industry, and a viewing angle of 170 degrees, both vertically and horizontally. Images are clear and bright even when viewed from an angle, so everyone can gather around the LCD to enjoy on-the-spot recordings. The wide viewing angle is also great for taking high- or low-angle shots.
- 15 - One-Touch Navigation and Joy Stick Control
- With One-Touch Navigation, just press the center of the joystick to display an operating menu. The operations you use most often are right on the monitor, so it's easy to change settings or operate the camera without looking away from your subject.
- 16 - Thumbnail View
- The camcorder LCD screen displays a list of the recorded scenes for quick and easy searching. You can do some polished editing using just the camera itself.
- 17 - Quick Start
- In Quick Start mode, which can be selected from the menu, the HDC-HS9 begins recording in just 0.6 second from the time the LCD is opened and the HDC-SX5* begins recording in just 1.7 seconds. This lets you shoot those sudden shooting opportunities.
- 18 - Face Detection Function
- The HDC-HS9 and HDC-SD9 introduce the world's first* face detection function for recording moving pictures with a camcorder. It's difficult to shoot scenes with deep shadows or large differences between light and dark areas. The subject often looks too dark, and faces can be hard to see. Panasonic solves this problem with Face Detection, a function that automatically adjusts the exposure according to the ambient brightness, so faces are bright and easy to see. When the camcorder detects a face in the scene, a square frame appears around it in the LCD monitor and the exposure is adjusted to correct the brightness level. The skin tone is also smoothed. Face Detection can detect up to five faces at once. With Face Detection Panasonic makes it easy capture beautiful faces even in dim or backlit scenes.
- 19 - 5.1-ch Surround Sound, Zoom Microphone, Focus Microphone
- The Panasonic HDC-HS9 and HDC-SD9 HD camcorders are equipped with five electret condenser microphones. The center mic helps capture the sound source and distance accurately, so you get a more 3-dimensional effect than you get with conventional systems, which capture all sounds from the front. You get a realistic sound space that's a perfect match with the true-to-life HD images. In Zoom mode the microphones are linked to the lens action. When you zoom in on a subject, the microphones focus on the sound in that same direction. In Focus Mode the microphones focus on sounds coming from right in front of you, even when the lens is not zooming
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