BIG NEWS! New Panasonic M4/3 camcorder announced AG- AF100

DSLRs

This came out of nowhere and is very intriguing. A video camera by Panasonic that takes the chip from the GH1, sticks it in a video camera body and properly optimises it for video! The press release states it give dof similar to that of a 35mm movie camera. Not quite as the sensor is a bit smaller but not too far of. This development is very intriguing. Bit of a low bitrate though it seems but that is down to AVCHD. Price rumours are around $6000. For a video camera to come out with a sensor as big as this for the pice is astonishing, because as we know size is important (despite what my exes always said to me!)

WIth this camera coming out it mean the other manufacturers need to do the same soon to keep up . Especially as this camera offers uncompressed HD-SDI and HDMI out which is HUGE! So what it records AVCHD? With the uncompressed out plug in your nano flash or Ki-Pro and you are away!!!

I tell you something. I want one!

Here is the press release:

* Premier AVCCAM Video Camera Combines 4/3” Sensor with Superior Video Quality, Professional Audio Inputs, Variable Frame Rates, SDXC Card Technology *

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 11, 2010) – Panasonic Solutions Company today announced a game-changing AVCCAM HD camcorder, the AG-AF100, the first professional micro 4/3-inch video camcorder optimized for high-definition video recording. Scheduled to ship by the end of 2010, the AG-AF100 will set a new benchmark for digital cinematography.

Targeted at the video and film production communities, the AF100 delivers the shallow depth of field and wider field of view of a large imager, with the flexibility and cost advantages of use with a growing line of professional quality, industry standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. The full 1080 and 720 production camera offers superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.

The design of the AF100’s micro 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a less expensive camera body.  Equipped with an interchangeable lens mount, the AF100 can utilize an array of low-cost, widely-available still camera lenses as well as film-style lenses with fixed focal lengths and primes.

“Designed in consultation with the filmmaking community, the AF100 eclipses the video performance of other cameras in this price range,” said Joe Facchini, Vice President of Sales & Product Management, Media & Production Services, Panasonic Solutions Company.  “Ideal for film schools and independent filmmakers, this affordable, digital cinematography camera employs an advanced professional AVC/ H.264 Hi Profile AVCHD codec compatible with a wide range of editing tools and affordable players.”

The AF100 incorporates a 4/3-inch, 16:9 MOS imager. The camcorder records 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) in AVCHD’s highest-quality PH mode (maximum 24Mbps). Ready for global production standards, the camcorder is 60Hz and 50Hz switchable.

The AF100 maximizes the potential of its high-resolution imager with built-in ND filtering and dramatically reduced video aliasing. Standard professional interfaces include HD-SDI out, HDMI, time code recording, built-in stereo microphone and USB 2.0. The AF100 features two XLR inputs with +48V Phantom Power capability, 48-kHz/16-bit two-channel digital audio recording and supports LPCM/Dolby-AC3.

This newest Panasonic AVCCAM camcorder is the first to enjoy the benefits of advanced SDXC media card compatibility in addition to existing SDHC card support.  (SDXC is the newest SD memory card specification that supports memory capacities above 32GB up to 2TB). With two SD slots, the AF100 can record up to 12 hours on two 64GB SDXC cards in PH mode

The AG-AF100 will be available by the end of 2010. Panasonic will support the AF100 with a three-year limited warranty (one year plus two extra years upon registration).

About Panasonic Solutions Company
Panasonic Solutions Company empowers people whose jobs depend on reliable technology. Panasonic Solutions delivers collaboration, information-sharing and decision-support solutions for customers in government, healthcare, education and a wide variety of commercial enterprises. Products and services within the company’s portfolio include Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computing solutions, projectors, professional displays (including both plasma and LCD), and HD video acquisition and production solutions. As a result of its commitment to R&D, manufacturing and quality control, Panasonic is known for the reliability and longevity of its products. Panasonic Solutions Company is a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, which is the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC).

All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic Solutions Company’s full line of products can be obtained by calling 877- 803-8492 or at www.panasonic.com/business-solutions.

166 comments

  2. Sounds great, though I wish the bit rate was higher. I’ll stick to the DSLRs, I adore still photography. This is great for schools though, might have to tell the heads of the film department here at SVA to get in on this.

        1. I agree.
          Ill too be sticking with my 5D.
          Since this camera can not shoot 60p at 1080p, its not worth any upgrades at this point.
          Sony in July of 2011 will have a new camera in a super35mm chip that is going to have 60p 1080p for around the same amount of money as this Panasonic.
          Because of that, Ill hold off from this purchase.
          Or if the scarlet comes out before June 2011, Ill get that unit instead. 3K is far better than 1080p.

  8. When will these companies get it? step with the AVCHD crap! They get the right idea it seams and then throw it all away on a horrible codec. And the worse part is we keep buying into it!

      2. I agree and so do my pals at Technicolor Vancouver where we ran tests (and dailies through) on the Fox series, Human Target, on which the GH1 was my digital “Eymo” for the last 7 months.
        It was used in all 11 episodes we shot. We dropped buildings on it, ran over it and so on – basically any shot I couldn’t risk a hard to replace D21 on. Does the GH1 AVCHD look just like D21 footage? No way. Does it work for a quick shot here and there? If it’s properly exposed, you bet. I can’t wait for the AG-AF100 – I just hope they streamline the design. The prototype is very dorky and bulky looking – as they often are.

  9. Estimated price of $6000!!! Maybe in a few years the price will come down. That price still leaves plenty of demand for the dslr’s, and I agree that it is great to have great stills along with video in video dslrs – two for one 🙂

    1. Perhaps Panasonic is fearful of their professional and prosumer price points being cut down so much by the DSLRs that they roll out this in an attempt to stop the downward trend but it’s not going to work, is it?

      A FULL frame Canon 5DMark2 is much much less than this. Granted a true video camera does have advantages over a DSLR being used as a video camera but the advantages aren’t THAT great that we should pay 3-4x as much, in my opinion that is.

      1. The 5D mk II doesn’t produce true 1080p video. It is an aliased mess of moiré caused by downscaling and in camera sharpening. Yes it can produce beautiful images, but there is a reason that real video camera costs more.

      2. @ Ben Bunch
        you’r right

        @Steve
        you are stupid thinking there is no advantage buying a video camera over a HDSLR. The AF100 is rocking 2 xlr port(out of the box) what about your 5DII? what about the handle to shoot sport or have a better hand held shot? You know THERE IS a lot of advantage that the 5D MKII don’t. But you know it all depend on your needs…

        I use a 5D MKII a lot and I think it is an awesome camera, but if Canon would like to invest in R&D to apply theire video tech with a similar sensor as the 5dMKII and the processor of a 1DMKIV it would be awesome.

  11. very very interesting… hopefully more details at NAB ?!!

    Canon really need to step up – they could easily own this segment if they wanted….

    Wonder what’s going on behind the doors in Sony ?

  12. Can you other lenses like Canon FD lens with an adapter with this camera? Can you use other 4/3rd lenses as well? If yes this is good, but the body design looks funny…..I hope canon puts the 7d or 5d MK II engine in a similar body as well……

  14. I really hope this camera does well. If nothing else, it’ll get Canon’s attention to get them to finally put the technology they already have on the shelves together into a package that will literally turn the industry on its head.

    If my wish comes true, though, then Canon already has one of these in the works in their camp. Seriously, a 3K or even 1080p 24p camera can be done by Canon TODAY if somebody would just put the parts they already have together. (There is some maths that support my claim, but I won’t bore you with that here) Heck, if they would release the 7D/5D in “Film edition” and reduce the native resolution to 1080p, that’d already solve it. They can charge MORE for it and it’ll still sell like hot-cakes.

  15. Hi Philip! The 35mm full-frame of motion picture is not the same as 35mm of still picture, is it? They actually smaller thus making m4/3 quite matches the size of Arri Super-35 films (APS-C)…

  17. I was going to sell my FD lenses b4 but guess I will be keeping my FD 135mm F/2, 2 FD 55mm F1.2, 200mm f2.8, Sigma FD 8mm F3.5, 2 FD 50mm F1.4, FD 85mm F1.8, Tokina FD 70-200mm F2.8, FD 35mm, 24mm, 28mm all f2.8 and FD 17mm F4… Cause you know what they will be useful when this cam comes out and will become very expensive in the near future…hehehehehe

  18. The camera has HD-SDI and HDMI Outputs, so the codec is irrelevant in some ways. If you wish to bypass the codec, you can run an uncompressed output to another recording device. This is HUGE! XLR Audio inputs…HUGE! Built-in ND filters…OK, not huge but still cool.

  19. Also, in addition to hoping this camera will do well, I also hope that it’s REAL…. Yeah, has anyone actually noticed that:

    1) the picture is just an illustration and not an actual photograph
    2) the camera is friggin’ ugly. It doesn’t look anything like what a Panasonic product designer would actually do.

    1. very interesting thread indeed

      * the sensor is the same as in the GH1, but its output is treated in a different way in order to get a 1080p image with no aliasing (no line skipping, then)

      * not even the Panasonic’s product manager there has seen any footage from the camera, it’s still just a concept

      * and in particular, they don’t know yet how the rolling shutter will behave

  21. I knew this was coming, but I thought that Canon would be the first. Good proposition from panasonic. Spec wise it will not have better image than a 5D, but much better ergos. Hey what happened to the “Scarlet”?

    1. Canon’s usually later than the rest to release cameras for some reason. You would think they’d be ahead of the game since they are taking the (video) market in stride with their DSLRs. I can’t wait till they come up with something like the XL 5d Mk2. That will be sweet.

      Side note. All specs aside, that Panasonic camera is the dumbest looking camera I’ve seen since Fisher Price’s ground breaking technological master piece:
      http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2620&e=cameralanding

  22. Come on Panasonic, COME ON. We’re talking about HALF the data rate of the 7D. I can’t believe they’d let this thing through with such a gaping hole in the spec sheet. It’s **so close** but the 24mbit/sec AVCHD is a huge let down, what a joke.

    I wouldn’t rely on that HDMI/HD-SDI being uncompressed for your nanoflash, I’ll bet they 4:2:0 the shit out of it before outputting.

    With scarlet hitting the market soon, this thing looks like a lame duck at $6000 I’d rather have SEVEN T2i bodies than this thing. Errrrrrg.

  23. looks like a great camera, sensor size should have similar natural low light/Dof to 16mm film though, Not 35mm. I suppose if you use a Micro 4/3rd adapter to converge the light you could perfectly simulate the full frame sensor.

    However I think this is a user friendly camera for all the old guys who aren’t cool/sexy enough to use DSLRs. 😛 lol just kidding … but I still prefer the 5dII… Aw hell even if I had a million dollars I would still prefer the 5dII.. BTW I think you are better off using a seperate recording system anyway, you get higher quality with a dedicated sound system, not an on camera sound system. I guess it depends on what you use. But I never use the mic inputs on any camera.

    Also theoretically you could use some c-mounts with this camera which is cool,,,, with appropriate adapters of course. I tried to attach a c-mount to my 5d, it didnt work, there was blood everywhere, it went horribly wrong.

    1. Actually the 4/3 sensor is very close to 35mm. Its almost 4 times larger than a 2/3 chip which is the closest comparison to 16mm. I like this sensor size more than the full frame on 5d. DLSR full frame is larger than 35mm motion picture which creates too shallow a DOF for me a lot of the time.

    2. Actually the oversized m4/3 (like sensor one in the GH1) chip is very nearly identical in size to Academy 35mm film, and so gives similar DOF. Also, the GH1 m4/3 sensor is already very similar to 5dII performance in video (check out comparisons on Vimeo). Either way, it’s waaaaaaayyy bigger than 16mm film.

  24. Huge. Effectively what Panasonic have done is made every single existing pro video camera on the market either obsolete or overpriced. Surely RED’s Scarlet now has roughly 0.00001% chance of surviving in the market place.

    Sony are due to respond with their interchangeable lens large sensor cinematic camera in 2011.

    I think the Micro 4/3rds adaptable lenses will rocket in value as there are so few Micro 4/3rd mount lenses available right now. Question is – will we be getting cinema optimised lenses from Panasonic, that we can also use on the GH2 when it comes out? Very exciting.

    In the meantime grab those Contax Zeiss and FD bargains whilst you still can!!

    The GH2 is due in September. If the AF100 features the GH1’s sensor, will the GH2 be the better buy? I think for a number of people who don’t need some the pro features and handling, yes it will. I personally won’t be abandoning the size advantages of Micro 4/3rds HDSLRs for this monster, great news though it is.

  25. 6 Grand? Wow. Thought at about 2-3 max.

    For this price, as cool as it is you better get the scarlet for 2,5 Grand and stuff it with the remaining 3,5 Grand. Then get the primes set and you are better to go. Better codec, higher res.

    Sorry, cool Idea, but no. Not this way.

    2. This camera is the first radical change in the film industry since DSLRs started to shoot HD.

      I would love to see these new cinematic HD camcorders in a higher res, but come on man, 2,4,5,6K? Not necessary. There aren’t even TVS that can play at those resolutions yet.

      The $2,500 Scarlet has a 2/3rds sensor. That means you are paying $2,500 for a brain alone that can’t match up to 4/3rds let alone full frame. Check out that chart that Bloom has posted up at the top, are you kidding me? You would still need a DOF adapter for the Scarlet! And the add-ons to make it a proper camera are gonna add up to much more that $3,500 I am sure.

  27. Interesting announcement. Just pitched $1000USD below the announced price of the scarlet S35 and probably arriving at a similar time. The advantages this have on price extend further to the presumably includeed lens, viewfinder and LCD and a few IO connectors that require an extra module on the Scarlet which is brain only at that price, so lenses and monitoring are all extra. However scarlet it 5k RAW and has so many other features and so much expandability that if you need them they will be worth the price differnce big time.
    It’s great though to see these kinds of larger sensors working their way into the true video camera market and at a pricepoint that makes them fairly attractive to video professionals. Still a shame that they are so much more than the DSLRs but I guess that is a much bigger market due to the stills buyers/ dual usage factor so economics of scale come to play.

  30. And so it begins …

    Panasonic probably have it easiest to make this transition as their chip is smaller and their DSLR implementation was the most camcorder-like both for operational and codec. It will be interesting to see what it really looks like, as that is the least convincing artist’s impression I have seen in a while. It will be interesting to see if and how Sony and Canon respond. Canon have their own new 300 series launching at NAB along with their new 50Mbps 4:2:2 codec, but they haven’t included an interchangeable lens variant yet. They are already dearer than the Panasonic though.

      2. “Better than XDCAM EX” thats only on paper and who knows what the future holds for the EX range. Still I do think this is good news for the film-like boys finally a video manufacturer coming out with a SDoF camcorder with interchangeable lenses, proper viewfinder and XLR audio.

  32. Could we assume it will perform the same in low light as the GH1? Similar ISO?I was an early GH1 adopter who’s been thinking of grabbing a 7D….I think I’ll wait til everything shakes out of the NAB tree. Although, I’ve always had the attitude with cameras that, don’t wait for the next version to come out or you’ll always be waiting. Grab one and start shooting.

    1. I actually have a Panasonic HMC70 which max record rate is 13Mbps and I have shot several short films with it and it looks really good. Better than any HDV running at 25Mbps mpeg2 long GOP I have seen.

      AVCCAM gets twice the quality from half the bit rate of the competitors mpeg2 long GOP compression. So the 24Mbps is equivalent (or better due to better motion algorithms) than the EXCam’s 50Mbps

  34. I realize documentary is the ugly stepchild on dslr forums, but this camera will have a lot of verite shooters excited.

    Is it the end all, be all? No. But am I excited at the possibility of a $6k solution that gives me most of the dslr advantages and adds a friendlier form factor, auto focus, one-system audio, not to mention hd-sdi out? Hell yes.

    And if nothing else, the ball’s in Canon’s court. Hopefully this will light a fire under their ass.

  38. I’m pretty sure this camera will be fantastic! And if it’s not, it’s the right step to lead the way for larger sensor ENG cameras at an affordable price. My guess is that there is a P2 version on this already in development. Anybody that is hating here about this camera is blind to advancing the technology. These are truly exciting times and I applaud panasonic!!!!! I still love my HVX 200. I love my 5d MK2. I love my T2i. I would love a crack at this AF-100!
    Watch out red!

  39. According to Barry Green, yes, their ‘pro’ AVC implementation of AVCHD is actually better than XDCam EX at least at the mbps in on camera EX1/3 recording. I’m trying to find the article to link you to. While the differences shown in Green’s tests didn’t seem great enough to me to make the HPX something I’d want over the EX, they would indicate at the very least for this new camera that the codec issues we have on the GH1 would not exist here, and perhaps we’ll be getting something better than all of the DSLRS (codec wise) though of course that remains to be tested.

      1. Yeah, whatever happened to the glory of 3-chippers?

        Also, when does the griping about the form factor begin? This leaves the door open for the inevitable upgrade to shoulder-mounting.

  41. Nikon lenses? Whaaaa? Take a look at the first two pics in this forum thread phil and tell that’s not a Nikon lens attached to the new camera (the one pictured in the slides not in the Panny guy’s hands).

    Speaking of the camera in the panny guy’s hands. It’s SMALL! Awesome.

  44. If Phil’s April fools day joke comes true and we can really get RAW out from the Canons I think we’ll see more people holding onto their DSLRs. At least uncompressed HDMI out, cmon now canon!

  45. This camera shows that at least the majors like Panny, Sony and Canon are feeling seriously threatened by larger sensored cameras like the Red One and DSLRs. Competition leads to progress and we the consumers/artists win over all. Now if we could just get the people making these cameras to take some design ergonomics classes. This camera is dog ugly and fat as an overfed cat. The Red Scarlet doesn’t look any better with it’s industrial lego block looks. How about form factors that fit nicely in the hand with contoured curves. Perhaps the major camera makers should consult companies that make computer input devices (like mice). They seem to understand how an electronic device should fit and feel in one’s hand.

  49. it is a very good price point , less than canon and the form factor and the weight is perfect for rigs inexpensive glidecam, cranes, hand held etc.
    Iwould be very curious of looking to moiree an alias issue, if you want a better
    recording format the are many ki pro, panasonichmg20, and convergent 422hd uncompressed rec for this.
    BUT i have a question how they create a low pass filter for moire ,skipping lines etc???(dvxuser product manager Panny quote) why anybody tought to embed a filter like that ,if it works fine ,inside a recording device??? this would really let use hdslr for deep focus shot etc…
    Second point of wiew todat there is just dv fixer from boris fx wich reduces
    aliasing but its slow and not perfect, why any plug in vendor didnt plan to use gpu and a better algoritm to fix those issue in post??
    Philip i admire your work very much and you are an inspiring shooter for me
    Just wanted to know, maybe i bought my first dslr (7D) after carefully reading your rewiev. An hug from Rome

  55. $6000!!!!!!!!!! How the hell can this thing cost $6000?? It’s pretty much a GH1 in a different body with some extra outputs, a bit of better optimization for video (so I take they stripped out a lot of still features), and some filtering to reduce (READ: Not CURE) aliasing.

    So let’s see here… GH1 = $1300. I can understand charging $2000 or even $2500 for the AF100 but $6000. That’s not a game changer. That’s a joke. A near $5000 increase because of a different body, some connectors and different firmware? Seriously?

    I’d rather buy a 7D ($1600), a $1000 rig/follow focus package, and a Juicedlink CX231 ($300) which totals $2900. That leaves me with over $3000 savings which I can use for lenses for just the cost of the AF100.

    Reduced aliasing to me is not worth $3000. Which by the way, you can reduce aliasing using Caprock Anti-Moire filters yourself. Check out here:

    http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=200980

    So let’s hope this $6000 is a joke and is really no more than $1000 above the price of a GH1 ( If so I’ll be first in line to buy one) which I think is reasonable from what the press released described of it. If it does end up $6000 and Canon does something similar buy putting the 5D in a different body with some tweeks and only charging $500 more than the 5D, AF100 will be massacred.

      1. Philip, I’m a fan of yours and when it comes to gear, cinematography, etc.. your word is the word of god for me, haha. I understand for what it does $6000 is cheap compared to other capable cameras. Just like Red One is dirt cheap compared to an insane Panavision camera. Cheap is relative here. This vDSLR revolution seems as if it happened by accident, one of the best accidents the world has ever seen. So I think $6000 is a bit too much for technology that already exists in a different form. Granted that the current form has some issues that need to be worked out (aliasing, rolling shutter, RAW output, and form factor). So a near $5000 increase for improvements to something already is here and needs some tweaking just seems high to me. I could live with $4000.

        Even at $6000 I might bite by tongue and buy it when it’s released (assuming scarlet is still a dream or a working version with all the goodies becomes way too expensive), I just won’t be happy about it. Unless Canon does a 5D hybrid camcorder version like Panasonic has done (which I believe they will) and price it competitively because at the end of the day, I’m a Canon fanboy. 😛

      2. Philip it may seem cheap to you because you have customers willing to pay top dollar (and rightly so) for your creative genius, but for the average Indy filmmaker, the price of gear is absolutely ridiculous. I think you have lost your perspective. I happen to be in a position to own (2) 1D Mark IVs, (2) 7Ds, and a host of Canon zooms, Canon Primes, Zeiss Primes and (2) Panasonic AG-HPX300s and I “still” consider the support gear, rigs, and batteries etc… to be outrageous! Manufacturers charge what they do because the industry doesn’t complain about it, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a fair price. They also get away with charging for each rod, bolt, screw, lug, plate, flap, flag, rail etc… It’s absolute madness!! I think they purpose design the gear so it can be broken down to each individual part so they can charge more for it.

          1. Philip for what it does it’s a great deal. I’m just saying since in reality it’s just an improvement on something else that is pretty cheap (the GH1 in this case), I think a $5000 increase is just a bit steep, that’s all I’m saying. Sure compared to the price of a Red One it’s a steal and competitively priced to the EX1. I’m just saying I don’t think the upgrades they have done are worth the $5000 increase. However, I am justifying this on the improvements they outlined in the press release. Who knows when it comes out it may have many more features and drastic improvements over any vDSLR that could justify that $5000 increase.

              1. I’m planning on getting one (unless Canon comes out with something similar based on the 5D which I’m sure they will). I just like like to bitch and moan about the price, hahaha. I budgeted $4000 for a camera and $3000 for a new iMac with Final Cut Studio and After Effects+Plug-ins. Looks like no iMac for me. 😛

  58. Great features in a less than state of the art package! that is one dorky looking cam but so are all of Panasonics cams IMO you would think they could get away from that old box look. JMO!!!

  60. So does this take 35mm or micro 4/3 lenses? Also is the 12 megapixel sensor for stills or is it using all 12mp for video and then downscaling to HD? If so that should have insanely good noise / low light sensitivity / latitude.

    I’m also a bit confused about the price also. I’m not sure how a $1000 4/3 camera body + prosumer controls I/O = $6000. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re floating that number to test reaction and will dramatically lower the actual MSRP to the DSLR + accessories range ($3 – $4k) giving the perception of getting a higher-end camera for less.

  61. This is great. I guess it’s because of markets and such but why doesn’t Canon take the 5D or the 7D, stick a handle on it and a flippable viewfinder, 2 XLR inputs, and an image stabliser and then everyone would be happy.

    1. this is more because of the dslr market than the redone, companies are forced to merge the markets because people are making great films with these dslrs that are super cheap.

  63. Dear Philip,

    I am a follower of your blog since mid-2008. This blog has been and continues to be of great value for my update this time of great advances. I am starting a small blog in Portuguese (Brazil) where I comment on my interests and ideas about these new forms of filmmaking and would like you to authorize me to include in the photographs of your post about the new Panasonic AG-AF100. Sorry for the English translation of google translator.
    Thank you very much
    Roberto Yuri

  65. Will it have a zoom rocker? As a run’n’gun Dogma 95 type I miss having a servo zoom on my GH1. Cranking on the lens barrel for a fast close-up is disturbing.

    Anyway, this thing looks too big for run’n’gun use, and that photo is definitely a photoshop fake.

  67. Phil I think when people say its to expensive they take the quality, low light capability and price of the HDSRL into consideration.
    If this camera came out before the HDSRL revolution everyone would say its dam cheap. In the situation we are in NOW i think this camera is dam expensive.

    I wonder what canon is thinking now? They have so many video cameras out there so much more expensive that the 5d and especially the D550 which quality doesn’t come CLOSE! For example they are bringing this little camcorder with a dept of field that can cross the frikken earth. The Canon Legria HF-S21 Camcorder (Coming Soon) for +- $1700 when you can buy the D550 for a lot less, its a 1000 better, and it takes brilliant photos also! I mean… things are not making sense.
    Please dint misunderstand me i love canon and their prices and everything its just that it doesnt make sense 🙂

    I know you all already knew what i said here but i just wanted to get that out of my hard. Phew

    Excuse the English, its my 2nd langauge.

  68. hey Philip hows your throat? Sorry you were not 100% at such a fun event. I’ve been checking your site for updates but we understand. I noticed Vincent and Shane are not updating either did you guys all get stuck at a strip club and forget about your followers? JK

  69. Anyone who has been following the RED Scarlet cam, the cam that started the whole low priced “pro” cinema making trend but has still to be introduced, will see that the Pannie is much cheaper than the equivalent RED Scarlet priced with the same accessories and I/O ports as are including in the Pannie. And people have put their lives on hold waiting for the RED Scarlet since it was announced in 2007.

    The people at RED say that the big difference will the that the RED sensor does not have line skipping when it reads information. It is not clear if the Pannie will or will not. The claimed benefit of line skipping is less moire and aliasing. However, having a low pass optical filter, as the Pannie does, may solve these problems with or without line skipping. Certainly, the Pannie GH1 and the Cannon 5d, 7d, 550 (Ti2) show that avoiding line skipping may not be necessary if a low pass optical filter (rather than the high pass optical filters optimized for stills and found on all current hybrid dSLRs) is used.

    The two other open issues are dynamic range – the GH1 is limited when compared to the Cannons but Philip has pointed out that this might be due the GH1 allowing only very limited adjustments of the gamma curve – and the ability to film at higher speeds, such as 60 or 120fps. The RED Scarlet will have these abilities. Not everyone needs 120 fps but wide dynamic range is key to good video. Paradoxically when you are shooting pro sets with controlled lighting the dynamic range becomes even more important, so the cheaper productions actually need dynamic range more.

    There is no reason that the Pannie cannot have adjustable gamma curves to give decent dynamic range. We know the Cannons and RED can do that, so it is a matter of software.

  71. This is huge. I’m so glad to be a 30 year old indie film-maker riding the bleeding edge of technology. Better tech, lower costs: and toys we couldn’t have dreamed up in 2009, let alone when RED was announced. What’s in 2011? RAW from the “smaller” big guys (Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony)?

  72. I’m really really surprised at all the people who think 6000 grand is too expensive for this camera. Think about the day the hvx came out. It was nearly 6000 grand. The industry is finally beginning to give us what we want. Quit complaining and get excited people. Us guys only used to be able to shoot HD on a 70,000 $ camera with a 2/3 chip! We should be singing from the rooftops about the af100!

  74. At freshdv red interview 1-2 parts red rappresentative told that respecting canon and nikon they are wonderfull photo still camera ,but that real cmos resolution is around 1k pumped to hd and that ergonomically and
    for the signal, resolution skipping lines and noise the are not even far comparable to red cameras… At red user jannard said scarlet is not so near to became at full production stage and anyway after tatoo program for red epic and new chip replacement for red one mysteryumx. SO red is taking value of investment of their existing costumers more than thinking to produce a low budget camera for the masses…and we even are not able to have a decent firmware upgrade for 7 d
    from canon… Any way more than just budget conscious the panny will sell if the quality you will get out of the camera will be satisfaying.

  75. The AG-AF100 is an exciting camera. I certainly will entertain the idea of picking up one of these! I do love panasonic cine-gamma settings and feel. I picked up a DVX100 when they first came out and still use that camera today!

  76. The ugliest camera I’ve seen since the Dalsa!

    This IS pretty exciting…the first time someone is using single-large sensor technology from the DSLRs and applying it to a “real” video camera. I really don’t care for the GH1 and it’s video quality, so I’m excited to see what Canon will come up with to match this.

  77. awful ergonomics, just like any video camera in this range. does anybody think that the viewfinder on the back of the camera could be of any use?? everybody forgot where viewfinders are placed in cinema cameras?
    with the excpetion of the ex3, evry single video camera has the same problem…

  78. I flipped over this camera, the codec choose is surprising, I think going with full P2 AVCIntra would have been a better choose. I would want to record the HD SDI or HDMI out to something like a P2 recorder or the AJA Ki. that way you get 10bit 4:2:2 images and much less compression. This fulfills a lot of the wish list video people have with DSLRs.

  79. Finally someone took the obvious pills. I think it’s great

    My only hang up is that it looks to be the same sensor (12.1 mp)that is in the GH1 so you won’t be getting that much more picture over the GH1

  83. I’ve been close to getting a 5D MII but am concerned about overheating I keep reading about… how come no one has pointed out that huge downside?? Please let me know if I’m missing something.

  84. It’s about time the bigger camera company did this…Although it looks like an oddly shaped teapot it will finally bridge the audio/video problems with the DSLR cameras. Professional XLR input audio…and no need to sync… Fantastic!
    In terms of a price, I think $6000 is very reasonable. And if You think the price is too expensive than you shouldn’t be owning one.

  85. Been using Canon 5D2 underwater and topside for a year now…no overheating. I think you’re getting confused with the first REDs…they had serious overheating issues. Aliasing doesn’t bother me since most of what I shoot is wildlife.

    So…more of the techno drip-feed bullshit from PanaSony. This thing will have H.264 @ 24mbps! WOW, how exciting. Canons already do 40 mbps…

    Sorry, I just don’t see the point of this “new” camera! The 5D2 (in the right hands) can do a superb job for the money until someone brings out a video camera with the features and price which really qualify as “Big News”.

    The technology is already here…pity the PanaSony Marketing Departments dictate engineering/design implimentation.

  86. I can’t help but be surprised by those claiming the AG-AF100 is too expensive at $6k USD, even more-so comparing it to *any* DSLR and then making noises about the “higher cost” of the AF100.

    First, have you ever seen *any* DSLR rig used in a professional setting that didn’t have a huge amount of kit-bash equipment attached to it, just to get it to behave or conform more to film/video camera standards? Zacuto, Cinevate and others all sell kits give proper lens controls, places to add audio accessories etc. Not to mention you *absolutely* have to use a good add-on viewfinder on the back of the DSLR LCD before you can get critical, repetitive focus and some form of either shoulder or hand-mounted stabilizer to get smooth movements.

    These kits range from $2500 at the low end to nearly $8000 USD for a fully-rigged DLSR ready for primetime. Add those costs onto the cost of your camera, lenses batteries etc and you’ve got the *real* cost of using a DSLR for film/video work. Oh and by the way, that doesn’t include adding your own external, standalone audio recorder and all it’s requirements too. So now how expensive is your DSLR rig, really?

    $6000 for a video camera that:

    – Has it’s own built-in professional XLR audio inputs
    – Has it’s own timecode generator
    – Has HD-SDI out
    – Conforms to all professional frame-rate and shutter speeds
    – Shoots VFR (variable frame-rates: Over/Under crank *in-camera!*)

    And the biggie:
    – Doesn’t require a lens adapter to achieve film-like, shallow and controllable depth of field (DOF and can use any brand of 35mm lenses whether it’s still photography or traditional film glass such as Zeiss Digi-Primes, Angeniuex or Panavision.

    When the HVX200 came out in 2005 it was $6k and required a lens adapter costing $14k (Letus, SGPro and others weren’t even available then) to achieve film-like DOF. Now we’ve got a camera that will out-of-the-box do what the HVX200/HPX170 never could.

    Lastly: That mock-up photo of the supposed pre-release AF100? Absolutely fake. That’s an HPX170 body someone played with in PS to remove the lens and show what the AF100 form factor might look like. If you look closely, you’ll see the “P2 HD” badge on the side. The AF100 was always an AVCCAM camera from the onset, not P2-based.

  87. I don’t think we get good enough weather in the UK for it to overheat 🙁

    Also if part of this revolution is also about form factor then does it make sense to build massive video cameras any more? I mean in the future a 5d mark 3 might win over the AF100, in part, due to the smaller form of the camera? Why do people go for size!!?? If I can say that with out anyone laughing…

  88. The GH1 may be a MUCH better video camera by then…

    There is a remarkably fast-growing GH1 hack project underway already, and among other things, the 30 minute PAL recording limit has already been removed via a firmware patch. Much more is in the works, including adjustments to the long GOP AVCHD and MJPEG encoding processes. You can follow the progress here:

    http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=206788

    Sorry if this seems like a hijack, it’s not intended to be one. Ive been a lurker here for months; just excited about the work being done, and trying to spread the word. B^)

  90. Just my penny’s worth (or 2c, depending on exchange rate).

    I’m mostly a documentary film-maker and Panny’s approach is tempting me to wait for the AF100 rather than juggle a 5Dii. On the other hand I’ve got to think that Canon are working on something similar. So given the price difference to me it makes sense to get a 5Dii with lenses and juggle the sound/handling issues for the moment. Then at least when (please not “if”) Canon come up with their own alternative at least I’ll have the lenses and a 5D as a perfect second camera.

    Does this makes sense to others?

  92. The possibility or recording uncompressed video from HDMI
    is the ticket…

    As Phil states we can believe that it will be 4:2:2 as well.

    4/3 has proved to be a great format for utilizing a world of photographic lensing.

    6,000 means if you have a good relationship with a dealer you can a do better!

  93. I’m a filmmaker. I own a Hmc150. Is this the end of the DOF adapter/camcorder money sink? Should I still consider buying a Letus Ultimate or just wait for this thing to come out?

  94. I have a love/hate relationship with AVCHD. But the more I learn about it the more I know what it can and can’t do.

    Ever so often I get AVCHD video for an edit. My transcode times are unGODLY long. For those who have transcoded a bit of AVCHD… How long are your transcode times? Just trying to check if I’m doing something wrong.

    Cheers,
    Rob

Leave a Reply