Panasonic has announced an interchangeable lens digital camera that can shoot HD video however it is not known when the camera will be launched in Australia.
Panasonic has announced an interchangeable lens digital camera that can shoot HD video however it is not known when the cameraill be launched in Australia.
The “Lumix DMC-GH1K,” which was launched at a press conference in Japan late lat week conforms to the “Micro Four Thirds system,” a standard for interchangeable lens digital cameras without a mirror box according to Tech-On a Japanese web site.
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This is the second Panasonic camera that conforms to the standard, following the “Lumix DMC-G1.” The biggest feature of the new model is its HD video shooting capability, which the DMC-G1 does not have.
It will be released as a kit with one lens in April 2009 in Japan.
Accordintg to the Panasonic press release the videos can be shot by pressing the “video button” on the back of the main body. The DMC-GH1K supports AVCHD and QuickTime Motion JPEG. With AVCHD, the camera can take 1,920 x 1,080/60i and 1,280 x 720/60p video. With QuickTime Motion JPEG, it is possible to shoot both 1,280 x 720-pixel and 848 x 480-pixel videos at 30fps.
The newly-developed lens enables users to use the auto focus function for both still still and video shooting. The lens, uses a linear motor which delivers high precision and low noise. The camera is also equipped with a new diaphragm control system to achieves an ideal balance between video and still images, according to Panasonic.
The “Omakase iA” mode, which automatically selects the optimal shooting mode based on the information from the subject, can also be used for shooting video. Furthermore, the DMC-GH1K is equipped with a function to automatically brighten dark areas of an image when shooting in a dark room.
In the “creative video mode,” users can shoot video prioritizing either the aperture or shutter speed. AVCHD video stored in a SD memory card can be copied to and played by Panasonic products that support AVCHD.
The main body weighs about 385g, and 903g including accessories such as the lens, the battery and the memory card. Its dimensions are 124 (W) x 89.6 (H) x 45.2mm (D), excluding projections. The size and weight were reduced by adopting the Micro Four Thirds system. The company is hoping to attract new users by making it easier for ladies and beginners to handle the camera.
The camera is mounted with a 4/3-inch “Live MOS sensor,” which features an effective pixel count of 12.1 Mpixels and four-channel high-speed reading of HD images. By employing a new circuit structure, the noise in high-sensitivity shooting was reduced by one or two levels in terms of the ISO sensitivity rating compared with existing Panasonic products, according to the company.
As an image processing LSI, the DMC-GH1K has the “Venus Engine HD,” which features high resolution and rich color reproduction as well as a high-performance noise reduction circuit. The LSI is composed of two microprocessors, enabling high-speed processing, according to the company.
In addition, the camera is equipped with “W live view,” a function for automatically switching between the electronic viewfinder and the LCD monitor, which is also available to the DMC-G1.
