Smartphones have eliminated any practical requirement for owning a camcorder. But, if you’re still partial to CD and cassette players and are a fan of old-school ‘dumbphones’, then you will likely see reason in buying a camcorder.
Catering to that market segment, Panasonic has announced two new camcorders, the HC-VX3 with 4K recording capabilities and premium picture quality, and the HC-V900 with 2K recording capabilities.
The two models feature a wide-angle 25mm in 4K for VX3, and 28.9mm in 2K for both VX3 and V900, 24x optical zoom lens and have quick focusing to enhance the AF function while recording video.
Panasonic says that the optical image stabilizer has HYBRID O.I.S., featuring 5-Axis correction with the Ball O.I.S. System for added smoothness to reduce the blur caused by camera shake during zooming.
A ½.5” BSI MOS sensor, 4.12 to 98.9mm focal length lens, f/1.8 maximum aperture, and 24x optical zoom produce clear imagery whether you’re zoomed in or out.
The Active Contrast optimises the contrast under minimal lighting conditions.
Both the HC-VX3 and HC-V900 come with USB-C terminal, remote control port, micro-HDMI, and an LCD with higher resolution and electrostatic touchscreen.
Also, the HC-VX3 is equipped with Timestamp recordability and Audio LINE-IN which increases its usefulness in professional scenarios.
The HC-VX3 also allows you to edit videos shot in 4K onboard and save them in 2K while zooming in.
Both camcorders will be available for purchase at the end of November 2024. However, exact local pricing and availability for these two camcorders is yet to be revealed. In the US, the HC-VX3 costs $899.99 (A$1,393.13), and the HC-V900 will be available for $699.99 (A$1083.54).
