Panasonic AG-AF101
Suggested List Price:
£4,410+VAT
4/3 HD Camcorder
- 4/3 type sensor with digital still camera technology
- Interchangeable Lens Micro Four Thirds mount
- Variable frame rate recording
- Recording media
SD Card 2x slot - Recording format
AVCHD
PH (21 Mbps *Max.24Mbps), HA (17Mbps), HE (6Mbps), HA, HE only for 1080i/59, 94 and 1080i/50 - Support video format
1080i/50, 25p, 1080/59, 94i/29, 97p/23, 98p
720/50p, 25p, 720/59, 94p/29, 97p/23, 98p - Cine-like Gamma
- HD-SDI Output
- XLR audio 2 channel input
- USB 2.0
Panasonic AG-AF101
Suggested List Price:
£4,410+VAT
4/3 HD Camcorder
| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Q: |
My DSLR Camera already does HD Video, why should I buy a Panasonic AG-AF101? |
| A: |
Digital SLR Cameras have been designed and tweaked over many years to take fantastic, high resolution still photographs, and recently HD video too, but there have been enormous compromises to allow this HD video capture.
- Ergonomics - Unless you bolt on many accessories and extra equipment it is very difficult to use a DSLR camera for shooting video just to get over very basic handling issues. The AF-101 has been totally designed with Video in mind.
- Connectivity – A DSLR has not got XLR inputs for professional sound recording or full screen HDMI for monitoring, let alone the professional HDSDI output that the AF-101 has.
- Picture Quality - Fundamentally DSLRs are compromised by having to do both high resolution stills and comparatively ‘low’ resolution video. To get 1920 x 1080 video out of a sensor designed to produce 5184 x 3186 pixels is not easy, so the DSLRs simply ignore most of the information they are exposed too for video purposes. This is a very crude way of producing HD Video that creates false detail called ‘aliases’, which cause problems for video compression and create weird patterns on video. You won’t see this on pictures of nice soft faces but you will on shirts, walls, roofs and any detailed picture, especially during movement. The AF-101 uses a special filter to reduce the resolution from the large sensor optically so it avoids aliases and produces beautiful video.
- Editing - DSLR video has no time code or metadata. For professional video Time code is a vital tool for keeping track of shots in a complex project, and metadata about locations, crew and if a shot is good or bad can be added easily to AF-101 footage.
- Compression - The AVCHD footage produced by the AF-101 uses a more sophisticated version of MPEG4 than DSLRs, so it can produce better quality video with less data rate. It also has the option of recording uncompressed audio.
- Variable Frame Rate, for action sequences you can subtlety reduce frame rates to speed up the action, or reduce frame rate for creating grandeur, implying scale, or simply doing super smooth slow-motion. A terrifically powerful feature not even included on most video cameras!
|
| Q: |
Does the AF-101 come with a lens? |
| A: |
No – but it can use any Micro 4/3 mount lenses, and a huge range of other lenses via adaptors. |
| Q: |
What sort of lenses can the AG-AF101 use? |
| A: |
There are a large amount of Micro 4/3s Panasonic Lumix lenses which the AF-101 can use without modification, and other manufacturers are also adopting the Micro 4/3 mounting for lenses. In addition to these, adaptors are available so Nikon, Canon and specialist Cinema style lenses called Prime lenses can be used on the 101. The field of view that the AF-101 will give through any of these lenses is the equivalent of ½ that of a full frame 35mm stills camera. It is very close to the characteristics you would expect from a 35mm movie camera. This means if you used a 50mm lens on the 101 it would give a similar field of view to a 100mm lens on a full frame 35mm SLR camera like the Canon 5D, but it would not compress perspective like a 100mm lens would. |
| Q: |
Will Autofocus work with my stills lenses? |
| A: |
Initially only the Panasonic Lumix 14 -140 lens will provide a ‘Video Style’ autofocus, don’t forget still camera lenses are not designed to do continuous ‘video style’ autofocus, and therefore might give poor results with moving subjects. |
| Q: |
What is the shallow depth of field? |
| A: |
The combination of the large sensor in the AG-101 and a ‘fast’ lens with a wide aperture like F2 or F1.8 creates a shallow depth of field so that only the elements of the picture you choose to focus on are sharp, and backgrounds or foregrounds are soft. This ‘filmic’ effect is much sought after and is widely used in feature film and drama production to lead the audience’s attention. This effect is very difficult to achieve on normal video cameras. |
| Q: |
What does variable frame rate mean? |
| A: |
The Panasonic AF-101 is capable of a large variety of frame rates when used in ‘Film Mode’. This enables the action to be sped up or slowed down very smoothly, and also can be used to create subtle – ethereal effects. |
| Q: |
Is there any training available for AG-AF101 users? |
| A: |
In time there are sure to be courses offering lessons on how to get the most out of the AG-AF101, but initially your best bet is to buy the excellent Barry Green AF-100 Book. This is packed with insights and tips to help you get the best out of this innovative new camera. |
| |
Panasonic AG-AF101
Suggested List Price:
£4,410+VAT
4/3 HD Camcorder
Broadcast Video Services Limited
Tel: 00353 1 282 6126
E-Mail: info@bvs.ie Web:
CVP London
Tel: 020 8380 7400
E-Mail: Web:
Visual Impact
Tel: 0117 939 3333
E-Mail: Web:
Panasonic AG-AF101
Suggested List Price:
£4,410+VAT
4/3 HD Camcorder
Panasonic AG-AF101
Suggested List Price:
£4,410+VAT
4/3 HD Camcorder
Special Offer
FREE Accessory Bundle
Offer Ends: 30th March 2012
Bundle
includes:
- Barry
Green's AF100 DVD
- Barry Green's AF100
Book
- High Capacity Battery
- 32GB
Class 10 SDHC Card
- Camrade Carry
Case
Save £377!
Latest Software and Firmware
Click here for the latest Firmware and Software
Panasonic AG-AF101
Suggested List Price: £ 4,410+VAT
4/3 HD Camcorder
Features:
- 4/3 type sensor with digital still camera technology
- Interchangeable Lens Micro Four Thirds mount
- Variable frame rate recording
- Recording media
SD Card 2x slot - Recording format
AVCHD
PH (21 Mbps *Max.24Mbps), HA (17Mbps), HE (6Mbps), HA, HE only for 1080i/59, 94 and 1080i/50 - Support video format
1080i/50, 25p, 1080/59, 94i/29, 97p/23, 98p
720/50p, 25p, 720/59, 94p/29, 97p/23, 98p - Cine-like Gamma
- HD-SDI Output
- XLR audio 2 channel input
- USB 2.0
The AF101 is designed to allow production industry professionals to achieve a cinema-like HD results much more easily than would be possible using other equipment.
The AF101 is the world*1 first professional HD camcorder to come equipped with a four-thirds MOS image sensor. Optimised for high-definition video recording, the large image sensor on the AF101 enables users to achieve cinema-like results with full artistic control over depth of field. This cost effective camera delivers the look and feel of 35mm, without all the compromises and headaches that come from shooting on DSLRs.
The AF101 utilises Micro Four Thirds lenses or, with the correct conversion adaptor, can accept prime or photographic lenses.
The camera can record video in full HD (1080i/p)/720p formats including 1080/24p native mode with Full HD Variable Frame Rate (VFR) function.
Video can be recorded onto the new larger capacity SDXC memory cards in professional high quality PH mode (up to 24Mbps). Two SD card slots allow relay recording from one SD (SD / SDHC / SDXC) card to another to give recording capacity of up to 12 hours in PH mode or 48 hours in HE mode. The camera is also equipped with HD SDI output and XLR audio 2ch (48 V phantom power source compatible) inputs. Time code recording feature is also available.
*1: As of November 2010 (based on a Panasonic survey).
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