New Intermediate HD Camcorders

Panasonic is pleased to expand its award winning portfolio of HD camcorders with the introduction of four new 1MOS system camcorders, reinforcing its market leading position in high definition camcorders. With three new ranges offering differing features to suit different users, the HC-V700, HC-V500M, HC-V500 and HC-V100 all offer the superior HD image quality, portability and the ease of use Panasonic is renowned for.

Full HD Please

The new additions record in full-HD (920 x 1080, 50 progressive recording) at a 28-Mbps bit rate, which allows the camcorders to convey about twice the information of 1080i (interlace) recording to produce ultimately beautiful image quality. It minimizes afterimages and flickering caused by subject motion, and renders crisp, detailed images with smooth-looking motion even when shooting a fast-moving subject in a sports event. The progressive recording fully complies with the new AVCHD Progressive standard.

Introducing the HC-V700

Standing out from the crowd, the HC-V700 feature Panasonic’s newly developed High Sensitivity Sensor for superior image quality. Equipped with a 28mm wide-angle2 setting, Intelligent 46x Zoom, and supporting 3D shooting, the V700 is a truly all-around camcorder for a wide variety of shooting situations. Wide angle, high zoom and high image quality – it’s the HC-V700!

Picture Quality to be Proud of Thanks to the Newly Developed High Sensitivity Sensor

The V700 is equipped with Panasonic's newly developed High Sensitivity Sensor, which dramatically improves image quality. The new sensor portrays brightly lit scenes beautifully, and also captures dimly lit scenes with crisp, bright images and minimal noise. It produces stunning images in all kinds of situations, such as shooting indoors and at night. Because the pixels of this sensor are densely aligned, Intelligent Resolution Technology can be used when the Intelligent 46x Zoom exceeds the optical 21x zoom level, while maintaining the HD pixel count for high-powered zoom shots with incredible beauty. The assurance that superb image quality can be realized for both day and night shots is a key feature as many special moments happen at night or in dimly lit scenes.

Shoot Wide and Long With the 28mm Wide-Angle and Intelligent 46x Zoom

Even with a compact body, the HC-V700 features a 28mm wide-angle1 setting and ultra-telephoto Intelligent 46x Zoom. The 28mm wide-angle1 is especially convenient for recording indoors or in tight spaces. It makes it possible to shoot at a close distance from the subject while fitting both the subject and the surrounding area into the frame. The Intelligent Zoom incorporates the Image Processing LSI "Crystal Engine PRO", a super-high resolution technology to achieve ultra-telephoto 46x shooting beyond the optical zoom range of 21x.

Blur Free Thanks to HYBRID O.I.S +

The newly featured HYBRID O.I.S. + uses five-axis correction to thoroughly suppress blurring all the way from wide-angle shots to powerful zoom shots. This lets the user capture crisp, clear images, without blurring, in almost every shooting situation. This revolutionary five-axis correction function corrects the kind of roll direction hand-shake that often occurs when shooting while walking, in addition to horizontal, vertical, yawing, and pitching four-axis correction. This makes the hybrid correction function, which previously worked only for telephoto, also effective for wide-angle shooting. It records steady images over the entire zoom range.

iA (Intelligent Auto) with Face Recognition

Of course ease of use always remains at the forefront of Panasonic’s camcorders and the V700 is no exception featuring the iA function that automatically selects the most suitable shooting mode at the press of a button. The iA function consists of six functions: Face Recognition, the new HYBRID O.I.S. +, AF/AE Tracking, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Intelligent Contrast Control. Simply press the button and the camcorder will do all the hard work to achieve beautiful images. Sounds perfect!

Shoot in 3D with a 3D Conversion Lens

To further add to its appeal, 3D images can be taken with the HC-V700 by simply mounting a 3D Conversion Lens . Even scenes that have already been watched several times take on a fresh new excitement with the lifelike depth, texture and leaping effects of 3D. And even without mounting the 3D Conversion Lens, images shot in 2D can be converted to 3D by the image processing of the new 2D to 3D Conversion Function for viewing on a TV. Advanced Highlight Playback also allows highlight playback of a variety of effects that were applied when shooting images.

1-sec Quick Power-On

Superb image quality is one thing, but pretty pointless is the camcorder is not responsive enough to capture those spur-of-the-moment shots. Fear not with the V700 as this model turns on or off when the LCD is opened or closed, which enables recording to start in approximately 1 second from the time the LCD is opened. The camcorder's quick start-up time helps to capture those spur-of-the-moment shots, while also saving energy by allowing the user to keep the LCD closed and the power off when not shooting. The Quick Start mode further sets the camcorder to ON or standby status when the LCD is opened or closed. When the Quick Start mode is used together with 1-sec Quick Power-On, the camcorder is able to start recording in approximately 0.6 seconds from the time the LCD is opened. This is especially handy when recording intermittently. Plus, an Eco mode automatically turns off the power when the camcorder is not operated for five minutes, reducing wasteful energy use and saving battery power.

Intuitive Touch-Screen Operation with a Wide 3.0” LCD

The HC-V700 features not only a 3.0-inch LCD , but also touch-operation functions for easier operation. In addition to the single-handed variable speed zooming, the "Touch Zoom" function provides stable zooming while recording. The user simply touches an indication on the LCD to activate slow zooming, thus enabling smooth, optimal adjustment of the angle of view. Another touch-operation function is the "Touch Shutter", which automatically focuses and takes a still picture when the user touches the subject on the screen . The user can also change thumbnail pages by sliding a fingertip across the screen. This kind of advanced touch operation provides much smoother shooting and playback.

Advanced Highlight Playback

The Advanced Highlight Playback function is designed for users who want to view recorded images as quickly as possible. It detects zooming, panning, scene changes, faces, etc., in recorded images as "highlights" by using the I.I.S. (Intelligent Index System). In addition to these automatically selected scenes, the user can add others as desired. Then, it automatically plays back the detected highlight scenes according to a set time interval. The Advanced Highlight Playback function offers playback effects such as Slow, Fading Still Image, and Flash Playback. There are also four special effect modes: Natural, Pop, Dynamic and Classical. Each adds a special effect suitable for the mood of recorded footage, to create impressive images that allow viewers to imagine the occasion and place of shooting. The newly evolved Advanced Highlight Playback function also allows the user to add a cover image and titles to the highlighted images, and save them for easy enjoyment at any time. With the addition of the Face Highlight Playback mode, the function can detect faces registered in the Face Recognition function. Giving priority to the detected faces, parts that are recognized as being clearly recorded are extracted from a long recording, for quick playback complete with music.

Record Me

The V700 records onto SD Memory Cards, enabling both its small dimensions and for easy transfer and sharing of data. With a 28mm wide-angle1 setting, Intelligent 46x Zoom, superior image quality thanks to the 1MOS sensor and supporting 3D shooting, makes the V700 a truly all-around camcorder for a wide variety of shooting situations.

Introducing the HC-V500 and HC-V500M

Compact yet packed with an Intelligent 50x Zoom, the HC-V500 and HC-V500M offer excellent picture quality for those looking for an easy to operate model with extra portability. The two models differ by their recording format only – the V500M utilises flash memory while the V500 is an SD Memory Card model – ensuring consumers can choose the model most suited to their needs.

Ultra High 50x Zoom

The HC-V500 and V500M enable ultra-telephoto 50x zoom shooting within a compact body. They use an Intelligent Zoom that employs super-high resolution technology, the Image Processing LSI "Crystal Engine PRO", and offer ultra-telephoto Intelligent Zoom shooting to exceed the magnification range of the ordinary optical zoom. The new models can capture beautiful pictures beyond the ordinary 38x optical zoom and up to a high-powered 50x zoom. This powerful zoom brings faraway subjects right up close to capture dynamic images that fill the entire frame.

HYBRID O.I.S. +

As featured in the V700, the V500 and V500M feature the HYBRID O.I.S. + which thoroughly suppresses blurring across the entire zoom range. The newly added roll rotation enables virtually every scene to be captured in crisp, beautiful images even when the user shoots while walking or takes handheld zoom shots with high magnification.

O.I.S. Lock

In addition to the HYBRID O.I.S. + system, the V700, V500 and V500M camcorders provide even more powerful hand-shake correction with O.I.S. Lock. By pressing the O.I.S. Lock button on the LCD monitor, the blur detection sensitivity is maximized and all kinds of camera movements are detected as hand-shake and corrected without image degradation. O.I.S. Lock is ideal for applications like bird watching, which call for zooming at a fixed angle.

Features To Be Proud Of

The V500 and V500M enjoy a number of features that further add to their appeal including the new 2D to 3D Conversion function, I-sec Quick Power On, touch operation LCD and Advanced Highlight Playback as seen with the V700. The Intelligent 50x Zoom and powerful HYBRID O.I.S +. further complement the stylish design of these compact and user friendly models.

Introducing the HC-V100

The final addition to the new 1MOS line up, the HC-V100 lightweight, compact model is handy for carrying around, while providing a full 155 minutes of recording time for high-quality Full-HD recording. Packed with convenient functions, like Intelligent 42x Zoom and POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), the HC-V100 is a very appealing proposition.

Intelligent 42x Zoom

In addition to its high-quality Full-HD recording capability, the HC-V100 features an ultra-telephoto 42x zoom shooting within a compact body. The V100 uses an Intelligent Zoom that employs super-high resolution technology, the Image Processing LSI, and offer ultra-telephoto Intelligent Zoom shooting to exceed the magnification range of the ordinary optical zoom. The new model can capture beautiful pictures beyond the ordinary 34x optical zoom and up to a high-powered 42x zoom. This powerful zoom brings faraway subjects right up close to capture dynamic images that fill the entire frame.

POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) with Active Mode

The HC-V100 is equipped with a high-quality optical hand-shake compensation function essential for compact, lightweight camcorders. POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) suppresses hand-shake without degrading the image quality. The user enjoys clear, blur-free images even with Intelligent 42x Zoom. The O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) also features an Active mode to assure clear, beautiful images across the entire range from wide-angle to telephoto. Because it is an optical system, it causes no image degradation. As a result, the original image quality captured by the lens remains intact, all the way from wide-angle to powerful zoom.

Long Battery Life

Designed with users in mind, the HC-V100 has achieved low power consumption, allowing it to record continuously for up to 155 minutes . This allows the user to continue recording without worrying about the remaining battery power. It's especially convenient and reassuring when it's difficult to charge the battery, such as on a trip or in outdoor shooting.

Intelligent Auto (iA) for Ultimate Ease of Use

The V100 is a camcorder that works with you to capture the best footage, with features such as the iA function that automatically selects the most suitable shooting mode at the press of a button. The iA function consists of four functions: POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Intelligent Contrast Control. As mentioned the POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) detects low-frequency hand-shake due to breathing rhythms or the surrounding wind, which are often difficult to suppress no matter how hard the person tries to hold the camcorder steady, and eliminates blurring. Intelligent Contrast Control prevents blown highlights and blocked shadows to retain natural, highly nuanced images with proper contrast. Intelligent Scene Selector detects the situation and switches the scene mode automatically. And Face Detection captures faces beautifully even in dim or backlit scenes. Each of these modes is activated, as required, by simply pressing the iA button. This allows users to capture beautiful, optimized images quickly and easily. Face Detection automatically senses the ambient lighting and adjusts the exposure accordingly. The focus also prioritizes the faces, and skin tones are smoothed for up to 15 faces at once. Faces are bright and recognizable.

Panasonic’s new range of 1MOS HD camcorders boast a feature set to be proud of. Offering superb image quality users can enjoy beautiful full-HD images anytime, anywhere.