Panasonic keeps pushing hard on the 4K front and just announced the HC-X1000 4K Camcorder (specs at BHphoto). Reminder: The LX100 will also record 4K (not sure about the GM5 yet). The LX100 and GM5 will be announced on September 15!
Introducing Panasonic New Camcorder HC-X1000
59 Responses
Someone needs to fix that video STAT.
A sensor worthy of a smartphone.
???
…I have no idea what you are referring to ?
A 1/2.3 inch sensor is on the larger side for an ENG camera with a 20x parfocal zoom.
It’s 2014. Tiny sensors like this with a video look and poor low light gathering is the reason so many of us were forced to go the still/video hybrid route.
This fits it’s intended market very well, which is NOT the still/video hybrid market. This class of camera has been around a long time and continues to sell well, regardless of what you think. In 5-10 years, who knows, but this will serve anyone from that market well for the next few years.
It depends on what you shoot. From the specs posted this camera looks like it will be OK for general indoor and well lit night shooting, but it’s not going to compete with a Canon C100 or a Sony A7S. ( just like those cameras don’t have a opiticaly stabilized hand-holdable 20x parfocal zoom )
I must say I was surprised with that size though, since it is what my Oly Stylus 1 uses. It does make it a versatile camera for size though.
No, your Olympus Stylus 1 uses bigger sensor than that.
1/2.3″ sensor and 20x zoom is also something found on $100 P&S, not something which costs $3,500. OK, f/1.8-3.6 20x zoom sounds more like an old bridge camera before they started making them 60x.
Obviously, they don’t expect to sell as many of them and it is a specialized tool, so margin must be huge.
Were you expected Super 35 or full frame? If you were tack $7k to the price.
I’m not really into video, but hey, why not an 4k upgrade to af100? This probably would make a lot more people happy.
A 4K AF100 would cost a lot more, where this camera is in the low-end prosumer price range.
Also, this has a built in 20X optical stabilized lens. A lens like this in m43 mount would cost more than this whole camera.
Come on, this thing is $3,500 – it is not a cheap camera at all. A7s with FF is cheaper. AX100 with 1″ is much cheaper.
No matter what I expected, it is a fact that it is a smartphone-sized sensor, and not a good smartphone sensor like that 1/1.2″ in Nokias.
And yes, smartphones take 4k video too. Maybe even with the same sensor. 🙂
there are 3 of that sensor an no Bayer filter
I guess this is what Henry’s was referring to.
Something like this would be my tool of choice if I were more serious about video. There is nothing wrong with the (impressive) GH4 and similiar (still) cameras from a technical point of view but the form factor would not suit me.
1 / 2.3″ inch chip? Not good for folks who shoot Hollywood-like scenes (with plenty of opportunities to re-shoot a scene if necessary) but very good as a documentation cam which needs to produce in-focus shots on the spot (children playing, etc.).
1/2.3 inch chip is fine if you want a 20x optically stabilized parfocal zoom, something you’re never going to see in a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
I came to micro4/3 from the video side. Prior to building my micro4/3 outfit, I would have been all over this new video camera. It has really impressive specs and even beats the GH4 in a few areas (UHD in 60p and higher bitrates). But, I never liked how you need to hold the camera in front of you for these video cameras. Makes your arms VERY tired for long shots. I used to have my old video cameras on a monopod for just that reason. Now, with DSLR video cameras, holding the camera for long periods of time is so much easier because it is braced on the face and supported with one hand under the lens close to the body. Makes all the difference. Still, this camera has a definite place with small chip high depth of field and integrated long zoom range lens. Another great product from Panasonic!
Why is the video interlaced?!
truly bizarre that interlaced stuff even exists anymore
Looks nice but before the DSLR and Mirrorless for Video (Big chip) era what we looked for in these cams was a zoom lens to work hand held shooting, meaning WIDE. If the lens could go to the equiv of 24mm or wider you’ve got a great documentary tool, an that is really what this is for. What I’m saying is it needs a wider lens.
0.8x WA lens adapter will give you the equiv of a 24mm lens
0.7x WA lens adapter will give you the equiv of a 21mm lens
And most of these adapters will work with the full zoom range.
if you want to live with wide angle adapters. (no thanks)
I own a few Century Optics WA adapters ( now owned by Schneider Optics ) and they are first rate. Easily as good as the native lens.
Even the Panasonic HD WA adapters are quite good, and about half the price of the Century Optics adapters.
Yeah, because I shoot all my talking heads at 24mm. Oh wait…
Where did I say “a fixed 24mm”? Moron
You implied that this camera needs a wider lens to be a “great documentary tool,” disregarding the commonly known fact that WA lens adapters can get you that wider angle very easily for those few shots you’re actually going to NEED 24mm or wider.
I’ll personally stand back another three steps for those shots and enjoy the stabilized 30-600mm range it comes with.
No focus peaking,
no raw,
what’s the dynamic range?
ND filters and phantom power are nice but…
What camcorder shoots in raw???
um…
http://www.red.com/products/red-one#tech-specs comes to mind…
and
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicursa
Bzzzzzztttt…..
Neither of those cameras are camcorders with dedicated 20x parfocal zoom lenses selling in the $3,500 range… Please try again.
was simply a response to “what camcorder shoots in raw” not “what camcorder that costs $3500 with a 20x parfocal zoom lens shoots in raw”
I guess you could call the RED and Blackmagic “Digital Cinema Cameras” and not camcorders…but they are dedicated VIDEO RECORDING devices…and that falls under ‘camcorder’ in my book. So while Technically I was incorrect, I stand by the fact that there ARE in fact Video focused products at (kind of…for the blackmagic anyway) reasonable prices that can record 4k RAW
Pretty much all of the cameras that can shoot RAW are digital cine cameras that you would use for larger scripted production with a dedicated film crew. ( ENG cameras aren’t made for that type of work )
It’s not an ENG camera that I’m looking for (and the photo of the fully rigged version of this one doesn’t exactly suggest this is one either),
It’s a more ergonomic form factor somewhere between Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and Blackmagic URSA.
For documentary style work where not everything is scripted but with no compromise in picture quality after color grading.
Maybe camcorder style, maybe C300 style shaped.
A GH4 in a camcorder body that shoots 10 bit ProRes422HQ with 12-14EV dynamic range would be a nice compromise.
Can you have 14 EV dynamic range in a 10-bit file?
Of cause you can.
The values don’t even have to be distributed in a linear fashion.
Really? Red is a camcorder? :))
um…
Was referring to a real camcorder mate
Actually it does have focus peaking…
http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/HC-X1000
RAW? WTF are you smoking?
Get FZ1000 + sound recorder + ND filters and save $2000
No.
You get worse quality and functionality. There is reason why Panasonic made this, instead just offer GH4 or F1000.
If your budget is unlimited, then sure this camera is more convenient for video. But it will not offer as much value as the $3500 spent elsewhere unless one absolutely must have 60fps in 4K
Impressive specs in this $3500 camcorder. If 4K/60P somehow materializes in the GH4 firmware update due at Photokina, expect Panny to sell out of stock immediately and have trouble meeting demand.
I think the limitation is more hardware than software, so I don’t think firmware can do that.
And I believe Panasonic would not want to sacrifice this video camera sales. This is for professionals for video work with steadycam etc.
That makes little sense. ILC’s and ENG’s are not even playing in the same market. If I was running a Steadycam I would use a GH4 stopped down in manual rather than a camcorder being run in AF mode. Hunting autofocus is the least “professional” that you can get.
If by hardware limitation you mean a sensor heat issue, that’s a possibility. Now aside from the possible heat issue, Panasonic typically engineers a standardized logic unit that will port over for use in multiple devices produced over the course of a product generation. 1080/60P in the AF100 was actually offered as a paid software upgrade months after the original camera began shipping. The hardware capability was there lying dormant but was not set free until new Sony cameras came on the scene with a better feature set than Panasonic. My point is that if the logic unit is the same then the same hardware may already be there in the GH4. It’s very interesting that the bitrates and formats listed on both cameras are all identical except for 4K/60P @ 150Mbps. Personally, I highly doubt Panasonic invested in an entirely new logic unit for a 1/2.3″ prosumer camcorder less than 6 months after the GH4 release.
The fence post looked jagged in the 4k footage compared to the 1080 during the pony show
…And you were watching 4K video on a 4K monitor ?
Too big. I expected something like the HC-X929.
POV camera. 🙂
Anyway I am never impressed by all these cameras and resolutions and different p’s…
The video on YouTube is horrible even in fullhd. Jumpy an jittery scenes, deinterlaced, jaggies.
And on top of that i dont see the difference between 60p and 30p
…Because you’re looking at crappy YouTube video, when we should wait until we can download native video files and see what native 4K video looks like from this camera.
Yes, but this one is really crappy.
I got the same feeling right now looking for a demo of Samsungs VR device just released. The guy was flicking his head explaining to us what he sees… brilliant…
YouTube is the final delivery format for a lot of people. If the quality isn’t obvious on YouTube, what’s the point?
Well, youtube still can do much better than this footage. Check out this New Zealand footage, quite awesome quality and has 4k too. /watch?v=6D-A6CL3Pv8 I’m always puzzled as to why official preview samples are almost always so horrible quality. Wait a bit until camera is released and right away you can see much better results from hobbyist, not even talking about pros.