Secaucus, N.J. – Panasonic introduced Wednesday what it called the
first integrated twin-lens 2D/3D camcorder compatible with the new AVCHD
3D/Progressive standard.
Model HDC-Z10000 (pricing and availability to be announced later)
features Panasonic’s closest 3D video
macro setting in a twin-lens 3D camcorder, at approximately 17.8 inches.
The macro setting allows capturing 3D video that is typically
difficult to focus, such as small flowers, animals and jewelry.
The HDC-Z10000 features a 1,152,000-dot, 3.5-inch LCD that
appears 3D to the naked eye without 3D eyewear.
By using a parallax barrier to control the direction of the light from
the LCD, images with slightly different perceptions are viewed by the right and
left eyes, thus creating a 3D effect.
The user can check 3D images while shooting, without having to
connect a monitor. Naturally, the display can also be switched between 2D and
3D.
The camcorder features Panasonic’s Double 3MOS System, which
produces rich colors and detail. Each 3MOS sensor has an effective pixel count
of 6.57 megapixels and can be independently mounted left and right.
The sensors allow separate images to be recorded simultaneously
for the left and right eyes. Light received through the lens is separated into
three primary colors — red, green and blue — and each is processed independently.
2D recordings are said to
produce similarly high results.
A newly-developed, ultra-high speed Crystal Engine Pro II engine
powers the high-speed processing.
“Adding to Panasonic’s top-of-the-line 3MOS full-HD camcorders,
the HDC-Z10000 naturally excels in the recording of high-quality 2D
images. It also meets the constantly
increasing need for FullHD 3D videos, as both professionals and consumers
desire more flexibility and power when shooting 3D,” said Chris Rice, Panasonic
imaging senior product manager. “The HDC-Z10000 is a unique camcorder in that
it has high-end features to suit advanced users, but is easy enough to use for
those looking for excellent 2D video and who may want to explore 3D video
shooting as well.”
The HDC-Z10000 features a pair of F1.5 lenses that excel when
shooting in low light conditions.
Panasonic also adds to lenses Nano Surface Coating for the first
time on a camcorder.
The coating is said to greatly reduce light reflection and
ghosting. The 32mm wide-angle lens has a 10x optical zoom range while shooting
in 3D or 12x optical zoom while shooting in 2D.
When shooting in 2D, Hybrid O.I.S. helps to smooth handshake.
When shooting in 3D, the system activates Power O.I.S.
The camcorder uses three independent rings for adjusting the
zoom, focus and iris control, and adds a built-in microphones for recording Dolby
Digital 5.1-channel surround sound/two-channel stereo. Two XLR audio inputs with
a 48-V phantom power supply are added for external microphone use.
Clear audio is recorded with minimal noise, Panasonic said.
Uncompressed Linear PCM (two-channel only) is also supported for recording
original sounds with extremely high fidelity.
A dedicated dial lets the user finely adjust 3D convergence
(parallax).
The AVCHD 3D formats supported by the camcorder include Multiview
Video Coding (MVC) to record and playback 3D images via the Frame Sequential
Method, and AVCHD Progressive for progressive formats.
The HDC-Z10000 also employs the 1080/60 progressive method to
record twice as much image data as the 1080/60 interlaced method.
Other features of the Panasonic HDC-Z10000 twin-lens 2D/3D
camcorder include:
- a 0.45-inch Live
View Finder (LVF) with high-speed responses and a 1,227,000-dot
high-resolution;
- a dual SD memory card slot;
-
bundled HD Writer XE 1.0 software; and
-
2D/3D still image recording any time by pressing the shutter
button to record a 2D or 3D (MPO compliant) still image. 3D and 2D still images
are recorded simultaneously with video at 2.1-megapixel resolution.
