Secaucus, N.J. — Panasonic has introduced the first 4-megapixel MiniDV digital camcorder with the announcement of the PV-GS400, last week.
According to Panasonic, the PV-GS400 features the same 3CCD imaging system used in the company’s professional line and can capture 4-megapixel still images and video in low light (12 lux) environments.
The GS400, which will ship in August for a suggested retail of $1499.95, features a Leica Dicomar lens, 12x optical zoom/700x digital zoom, optical image stabilization, auto and manual exposure controls, a color viewfinder and a 3.5-inch color LCD screen.
The camcorder can capture 1-megapixel still images to an SD flash memory card while simultaneously shooting video. Other features include a pop-up flash, IEEE 1394 and USB interfaces. The GS400 can also be used as a Web-cam.
Panasonic will bundle software that will let users compress video in the MPEG4 file format for Internet streaming and e-mailing.
