First official look at the Panasonic AG-AF100 – will this be the end of DSLR video?
There’s no footage on the site, no release date and no price.
But it’s clear that Panasonic is going to be the first camera manufacturer to release a camera that shoots like a DSLR but has features made for professional film and video production.
Here’s what you’ll like about this:
- HD-SDI output for true HD monitoring and recording direct to disc (uncompressed output? not defined at this point).
- XLR mic inputs supporting professional mics and systems (can we assume standard audio controls and meters? – it would seem likely).
- Records to two SD cards rather than CF cards and can work with 64GB SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.
- Records continuously to the two cards – no more 12 minute limit for clips.
- 1080 from 59.94i to 23.98p and 720 from 50p to 23.98p to fit most project requirements.
- Dynamic Range, Gamma Select and other image features inherited from previous Panasonic professional camcorders means you can get the look you want in-camera or create your own super-flat profile for more flexibility in post.
- Designed like a professional video camcorder with a form made for shooting video and variety of buttons and controls (full functionality not defined at this point).
- Standard 4/3′s DSLR lens mount plus adaptor for standard PL mount film lenses – your current lenses may work and you can go for professional film lenses when you need them.
Here’s what you may not like about this:
- AVCHD recording format means high compression – the copy on the site does promise “maximum AVCHD bit rate” in a professional PH mode but exactly what that means is not defined.
- 4/3-inch sensor will not have the same look as a full size sensor on the Canon 5D and it’s even more cropped than the 7D and T2i – 2x versus 1.6x (more on this later).
- Price is an unknown but, as reported here and other sites, the list price when this camera was announced was $6K USD – less than a pro video camcorder but more than the cost of three Canon 7D bodies or eight Canon T2i bodies.
Let’s talk about the effects of the sensor size first.
The Micro 4/3 sensor on the AG-AF100 measures 17.3mm x 13mm. The APS-C sensor on a Canon 7D measures 22.2mm x 14.8. That means the Panasonic has a 2.0 crop factor. And that means a 50mm lens on the AG-AF100 will look like an 80mm lens on a 7D and a 100mm lens on the Canon 5D.
If you need a wide angle shot, you’re going to need an extremely wide angle lens.
On the other hand, you’ll get great telephoto shots with normal lenses with this camera. It all depends on how you look at it and what your needs are.
More information about sensor size here.
As for image quality, that’s the sum of many factors.
A Micro 4/3 sensor is still much larger than the sensors in most high-end HD camcorders so you’ll still be able to get the shallow DOF we love in DSLR cameras. Not as much as on a 5D but more than a regular video camcorder by far.
Another important factor in image quality is the compression rate of the camera. If you can tap the HD-SDI port on this camera and record uncompressed video straight to a disk the resulting image will be stunning. You would need to spend many times over the cost of the AF-AG100 to get a higher quality image. That’s a big “if” right now as we have no data.
However, the files recorded to the SD card system in this camera will be highly compressed. Until we see actual footage we won’t know how well Panasonic managed the compression.
And, while it is possible to edit AVCHD clips directly in a timeline of some editing systems, you will almost always gain more than enough flexibility to make transcoding a good idea. You may even save enough in final render time to regain the lost time in your overall workflow.
What’s Interesting
- While there’s a view finder on the back of the camera, there’s no LCD monitor visible on the camera. It looks like there’s a fold-out panel on the side that is likely an LCD monitor.
- There will be no auto-focus. While this means nothing to all film and professional video shooters, I’m always amazed at the interest in auto-focus while shooting with a DSLR. It must be something that photographers are into but they won’t find it here. All the lenses that fit this camera are manual focus only. Looks like you’ll need a decent follow-focus for the budget as well.
- No electronic zoom either. The film shooters and photographers don’t care about this one but those video guys are so used to just hitting the zoom rocker for lovely sloooow zooms. Zooming while shooting on this camera will take a very steady hand.
I expect a lot of moaning and groaning from all sides. The T2i market will complain about the price and the 5D market will complain about the sensor size and the price. The video market will complain about AVCHD compression versus RED codecs. Sony lovers will complain about Panasonic user interfaces and wonder why the Sony didn’t include XLR and HD-SDI connectors on their new camera.
And, in the middle of all this, a bunch of people looking for a great camera at a great price will jump on this and start making the films they’ve been dreaming of.
With the original announcement, the release date for the Panasonic AG-AF100 was “the end of 2010.” It looks like they are serious about that date. We’ll stay tuned for more information.
And, no, this isn’t the end of DSLR video. I believe it’s the start of a transition to a new category of video cameras and it’s a great thing.
