Panasonic has announced the HC-X1 4K camcorder. It features a 24mm zoom lens billed as the “widest in the industry for a camcorder with integrated lens”. It has a 1 inch sensor and can record 4K at 24p and UHD or HD at 60p/50p. In HD, it will support a variable frame rate from 2 to 60fps. The HC-X1’s supported recording formats are MOV, MP4 and AVCHD to two internal SD card drives.

The Panasonic HC-X1 will be available in December at $3199.99.

Press release

Panasonic introduces professional 4K 60p/50p camcorder with extremely wide 24mm 20x optical zoom lens

Panasonic today introduces the HC-X1 camcorder, offering 4K 60p/50p recording,[1] a 24mm 20x optical zoom lens and a 1.0-type (inch) sensor. These features make the handheld device perfectly suited for professional videographers that are looking for premium production capabilities and superior content quality.

New LEICA DICOMAR 4K lens with the industry’s widest angle 24mm and optical 20x zoom

The HC-X1 features a newly developed LEICA DICOMAR 4K lens, which offers a quick 20x optical zoom from an extremely wide angle of 24mm to ultra-telephoto at 480mm. This makes the HC-X1 the camcorder with the industry’s widest zoom lens,[2] allowing videographers to produce professional content with little distortion and without having to use a wide conversion lens.

The LEICA DICOMAR 4K lens also offers a 4-Drive Lens System, which manages four lens groups simultaneously and independently. The lens size and drive range for each of the four groups can be suppressed to optimise image quality and zoom power, which also helps to keep the body of the camcorder compact for versatile handheld use.

High image quality, high sensitivity 1.0-type (inch) 4K sensor

The lens is powered by a large 1.0-type (inch) MOS sensor (9.46 megapixels at 4K 24p / 8.79 megapixels at UHD, FHD) – a world’s first for a camcorder with an integrated lens –[3] which provides an excellent balance between image quality and sensitivity for any occasion.

The HC-X1 can record in 4K 24p (4096 x 2160), UHD 60p/50p (3840 x 2160) or FHD 60p/50p (1920 x 1080). For those professional users working internationally, the camcorder’s system frequency can be flexibly set at 59.94 Hz, 50.00 Hz or 24.00 Hz, while content can be recorded in the MOV (QuickTime), MP4 and AVCHD file formats. The variety of recording modes with selectable image quality, frame rate and bit rate settings respond to a wide range of applications from cinema production to online distribution.

Functions and design to support professional camera work

The HC-X1 has been designed with professional videographers in mind and offers a variety of function and design features to ensure the shooting experience is as smoothly as possible.

The lens barrel features Triple Manual Rings for zoom, focus and iris operations. There are a total of 13 user buttons; nine on the body and four on the LCD touch panel. Users can program these buttons with the functions they need quick at hand, making operation of the camera easy and quick.

The 3.5-type (inch) monitor built into the handle section can be pulled out and turned by 270 degrees in the vertical direction for high-angle, low-angle and selfie shooting. The EVF is a high-resolution (approx. 1,769,000 dots) OLED display with superb color reproduction.

What’s more, the HC-X1 is equipped with a wealth of focus assist functions to support quick and accurate manual focusing, such as MF Assist, One-Push AF, Expand/Peak, Focus Transition and Area Function.

The camcorder’s ND filter can be set to OFF, 1/4, 1/16 or 1/64. Gain selector and AWB selector are also provided.

Advanced Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.)

The correction area of the OIS has been expanded significantly to approximately 900%[4] compared to Panasonic’s AG-AC160, strongly stabilizing low- and high-angle shots. In FHD mode, a hybrid O.I.S. that adds electronic image stabilization to optical image stabilization detects and corrects 5 axes, including the roll rotation.

High-speed, high-precision intelligent AF

By being able to move the Micro Drive Focus Unit quickly, the HC-X1 can achieve a stable and high-speed AF with excellent tracking performance to ensure accurate focusing – even when shooting in 4K or with a shallow depth of field. Users can customize the AF operation settings and adjust the speed, tracking sensitivity and area width, to exactly match the subject type and application.

Super slow motion and variable frame rate (2 to 60 fps)

The camcorder can record HD images at a high speed of 120 fps (59.94 Hz) or 100 fps (50 Hz) to provide a slow-motion effect. It is also newly equipped with a variable frame rate (VFR) recording function that allows professionals to change the frame rate setting in ten steps from 2 to 60 fps. This lets the user produce creative and expressive videos using techniques such as overcranking for a slow-motion effect and undercranking for a quick-motion effect.

Professional interfaces for smooth system operation

The HC-X1 not only excels in video features, but also offers premium audio recording functions meeting the highest production needs. It is equipped with two channels of XLR audio input, with switchable +48V phantom power supply/MIC/LINE and manual volume. It records high-quality sound in two channels using either a 16-bit linear PCM system (MOV/MP4) or a Dolby Digital system (AVCHD). When used in combination with the optional wireless module (AJ-WM50/AJ-WM30),[5] users can remotely control the camcorder with an iPad through the AG ROP app[6], adjusting camera settings, lens control and other features.

The HC-X1 also offers expandability for users in commercial video production, such as the wired remote terminal, OSD level meter, 1-kHz test tone output and headphone output (3.5-mm-diameter stereo mini jack).

A host of other exciting features

• Two SD memory card slots, which allow users to record data continuously or simultaneously[7]
• Broadcast-grade camera image adjustment functions, such as the 16-axis independent colour correction function, 8-mode gamma function or chroma phase function
• LCD/EVF displays that assist shooting, for example with built-in adjustable zebra patterns, level gauge or a Waveform and Vectorscope display

[1] Actual recording is UHD (3840 x 2160) 59.94p/50p
[2]Equivalent to 35mm under 4K 24p (aspect ratio of 17:9). 25.4mm for UHD/FHD (aspect ratio 16:9). Wide angle 24mm is the widest in the industry for a camcorder with integrated lens. (As of 31st August 2016, according to a Panasonic survey.)
[3] World’s first for a camcorder with integrated lens having a 1.0-type (inch) or larger sensor. (As of 31st August 2016, according to a Panasonic survey)
[4]Except in 4K 24p mode
[5] Not available in some regions
[6] Available for free on the App Store
[7]Maximum file size that can be recorded over multiple SD cards is 96 GB. Recording will not stop even when the data size exceeds 96 GB.