Panasonic AF100 is the first Micro Four-Thirds Camcorder

Two weeks ago, Panasonic unveiled its first Micro Four Thirds camcorder, the AG-AF100, a development that we have been predicting ever since the format was first launched.  Until recently, we knew little more about this product other than a few sketches and a little bit of technical information.

However, you cna see a little more of the new AF100 thanks to FilmTVVideo, who were at its launch at the NAB show.


The video is in two parts, and the second half goes on to describe the AG-3DA1 stereoscopic camcorder that was announced in Feruary.  We're much more excited about the first half, though, which talks through the AF100.

As you can see, the form factor is much more that of a traditional camcorder, so filming long clips will be much more comfortable than using an ordinary digital camera, and the location of the handle will make zooming much smoother.  Whether it's on a digital SLR or a hybrid model, we've always found it hard to turn a zoom wheel without shaking the camera.

More anecdotally, we noticed that the camcorder was shown off with an Olympus 4/3 lens, rather than the 14-140 mm Panasonic lens that comes with the GH1.

As good as a 35 mm?

Until now, the Lumix GH1 was the best choice for filming in Micro Four Thirds

Of course, Panasonic is keen to stress the advantages of the Micro Four Thirds system: the sensor is twice the size of the 2/3'' sensor usually found in camcorders, leaving much more room for users to adjust depth of field.  Remember that on the GH1, in 16:9 format, measuring 10.6 x 18.8 mm, the sensor measures much closer to the 'wide' 35 mm format (11.3 x 21 mm) than a 2/3'' (5.4 x 9.6 mm).

In theory, the results produced by a camcorder with this spec should be close to a normal modern cinema camera, but not IMAX, of course.  It will shoot video at 24 frames per second, in Full HD, with a 25 fps mode available for a more 'television' look.

It won't be able to rival cinema cameras that have a resolution way in excess of Full HD: the Red One, for instance, films in 4K, or 8 Megapixels instead of 2!  Recording video in AVCHD, a standard feature on camcorders that has made its way to the AF100, is also unlikely to appeal to pros used to dealing with raw files.  According to the interview above, the target is 'the independent filmmaker, someone who's shooting in 16 mm film now and is looking to move to a format that has an established video workflow.'

We still don't know how much it will cost, but we imagine it will be cheap enough to appeal to small producers and film schools--just the market that leapt on the Canon EOS 5D Mk II, which, although it was never really designed for this, only needs a few accessories to become a great little Full HD camcorder.

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