Panasonic HC-X1000 4K camcorder launched for prosumers

Panasonic has officially announced the company’s first camcorder capable of recording 4K videos aimed at “prosumers”. It is called HC-X1000 and it is here with a new Leica 20x optical zoom lens.

IFA Berlin 2014 has been seen as an opportunity to launch digital imaging products by some companies despite the fact that Photokina 2014 is just several days away.

Sony has introduced the QX1 and QX30 lens-style cameras, while Panasonic is aiming to steal the spotlights with a new camcorder that is packing lots of features, including 4K video recording. The new HC-X1000 will be priced competitively and will be released in the near future.

Panasonic HC-X1000 is a new 4K camcorder which comes packed with a trio of ND filters. WiFi, and NFC.

Panasonic introduces HC-X1000 camcorder that captures 4K videos

One of the most important features of the Panasonic HC-X1000 is the ability to capture QFHD and Cinema 4K videos. The former consists of a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, while the latter offers a resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels.

Everything is possible courtesy of a 1/2.3-inch BSI image sensor, which also supports high-data flow of up to 60 frames per second. The bitrate is said to stand at 150Mbps at 4K resolution and 200Mbps at 2K resolution, respectively.

The processing power comes from the Crystal Engine Pro 4K that is coupled with a noise reduction technology in order to make sure that the quality of the footage will remain high in all shooting conditions.

Panasonic HC-X1000 supports a bitrate of up to 200Mbps

The specs list of the new Panasonic HC-X1000 camcorder also includes a Leica 20x optical zoom lens and a trio of neutral density (ND) filters. When in use, the ND filter will allow users to use a fast aperture for a shallow depth of field, while preventing overexposure.

The Japan-based company has confirmed that the new shooter supports multiple codecs and formats, including AVCHD, MOV, and MP4. As stated above, the highest bitrate will stand at 200Mbps.

Settings can be easily accessed via a 3.5-inch articulated LCD touchscreen with a resolution of 1.152K-dots.

Release date, price, and other details

Panasonic has added a pair of SD card slots into the HC-X1000 camcorder. The device comes with Auto-Switch Recording technology, a feature that begins to store a video on the second card once the first card is full.

Recording high-quality videos should be accompanied by rich audio recording, so the company has added a two-channel XLR input, giving users a chance of attaching an external microphone.

The specs list is completed by 5-axis optical image stabilization technology and built-in WiFi and NFC, the latter two enabling users to remotely control the camcorder from a smartphone or tablet.

The new HC-X1000 4K camcorder will be released in late October for a price of $3,499.99. As usual, this new product is available for pre-order at Amazon for the aforementioned amount.