Panasonic AJ-HDC27FP - Manual (Page 5)

5
Introduction
Features
The AJ-HDC27F is a camera/VTR that supports the
SMPTE-296M 1280
a 720 scanning standard.
Integrated in this single unit are an HD color video
camera featuring a 1-million pixel IT-CCD unit with on-
chip lens as the pickup device, and a DVCPRO HD
format VTR incorporating the latest compression
technology.
The camera unit supports a variable frame function
and film tone gamma function, and it also supports the
Ultra Prime lenses for 35 mm film cameras as a
standard feature.
Featuring a 100 Mbps recording rate for the VTR as
well, this unit is capable of recording images with an
extremely high picture quality to achieve the highest
performance and most sophisticated functions as an
integrated camera/VTR for electronic field production
(EFP) applications.
Furthermore, it is compact and lightweight, has low
power consumption, and excels in achieving a high
level of picture quality, sensitivity, and mobility, and is
extremely dust-proof and moisture-proof. These are
all attributes which enable the unit to be used for
electronic news gathering (ENG) applications as well.
Since digital signal processing is provided in both the
camera unit and VTR unit, the picture quality is further
improved while the unit’s stability is also enhanced.
Small multimedia cards or SD memory cards meeting
global standards can be used for the camera and VTR
setting data as part of a system which can accomplish
data management.
Features of the camera unit
The camera unit of the AJ-HDC27F has the
following features.
O
High sensitivity: 2000 lux, F12
O Frame rate: 4 fps (frame/sec.) to 60 fps
O
High signal-to-noise ratio: 54 dB (standard)
O
Low smear
O Low flare
O Scan reverse
O
Switchable frame frequency: 59.94 Hz or 60.00 Hz
Variable frame rate
Frame-drop (under-cranking) shooting and high-speed
(over-cranking) shooting, which are special film
shooting techniques, have been achieved for the first
time in a video camera.
The variable frame rate function can be set as desired
from 4 fps (frame/sec.) to 60 fps.
The shutter speed can also be set from 0.8% of the
frame rate (aperture angle: 3 degrees) to 97.2%
(aperture angle: 350 degrees), enabling full use to be
made of many different presentation techniques.
Along with continually recording at 60 fps, the VTR
unit enables specific effective frames alone to be
marked with time codes so that off-line editing using a
conventional DVCPRO HD VTR is possible. This
makes it possible to construct a 24 fps production
system with minimal equipment investment.
Film tone gamma function
In the beginning, the first and foremost aspect defining
the manifold powers of expression that only the
medium of film could achieve was the extent of a
film’s latitude (reproduction range). What Panasonic
did was to use its resources to develop an exclusive
gamma curve for reproducing film tones by means of
the CCDs, and this led to the capability of expressing
natural gradations and reproducing a rich variety of
colors—something that was beyond the means of
conventional video cameras. The AJ-HDC27F
incorporates a total of three gamma curves—two cine
curves (for films/for videos) and the conventional
video gamma curve—and it enables the curve that
best suits the application at hand to be selected. The
powers of expression achieved as a result are
comparable to those provided by film. The high
sensitivity that is simply superior to film cameras
delivers an excellent balance between brightness and
high picture quality: indeed, the kind of sensitivity that
corresponds to ISO640 enables shooting with the
same kind of feel as ultra-fine-grain films.
When the conventional video gamma curve is to be
used, set the unit to the video mode using the CAM
MENU SEL item on the OPTION screen of FILM
(CAM) MAIN MENU 4.
When one of the cine curves is to be used, set the unit
to the film mode using the CAM MENU SEL item on
the OPTION screen of FILM (CAM) MAIN MENU 4,
and then select the desired curve by setting the CINE
GAMMA SEL item on the GAMMA screen of FILM
MAIN MENU 1.