NEWARK, N.J.—Panasonic has announced the release of its latest camera, the AJ-PX230PJ AVC Ultra handheld camcorder. This new camera features many similar qualities to Panasonic’s AJ-PX270, including image quality and control, and functionality, but is designed for users who do not require networking (wired or wireless), proxy and Genlock/TC interface.
AJ-PX230
The AJ-PX230 offers 10-bit, 1080p AVC-Intra and AVC-LongG codecs, video control, a 22x zoom lens and an OLED viewfinder. It also features a 1/3-inch 3-MOS imagers and the ability to record in 100Mbps AVC-Intra 100 and 200 Mbps AVC-Intra200. To manage file size, the camera can use a choice of AVC-LongG quality levels, including AVC-LongG50, AVC-LongG25 and AVC-LongG12, all of which are 10-bit, 4:2:2 codecs. Legacy recordings in DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO and DVC formats are also available.
The cameras 22x zoom lens offers a zoom range of wide 28mm and tele 616mm and comes with three manual operation lens rings—zoom, focus and iris—to remove the need for changing lenses. It also comes equipped with Chromatic Aberration Compensation for lens performance; a Dynamic Range Stretch function for reducing overexposure and improving scene image contrast at the pixel level; and a flash band detection and compensation algorithm to minimize exposure for strobe lighting. Seven-mode gamma selection and digital image settings are also available.
Other key features for the AJ-PX230 include a 1.56-megapixel QHD LCD color monitor, two microP2 card slots, two separated XLR audio inputs, and the ability to record up to four channels of 48 kHz, 24-bit audio in AVC-Intra formats. Additionally, a range of shutter speed modes are available, as well as an Optical Image Stabilizer, digital zoom function, and a four-position optical ND filter.
Panasonic is now offering the AJ-PX230PJ at a suggested retail price of $4,495.
