Panasonic Corp announced the "Lumix DMC-GH1K," an interchangeable lens digital camera that can shoot HD video, March 25, 2009, at a press conference in Japan.
The camera conforms to the "Micro Four Thirds system," a standard for interchangeable lens digital cameras without a mirror box.
This is the second Panasonic camera that conforms to the standard, following the "Lumix DMC-G1." The biggest feature of the new model is its HD video shooting capability, which the DMC-G1 does not have. It will be released as a kit with one lens April 24, 2009, in Japan. There is no suggested retail price.
Videos can be shot by pressing the "video button" on the back of the main body. The DMC-GH1K supports AVCHD and QuickTime Motion JPEG. With AVCHD, the camera can take 1,920 x 1,080/60i and 1,280 x 720/60p video. With QuickTime Motion JPEG, it is possible to shoot both 1,280 x 720-pixel and 848 x 480-pixel videos at 30fps.
The newly-developed lens enables to use the auto focus function not only for picture shooting but also for video shooting. The lens, using a linear motor, features high precision and low noise. The camera is equipped with a new diaphragm control system to achieves an ideal balance between video and still images, according to Panasonic.
The "Omakase iA" mode, which automatically selects the optimal shooting mode based on the information from the subject, can also be used for shooting video. Furthermore, the DMC-GH1K is equipped with a function to automatically brighten dark areas of an image when shooting in a dark room.
In the "creative video mode," users can shoot video prioritizing either the aperture or shutter speed. AVCHD video stored in a SD memory card can be copied to and played by Panasonic products that support AVCHD.
The main body weighs about 385g, and 903g including accessories such as the lens, the battery and the memory card. Its dimensions are 124 (W) x 89.6 (H) x 45.2mm (D), excluding projections. The size and weight were reduced by adopting the Micro Four Thirds system. The company is hoping to attract new users by making it easier for ladies and beginners to handle the camera.
The camera is mounted with a 4/3-inch "Live MOS sensor," which features an effective pixel count of 12.1 Mpixels and four-channel high-speed reading of HD images. By employing a new circuit structure, the noise in high-sensitivity shooting was reduced by one or two levels in terms of the ISO sensitivity rating compared with existing Panasonic products, according to the company.
As an image processing LSI, the DMC-GH1K has the "Venus Engine HD," which features high resolution and rich color reproduction as well as a high-performance noise reduction circuit. The LSI is composed of two microprocessors, enabling high-speed processing, according to the company.
In addition, the camera is equipped with "W live view," a function for automatically switching between the electronic viewfinder and the LCD monitor, which is also available to the DMC-G1.
The DMC-GH1K supports JPEG and RAW still image recording formats and SD memory card and SDHC memory card as recording media. The display is a 3-inch 460,000-pixel LCD panel. The camera has connections for AV output and USB 2.0 High Speed as well as an HDMI terminal.
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