Panasonic adds three camcorders to its HD lineup
— -- Panasonic added three new Full HD camcorders to its lineup today. The HC-V700, HC-V500, and HC-V100 all include single CMOS chips with designs that built upon last year's models. In addition to a few updates, it appears Panasonic made some administrative changes with its new lineup: the new year ushers in a new naming scheme and eliminates hard drives as a built-in memory option.
Discounting the new flagship HC-X900, the HC-V700 sits at the top of Panasonic's consumer line. Ostensibly replacing last year's SD90, this prosumer camera is built around a new frontside-illuminated 1/4.1-inch CMOS sensor.
Other updates include an extended 26x optical zoom range, Power O.I.S. Hybrid Plus 5-axis optical image stabilization (up from 4 axes), high-def 3D playback (not full HD, though) and 2D-to-3D up-conversion. 1080/60p video capture and a 3-inch, 460k-pixel touch LCD are carried over from last year. The V700 will be available this spring at $599.
Moving down the lineup, the mid-range V500 uses a smaller 1/5.8-inch CMOS chip. It also supports 1080/60p video capture, rolls with the 5-axis stabilization, and offers 2D-to-3D conversion. The zoom range extends to an impressive 42x optical, while the LCD is a modest 3-inch, 230k-pixel affair. It replaces last year's SD80, and will be available this spring for $479.
Both the V700 and V500 will be available in versions with built-in flash memory: the V700M and V500M.
At the low-end of the full HD lineup sits the HDC-V100. It's built around the same 1/5.8-inch CMOS sensor as the V500, though the rest of the spec sheet is more modest: 1080/60i video capture, 4-axis stabilization, and a 34x optical zoom. It replaces the SD40, and will be available for $379.
—
To read more about the latest CES camcorder announcements and get our hands-on impressions live from Vegas, check out CamcorderInfo.com. Reviewed.com is a division of USA TODAY.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live