Panasonic AG-HMC40 User Manual

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Small, Light, Easy to Use –– And Exceptional Image Quality

Full-HD Images plus the Versatility and Mobility to Cover All Kinds of Events

Newsgathering for TV

Traffic S tudie s and

Monitoring and Recording at Construction Sites

The Inter val REC

automatically

function* records fr ames at preset intervals.

*1 The maximum recording interval is 24 hours. *2 In HE (extended time) mode using a 32GB SDHC Memory Card.

Crime Surveillance

Records in H D quality for up to 12 hours* features a Ti me stamp function.

and

and News paper We bsites

In addition to r ecording full-HD motion imag es, the AG-HMC40 shoots still i mages at the equivale nt of 10.6-megapixel resolution (approx.).

Record ing at Hal ls and Other Venues

Add the option al XLR adapter for professional-quality audio recording.

Newly developed 1/4.1-inch 3.05-megapixel, progressive 3MOS sensors. Also records still images with 10.6-megapixel resolution (approx.)

12x Leica Dicomar zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) Professional-quality PH mode and reliable SD memory card recording Wide-ranging functions include a detachable XLR adapter (option),

waveform monitor, and camera remote

Smooth, easy operation with a manual focus ring and touch panel Outstanding mobility with a small body that weights just 2.16 lbs

SD Memory Card Recorder: Lower Operating Costs, Better for the Environment

SD Reduce s Total Cost of Own ership

(1) Faster, easier edit ing because digit ization is not neces sary (2) Lower media costs because memory cards are reusable (3) Lower ma intenance costs be cause there is no movin g

mechanism

By reducin g editing, media and ma intenance costs, AVCCAM can help improve yo ur bottom line. Users can also take advant age of a special 3-year fr ee-repair service p rogram that Panasonic of fers for AVCCAM equipment.

The SD Memory Card Helps Preserve the Environment

with Its Reusability and Low Power Consumption

The SDHC /SD Memory Car d media for the AVCCAM camco rder is totally fre e from abrasion and d ropout. There is no d rive mechanism required , as there is for tape and d isc-based

recorde rs, so power consum ption is low and size and weig ht are reduced. Mal functions are les s likely to occur, and th ere is no need to replac e heads or transpor t compone nts. This translat es into lower costs and e asier maintenan ce, greater energy sav ings, and less waste w hen the unit is eve ntually dispose d of. All of these features h elp to conserve the environment.

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focus, the AG -HMC40's

the AG-HMC4

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Reuse

Recording Initialization

SD Memory Card

Student Video Production

Students of a ny age will

tudents of any age will

apprecia te its compact

reciate its co m

and lightw eight body.

nd lightweight body.

There's no need f or video

turing (digitizing), so

capturing (digitizing), so editing is qu ick and easy.

editing i The record ed images can

e recorded images can

be viewed on a m onitor or

e viewed on a monitor or

com

computer.

Style 1

With handle detached, this super-compact camera fits eas ily into a bag or pack for h ighest mobili ty.

r v

uick and ea s

You can use AG-HMC40

three different ways

5.31 he

inches

11.9 7 inch es (5.35 inches wide)

Styl

Style 3

With th e optional XLR ad apter mounte d on the handle,

With th the AG-H MC40 has outs tandi ng audio specs , plus the

he A ability to add two external phantom microphones or line inputs with level controls.

Style 2

With ha ndle in place, t he AG-HMC40 is ea sy to carry and

With han easy to us e, even when shoot ing at diffic ult angl es.

easy to u

Superb Full-HD Image Quality

A Small Camcorder That's Packed with Image-enhancing Technologies

3MOS System with Full-HD Sampling and Pro Tuning

Sharp, Crisp Rendering of Every Subject

New Leica Dicomar Lens

Featuring 13 elements in 10 groups, the newly developed Leica Dicomar lens is ideal for full-HD recording. The new lens system uses low-dispersion glass and aspherical lenses to reduce color aberration and boost resolution. Use of a special multi-coating process dramatically reduces flare and ghosts. The result: sharp, crisp, beautifully rendered pictures with vivid colors, delicate nuances, and exceptional shading. This advanced lens also lets you capture 40.8mm wide-angle shots (35mm lens equivalent) such a compact unit.

HD Lens Unit (13 Elements in 10 Groups)

Low-dispersion Glass

Reduces color aberration to produce clear images.

Highly Refractive Lens

Makes it possible to fit a 12x optical zoom in a compact unit.

Aspherical Lenses

Enhances resolution and contrast.

unusual for

Multi-coated Lens Surfaces

Reduces flare and ghosts.

Up to 120x Zoom Power

12x Optical Zoom and 10x Digital Zoom

Even at the 490mm zoom setting (35mm lens equivalent), this advanced 12x optical zoom lens is free of image degradation. And the AG-HMC40 is also equipped with a digital zoom that instantly magnifies the image by any of three fixed values. 2x, 5x or 10x. Use it together with the 12x optical zoom lens, and you get super magnification equivalent to a 120x zoom, without the drop in light intensity that happens when using a lens extender.

*The image quality decreases as the digital zoom magnification increases.

Image with Wide-angle

Image with 12x optical zoom

Image with 12x optical zoom x 10x digital zoom (120x)

Take Clear Shots While Walking or Zooming

Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS)

Because the hand-shake correction is done by actually driving the lens, there's none of You can capture hand-shake is typically a big problem indoors in dim lighting, or shooting outdoors at night.

*Hand-shake from strong vibrations may remain. Also, visible differences may be slight under some conditions.

Image with OIS OFF Image with OIS ON

the image degradation that occurs with electronic stabilization.

beautiful, high-quality shots even in situations where

such as when zooming, shooting

Highly Nuanced Image Expression

3.05-megapixel Progressive 3MOS Sensors

The progressive 3MOS image sensors record full-HD images with an effective motion-picture resolution of 2.51-megapixel (approx.). This produces full-raster HD images with high resolution and superb image quality. Because each of the three separate image sensors receives one of the three primary colors of light (red, green and blue), they render more precise images and more faithful colors than the single light-receiving 1MOS sensor.

What's the 3MOS System?

(metal-oxide semiconductor)

MOS

image sensors process the three primary colors of light (red, green and blue).

1MOS

Light Light

RGB filter

Image sensor

Light of any color other than

the filter color is absorbed.

3MOS

Prism

Image

The 3MOS system offers three times

the light utilization of a 1MOS system.

sensor

Suppresses Blocked Shadows and Blown Highlights

Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS)

A gamma curve and knee slope are estimated to match the contrast of each pixel, and applied in real time. When dark, bright, and intermediate shades are all contained in the same scene, this produces excellent gradation for each shade and minimizes blocked shadows and blown highlights. The images that result are enhanced by a visually wider dynamic range.

High-quality Digital Stills

Still Shots with 10.6-megapixel Resolution

Image with still shots

The new 3MOS sensors also combine with Panasonic's proprietary Quad-Density Pixel Distribution technology to achieve a resolution that is equivalent to 4 times the normal level. The AG-HMC40 captures still images with approx. 10.6-megapixel resolution (in still image mode, 3:2 aspect ratio), which approaches the level of a high-performance digital still camera. For example, you can use it to shoot both motion and still images for a website.

*The AG-HMC40 is not equipped with a flash function.

The digital zoom cannot be used.

(approx.)

Highly Detailed Image Composition

Advanced Pro Tuning Functions

Matrix settings

•

Lets you choose ba sic color hue s that convey the desired ove rall image mood.

Matrix settings

NORM1

NORM2 For colors more vivid than NORM1.

FLUO For colors suited to shooting indoors under fluorescent lights.

CINE-LIKE To reproduce colors similar to those in movies.

Knee point settings

•

Controls the highl ights within the fra me. (AUTO/LOW/ MID/HIGH )

Adjusta ble H deta il level, V det ail level,

•

detail coring an d skin det ail

Corrects edg es and removes i mage noise.

Adjustable chroma level, chroma phase,

•

color temp and mast er pedes tal

Sets the basic level s for brightnes s and other signa ls.

Two scene files

•

The AG-HMC40 ca n save two sets of cam era settings a s scene file s for instant recall later in similar shooting conditions.

For colors suited to shooting outdoors or under halogen lights.

Cine-like Gamma Curves

7-mode Gamma for Richer Gradation

Drawing on technologies developed for the VariCam HD camcorders for digital cinema, Panasonic has equipped the AG-HMC40 with advanced gamma functions that address seven different shooting scenarios and enhance your creative abilities. This includes the cine-like gamma, which produces the characteristic warm tone of film recordings.

Images with the Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS) Effect

Image with DRS OFF Image with DRS ON

Image with VIDEO GAMMA Image with CINE-LIKE GAMMA

AG-HMC40 Gamma Modes

HD NORM Suitable for HD recording

LOW Works to flatten out a high contrast scene

SD NORM Normal setting for SD (This was available in the DVX100 series.)

HIGH Provides more contrast and color gradation

B.PRESS Provides more contrast and blacks in low contrast scenes

Blown highlights are suppressed.

Blocked shadows are suppressed.

CINE-LIKE-D The Cine-like mode shifted to prioritize dynamic range

CINE-LIKE-V The Cine-like mode shifted to prioritize contrast

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