Panasonic AG-AC90A AVCCAM Handheld Camcorder NTSC

Panasonic AG-AC90A AVCCAM Handheld Camcorder

• Battery Pack
• Battery Charger
• AC Adaptor
• 2 x AC Cable
• Eye Cup
• Remote Control
• CD-ROM (Operating Instructions)
• USB Cable
• AV Multi Cable
• Lens Cap
• Shoulder Strap
• Microphone Holder
• 2 x Input Terminal Cap
• Microphone Holder Adaptor
• Microphone Holder Screws
• Limited 4-Year Warranty

The focus ring allows you to achieve manual focus while Push AF (assigned to a User button) lets you switch temporarily to auto for a quick assist from the camera. Two buttons on the control panel affect your focusing options: Focus A/M switches between auto and manual focus, while Focus Assist outlines the areas in focus with red (the only color choice). Older eyes will find this a very welcome feature.

There are noneutral densityor video gain switches or dials on this camera. These tasks are instead integrated into the iris ring. At one end of the exposure spectrum, the iris is fully closed. It begins to open at f11 and continues to open wider until it reaches f1.5 - fully open. At settings wider than f2.8 neutral density filtering is automatically applied in increasing degrees. Continue to rotate the iris ring beyond fully open and gain is applied in 1dB increments up to a maximum of 30dB. The tradeoff here is that as gain is added, noise increases. The AC90 however has some of the cleanest gain we have seen, with increases to 20dB being relatively noise free and very usable. Exposure assist features include a Zebra button on the control panel with two zebra settings and a marker function.

The placement of the LCD represents an interesting design change to this otherwise familiar format. Most LCD panels fold up flat against the side of the camcorder, covering frequently used buttons. The AC90s LCD panel slides out from a crosspiece at the front of the handle then rotates vertically up to 270 degrees for high and low angle, or self, shooting. The high-res panel is sharp, crisp and touch sensitive. The touchscreen controls menu and playback options, all of which are nicely responsive and easy to navigate. The retractable nature of the LCD provides a high level of protection to the screen when safely tucked away, but care should be used when the screen is out and while putting it away, so that it isnt struck or forced at an angle.

Attention to Audio

Of course, a huge part of the success of any video production is thequality of its audioand the AC90 includes numerous options to enable you to achieve that goal. Its built-in mic is capable of 5.1 surround sound or two-channel stereo capture with both focus and zoom functions.

Although this audio is certainly usable, we know it is better to get themicrophonecloser to your subject than the camera as often as possible. To this end, the AC90 includes two XLR inputs on the right side of the crosspiece at the front of the handle. Opposite the inputs, at the other side of the crosspiece, is a hinged plastic cover, housing line/mic and phantom power switches. A second cover at the rear of the control panel protects the input source selection switches and gain control dials. These dials can be accessed through holes in the cover, without having to open it first, for gain adjustments on the fly.

Sensor Type	3x MOS (with backside illumination)
Sensor Size	1/4.7"
Sensor Resolution	2.19 MP (2,190,00 effective pixels) each
Minimum Illumination	Approx. 3 lux (iA mode, auto slow shutter ON)

Lens
Focal Length	2.84 - 34.1 mm
35mm Equivalent Focal Length	29.8 - 357.6 mm
Zoom Ratio	12x optical 25x i.Zoom 2x, 5x, 10x digital zoom
Aperture	f/1.5 to f/2.8
Optical Image Stabilization	5-Axis Hybrid OIS
Lens Coating	Nano Surface Coating
Control Rings	3 (focus, zoom, iris)
Filter Thread	49 mm
Image Stabilization	Optical (hybrid optical image stabilizer, active mode)

Recording Specifications
Signal System	NTSC (60 Hz)
Video Format	AVCHD version 2.0 compliant, AVCHD Progressive
Compression	Video: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 Audio: Dolby Digital (5.1ch/2 ch) Still Picture: JPEG (based on Exif 2.2 standard)
Recording Modes	PS Mode: 1920x1080 59.94p (25 Mbps average; 28 Mbps max) PH Mode: 1920x1080 59.94i/29.97p/23.98p (21 Mbps average; 24 Mbps max) HA Mode: 1920x1080 59.94i (17 Mbps average) HE Mode: 1440x1080 59.94i (6 Mbps average) PM Mode: 1280x720 59.94p (8 Mbps average) SA Mode: 720x480 59.94i (9 Mbps average) CS Mode: 720x480 59.94i (3.5 Mbps average)
Maximum Recording Time	With two 64GB SDXC memory cards: PS Mode: Approx. 10 hours 40 minutes PH Mode: Approx. 12 hours HA Mode: Approx. 16 hours HE Mode: Approx. 48 hours PM Mode: Approx. 38 hours SA Mode: Approx. 33 hours CS Mode: Approx. 82 hours
Shutter Speed	60i/60p/30p: 1/30 to 1/2000 (auto slow shutter ON), 1/60 to 1/2000 (auto slow shutter OFF) Note: at motion picture recording, manual mode
Audio Channels	CH1, CH2
Audio Format	Dolby Digital
Still Capture	3 MP still photographs (can be captured during video recording)

Interface
Recording Media	2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC (compatible with UHS-I Speed Class 1)
Input/Outputs	1 x HDMI output (1080p/1080i/480p) 1 x AV Multi output (D-connector, component video, composite video and audio 2 channel) 1 x USB 2.0 1 x 2.5mm remote terminal for zoom and REC START/STOP 1 x 3.5mm remote terminal for iris and focus 2 x XLR audio input (MIC/LINE/+48V selectable)

General Specifications
LCD Monitor	3.5" (8.8 cm) touchscreen 1,152 K dot resolution 270 rotation
Viewfinder	0.24" LCOS color EVF with 263 K dot resolution
Supply Voltage	DC 12V (when the AC adaptor is used) DC 7.2V (when the battery is used)
Power Consumption	12.9 W
Operating Temperature	32 to 104 F (0 ~ 40 C)
Operating Humidity	10 to 80% (no condensation)
Dimensions (WxHxD)	Excluding protrusions: 6.30 x 7.68 x 13.78" (16.0 x 19.5 x 35.0 cm)
Weight	Main Unit Only: Approx. 3.3 lb (1.50 kg) With Battery and an SD Card: Approx. 3.9 lb (1.78 kg)

Packaging Info
Package Weight	9.0 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)	17.0 x 12.0 x 10.0"