NEWARK, NJ — Panasonic (www.panasonic.com/broadcast) has announced the immediate availability of its new AJ-PX230PJ AVC Ultra handheld camcorder, described by the company as an economical choice that provides the same quality, image control and much of the functionality of its predecessor, the AJ-PX270. Offering 10-bit, 1080p AVC-Intra and AVC-LongG codecs, extensive video control, a 22x zoom, and OLED viewfinder, the PX230 camcorder is intended for a wide range of applications, including professional broadcast, documentary, and live event work. The camcorder provides the same video recording quality and body design as the PX270, minus networking (wired and wireless), proxy and Genlock/TC interface, delivering a significantly lower-cost version for shooters who don’t require those features.
The five-pound PX230 camcorder features high-sensitivity, low-noise 1/3-inch 3-MOS imagers. With its AVC-ULTRA codec, the camcorder features a wide range of recording modes: for high-quality recording, the camera records in 100Mbps AVC-Intra100, as well as 200 Mbps AVC-Intra200. For applications where file size is critical, it incorporates a choice of AVC-LongG quality levels, including AVC-LongG50, AVC-LongG25 and AVC-LongG12. These 10-bit, 4:2:2 sampled codecs (LongG50/25) record in smaller file sizes, saving storage cost and transfer time. The camcorder also offers legacy recording in DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO and DV formats. In addition to 1080/60i, the PX230 supports 1080/24p, 30p, 60p (AVC-Intra100, LongG25, LongG12 only), 720p multi HD format and SD recording. The AJ-PX230PJ lists for $4,495.