Panasonic AJ-HDC27A operating instructions Introduction, Features of the camera unit

Introduction

The AJ-HDC27A integrates two units: 1) a high- definition (HD) color video camera featuring an IT- CCD equipped with a 1 million pixel on-chip lens that supports the full spectrum of HD TV (720P/59.94 Hz), and 2) a DVCPRO HD format VTR that incorporates the latest compression technology.

Featuring a 100 Mbps recording rate for the VTR as well, this unit is capable of recording images with an extremely high picture quality to achieve the highest performance and most sophisticated functions as an integrated camera/VTR for electronic field production (EFP) applications.

Furthermore, it is compact and lightweight, has low power consumption, and excels in achieving a high level of picture quality, sensitivity, and mobility, and is extremely dust-proof and moisture-proof. These are all attributes which enable the unit to be used for electronic news gathering (ENG) applications as well. Since digital signal processing is provided in both the camera unit and VTR unit, the picture quality is further improved while the unit’s stability is also enhanced.

Small multimedia cards meeting global standards can be used for the camera and VTR setting data as part of a system which can accomplish data management.

Features

Features of the camera unit

The camera unit of the AJ-HDC27A has the following features.

O High sensitivity: 2000 lux (F10)

O High signal-to-noise ratio: 54 dB (standard) O Low smear

O Low flare

Digital signal processing

Analog signals are converted into digital signals through 10-bit A/D conversion at a sampling frequency of 74.1758 MHz. This processing not only enhances the picture quality, stability and reliability but it also enables the viewfinder screen displays and many of the adjustment and setup items to be configured in a menu-driven format.

Customized setting menus

The status displays, messages and marker displays are controlled using setting menus which are displayed on the viewfinder screen. The user can select whether or not to display certain items and under what conditions they are to be displayed to suit the user’s convenience. For instance, the ON/OFF settings can be selected for nine different statuses for the “!” lamp display which tells the user that the unit is experiencing some kind of problem.

The menus are also used to select settings and functions and execute memory card operations.

Setup card

Up to eight sets of setting menu data can be stored on SD card (Secure Digital Memory Card) and small multimedia cards (VW-MMT8) serving as setup cards. Organizing this data by set or by shooting conditions for storage is useful in reproducing the same setup states with ease and in ensuring consistency in the setup states from one set of data to the next.

High-performance electronic shutter

Use of the self-contained electronic shutter results in images with minimal shake even when the subject is fast-moving. Any of the following special modes can also be selected.

O Synchro scan mode

This is ideal for shooting the monitor screens of a personal computer or work station.

(60.0 Hz to 251.3 Hz)

Images with minimal horizontal stripe noise can be obtained in this mode.

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