Panasonic AG-AF100 Camcorder Review by Nino Del Padre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever since the introduction of the modern day video camera, digital filmmakers and producers of every genre have been striving for that elusive "film look." The advent of affordable high-definition camcorders like the Panasonic HVX200, with its cinema gamma and 24p recording, has brought us much closer to this. But no matter how good the lighting, composition and subjects are, one thing screams video from a mile away: the lack of cinema-style, shallow depth of field.

DOF, for the neophyte, is a distance range in which objects appear to be in focus. Deep DOF means more of the scene will appear in focus, shallow DOF means the range will be smaller and objects closer or further will appear blurred. Also known as selective focus, it’s artfully used by DPs to naturally draw the viewers’ attentions to the primary subject.

Here at Del Padre Digital, we have had great film-like results in the past with our Redrock M2 Cinema Lens Adapter mounted on our Panasonic HVX200 and, more recently, the RED ONE. In 2009 Canon released the 5D Mark II, primarily a digital SLR still camera, but also with the ability to capture 1080p HD video. This was the first affordable camera capable of mounting still camera lenses with an adapter. With its larger 35mm-sized CMOS sensor, the 5D offered groundbreaking control of depth of field.

Canon enjoyed—and still enjoys—tremendous success with the 5D, launching a huge DSLR video revolution. The one major drawback: the cameras were designed primarily as still cameras and are thus much more difficult to control ergonomically compared to already existing camcorders in terms of operation, handling and monitoring. You need to purchase so many extra accessories just to make it feel more like a video camera.

From lens adapters for cameras like the HVX200 to the pricey and rather large and heavy RED ONE there has been a need for 35mm-like depth of field in the form factor of a traditional video camera that accepts 35mm still or PL mount lenses. And if it’s going to sell, it’s got to be priced like an HDSLR.