Camera Makes Shooting 4K Easy as HD
The Panasonic HC-X1000 has multiple 4K Ultra-HD recording formats and bit rates, including both 3,840 x 2,160-pixel and 4,096 x 2,160-pixel varieties. The highest-quality 4K recording is done at a bit rate of 150 Mbps (60 fps), and files can be saved in either MOV or MP4 format. There’s also a setting for 4K recording at 100 Mbps/30 fps. Regardless of how the file is saved, the HC-X1000 uses MPEG-4 encoding.
In addition to shooting at 4K resolution, the HC-X1000 can be set for HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), in which case it records in the AVCHD format at bit rates up to 28 Mbps. The camera uses a single 1/2.3-inch (approximately 0.43-inch) sensor.
Recordings are made onto SD cards with battery like panasonic CGA-DU31 Battery, panasonic VW-VBD310 Battery, panasonic CGR-D54 Battery, panasonic CGA-DU07 Battery, panasonic CGR-S602 Battery, panasonic CGA-S101E Battery, panasonic CGR-S101A Battery, panasonic CGA-S001E Battery, panasonic DMW-BM7 Battery, panasonic CGA-S003E battery, panasonic CGA-S004E battery, panasonic CGA-S005E battery, for which there are two slots. If you are recording in 4K, you should record onto the new SD cards that are rated at “U3” speed, which works out to 240 Mbps record speed capability. The fastest speed at the old standard (“C10”) could record at speeds up to 80 Mbps—too slow for 4K.
At the front of the Panasonic HC-X1000 is a Leica 20x lens that goes from a wide angle of around 30mm to telephoto of 600mm. I say it this way because the focal length of the lens changes slightly depending on whether you are shooting in the 4,096 x 2,160 or 3,840 x 2,160 format.
The lens is rated at f1.8 at the wide end and f3.6 at the telephoto end, which are pretty good numbers for a camera in this price range. At the front of the lens is a removable hood that has a nifty integrated lens cap.
The HC-X1000 can shoot in total darkness with an infrared setting and a small built-in IR light. The resulting video is monochrome, but it will give you video in no-light situations. Getting a more powerful IR emitter than the small built-in LED will greatly extend the reach of IR shooting.
In one of many seemingly professional features, you can set the HC-X1000 to record audio in either linear pulse code modulation (LPCM) or advanced audio coding (AAC) formats, with LPCM being uncompressed and therefore higher quality. Also on the audio side, the camera has two XLR audio inputs that can be set for either mic or line levels, and even provide phantom power for electret microphones. The camera comes with a shotgun mic mount, which provides shock isolation from the body.
In addition to a fully automatic setting, the HC-X1000 can have virtually all settings (audio and video) set for manual control. This includes zoom, focus and iris on the lens, as well as an integrated neutral-density filter. To help get sharp focus, the camera has focus peaking, which puts colored fringing around the object in focus.
Speaking of getting good focus, the HC-X1000 has a 3.5-inch touchscreen monitor as well as an eyepiece viewfinder. Both are clear and bright, and the touchscreen has more natural response than I have previously experienced on video cameras. The 3.5-inch display docks completely into the body of the camera, and it pulls out and rotates to let you shoot at any angle. The eyepiece viewfinder tilts up and down to achieve a comfortable shooting angle.
Everywhere you look on the Panasonic HC-X1000 there are more features. Some that I’m not going to address include WiFi capability, HDMI, USB2 and USB3 ports, adjustable shutter speeds, multiple presets, and a comfortable carrying handle with camera-top controls for zoom and record start/stop. If this is a “prosumer” camera, it’s positioned much closer to the “pro” end than the “sumer” end.