Panasonic announces rugged and waterproof pocket camcorders
Panasonic has announced five new pocket camcorders at its 2011 Panasonic Convention event. The HX-WA10 and HM-TA20 are the only two of the five that are not afraid of water, while the latter can also take a beating.
Of the new models, the HM-TA20 is the most interesting. That pocket camcorder can withstand water up to a depth of three meters, can withstand a drop of one and a half meters, and keeps dust and sand out of the metal housing.
The HM-TA20 is equipped with a 3″ touchscreen of unknown resolution and can film in full HD. It is also possible to take photos with a resolution of 8 megapixels and to cut photos from a video clip in the device. camera uses the mp4 format for the storage of movies.
In low light, the Night View mode can be used. In this mode, the frame rate drops to 15fps. The HM-TA20 supports lpcm audio recording and features a stereo microphone. As far as connections are concerned, the pocket camcorder has USB and HDMI.
In addition, Panasonic announced its HX-WA10 pocket camcorder. This model has a so-called pistol grip and is therefore part of a new product line from Panasonic. Unlike the HM-TA20, the HX-WA10 is not shock and scratch resistant, but the handy pocket camcorder can withstand water up to a depth of three meters, as long as the duration of one hour is not exceeded.
The HX-WA10 also has a fold-out and rotatable 2.7″ LCD in widescreen ratio, a 5x optical zoom lens for photo and video, and a BSI-CMOS image sensor on board. The pocket camcorder has both a photo and a video button. , so that a photo can be easily taken during filming, among other things. It then has a maximum resolution of 2 megapixels. When the photo mode is used, this increases to sixteen megapixels. Like the HM-TA1, the HX-WA1 has a stereo microphone , while a mini HDMI connection is available for the connection to a TV.
Panasonic also announced three other models. For example, the HX-DC10 is identical to the HX-WA10 except for water resistance, while the HX-DC1 is the entry-level model of Panasonic’s new pistol-grip camcorder line. The HM-TA2 is the official successor of the current HM-TA1 and, like the new HM-TA20, has been given a 3″ touchscreen as a change. The camcorder also has a mode for night recordings and is equipped with a stereo microphone.
It is not yet known when the new models will be available and what the prices will be.