/// HD Camcorder Comparison

Picture ?

Manufacturer

Sony

Panasonic

Name

PMW-F3

HDC-Z10000 (3D-Modus)

European name ?

PMW-F3K

HDC-Z10000 (3D-Modus)

US name ?

PMW-F3K

HDC-Z10000 (3D-Modus)

lowest US price

(24633) $

(3499) $

On the market since

July 2011

November 2011

Manufacturers URL

link to Panasonic

Test preview

slashCAM rating ?

Very good

test picture 1200 Lux

Test image 12 lux auto-mode

Video

Video formats ?

XDCAM EX

AVCHD
MVC 3D

Recording Medium

SDHC card

SD Card
SDHC card
SDXC card

video resolutions EU ?

XDCAM EX x1080/24p 1920, 25p, 30p, 50i, 60i
XDCAM EX 1280 x 720/24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p

AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p

video resolutions US ?

XDCAM EX x1080/24p 1920, 25p, 30p, 50i, 60i
XDCAM EX 1280 x 720/24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p

AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/30p

Max Bitrate ?

35 Mbit/s

28 Mbit/s

Compression format ?

MPEG2

MPEG4

on-board memory ?

Optics

Optics Manufacturer ?

Panasonic

Optical Zoom ?

10 x

Wide Angle 16:9 ?

29,8 mm

Filter diameter ?

PL-mount
mm

- mm

Image Stabilization ?

optical

ND Filter ?

Exchangable optics ?

Yes

Image Sensor

Number of sensors ?

Size of image sensor ?

1/Super35 mm equivalent
inch

1/4,1 inch

image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ?

2000000 Pixel

3050000 Pixel

Image Sensor Type ?

CMOS

Controls

White Balance ?

auto
manual
presets
WB-Shift

Focus ?

manual

auto
manual

Minimum shutter time ?

1/2.000

1/250

Maximum shutter time ?

1/32

1/24

Apperture control ?

auto
manual
AE-Shift

Infrared recording ?

Expanded Focus ?

Yes

Peaking ?

Yes

Signal Processing

Zebra ?

70-100%

50-105%

Histogram ?

Yes

adjustable sharpness ?

Yes

Adjustable color ?

Yes

Cinegamma ?

Yes

Black Strech ?

Yes

Knee ?

Yes

Colorbars ?

Yes

Misc.

Shot Transition ?

Custom Presets ?

Yes

Set Time Code ?

Yes

Configuration

Connections

FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite

Out

YC ?
synonymous: S-Video

YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal

Out

HDMI ?

Out

DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394

Out

USB ?

USB 2.0

Microphone / Audio input ?

XLR

Headphones ?

Mini-jack

Lanc ?

Time-code interface ?

In
Out

Genlock ?

Accessory shoe ?

Standard

HD-SDI ?

Out

Misc.

Weight (without battery)

1600 g

Weight (with battery)

2400 g

Battery type

Panasonic CGA-D54s

Battery capacity

5400 mAh

Charger ?

external

Remote control

Yes

Size

Height

145 mm

Width

195 mm

Depth

350 mm

Relative Size ?

Viewfinder

Viewfinder available ?

Yes

Color Viewfinder ?

Color

Viewfinder format ?

16:9

Viewfinder pixels ?

1226880 Pixel

Display

Display available ?

Yes

Color display ?

Color

Display size

3,5 Inch

Display format ?

16:9

Display pixels ?

921600 Pixel

1152000 Pixel

Touch Screen ?

Yes

External controls

Manual Zoom ?

Rocker
Ring

Manual Focus ?

Ring

Manual Aperture ?

Ring

Focus switcher ?

Yes

ND Filter ?

Yes

Exp Lock ?

Gain ?

Yes

White balance ?

Yes

Push AF ?

Yes

Audio Levels ?

Yes

Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons

Audio

Audio Formats ?

AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 640 kbit max.
Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
2 channel PCM

Microphone ?

external XLR
5.1 Internal

Audio Control ?

auto
manual

Audio levels ?

Viewfinder
Screen

Still

Recording Medium ?

Medium included ?

Effective pixels ?

Resolutions ?

Standard ?

Flash ?

Misc.

Specials

Product Shots

View 1

View 2

Test results

Test pictures

luminance resolution

chrominance resolution

lens distortion

test small ISO image

noise / internal microphone

test picture 1200 Lux

Test image 12 lux auto-mode ?

Test image 12 lux optimized ?

slashCAM rating

Lowlight ?

Excellent

Good

Resolution ?

Excellent

Color performance ?

Very good

subj.Picture impression ?

Very good

Optical Zoom ?

Poor

Sufficient

Wide Angle ?

Good

Very good

Configuration / image ?

Excellent

Very good

Configuration / sound ?

Excellent

Handling ?

Very good

Portability ?

Sufficient

Satisfactory

Photo function ?

Poor

Optics ?

Very good

Dynamics ?

Very good

Conclusion slashCAM

slashCAM rating ?

Very good

Total score ?
(maximal 570)

447

440

Pros

+ excellent image quality
+ Large sensor
+ Manual settings

+ Extreme manual control options
+ Very good image quality
+ Good 3D control

Cons

- No ND filter
- Autostereoscopic display mode

Conclusion

In spite of the CMOS chip the F3 is closer to the F35 than it seems at first glance: it supports dual link 4:4:4 RGB, S-Log, so with robust PL-recording and decent lenses the F3 might make a good B-camera at a cinema movie set.The 35 Mbs MPEG2 material on a SxS device functions in addition to the external recording capabilities almost as a kind of proxy.Sure, a higher quality internal recording would be nice, but as there are lots of inexpensive options for an external recording in these modular times it is not mandatory.The Sony PMW-F3 convinces with extremely good light sensitivity with very low noise even at higher gain levels.With an MSRP of around 24,000 Euro for the Sony PMW-F3K (approximately 16,000 Euro for the L-version without PL-lens kit), it is a very attractive entry in the S35 digital cinema class.

Even as a 2D camcorder the Z10000 is absolutely competitive thanks to the professional features and excellent image quality.The additional 3D capabilities are currently unique in this price range (and even much further) (as of 11/2011).

More information

Reviews and Forums