/// HD Camcorder Comparison

Picture ?

Manufacturer

Panasonic

Name

HDC-Z10000 (3D-Modus)

AG-HPX170

European name ?

HDC-Z10000 (3D-Modus)

AG-HPX171

US name ?

HDC-Z10000 (3D-Modus)

AG-HPX-170

lowest US price

(3499) $

4325 $

On the market since

November 2011

September 2008

Manufacturers URL

link to Panasonic

Test preview

slashCAM rating ?

Very good

Good

test picture 1200 Lux

Test image 12 lux auto-mode

Video

Video formats ?

AVCHD
MVC 3D

MiniDV
DVC PRO 25
DVC PRO 50
DVC PRO HD

Recording Medium

SD Card
SDHC card
SDXC card

P2 card

video resolutions EU ?

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

MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
DVC PRO 25,576 / 50i
DVC PRO 50,576 / 50i
DVC PRO HD 720/25p
DVC PRO HD 720/50p
DVCPROHD 1080/25p
DVCPROHD 1080/50i
DVCPROHD 1080/24p
DVCPROHD 1080/30p
DVCPROHD 1080/60i
DVCPRO HD 720 24p - 60i
DVCPRO HD 24p 1080 - 60i

video resolutions US ?

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

MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
DVCPROHD 1080/24p
DVCPROHD 1080/30p
MiniDV 720 x 480/60i
720 MiniDV x480/24p
MiniDV 720 x 480/30p
DVCPRO HD 720 24p - 60i
DVCPRO HD 24p 1080 - 60i

Max Bitrate ?

28 Mbit/s

100 Mbit/s

Compression format ?

MPEG4

DV
DVC PRO HD-proprietary

on-board memory ?

Optics

Optics Manufacturer ?

Panasonic

Leica

Optical Zoom ?

10 x

13 x

Wide Angle 16:9 ?

29,8 mm

28 mm

Filter diameter ?

- mm

72 mm

Image Stabilization ?

optical

ND Filter ?

Exchangable optics ?

Image Sensor

Number of sensors ?

Size of image sensor ?

1/4,1 inch

1/3 inch

image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ?

3050000 Pixel

1100000 Pixel

Image Sensor Type ?

CMOS

CCD

Controls

White Balance ?

auto
manual
presets
WB-Shift

auto
manual
presets

Focus ?

auto
manual

Minimum shutter time ?

1/250

1/2.000

Maximum shutter time ?

1/24

Apperture control ?

auto
manual
AE-Shift

Infrared recording ?

Expanded Focus ?

Peaking ?

Yes

Signal Processing

Zebra ?

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

In
Out

USB ?

USB 2.0

Microphone / Audio input ?

XLR

Headphones ?

Mini-jack

3.5 mm mini-jack

Lanc ?

Time-code interface ?

Genlock ?

Accessory shoe ?

Standard

HD-SDI ?

Out

Misc.

Weight (without battery)

1600 g

1900 g

Weight (with battery)

2250 g

Battery type

Panasonic CGA-D54s

Panasonic CGA-D54

Battery capacity

5400 mAh

Charger ?

external

Remote control

Yes

Size

Height

145 mm

179 mm

Width

195 mm

154 mm

Depth

350 mm

397 mm

Relative Size ?

109

Viewfinder

Viewfinder available ?

Yes

Color Viewfinder ?

Color

Viewfinder format ?

16:9

Viewfinder pixels ?

1226880 Pixel

235000 Pixel

Display

Display available ?

Yes

Color display ?

Color

Display size

3,5 Inch

Display format ?

16:9

4:3

Display pixels ?

1152000 Pixel

Touch Screen ?

Yes

External controls

Manual Zoom ?

Rocker
Ring

Manual Focus ?

Ring

Manual Aperture ?

Ring

Wheel

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

MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM
MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM
DVC PRO 4x48kHz 16bit PCM

Microphone ?

external XLR
5.1 Internal

Stereo internal
external XLR

Audio Control ?

auto
manual

manual

Audio levels ?

Viewfinder
Screen

Screen

Still

Recording Medium ?

Medium included ?

Effective pixels ?

Resolutions ?

Standard ?

Flash ?

Misc.

Specials

-european modell is named AG-HPX171
In the 720p mode the frame rate can be changed in 20 steps from 12 to 50 fps (European model; international NTSC-model to 60fps)

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 ?

Good

Satisfactory

Resolution ?

Excellent

Satisfactory

Color performance ?

Very good

Good

subj.Picture impression ?

Very good

Good

Optical Zoom ?

Sufficient

Satisfactory

Wide Angle ?

Very good

Configuration / image ?

Very good

Configuration / sound ?

Excellent

Very good

Handling ?

Very good

Portability ?

Satisfactory

Photo function ?

Poor

Optics ?

Very good

Dynamics ?

Very good

Conclusion slashCAM

slashCAM rating ?

Very good

Good

Total score ?
(maximal 570)

440

385

Pros

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

Good wide angle
+ Professional controls
+ genuine 720/50p mode and a variable framerate

Cons

- No ND filter
- Autostereoscopic display mode

- low sharpness due to pixel shift
- P2 cards are more expensive than tape
- 4:3 display with low resolution

Conclusion

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).

Panasonic´s AG-HPX171E scores with its handling and the Leica lens shows very little chromatic aberrations.Thanks to finally cheaper recording cards the AG-HPX171E can be seen as an allround-model suited for both documentary and fiction shooting.But pixel counting searchers for ultimate sharpness will be happier with other models, as will those who do not wish to invest in P2 cards. The resolution of the display is too low.

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