Pixiq

Exciting times if you like using your Four Thirds camera lenses on your video camera. Panasonic have just launched a little morsel of awesome!

Using the popular Four Thirds imaging sensor, the AG-AF101 is a fully-featured High-Definition camera with a twist: Because it uses Four Thirds lenses, you tap into the impressive library of consumer- and high-end optics.

Unlike other D-SLR video solutions, the AG-AF101 has a clever solution for audio input, too: You get a professional-grade XLR audio socket, so you can dig out the good ‘ole Sennheiser microphones from back when you used to be a backing singer in a band.

This may very well be a game-changer. Canon - pay attention!

Panasonic aren’t skimping on choice for video recording formats either: There’s variable framerates, a whole series of different recording resolutions (up to a rather stunning 1080p) and the viewfinder has 2.35:1 markings in it, in case you decide to go all Spielberg on us and shoot in CinemaScope widescreen. Tasty.

To get your video out of the camera, you get the standard HDMI sockets, but you also get the professional-grade HD-SDI outputs, which are usually only found on far more expensive cameras.

What can we say – it seems as if Panasonic have really laid down the gauntlet with this little puppy, leaving both Canon and Nikon in their dust. The next few months are going to be hella-exciting, because unless the other manufacturers come up with a good reply, we think a lot of the current D-SLR video crowd will be seriously considering switching to Panasonic… They’ve got a bit of time, still, though: The Panasonic AG-AF isn’t going on sale until December.