Panasonic announces upgrades to AG-HPX250 P2 HD handheld with full HD AVC-Intra recording

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 15, 2012) -- Panasonic today made a pair of announcements regarding improvements to the AG-HPX250, the company’s first P2 HD handheld camera recorder with 10-bit, 4:2:2 independent-frame, full 1920 x 1080 resolution AVC-Intra recording.

First, a new sister model, the AG-HPX255, is being introduced that will offer compatibility with Panasonic’s AG-EC4 extension control unit. Second, HPX250 owners can take advantage of a free software upgrade that will enable Focus-in-Red and Turbo-Speed One-Push Auto-Focus functionality.

The EC4 extension control unit has the ability to control virtually all menu, set-up and gamma functions that can be accessed directly through the camera recorder’s on-board menu, including shutter, iris, gain, filter positions and detail. The EC4 comes with a 10 m (maximum 50 m with optional AJ-C10050G) BNC cable that will output the menu onto a monitor. The AG-HPX255 will be available in July at a suggested list price of $6995.

AG-HPX250 users can access a free software download that will improve the operation of their P2 HD handhelds with the addition of Focus-in-Red, a focus assist (color-on peaking) that can be used while recording, and Turbo-speed one-push auto-focus capability, which ensures the camera recorder quickly attains focus. The upgrade is available at www.pro-av.panasonic.net/; the Focus-in-Red and turbo-speed one-push auto-focus features will be standard in the new AG-HPX250 and AG-HPX255 in May and July respectively.

Weighing 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) in a sleek body, the HPX255 / HPX250 incorporate high-sensitivity 1/3-type, full-HD 2.2 megapixel 3-MOS imagers and a 20-bit Digital Signal Processor to acquire native 1920 x 1080 resolution images. Offering a wide 28mm to 616mm (35mm equivalent) 22X HD lens with 3 independent adjustable rings (Zoom/Focus/Iris), the camera recorders cover most shooting situations without the need for a wide-angle conversion lens. The 22X lens also features an Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) function that ensures stable images during shooting.

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About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and services for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC), and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic was the only Consumer Electronics company to be listed in the top ten brands on the Interbrand Best Global Green Brands 2011 ranking (http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/Best-Global-Green-Brands/2011-Report/BestGlobalGreenBrandsTable-2011.aspx). As part of its continuing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Panasonic Corporation of North America will relocate its operations to a new eco-efficient office tower adjacent to a mass transit hub in Newark, NJ in 2013. Information about Panasonic Eco Ideas initiatives is available at http://panasonic.net/eco/ecoideas/. Information about Panasonic and its products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is also available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.