Panasonic AG AC8. Any thoughts?

T

Tokpaler

Active member
Not sure whether I'm the first one to know or no one is talking about this camera =b

I was looking for a affordable shoulder mounted camera that can pair with AF100A when I came across this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._ag_ac8pj_hd_1080p_shoulder_mount_avccam.html

It's got a 1/4.5 type sensor (what does that mean? Single sensor like the AF100?), F/1.8 - 3.5 lens at 28mm to 729mm and records 1080/60i to dual SD slots at 28 Mbps.

What do you guys think?
 
I'm interested in it as well. I'm waiting until it's released and the reviews start coming in. I'm particularly interested in it's low light performance. That long zoom would be useful. Plus, I imagine it will start at one price, but drop eventually as the AC90 did.
 
Lol! That was kind of a let-down =b

I think i'll stick with what I know is good from panasonic and wait till a better one comes along.
 
is anybody else looking to get this cam for corporate videos and interviews? Just saw a video on Youtube of some nice dof close ups and I'm wondering what focal length it was for that sweet spot. the price looks nice for a 21x zoom. the other option would be the Canon G30, but I'm not sure I could convince clients with that small form factor consumer style vs the way the AG-AC8 looks. Plus I've been looking for a nice small full raster 1080p chip which doesn't suffer from moire like my MKII. I own a wireless lav kit and I could feed it into the AG-AC8, so I'm not too concerned about XLR inputs. I must say the Japanese are smart with aesthetic attraction. The new LED system gives me confidence in how much I can b^llkrap to clients of how pro it is! =P Anybody else with similar needs? and when is this even available?
 
demoboy said:
is anybody else looking to get this cam for corporate videos and interviews? Just saw a video on Youtube of some nice dof close ups and I'm wondering what focal length it was for that sweet spot. the price looks nice for a 21x zoom. the other option would be the Canon G30, but I'm not sure I could convince clients with that small form factor consumer style vs the way the AG-AC8 looks. Plus I've been looking for a nice small full raster 1080p chip which doesn't suffer from moire like my MKII. I own a wireless lav kit and I could feed it into the AG-AC8, so I'm not too concerned about XLR inputs. I must say the Japanese are smart with aesthetic attraction. The new LED system gives me confidence in how much I can b^llkrap to clients of how pro it is! =P Anybody else with similar needs? and when is this even available?
Click to expand...

I'm going to take a close look at it. I used to have an AG DVC7 which was a similar looking inexpensive shoulder mount predecessor to the AC8 and clients thought it cost more than my DVX100B ($999 vs $2500) :) Shoulder mount with a large lens hood looks expensive and demands respect, especially if you have a mic or other equipment attached. The old DVC7 even had a sticker on the bottom that read, "FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY." So I think part of the intent of the AC8 will be to provide a cost effective camera for a variety of uses and also to continue with the illlusion of being a much more expensive Pro camera. The large "FULL HD" markings almost scream overkill for me but hey, for $1200 or less I am intersted. I need a camera with a longer zoom and if this thing has the same silky smooth variable zoom ramp of the old DVC30/60, full rastor sharpness of the AC90, and somehow manages to do pretty well in low light then I'll probably be getting one. I can manage withouth XLR on this one.

One thing that was frustrating was that due to LCD placement it really couldn't sit properly on your shoulder, thus largely negating the benefit of "shoulder mount" steadiness. Since the new AC8 is a little different, perhaps it will be better at that.
 
firehawk said:
I'm going to take a close look at it. I used to have an AG DVC7 which was a similar looking inexpensive shoulder mount predecessor to the AC8 and clients thought it cost more than my DVX100B ($999 vs $2500) :) Shoulder mount with a large lens hood looks expensive and demands respect, especially if you have a mic or other equipment attached. The old DVC7 even had a sticker on the bottom that read, "FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY." So I think part of the intent of the AC8 will be to provide a cost effective camera for a variety of uses and also to continue with the illlusion of being a much more expensive Pro camera. The large "FULL HD" markings almost scream overkill for me but hey, for $1200 or less I am intersted. I need a camera with a longer zoom and if this thing has the same silky smooth variable zoom ramp of the old DVC30/60, full rastor sharpness of the AC90, and somehow manages to do pretty well in low light then I'll probably be getting one. I can manage withouth XLR on this one.

One thing that was frustrating was that due to LCD placement it really couldn't sit properly on your shoulder, thus largely negating the benefit of "shoulder mount" steadiness. Since the new AC8 is a little different, perhaps it will be better at that.
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Thanks for the input. Does anyone know when this will be available? Can't find info anywhere.
 
It is already available! At least in Europe. It had ordered one and arrived todat in the shop for me. But I cancelled it because I bought last weekend a used sony NEX-EA50 with 2 extra lenses for a very good price. I have already bought the JVC GY-HM70 a few months ago. Also a good camcorder but I love more the DSLR look of the sony. I put the JVC for sale.
 
I would love to have an NEX-EA50 and the zoom that comes with it, however the price is too much for me. What I like about the the AG-AC8 is that it has 3 shoe mounts. one for my wireless lav, another for my ikan vk7, and the last one for something else. of course though there's no mention of US stock available. I can't use PAL
 
Anybody else see the wedding video on youtube? Wide open the images look ok, but in close ups they look even better -very clean and detailed for such a cheap camera. The wedding video also shows several guys holding the camera so I can't tell what images are from AG-AC8 or if its all a simulation as a general commercial. There are parts of zooming, but that could've also been a different camera. I also read other forums debating if it's the same chip as in their consumer models, however, most manufacters wouldn't disclose a new important sensor for the sake of markerting & sales.

Christmas is coming what's the hold up!
 
I was thinking about the same exact thing. In this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djfUx8kyWWg it seems like they soft lit everything for the interview shots - like perhaps underexposed on purpose? I'm thinking maybe to left it at 0dB on purpose or else they would've stated a difference like in their other AG-AC8 video. I've been observing the video in Full HD and I'm really impressed with the shadows and blacks considering youtube's compression or perhaps Panny's new S-FSI is something good to come.
 
Is it me, or does the wedding YouTube video look to soft, there is 1 maybe 2 close up shots that look decent, if that's what it looks like in camera, that's why its selling for $1,200
I do like the 21X zoom, need to see some more samples and reviews before I could commit to one. Attractive looking and not bad on the spec sheet.
 
7DDude said:
Is it me, or does the wedding YouTube video look to soft, there is 1 maybe 2 close up shots that look decent, if that's what it looks like in camera, that's why its selling for $1,200
I do like the 21X zoom, need to see some more samples and reviews before I could commit to one. Attractive looking and not bad on the spec sheet.
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I also agree wtih this theory. However I think the only reason why it'S $1,200 is because it's not Leica glass. I did see some minor chromatic aberration from their 21x zoom video, which for the price is amazing and it didn't look bad whatsoever. Plus for the very minor amount of chromatic aberration I could easily fix that in post. For the wedding video I bet that was all the camera operator's doing and seeing from the shots I'm more than sure it was all set on manual mode since if it were on auto the camera would easily detect the contrast and focus it better just like some of the close ups that have amazing sharp detail. I'm waiting for some funds to come in because I'm about to order 2 of them. btw, has anybody had the idea of rigging this to an external recorder for ProRes?
 
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