Panasonic used IBC 2010 to unveil a working version of its micro four thirds ‘DSLR killer’, the AG-AF101 camcorder.

First previewed at NAB as the AF100, the AF101 is a professional ‘micro four thirds’ HD camcorder that combines a DSLR sized sensor with a camcorder-style body and controls.

It features a four-thirds MOS image sensor, XLR audio and is the first model in the Panasonic AVCCAM series to offer the possibility of interchangeable lenses.

Like a DSLR, the large image sensor enables professional users to achieve a cinema-like wide-angle footage with shallow depth of field.

Film producer Barry Green said: “[The AF101] lets filmmakers and video professionals seamlessly achieve the cinematic look they’ve long sought after, without having to resort to using light-hungry add-on lens adapters, or trying to work around the shortcomings of using a stills camera for a video application.”

The camera can record video in 1080i, 1080p and 720p formats including 1080/24p native mode with Full HD Variable Frame Rate.

Two SD card slots allow relay recording from one SD card to another to potentially increase recording capacity to 48 hours.

The AF101 should be available in December costing around £4k.

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