The Panasonic AG-AC7 Shoulder-Mount AVCHD Camcorder is a highly affordable Full HD camera that enables a truly professional style of operation. Professional projects require stable operation over long periods of time and manual control over the picture, with smooth adjustments. High-def or not, most undersized handheld camcorders often will not fit the bill. The AC7's shoulder-mount design, its relatively low power draw from the included long-life battery, and selectable-bit-rate AVCHD recording to high-capacity SD/SDHC/SDXC cards all serve to facilitate long days of shooting events, weddings, news, and anything else that requires you to be on the move, ready to shoot, camera on shoulder. It's also perfect for houses of worship and educational institutions that teach manual settings and a professional style of camera operation. For ease in completing both SD and HD projects, the AG-AC7 camera features AVCHD recording at 1920 x 1080 and 720 x 480, both at 60i. The built-in 16.7x (optical) / 23x (Intelligent) zoom lens starts out nice and wide at 35.8mm (35mm equivalent), so indoor shooting does not become a challenge to see how deeply into the corner you can smash yourself. With a large grip and zoom lever and a large, easy-to-hold manual focus ring, you've got accessible, precise controls, and a zebra pattern assists you in setting exposure. In addition to extensive manual controls, there's also Intelligent Auto (iA) and Hybrid optical image stabilization, providing the high-tech help you need to ensure smooth, reliably crisp & clear capture of Full HD video. Full HD 1920 x 1080 Recording The AG-AC7 camcorder lets you shoot with Full HD picture quality (1920 x 1080 at 60i), allowing you to capture extremely fine details of the scenes and objects you're recording Professional Shoulder-Mount Design The camcorder has all the ergonomic features that a professional expects, starting with a large eyecup, a tiltable viewfinder, a shoulder pad, and a shoulder strap. There's also a large hand grip with a large zoom lever mounted on top (helpful for smooth operation during low-angle shooting). The wide-diameter, easy-to-hold manual focus ring enables smooth, positive operation and quick, precise control over focus HD/SD Recording in the AVCHD Format The AG-AD7 records to the AVCHD format in both HD and SD resolutions, with modes that range from 17 Mb/s HA mode (1920 x 1080) to 4.5 Mb/s SX mode (720 x 480). See Specifications tab for full details Zoom Lens 35.8mm (35mm Film Equivalent) at Full Wide The AG-AD7's zoom lens achieves 35.8mm (35mm film equivalent) at the wide end. This is ideal for capturing a panoramic vista or a fuller view of a small room. The optional VW-4607H Wide Conversion Lens (sold separately) expands the view to an even wider 25mm Intelligent 23x Zoom The built-in Panasonic lens features optical zoom of 16.7x and Intelligent Zoom of 23x magnification. Intelligent Zoom employs the Intelligent Resolution technology of the camcorder's image-processing LSI to maintain the clear, beautiful HD image quality for images that go beyond the optical zoom range Hybrid Optical Image Stabilization Hybrid optical image stabilization (O.I.S.) combines the advantages of optical stabilization and those of electronic stabilization. It helps capture beautiful, shake-free images under a multitude of conditions by detecting and compensating for the instability caused by a variety of movement types. Enhancing optical stabilization, it provides more powerful electronic correction during high-power zooming O.I.S. Lock Pressing the O.I.S. Lock button on the camcorder's touchscreen LCD monitor maximizes the camera's blur-detection sensitivity and correction. This is ideal for telephoto applications such as birdwatching, which calls for zooming to a fixed angle Touchscreen LCD Monitor 2.7" Control settings are executed by simply touching the AG-AC7's LCD screen. Operation is intuitive and easy, and the large letters are easy to read. Shooting and viewing can thus be simpler and more stress-free Long-Life Battery Included For long events, nothing is more convenient than a battery that can perform throughout the day's duration, without the need to change it out. The AC7 comes with Panasonic's VW-VBG260 rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, which is rated to record continuously for 4 hours and 35 minutes. For even longer battery life, the optional VW-VBG6 battery (sold separately) enables approximately 11 hours and 25 minutes of continuous recording. Now that camcorders' recording capacity can far outpace the life of their batteries, it's refreshing to use batteries that can actually keep up with an SDXC card. Intelligent Auto (iA) Mode In the powerful Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, the AC7 senses the particular shooting conditions at any given moment, and the camcorder automatically inputs the settings and activates the functions that will deliver optimal results. Hybrid O.I.S.: Blur-free zooming and shooting on the move Intelligent Contrast Control: Helps retain a natural contrast Intelligent Scene Selector: Detects the situation and switches the scene mode Built-In Zoom Microphones The built-in stereo microphones "zoom" in proportion to the zoom setting of the lens, allowing the two electret condenser microphones (ECMs) to bring sound and image together to create an exceptional recorded atmosphere Wind Noise Canceller This function automatically detects and suppresses only wind noise, leaving natural sounds with lifelike ambience Manual Functions for Creative Flexibility Let your true creativity shine, with a wealth of manual controls at your fingertips. You can switch to auto mode at any time, of course, which is ideal for when you need to start shooting at a moment's notice. But for the ultimate in precise control over your image, the AG-AC7 gives you the following: Manual Focus, Manual Iris, Manual Shutter Speed, Manual White Balance, and On-Screen Assist Functions (Zebra-Pattern/Luminance Level/Histogram) SD Memory Card Recording This camera conveniently records to SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards (sold separately) to enable high-capacity recording to readily available solid-state media. SD memory card recording also provides rapid data transfer and outstanding compatibility with professional and prosumer editing applications. Capacities are so large especially with SDXC cards that you can literally spend the whole day shooting and not have to change your card once. A remaining media indicator lets you know where you stand regarding capacity. See Specifications tab for recording mode comparisons