It’s been a while since I reviewed a dedicated camcorder. In fact, I cannot even remember which one it was. The odds are it was a Panasonic, as Sony and Canon have not exactly been coming forward with camcorders over the last couple of years.
Anyway, I have to say, after this hiatus, it was a nice feeling having the familiar proper camcorder shape in my hands again – and hopefully the gap between models will not be as long this time.
The model in question is the Panasonic HC-X20, a 4K unit designed for events, or what we used to call, run’n’gun shooting. It a full-on professional camcorder with all the fruit, just not shoulder mounted, and therefore not heavy and unwieldy.
So, what does “all the fruit” actually mean?
Technical Stuff
The HC-X20 has a 1” 15 megapixel sensor capable of shooting 4K 60p 4:2:0 10 bit and 4K 30p 4:2:2 10 bit video, shooting through a wide 24.5mm lens that supports 20x optical zoom. This means you have the equivalent of a 490mm telephoto lens in 35mm terms.
If you are REALLY technically minded, to quote Panasonic, “The HC-X20 Supports a high bit rate of 200 Mbps for 59.94p/50p video recording with HEVC (LongGOP/10 bit 4:2:0/MOV) codec. The Super Slow-motion function supports 10-bit recording in FHD at 120/100fps* and 4K (UHD) VFR from 2 to 60fps for over-cranked and under-cranked shots”.
For stable shooting, it has a 5-axis hybrid optical image stabilisation (OIS) system with ultra-high definition (UHD) as well as full high definition (FHD). The HC-X20 also offers slo-mo from 2-60fps with variable frame rate (VFR).
As is somewhat expected these days, Face Detection is built in, and Panny says that by adding colour recognition, they have improved the tracking when a face moves.
One feature events shooters will love is the HC-X20s built in live streaming with full compatibility with RTSP/RTP/RTMP/RTMPS modes for direct connection to social media like Facebook and YouTube. As a bonus, you also get wireless control via a smartphone or tablet.
I remember back to the early days when manufacturers of digital cameras were attempting to one up themselves with ridiculous claims for digital zoom factors. In the pro camcorder world, the equivalent to a lesser degree was manual rings. Not a lot has changed it seems, with the HC-X20 sporting three of these for focus, zoom and iris.
Oh don’t get me wrong, I love this aspect of pro cameras, and seriously, if you have never used a camera with these before, you’ll be astounded at the ease and amount of control you get.
In short, a very welcome feature.
If you want even more specification details, click here.