My cameras
25 years of shooting in nature and 8 cameras
2013-2014 – I'm abandoning cassettes for SD cards with the Panasonic AVCHD
Finally the real HD, with 1920×1080 pixels and images saved on memory cards whose content is easy to view and save on computer. What a comfort!
My first steps in HD on SD cards are made with a heavy truck - 2 kg 500 - the Panasonic AG-AC 130, a tri-CCD equipped with a 22x optical zoom, equivalent 28-616 mmm in 35mm camera. On the other hand, the 2x digital converter is hardly usable.
A huge 72 mm front lens reduces the number of compatible accessories. With such a device, the tripod is essential. It is neither a fist camera nor a shoulder camera like the Canon XL-1.
On the other hand, the images are superb. I can switch to the progressive scan, which significantly improves the perception on the TV screen.
It is finally its weight and the image quality of the new single CCD cameras that will make me give up the Panasonic.
La Panasonic AG-AC 130
Cameras recording on SD cards have a pre-recording function that allows you to save the seconds before pressing start.
Imagine waiting for an action of an animal and pressing start a second too late! With this function, the time-code runs continuously and, when pressing start, the three seconds preceding are recorded at the beginning of the clip. I can't say how many times this function has allowed me to capture behaviors that are difficult to predict. Jumping whales, cheetah starting a race, bird landing on a stake...
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