Panasonic showed a new option for the AJ-HDC27 Varicam HD camera that extends the camera’s usable dynamic range, especially in highlights. “Cine Gamma” provides a closer approximation of film’s ability to gently compress extreme highlights. Filmmakers will be able to control the camera’s gamma transfer function to optimize control over tonality from extreme highlights to the shadow areas. The upgrade also improves the camera’s variable-frame-rate capabilities allowing it to run at any frame rate from 4fps up to 60fps in 1 fps increments. The AJ-HDC27 records high-definition images in 720/60fps progressive scan at 24 frames per second and makes it simple to achieve fast or slow-motion effects in camera, creating a unique look that’s impossible to synthesize in post.
This post is a section from the article “NAB 2002 Roundup” published in the New York Independent Film Monitor, Vol. 7, No. 7 (May 2002)