SuperVideo/ Cyber Television Studio in a Suitcase

CYBER TELEVISION STUDIO IN A SUITCASE^TM
Panasonic DV Home~Page

WELCOME
To The World's State-of-the Art 3CCD
Digital Wide Screen Camcorder
BLACK MAMBA2

BLACK MAMBA2 Limited Edition
Optical Zoom is 12X Precision Zoom 30X Digital 120X

Please note Woman's Hand used for proportion

Black Mamba1 with Optional Wide Angle

    Optical Stabilization, Skin Tone Feature, Dicomar Leica German Optics,
   Hot Accessory Shoe, Flash Memory SD with Built in Reader/Writer,
200,000 Hi Res. screen, 123k Hi-Res View finder, 4 Million + Pixels,
    Crystal Under Water/ All Weather housing to 70+ feet, Analog & Digital
         On Board Inputs. Top Cassette Loading, Includes NINE Hour waist battery
and the World's FIRST Native Wide 16X9 Screen 3CCD Camcorder
           Built-in: Color Bar Generator & ND filter, Zebra Pattern, Skin Tone Feature
Manual WHITE Balance and 2288 by 1728 UUXGA Stills, .

Panasonic introduces digital video camera
June 27th: Black Mamba

This 3CCD camera system delivers naturally flowing motion and 4,000,000+ pixel still images
Black Mamba2 Specs
Extracted from the Massive 112 Page Owner's Manual

Panasonic launches the 3CCD digital video camera “e.cam BLACK MAMBA” featuring 4.0 Mega-Pixel still picture recording with LEICA DICOMAR lens.

A demand for higher quality still images, made possible by a larger number of pixels, has been added to the conventional requirements of compactness, easy portability and high picture quality in today's digital video cameras.

Mamba2 incorporates a LEICA DICOMAR lens for ultra-expressive imaging with the industry's first* 4.0 Mega-Pixel still picture recording. It is equipped with “MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer“, which provides the superb stabilizing power during shooting of still pictures. In addition to an SD Memory Card slot, the includes outstanding still picture recording, a 3-mode MPEG moving picture function to match a wide range of shooting situations, and a voice recorder function. It also features a USB terminal, a DV terminal, and a digital still picture terminal for PC connectivity.

To make shooting as easy and comfortable as possible, the body size is extremely compact for a 3CCD camera, and the Mamba comes with a free-style remote control to improve operation under a variety of shooting conditions, and a free-style grip belt that also serves as a carrying strap.

As seen in the Mamba, Panasonic intends to actively pursue marketing opportunities for new video cameras that also offer high-quality still images.

HIGH QUALITY PICTURE & SOUND

３CCD Camera System
The Mamba incorporates the same type of 3CCD camera system used in Panasonic's professional broadcasting equipment. Because this system uses separate CCDs for the reds, greens and blues that compose an image, it reproduces colors with exceptional fidelity and delivers a full 540 lines of horizontal resolution. With the Mamba, you'll capture vivid, true-to-life images with remarkable depth and presence.

-AXIS (Advanced Pixel Interpolation System)

For greatly improved image quality, Panasonic's newly developed AXIS technology goes beyond conventional average value calculation by adding differential calculation to obtain pixel interpolation data.

LEICA DICOMAR Lens

Discover the renowned gradation and detail of Leica Dicomar optics in this 7-element multi-coated lens created under Leica's direction, with 2-stage neutral density filter for aperture-independent brightness adjustment. Reduced flare and ghosting contribute to its beautiful images.

* Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystem IR GmbH, and Dicomar is a registered trademark of Leica Camera AG.

4.1 MEGA Still Picture Recording

Three CCDs with 900,000 pixels each combine with original Panasonic Quad-Density Pixel distribution technology to deliver still pictures with a full 3 million pixels*. This translates into beautiful still shots with extremely high resolution and outstanding image quality. 2288 by 1728 UUXGA or W-UUXGA in Wide Screen format

More than just a video camera, the Mamba is a full-fledged digital still camera that doubles your expressive possibilities.

* When recording onto an SD Memory Card

-Quad-Density Pixel Distribution Technology

Vertical and Horizontal Pixel Shifting Picture quality is further enhanced by the use of vertical and horizontal pixel shifting, a highly advanced technology developed for broadcast cameras. Shifting in both vertical and horizontal directions in rare even among professional equipment.

3-Dimensional RGB Frame Noise Reduction

Used at the input stage of the signal processing system, this minimizes noise increase at the sharpness stage, thereby achieves a higher S/N ratio, which made it possible for Panasonic to use 1/4.7-inch 800,000 pixel CCDs in the Mamba2.

This advanced function works by applying noise reduction not only between fields, but between frames as well. It minimize afterimages in still photos, preserves vertical detail, and reduces noise to the level of stand-alone digital still cameras.

MEGA O.I.S.

The Mamba's optical image stabilizer minimizes picture degradation and fluctuation in the view angle to virtually eliminate the effects of jitter, even when zooming. Compensation for "handshake" when shooting still pictures has also been nearly doubled (compared with our previous model), to effectively prevent even the slight shake that can occur when pressing the PhotoShot button.

-Shutter Chance Indicator

The LCD monitor displays the point at which shooting conditions is ideal, making it easy to take beautiful, sharply focused shots every time.

Focus Frame

You can speed up focusing by bringing your subject inside the focus frame.

Compact 4-ECM Zoom Microphone

The system incorporates four independent electret condenser microphones and is linked with the zoom operation of the lens, so the microphones' directionality and sensitivity are adjusted as you zoom. The directionality adjusts in 256 steps from Wide to Zoom, so voices and sounds are recorded naturally and correspond with the images. Wide mode emphasizes the stereophonic ambience, while Zoom mode narrows the recording direction to capture monaural-like sound from a distant subject

Smart Wind Cut

A digital circuit automatically detects the wind velocity and adjusts the directivity of the microphones accordingly. This dramatically reduces both wind noise and sound degradation in the low frequency range.

IDEAL FUNCTIONS

Color Night View

Leave the lights off. Color Night View gives you images with color even in dim lighting where ordinary shooting would have faded colors and a subject that's difficult to see.

* Because the Color Night View function automatically slows the shutter speed, blurring occurs with moving subjects.

ON / OFF

High Quality Wide Screen

Conventional wide-screen modes were achieved by applying a vertical zoom on the normal screen, which lowered vertical resolution by 25%. The Mamba produces wide-screen images directly with its high-resolution CCD, preserving vertical resolution for a much better picture.

Professional Functions
(1)Zebra Pattern detects overexposure to minimize smear from sunlight or bright lighting.

(2)Mic level setting enables adjustment of the audio input level.

(3)Picture Quality Adjustment allows setting of detail degree and color density.

(4)Color Bar Generator helps to make color adjustment when editing on a monitor or printing.

(5)Camera Data Recording function allows easy confirmation of camera settings when shooting.

(6)Manual Functions
Manual Focus Ring / Manual Iris Adjustment / Manual White Balance / Back Light Compensation

OPERATION EASE

Intelligent 3.5 LCD Monitor

The Mamba boasts a 200,000-pixel polycrystalline-silicon 3.5"LCD monitor that provides the high resolution, sharp detail, and fine color you need for high-quality shooting. The unit automatically detects scene brightness and adjusts the level of the light source accordingly in real-time. The Mamba also lowers the minimum brightness level needed in dark scenes, essentially widening the dynamic range. Every scene is displayed in smoothly flowing images with rich gradation.
A new feature is the View Screen has a position that will change the screen all white so that it will cast a soft white color glow on objects within about 4 feet from the Black Mamba camcorder.

Free Style Remote Controller

Lets you shoot from almost any position, making it super-easy to take low-angle shots, high-angle shots, and fixed-position shots using a tripod. Remote control puts the camera buttons right at your fingertips even when you're shifting the camera around. This also makes it very easy for left-handed shooting.

Free Style Grip Belt

The Free-Style Grip Belt makes the Mamba's compact body even easier to carry and use. It serves as a handy strap for carrying, and as a sturdy hand support for a firmer grip when shooting.

Auto Pop-Up Flash

For still shots, this flash pops up automatically when insufficient lighting is detected for your subject. You can choose from three modes to suit the situation: Forced flash, no flash, and automatic.

SUB RECORD Button

In addition to the main record button, the Mamba adds a Sub Record button on the camera's upper right section. This makes it easier o shoot low-angle and other unusual shots.

SUPER-EASY NETWORKING

SD MEMORY CARD COMPATIBILITY

SD Memory Cards are the ideal recording and storage media for today's visual communication and networking. They make it easy to instantaneously transfer image data to a PC or printer.

MPEG Internet Movie

The Mamba lets you record moving pictures in MPEG format too, for use on the Internet or as e-mail attachments. Select from three picture quality modes: Super Fine (about 430 kbps), Fine (about 320 kbps), or Normal (about 100 kbps).

* The Mamba's MPEG files are compatible with Windows PCs.

* To view MPEG moving pictures on a PC, Windows® Media Player 6.4 or a higher version (available for free on the Microsoft Web site) and the necessary application (provided on the enclosed CD or available for free on the Microsoft Web site) are required.

WEB Camera Function

The Mamba does more than just capture images. By connecting this digital video camera to your PC with a USB cable and starting up Windows® NetMeeting®, it instantly turns into a Web camera. Ideal for conducting teleconferences over the Internet, or for surveillance camera use.

* You need Windows® NetMeeting® Ver. 3 or later to use this function.

* To use this function, a PC with Windows 98SE Me, 2000 Pro or XP preinstalled and USB terminal is required.

* PC connection cable and driver software are provided.

SD Voice Recorder

Images aren't the only thing you can record with the Mamba. Its Voice Recording function lets you take notes without a notebook. The built-in, high-performance microphones provide superb digital sound.

* Cannot be played on other devices.

Standard Accessories for Easy Connection to PC

USB Cable & Driver Software DV Studio for USB

Application Software Arc-Soft Application Software

WEB Camera Driver

G.726 Driver

Other Standard Accessories:

AC Adaptor, Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack, Free-Style Remote Controller, Lens Cap, Infra-Red Remote Controller, AV Cable, Shoulder Strap

NON Standard

BLACK

MAMBA

Accessories:

9 Hour Plus Waist Battery
Anamorphic Wide or Telephoto HQ Lens Adapter in BLACK
Pana Japan (not for Export) Filter Kit Set for the Mamba
All Weather Clear ABS Acrylic Bubble that is Certified to 10 Meters
under the ocean (a Mamba was retrieved from 70' last year!)

Mamba Specifications

Signal mode

Recording format

Tape

Recording time

Video recording format

Audio recording format

Image sensor

Lens

Filter diameter

Zoom

Monitor

Viewfinder

Dimensions (mm)

Body weight

Power source

Power consumption

Memory Card functions

Memory

Still pictures compression format

Still picture recording (pixel)

Motion picture recording format

Motion picture recording quality

NTSC (I expect PAL Version July 2004)

Mini DV (Consumer-use Digital Video SD Format) 540 MAXED TVL

6.35mm digital video tape

SP: 80 min.; LP: 120 minutes 2 hours (with DVM80)

Digital Component with Crystal Engine

PCM Digital Recording

16bit (48kHz/2ch), 12bit (32kHz/4ch)

1/4.7-inch 3CCD Image Sensor

(Effective Pixels: 900k X3 (moving picture),

1.2k X3 (still), Gross Total 4 MegaPixel

Auto Iris, F1.6, Focal Length; 2.85-28.5 mm, Macro (Full Range AF)

43 mm

12X Power Optical Zoom 30X Precision Zoom 120X Digital Zoom

3.5-inch LCD 200,000 High resolution monitor

Color Electronic Viewfinder 123,000 Pixels

5"(W) X 2.5" (H) X 2.3" (D)

Approx. 18 ounces (Without battery and DV cassette)

Approx. 2 pounds with 9 hour Battery and Cassette & SD & Wide Angle

DC7.9/7.2V

Recording 4.3W (When using Viewfinder)

5.1W (When using LCD Monitor)

SD Memory Card, MultiMediaCard

JPEG

UUXGA 2288 x 1728 pixels

VGA 640 x 480 pixels

MPEG4

Super Fine: about 430 kbps

Fine: about 320 kbps

Normal: about 100kbps

Weight and dimensions shown are approximate. ･Design, functions, and specifications are subject to change without notice. ･All monitor and TV pictures are simulated. ･Some accessories are not available in some countries. ･These video cameras are compatible only with tapes that bear the Mini DV logo. ･These video cameras are based on the Standard Definition (SD) format of the "Consumer-Use Digital VCR Specifications" agreed upon by the HD Digital VCR Conference. ･Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH. ･Dicomar is a registered trademark of Leica Camera AG. ･Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation of the U.S.A. ･ArcSoft is a registered trademark of ArcSoft, Inc. ･Pentium® is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. ･All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective corporations.

Number of Recordable Still Images (Approx.)

UXGA (2048 x 1512 Pixels)

Image Quality	Capacity
Image Quality	512MB	256MB	128MB	64MB	32MB	16MB
Fine	288	144	72	36	18	8
Normal	448	224	112	56	28	13
Economy	624	312	156	78	39	18

VGA (640 x 480 Pixels)

Image Quality	Capacity
Image Quality	512MB	256MB	128MB	64MB	32MB	16MB
Fine	3520	1760	880	440	220	100
Normal	7040	3520	1760	880	440	200
Economy	14080	7040	3520	1760	880	400

MPEG4 Moving Image Recording Time in Minutes (Approx.)

Image Quality	Capacity
Image Quality	512MB	256MB	128MB	64MB	32MB	16MB
Super Fine	140	70	35	17	8	4
Fine	197	93	44	21	10	5
Normal	630	300	140	65	32	15

Voice Recording Time (Approx.)

Capacity	512MB	256MB	128MB	64MB	32MB	16MB
Time by (minutes)	2070	1020	490	240	120	58

*The numbers shown in the table are approximations.

HERE

For M

Home Page

BLACK

MAMBA

for

NTSC

e-mail me

for shipment locations in North America

for in depth on Black Mamba Crystal Under Water Housing go to

http://www.supervideo.com/MXExtreme.htm

Well meister your prayers are answered... this afternoon I got a real close up and personal visit with your replacement for the Mamba1. It is a winner & although I won't see a Black version of this you might as well give it a name like Black Beauty or Black Stallion... something that show power, compactness in size and can explode with force as this cam does have some nice handling characteristics. It is most definitely an improvement on the Mamba1 and looks like they took your cue and tried to shoe-horn this into the size of the GS70. The plant where all the Mamba's come from is just down the road a piece in Kodama and is one reason this old shop picks up Pana domestic products so early and BTW while we were here a truck stopped for some cold drinks and he is delivering shipments of the Mamba2 to camera stores up North. He hasn't seen any Black units either but says they will ship within a week but there will not be too many of them. Let's get down to tacks and see what we have here. OK it says here there are now 9 groups and 13 pieces to the Leica assembly and they are using the newly developed multi coated low dispersion ground glass lens element that says will lead to lower chromatic aberrations and reduced ghosting or flaring than ever before. The view finder and for that matter the view screen looks sharper and maybe even clearer than before but it still says it is the larger 3 and half inch TFT which is a wonder on how they got it to fit on such a small form factor and it is holding at the higher quality 200,000 pixel elements as well. It sure looks good. There is now a new feature called the Crystal Prism Engine which may be one of the three new High or Higher Definition additions that Pana is boasting about in this next month's July 10 Official Release date. We had a XL-1s with us and the size difference is like Paul Simon and six foot six Chevy Chase singing My Friend AL ! Anyway we were astounded to see the quality of the Panasonic surpass the Canon, hands down, no doubt about it. Some one is going to have trouble if Panasonic imports this cam like it is now here in Japan to the States. I am looking at maybe 20 ounces tops in our weight measurements and that is WITH an external battery that last a whopping 10 hours because it is only the size of a pack of cigarettes and clips on your belt, fits in your pocket or purse if you are inclined to wear one! We think after shooting these cams for about an hour the LUX is better on the Pana than the TRV950 and way better than on the Canon XL. It says here in the literature they only dropped it from 15 Lux on the Mamba1 to 12 Lux on Mamba2. Hmmm... Have to think hard about that as it seems to be lower than what Sony calls 9 or even 7 Lux... this must be some sort of Horse Power game these companies play with gullible customers. It does have the Night Shot retained and it is accurately stated at 2 Lux. When you move the cam from out doors to indoors and get to a poorly lit area... the intensifier causes the Sony 950 to go to the yellow or brownish hues and video noise becomes noticeably more visible while the Pana seems to hold clear a lot longer and a lot better than in the past. They have definitely addressed the Low Light issue and raised the bar. Good going
Panasonic engineers... you heard us loud and clear....
It now seems evident that the much ballyhoo over 16X9 finally got addressed... no more hunting in Menu's for that turkey setting... it is now external buttons right next to the large control panel behind the View Screen. Now when you press the wide screen button you get several things apparently. You now get pure 30fps and you get that in Progressive made and the screen now fills the wide aspect ratio will ALL the pixels. Here is where some of this new High Definition technology Panasonic wants you to know they have added. The color is saturated, the luminescence is brilliant and the resolution is breathtaking to be blunt. You take this signal out FireWire or USB 2.0 or you place it in Flash memory and you will be literally astounded as to how such a small compact unit can produce such extraordinary results. It really is amazing to say the least. I was indeed impressed and so was my PDX10 guy and my XL Canon seem to just go into hiding. It's days are numbered... why on earth would anyone want to lug around something fives larger and 7 times heavier and get results that PALE in comparison. Now I am reminded that Panasonic did not say this cam is HD or High Definition in the sense it will record either 1080i or even 720 but it does exhibit high definition properties and qualities... that is certainly for sure chuckmeister. I would also say this... the JVC HD is going to have a rocky road ahead... not because all of the owners have been crying on the web that they feel ripped off if with it's short comings and it's lack of audio and editing features and so on but this Panasonic replacement for the Now Famous Mamba1 will not maters any better. You see meister the whole thing in videography bottom line boils down to almost one simple axiom... it has to produce... produce on the screen where the customers, where the client and where you the videographer SEE the difference and the quality. All the Hype, all the bells and whistles and all the chatter on the web don't mean a damn if the cam can 't Produce... this... HOLD EVERYTHING ! a guy just walked in and saw us looking and comparing , went back to his car and came in with a glossy black chassis version... WOW... chuck You Just Gotta Promote this baby... it is a real Looker. I will tell you this... the Black Version WILL be the first off the boat over there... definitely NOT consumer, Pana Professional Products Dealers will have about a one year head start just like they did way back with a chrome version of the DJ100 becoming first EZ30u and only much later the PV-DV950 and three years later the PV953... think those were the Pana screwy numbering back home! Yup, if looks could Kill this Black Beauty today can certainly do that. He won't let us touch it but all the controls are the same... just the paint... Classy Lady it is... He will be here for awhile so we will keep going back for more free looks. OK .. where was before I got rudely distracted....Oh yeah this Black Beauty Mamba2 really cranks and it is just that simple.   I think the days of the little square TV boxes are doomed just like what color did to Black & White TV sets a generation ago. 16 by 9 will now come on like gang busters as I see everything from Laptops, to Cell Phones and anything in between changing over to our natural 'stereo-scopic' vision perspective. Sure maybe we will see pure HD Camcorders & they may get smaller and they might get lighter and heck, they might even get cheaper say under 20 or 10 thousand price point and in time under 5 thousand American greenbacks BUT that day is not here and I for one would NOT want to hold my breath for the dog to chase the tail of technology to eventually come down the technology pike. But this puppy is HERE and it has so much going for it and it is so reasonable and compact... well it is indeed a no brainer to this Hollywood junkie. I just told the owner I want one just like his and he took my money and promised by a week from tomorrow.... Tuesday July 2nd. I will give you meister first chance a head to head with my XL.

Now, there are NO placing black bars top and bottom, we are talking anamorphic projection recording. Thanks Pana. One more tid bit of trivia as you can tell this cam like it's predecessors has a built in flash that pops up for still imaging... well surprise Pana did it again... soft light, yup a video light of sorts, not 100 watt power but a nice fill glow good for about 4 to 5 feet and you get this from all places in the 3.5" View Screen because when flipped turns all white to make for a nice touch and who knows just what some of your readers may need in a pinch. There is also a Web-Cam function some may appreciate. So many little extras and features that this cam can replace effectively no less than seven pieces of gear.... and counting! This cam fits very comfortably in a conventional; waist pouch with Wide lens, 2 DV Tapes, filter kit set both remotes and get this... also the 9 hour waist battery... now THAT is what I call compact and portable. Hands Free.
Unlike the MX5000 our Black Beauty here operates both the Iris and the shutter in wide screen modes. Nice touch.

One of the first aspects you notice right off the bat is when you go to load and unload as well the cassette, it has one of the quietist and smoothest tape mechanisms I have ever seen and NOT heard. Very interesting discovery!

Joe, go ask the guy what he would call his cam if it were a killer of a sort of animal?   Snake, huh? Hah.. he's right.!

I also see Pana listen to the complaints on the MX3000 and MX5000 of having access doors with connectors placed right in the way of the hand grip areas. They have more correctly placed them out of the way and to the rear of the camcorder body. This makes for a very easy hand held operation when necessary which brings up the stabilizer the Mega OIS Panasonic does wave an AD flag about is a still more improved version of the MX5000 and does make a difference and I find it very sophisticated and functional.   The material on the outside of the cam is also different from the MX5000 and to me seems like a thinner stronger metallic material of some kind. I find it very durable and quite comfortable to hold and easy to operate. This includes the removal of unnecessary buttons like OIS and the fade have been moved to the inner control panel while the Skin Tone Feature has left the menu and is a button where the OIS use to be located.

There are a whole host of manual controls which include White Balance, Shutter, Gain Up & Down, F-stop, audio controls,   picture sharpness, color bars, Zebra pattern, color saturation, temperature hue adjustment that allows you to color balance the new Pana with other models and other brands. The focus ring goes through sharpness and has a nice lag feel to it for professional results since the Leica optics will not let you down in this department . Amen to that.

The new Optical Leica dispersion element is an improvement over the Mamba1 and Pana claims that it will surpass that of the Fluorite treatment over at Canon and with my old XL-1s by my side I can vouch that it was no mean trick to pull off since this has been Canon's claim to fame. Pana is striking out at all comers... uh meister... like a snake... Black Moccasin. This baby has fangs one probably has Sony's name on it and the other fang I can see now has Canon's as its intended victim.

All your Wide and Telephoto Mamba lens adapters, filters and lens accessories are good and that is good news for MX3000, MX3500 and MX5000 owners. Not so good is the battery department as they will not fit these new Mambas for this model are under powered in my estimation. If you even give your e-mailers the extra long play batteries meister you are actually only giving them a two hour instead of about a one hour. Now if you utilize the off camera waist battery then that will change everything most dramatically as it will last almost 10 hours, lessens the weight even more of the camera carry weight to about 20 ounces... try and do that with any other cam and they will laugh you off the stage.   Good Accessory.

When you go into record to Flash Memory mode with Photo-Shot Mode you have speed settings 1/2 second, 1/4, 1/8th, 1/15th, 1/30th, 1/60th, 1/100th, 1/250th, 1/500th, 1/750, 1/1000th, 1/1500th and 1/2000 th os a second . We will attempt to get a great shot of Seven Sacred Pools over here on Maui where the speed will be set for About 1/30th and we will be able to turn the falling water in ribbons of silk for a spectacular effect in photography especially when we capture at Ultra High Definition of 2048 by 1512 . This astounding sharpness. No wonder Pana wants to brag about High Definition Technology standards being incorporated in the upgrade of features contained in this model. This is my take on what in one sense is vague specifications and the several listed High Definition references... The cam is NOT HD and really never says it is and it does not say it does 1080i or even 720 format either. It does say that in DV and within the DV format you will get an over saturation of 540 resolution so it is definitely Maxing out the mini DV protocol which can be clearly seen with the naked eye when you view this on any TV for the first time. Now when you saved this apparently to card (SD or MMC) you can exceed the miniDV protocol and you can also send this via FireWire to Disk as in HDD of a computer. Now you can edit, archive and even master on a HD equipped recorder or even a medium like DVD. Maybe some of this will have to wait for the technology to trickle down to the rest of us... at least to the affordable price point as we are talking big bucks when ever we are dealing with High Definition... anything. OK? There is HD filters I see listed by Pana and there is some more with the Crystal Engine part and I have heard on the street that there is a new format that this technology may actually be a part of called Extended Definition DV which in my guess-tamation is a tad lower than 720 but on that note we will have to wait and see. After all we have been waiting and wondering about a Sony VX3000 and a Canon XL-2. Seeing this pup tells me THAT is exactly what those two are going to have to come up with to recover any lost market share as this Black Mamba2 unit is poised to AGAIN take all the awards like they did with the two models before this one.... MX3000 and MX5000.

Sony is no longer alone in the Zero Lux taking video at night department. and Pana says theirs is now Color Night Shot and that you do not have to settle for Green Night Scope rifle looking images. That test will have to wait for some darkness. By the way department is the fact Pana calls it 2 LUX Color Night Shot. When you attempt to shoot the cam will tell you to flip your View Screen around and it then activates the White Video Glow light... neat !

This Pana replacement for the Mamba1 will be even more successful as it will more than likely sell for hundreds less than the predecessor and have far better features, compete even more favorably against it's normal Canon and Sony counterparts but more importantly it will be able to compete against my XL-1s and Sony DVCam models costing twice as much or even more. I see the street price of this cam around the 12 to 15 hundred dollar level depending on what the Yen rate is of course but also the normal drop after initial roll out is about 30% decline in retail price. It would probably make more sense to market this inside the states for now as history has shown not to many people want to part with their hard earned income dollars and ship it off to some unknown place to some faceless unpronounceable name business for a product that can't see, touch, experiment or return... there are NO returns in Japanese businesses only USA businesses will honor that... good point to remember when JUST shopping for price alone... getting burnt is very common and very predictable when dealing here in Japan. chuckmeister why don't you see if your two business people want to import this cam much like the MX5000 as it seems like it is going to be almost a year before any stateside store has these puppies on their shelves to sell. I would also consider three of the accessories they have over here that are never allowed to be exported... namely the cute clear ABS acrylic housing good for now twice the depth of the MX5000 ever was and the waist extra power belt battery that says it will last past 9 hours and that it actually reduces over all carry camera weight. The Wide and Telephoto are not the same found in the states either and are of a much higher quality and seems like they may be made to the same Leica standards the main camera element contains... Make the whole package as one bundled product and if you name it maybe others will not be so quick to jump on and they will be sitting with egg on their face when Pana USA can and has just done with the GS70 and name the future consumer version but with stripped features ALSO a GS100 and boy there the confusion will probably run rampant. Good luck in your decision. I think in fact I know... you have a winner here chuck.
There is absolutely no English with this camcorder, I will forward you my Cheat Sheet this week end since they have given me my complete set of paper work for my ordered in Black Beauty or rather Black Moccasin .. think that's a great ID !
The Quick Start apparently is at the printer but id over two weeks away the man here with the Black version just told us.

I will have to add some in the field tests and put this cam through it's paces. Hold on my meister, you have over a year before the Stripped Down version even makes it over to you for a sneak peek. We should be able to get the ... Holy Cow, this manual has to be over Two Hundred pages... OK, make that 212 pages... this guy is going to be Expensive to get it all translated... we are looking at about 1300 yen and that's on the cheap for a Technical Journal in Shinjuku up in Tokyo to cost out and that is some serious change. better get those business execs of your to cough up some serious change here chuckie other wise you are going to have to peddle old and out dated discontinued machines manuals that do not even run half those pages. BTW, I see one heck of a lot of graphics here... Let me know how to proceed...
yours truly    the yee ole hiro-shima-meister   Shaka-Brah
2002 Pana DVCR


PANASONIC AG-DV1DC PORTABLE MINI-DV VTR:

INNOVATIVE NEW ADDITION TO DV PRO-LINE FAMILY

SECAUCUS, NJ (February 11, 2002) – Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company has introduced the AG-DV1DC, a portable Mini-DV VTR with built-in 3.5”color LCD monitor, to its popular DV PRO-LINE product family

            Ready for DC battery power or AC operation, this ultra-compact mini-DV VTR -- measuring 5.6” wide by 3.7” high by 2.7” deep and weighing a mere 1.2 pounds -- is highly versatile and portable for applications in field production, monitoring and surveillance.

            Via its IEEE1394 digital interface, users can directly connect the AG-DV1DC to a digital camera or camcorder, such as the Panasonic AG-DVC200 full-size DV, for recording or dubbing with no quality loss. Its compact size and AC/DC operation makes the AG-DV1DC the ideal back-up VTR. Its IEEE1394 interface also allows for easy uploading and downloading of images and audio from the AG-DV1DC to a Macintosh or Windows-based PC for nonlinear editing.

            The unit’s 3.5-inch color LCD permits immediate viewing of recorded content and monitoring of important functions, including time code and tape remaining time. Other key features include a maximum record time of 80 minutes, low power consumption of 8 watts, A/V composite in/out, S-VHS in/out, remote control of REC/PAUSE functions, mic input, and easily-accessible operation buttons. Standard accessories include a two-hour battery, AC adaptor and M3 A/V cable.

            The AG-DV1DC will be available in July at a suggested list price of $1,500.00.

            Panasonic’s full-featured, affordably-priced DV PRO-LINE product family offers users stepping up to digital many benefits, including substantial improvements in picture quality, color reproduction and audio quality; the capability to perform multi-generation edits and dubs with no quality loss; ultra-compact media that requires little storage space; and an IEEE1394 computer interface to expedite nonlinear editing.

DV PRO-LINE products are incredible content creation tools adaptable for a broad range of applications. In addition, the Mini-DV cassettes used by the DV PRO-LINE products can be played back in all Panasonic DVCPRO studio VTRs (using an optional adapter), enhancing the use of DV video in professional applications.
Other members in the DV PRO-LINE family include the AG-DVC15 Mini-DV camcorder, AG-EZ50U hand-held Mini-DV camcorder, the AG-DVC200 full-size DV camcorder, the AG-DV1000 Mini-DV VTR and the AG-DV2000 full-featured DV editing VTR.

PV-DV2000 Panasonic Digital Video Cassette Recorder
Just came out in August 1999 for less than $1999! This puppy will be around awhile e-mail me about best price...

Every thing you wanted to know about this unit and a whole lot more. Chuckmeister?
Yes! Did they strip some features off this unit like they usually do, before bringing it
to the good ole USA? YES! Holy Cow! WHAT? Uhhh... the RS-232 Computer port.
EEEE - Gad! Why in the sam hill did they... "Gets worse, took the Sony Lanc off also!
Sorry, there is more... Forget it! I am so sick of Pana. How is the Canon XL-2 doing?
Uhhh ... would you believe worse! I think they are all coming after Millennia (I mean 2001 not 2000 !)
Send a letter to a Video magazine editor and see what they say...
Uhhh....   don't hold your breath, you may have to wait years (it's 4 July 1999 today!)

New PV-DV1000 DVCR is a stripped down version of the DV2000

Look what's coming in 1998... if were lucky and been real good!

NEW PANA 120 Minute mini DV LP tape and its box on the right...
for all brands and all models of DV Camcorders & DV VCR's

I know I have been predicting this for years (since Dec 1995)... Trust Me!
and do NOT listen to all the so called insiders that say I am full of it & none of this exists...
Matsushita Electric Industrial [6752] has developed a DV cassette
tape which can hold 120 minutes of professional quality sound, 30%
more than presently available tapes. This will go on sale in May.
The base film is made of polyethylenenaphthate (PEN), which is twice
as strong as the standard polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The
deposition process was optimized with control technologies.
Panasonic plans to produce just enough to meet local demand and
prices will be based on scarcity of the AY-DVM80E rather than actual
cost. The strength of the PEN base film allowed reduction of the
thickness from 6.3 micrometers to 4.8 micrometers. The magnetic
layer and backcoating thickness remain the same at 0.2 and 0.5
micrometers, respectively. The deposited cobalt layer (magnetic
layer) is denser than in previous tapes; it is strong and reinforces
the thinned base film. The overlaying diamond-like carbon layer
acts as a lubricant for smooth running. Matsushita's tapes are
extremely popular; the company hopes to eliminate shortages with its
increased production.

Please remember all this.... there is a POP Quiz at the end....

PANASONIC
email at pbtssupport@panasonic.com
fax at (201) 392-6514 (HELP-FAX)
toll free at (800) 528-8601 toll free at (800) 524-1448

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