Panasonic’s AG-AF100 has the industry buzzing, as it combines a micro 4/3 imager with the ergonomics and features of a professional compact HD camera. The AF100 sells for $4795 and is now shipping.

As an added benefit for our customers, Abel is offering a free spot in our exclusive training class with every camera package purchase over $6,000. The half-day class, taught by our camera technology specialists, will cover camera operations, workflow, optics and accessories. Our class is a great opportunity to learn how to get the most out of the AF100 from the unique perspective of Abel’s experienced instructors.

We have created three suggested accessory packages to help you get started with the AF100: the Essentials, Indie, Cine, and Run & Gun. These kits were designed to fit many common applications based on our experience, but we also know that one size doesn’t fit all. We encourage you to go through these kits with a member of our staff to customize the package that works best for you.

The AF100 is ideal for a wide range of applications including indie features, documentaries, corporate production and music videos, to name just a few. It offers the aesthetic quality of 35mm in a compact and flexible form factor. One of the great strengths of the AF100 is the wide range of lens choices. Besides affordable micro 4/3 lenses, the camera can accommodate a multitude of zooms, primes, still and cine-style lenses using basic lens adapters. This allows the operator to achieve a film-like depth of field and field of view.

Although its footprint is not much larger than an HDSLR, the AF100 was designed by Panasonic as a video camera from its inception and, therefore, it’s optimized for HD video capture. It offers many of the features found in high-end Panasonic cameras including variable frame rate recording, cine-like gamma curves, timecode capability, and professional connectors such as HD-SDI out. The AF100 records in the AVCHD codec, including its highest-quality PH mode, to SDHC or SDXC media cards.