Panasonic AG-CX350 4K Camcorder

Panasonic AG-CX350 4K Camcorder Overview

Video credit: Panasonic Australia Panasonic has been recognized as one of the best brands for electronics and camera equipment around the world for many years. Established in 1918, the Japanese company has evolved its offerings from light bulb sockets to digital cameras and camcorders that have quickly become a favorite of professionals for their excellent quality. On February 2019, the electronics giant released the AG-CX350 4K camcorder to the delight of professional videographers around the world. Although it’s not the cheapest at $3,695, this camcorder promises to continue Panasonic’s legacy of excellence in all its products. The company also said that this camcorder is specifically designed for “the fusion of communication and broadcasting.”  

Design & Features

Designed to be a compact camcorder for run-and-gun shooting, the AG-CX350 only weighs 1.9kg, which is a lot lighter than your typical camcorder, but it packs in heavy with features. For starters, the AG-CX350 4K camcorder features a dual signal system where you can choose between 50 or 59.94 Hz. This feature is especially useful when shooting in different countries where you don’t have to worry about flickering lights.

Viewing, Handling, & Controls

The camera itself has some impressive features. You can choose from eight gamma modes—HD, SD, Filmlike 1, Filmlike 2, Filmlike 3, Film-Rec, Video-Rec and HLG for HDR recording—and it also has a 16-axis color control and three skin-tone control for your image so you can adjust colors precisely without affecting skin tones. The AG-CX350 4K camcorder is equipped with a 20x optical zoom lens with a 35mm focal length equivalent to 24.5 to 490mm, which videographers would love for wide angle shooting. In fact, 24.5 is already considered an extremely wide angle for a UHD camcorder like the AG-CX350. It also has impressive 5-axis hybrid image stabilization in both HD and 4K for seamless handheld recording. Some of the lens other features include:

• Individual lens control rings for focus, iris and zoom for easier manual control of the lens
• Custom AF function where autofocus speeds can be set in 7 steps, the AF selection area can be easily adjusted and the sensitivity can be set in 10 steps
• Intelligent autofocus with subject tracking
• Lens control using wired devise and Android and iOS tablets

Image & Video

The AG-CX350 4K camcorder features a 1” MOS sensor capable of recording in UHD resolution (3840x2160) in MOV at data rates like 400Mb/s and up to 200Mb/s for HEVC. It is also capable of recording in 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50 and 59.94 standard speed rates. It can also record at variable frame rates in both HD at 1 to 120 fps and UHD at 1 to 60 fps. It also allows for high-image quality FHD streaming even without an encoder unit or computer and video can be stored in SD cards in the camera itself. You can also do multicamera shooting with its TC In/Out terminal (BNC).

Audio

The AG-CX350 supports four channels for audio recording from two XLR audio inputs or the built-in stereo microphone. It supports 24-bit linear PCM audio in MOV mode and it has a 1 kHZ test tone output and an OSD level meter in 59.95 HZ display.

Storage

The camcorder has two SD media slots that allows for three types of recording schemes, relay recording, simultaneous recording and background recording. It also supports HDMI and SDI simultaneous outputs both at 4:2:2 10-bit.

Extras & Connectivity

The AG-CX350 has an Ethernet port where you can connect directly to a LAN and transfer files to an FTP server without the need for a computer. You can also connect it to a Wi-Fi network to transfer files to an FTP server using an AJ-WM30 USB dongle. The camcorder also has a pre-installed support of NDI for automatic discovery and ease of use, ultra-low latency and camera control.

Pros & Cons

Final Thoughts

If you need a camcorder that will deliver excellent quality videos on the go, the AG-CX350 4K camcorder from Panasonic is definitely worth the investment.

[Model] Test Footage

Specification

General
Power	DC 7.28 V (when the battery is used) DC 12 V (when the AC adaptor is used)
Power Consumption	17 W (when the LCD monitor is used) 11.5 W (1080i / 422ALL-I 100M recording, when the LCD monitor is used, no external device connection)
Operating Temperature	0 °C to 40 °C (32 °F to 104 °F)
Operating Humidity	10 % to 80 % (no condensation)
Weight*1	Body: approx. 1.9 kg (4.19 lb) (body only, excluding lens hood, battery, and accessories) Shooting: approx. 2.3 kg (5.07 lb) (including lens hood, battery, and microphone holder)
Dimensions*1	180 mm (W) x 173 mm (H) x 311 mm (D) (7-1/8 inches x 6-13/16 inches x 12-1/4 inches) (excluding protrusion and eye cup)
Camera Unit
Pickup Device	1.0-type (effective size) MOS solid state image sensor
Effective Pixels	15,030,000 pixel
Lens	Optical image stabilizer lens, optical 20x motorized zoom F value: F2.8 to F4.5 Focal length: f=8.8 mm to 176 mmm, 35 mm equivalent: 24.5 mm to 490 mm
Filter Diameter	67 mm
Optical Filter	ND Filter: Clear, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64 IR Filter: Incorporates the ON/OFF control function
Shortest Shooting Distance (M.O.D.)	Approx. 10 cm (W), 1.0 m (T) from the front lens
Gain Setting	L/M/H selector switch GAIN/ISO mode = dB –3 dB to 18 dB (adjustable in 1 dB steps) 24 dB, 30 dB, 36 dB switched (when assigning [S. GAIN] to the USER button) GAIN/ISO mode = ISO ISO 400, ISO 500, ISO 640, ISO 800, ISO 1000, ISO 1250, ISO 1600, ISO 2000, ISO 2500, ISO 3200, ISO 4000, ISO 5000, ISO 6400, ISO 8000, ISO 10000, ISO 12800
Color Temperature Setting	ATW, ATW LOCK, A ch, B ch, preset 3200 K/preset 5600 K/VAR (2000 K to 15000 K)
Shutter Speed	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 59.94 Hz
	59.94i/59.94p mode	1/60 sec. (shutter off), 1/100 sec., 1/120 sec., 1/250 sec., 1/500 sec., 1/1000 sec., 1/2000 sec., 1/4000 sec., 1/8000 sec., 1/10000 sec.
	29.97p mode	1/30 sec., 1/50 sec. (shutter off), 1/60 sec., 1/100 sec., 1/120 sec., 1/250 sec., 1/500 sec., 1/1000 sec., 1/2000 sec., 1/4000 sec., 1/8000 sec., 1/10000 sec.
	23.98p mode	1/24 sec., 1/48 sec., 1/50 sec. (shutter off), 1/60 sec., 1/100 sec., 1/120 sec., 1/250 sec., 1/500 sec., 1/1000 sec., 1/2000 sec., 1/4000 sec., 1/8000 sec., 1/10000 sec.
	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 50.00 Hz
	50i/50p mode	1/50 sec. (shutter off), 1/60 sec., 1/100 sec., 1/120 sec., 1/250 sec., 1/500 sec., 1/1000 sec., 1/2000 sec., 1/4000 sec., 1/8000 sec., 1/10000 sec.
	25p mode	1/25 sec., 1/50 sec. (shutter off), 1/60 sec., 1/100 sec., 1/120 sec., 1/250 sec., 1/500 sec., 1/1000 sec., 1/2000 sec., 1/4000 sec., 1/8000 sec., 1/10000 sec.
Shutter Speed (Slow Shutter)	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 59.94 Hz
	59.94i/59.94p mode	1/1 sec., 1/2 sec., 1/4 sec., 1/6 sec., 1/15 sec., 1/30 sec.
	29.97p mode	1/1 sec., 1/2 sec., 1/4 sec., 1/6 sec., 1/15 sec.
	23.98p mode	1/1 sec., 1/2 sec., 1/4 sec., 1/6 sec., 1/12 sec.
	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 50.00 Hz
	50i/50p mode	1/1 sec., 1/2 sec., 1/4 sec., 1/6 sec., 1/12 sec., 1/25 sec.
	25p mode	1/1 sec., 1/2 sec., 1/4 sec., 1/6 sec., 1/12 sec.
Shutter Speed (Synchro Scan)	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 59.94 Hz
	59.94i/59.94p mode	1/60.0 sec. to 1/7200 sec.
	29.97p mode	1/30.0 sec. to 1/7200 sec.
	23.98p mode	1/24.0 sec. to 1/7200 sec.
	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 50.00 Hz
	50i/50p mode	1/50.0 sec. to 1/7200 sec.
	25p mode	1/25.0 sec. to 1/7200 sec.
Shutter Open Angle	3.0 deg to 180.0 deg to 360.0 deg (in 0.5 deg steps)
VFR Recording Frame Rate	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 59.94 Hz 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 40, 44, 48, 54, 60 (fps)
	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 50.00 Hz 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 37, 42, 45, 48, 50 (fps)
Super Slow Recording	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 59.94 Hz 1920 x 1080 (FHD): shooting frame rate 120 fps
	When [SYSTEM MODE] = 50.00 Hz 1920 x 1080 (FHD): shooting frame rate 100 fps
Sensitivity	When [HIGH SENS.] mode F12 (2000 lx, 3200 K, 89.9 % reflect, 2160/59.94p, 1080/59.94i) F13 (2000 lx, 3200 K, 89.9 % reflect, 2160/50p, 1080/50i)
Horizontal Resolution	2000 TV or higher (UHD: center) 1000 TV or higher (FHD: center)
i.Zoom	x32 (FHD), x24 (UHD)
Digital Zoom	x2/ x5/ x10
Lens Hood	Hood with lens cover
Memory Card Recorder
Recording Media	SDHC memory card, SDXC memory card UHS-I/UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3 supported, Video Speed Class V90 supported microP2 card (A series, B series) Please see the “Available Memory Card” table.
Recording Slot	microP2/SDXC UHS-II card slot x 2
Recording Pixels	3840 × 2160 (UHD), 1920 × 1080 (FHD), 1280 × 720 (HD) (AVC-Intra50: 1440 × 1080, 960 × 720) 720 × 480 (SD), 720 × 576 (SD)
System Frequency	59.94 Hz/50.00 Hz
Recording File Format	MOV (AVC), MOV (HEVC), AVCHD, P2 MXF
Recording Format	Please see the “Recording Format” table.
Recording Time	Please see the “Recording Time” table.
2 Slot Functions	Relay Rec, Simultaneous Rec, Background Rec
Special Recording Functions	Pre Rec, Interval Rec, Time Stamp
Digital Video
Quantization	MOV	4:2:2 10 bit/4:2:0 8 bit/4:2:0 10 bit (HEVC)
	AVCHD	4:2:0 8 bit
	P2	4:2:2 10 bit/4:2:0 10 bit (AVC-intra50)/4:2:0 8 bit (AVC-LongG12)
Video Compression Format	MOV: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile, H.265/MPEG-H HEVC Main10 Profile P2: AVC-Intra422/AVC-LongG50/AVC-LongG25/AVC-LongG12: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 High Profile P2: AVC-Intra200/AVC-Intra100/AVC-Intra50: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 Intra Profile
Digital Audio
Recording Audio Signal	MOV	48 kHz/24 bit, 4 ch, Linear PCM
	AVCHD	48 kHz/16 bit, 2 ch, Dolby Audio™
	P2	48 kHz/24 bit, 4 ch (excluding AVC‑LongG12) 48 kHz/16 bit, 4 CH (AVC-Intra100/AVC-Intra50*/AVC‑LongG12) *24 bit/16 bit switch by menu
Headroom	12 dB/18 dB/20 dB switchable (menu)
Live Streaming
Video Compression Format	H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile, High Profile
Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 (FHD), 1280 x 720 (HD), 640 x 360, 320 x 180
Streaming Method	Unicast, Multicast
Frame Rate	System frequency = 59.94 Hz: 24 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps System frequency = 50.00 Hz: 25 fps, 50 fps
Bit Rate	24 Mbps, 20 Mbps, 16 Mbps, 14 Mbps, 8 Mbps, 6 Mbps, 4 Mbps, 3 Mbps, 2 Mbps, 1.5 Mbps, 1 Mbps, 0.7 Mbps, 0.5 Mbps
Audio Compression Format	AAC-LC, 48 kHz/16 bit, 2 ch
Network Protocol	RTSP/RTP/RTMP/RTMPS
Video Output
SDI OUT	BNC x 1, SDI REC REMOTE supported HD: 0.8 V [p-p], 75 Ω SD: 0.8 V [p-p], 75 Ω, Output format (4:2:2 10 bit): • 1920 x 1080: 59.94p, 50p, 59.94i, 50i, 29.97Psf, 25Psf, 23.98PsF • 1280 x 720: 59.94p, 50p • 720 x 480: 59.94i • 720 x 576: 50i
HDMI OUT	HDMI x 1, Type A, HDMI REC REMOTE supported, VIERA Link not supported Output format (4:2:2 10 bit): • 3840 x 2160: 59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 25p, 23.98p • 1920 x 1080: 59.94p, 50p, 59.94i, 50i, 29.97p, 25p, 23.98p • 1280 x 720: 59.94p, 50p • 720 x 480: 59.94p • 720 x 576: 50p
VIDEO OUT	3.5 mm diameter mini jack, composite 1.0 V [p-p], 75 O
Audio Input/Output
Built-inMicrophone	Stereo microphone
Input 1/2	XLR (3-pin) x 2 (INPUT1, INPUT2) Input high impedance, LINE/MIC/MIC+48V (switchable SW) MIC: -40 dBu/-50 dBu/-60 dBu (switchable menu) LINE: +4 dBu/0 dBu (switchable menu)
SDI OUT	Linear PCM 4 ch
HDMI OUT	Linear PCM 2 ch/4 ch (switchable menu)
Headphone	3.5 mm diameter stereo mini jack x 1
AV OUT	3.5 mm diameter stereo mini jack x 1, Output level: 600Ω, 316 mV
Speaker	20 mm diameter, round x 1
Other Input/Output
TC IN/OUT	BNC x 1, Used as the input and output terminals (switchable menu) Input: 1.0 V to 4.0 V [p-p] 10 kΩ Output: 2.0 V ± 0.5 V [p-p] low impedance
Remote	2.5 mm diameter super mini jack *The analog control remote controller used with previous Panasonic models may not be used with this device.
LAN	RJ-45: 1000BASE-T/100BASE-TX/10BASE-T NDI | HX supported*2
USB 2.0 HOST	Type-A, 4-pin (5 V, 0.5 A) for Wireless Module (option)
USB 3.0 DEVICE	USB 3.1 GEN1 Type-C, USB Mass storage function No USB bus power function
DC IN 12V	DC 12 V EIAJ Type 4
Monitor/Viewfinder
LCD Montor	3.5 type TFT LCD color monitor (3:2), approx. 1,620,000 dots, Touch panel video display (16: 9) area: Approx. 1,370,000 dots
Viewfinder	0.39 type OLED (organic EL display), approx. 2,360,000 dots, video display (16: 9) area: approx. 1,770,000 dots

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