For those of you who remember, back in April 2016 during NAB in Las Vegas, Panasonic announced a new pro lineup of 4K camcorders called the UX-Series. The first two models that were announced were the Panasonic AG-UX90 (what Panny refers to as “standard”) and the Premium model – AG-UX180. The UX series camcorders from Panasonic feature a more traditional “fixed lens/all-in-one” form factor, compared to the more “hyrbid stills/video” approach spearheaded by the LUMIX division and their top tier Panasonic GH5, which has become the go-to camera for many video shooters, present company included.
However, the Panasonic UX Series of camcorders does still offer a wealth of features, which videographers venturing into the world of 4K acquisition will surely appreciate; for example, both camcorders sport a 1.0-inch type sensor, MOV, MP4 and AVCHD formats, a newly-designed Leica DICOMAR 4K compact lens with a wide 24mm angle (4K 24p, 17:9), the industry’s widest for a fixed lens camcorder.
At about $3500, the UX180 is also capable of the very impressive 4K DCI at 24p recording format, as well as UHD at 60p and 1080/120fps, while the more affordable UX90 model offers UHD/30p and Full HD 60p for the not too shabby $2,095 US. The Lumix GH5 is great for video, no doubt about it, most who’s used it can attest to that, but there are still plenty of more traditional video pro’s out there, who prefer the more traditional handheld camcorder design the UX series offers.
The benefits of such system for wedding shoots, low-budget documentaries and event work are self-evident given the feature packed UX series.
Panasonic AG-UX180 Highlight Features
- 1.0-inch type CMOS Sensor
- 4K at 24p, UHD 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p
- 1080p Slow Motion at 120fps
- UHD/FHD Dual Codec Recording
- Can record 8 Mbit 1080 proxies
- 16-Axis Color Correction Function
- 8.8 to 176mm 20x Optical Zoom with OIS (fixed)
- 3 x Manual Lens Control Rings – Focus, Iris, Zoom
- IR Night Shooting
- Dual Codec Recording in UHD/FHD
- Relay, Simultaneous, and Background REC
- Price: $3,495 (B&H, Adorama)
Panasonic recently released some new quick tutorials around the AF functionality, Wi-Fi and other exciting features of the UX series, which you can check out below:
Prepping the UX90/180 for a more cinematic capture:
Enabling wireless remote control of the UX Series:
For those considering a purchase of a UX180 or UX90 you may want to take a look at the more detailed tutorials by Barry Green below (there is a link to a full playlist with 10+ tutorials on various topics from Wi-Fi setup, to recording modes, scene files, adjusting the colour matrix and many more).
Variable Frame rates are a famous Panasonic pro features, and are prominently featured in the UX-series:
Explore the different recording options in the AG-UX180 and UX90 4K camcorders:
Panasonic is doing some really interesting things in the UX line-up such as “Dual Codec recording”, which comes handy when you shoot long form events in UHD/4K, but also want lower resolution proxy files for quick turnaround. There are loads of UX Series tutorials available on the Panasonic Business Solutions YouTube page, which you can check out via this playlist here:
If you have every used Panasonic cameras, you are probably familiar with Barry Green – a well known Panasonic guru, he’s also an incredible instructor and knows a thing or two about Panasonic cameras to say the least. When he published his AF101 book back in the day, it was a lifesaver for me, as the AF101 was my first “real” camcorder, but thanks to Barry’s book I came to grips with my camera very quickly.
Unlike the hard copy versions of yesteryear, for which most of us on this side of the pond had to shell out more than £50, you can now download Barry Green’s latest “Ultimate Guide to the UX Series Cameras” eBook for free at http://us.panasonic.com/UXseriesbook
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate partner and participant in B&H and Adorama Affiliate programmes, we earn a small comission from each purchase made through the affiliate links listed above at no additional cost to you.
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