New Panasonic action cam HX-A1

Panasonic has announced the HX-A1, a wearable camera designed for hands-free, Full HD shooting in harsh, rugged environments.

Waterproof down to 1.5m (5ft) without a housing case, shockproof from a height of 1.5m (5ft), freezeproof down to -10°C (14°F) and dustproof (IP6X) the wearable camera is the perfect device to capture your white water rafting, skiing or even adventure race activity.

The HX-A1 also captures every detail from fast moving scenes at 60fps, which is double regular frame rate, in 1280x720 pixels and at 120fps, four times regular frame rate, in 848x480 pixels enabling action to be played back in slow motion.

See Into the Dark

Ultra compact and lightweight at around only 45g the HX-A1, in combination with a separate infrared light and Glasscover (Night mode), is the ideal tool to shoot into a dark, unexplored cave with no natural light or record nocturnal wildlife hidden in the depths of a forest in a ‘0 Lux Night Mode’.In fact the camera is so compact and light that its weight goes unnoticed next to a heavy headlight.

The Perfect Angle

Using the camera’s built-in Wi-Fi users can effortlessly connect the device to a smartphone or tablet and, via the Panasonic Image app, make sure that the camera is in the right position to capture the action as is intended.This recording can then be shared directly with friends and family using social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Flickr.

Furthermore the Wi-Fi can be used to connect the HX-A1 to selected models in Panasonic’s 2015 camcorder range to create a wireless twin camera.While recording footage with the HX-A1 the image can be seen in a sub-window on the display of the wirelessly connected camcorder allowing two simultaneously recorded videos to be merged into one.A whole new world of shooting scenarios can be explored such as recording a snowboarder and capturing their point-of view at the same time or seeing the obstacles faced from the perspective of someone taking part in an adventure race as they are filmed from the side of the course.

When connected via USB the camera can even be used as a webcam, and when paired with the Head Mount (VW-HMA1) accessory, gives the user the chance to share what they are seeing with friends from the user’s eye-level.