General Features
Video Camera Features
Still Image Recording
Battery Information
Inputs and Outputs Notes
Software And Computer Information
General Features
Recording Media: The Panasonic HC-V500M allows you to record
Full HD video and still images on the 16 GB built-in memory, or on optional SD/SDHC/SDXC
cards up to 64 GB. SD cards
with a Speed Class Rating of 4 or higher are recommended.
3.0" LCD Touch Screen: The 3.0" (16:9) LCD screen
provides excellent viewing clarity. Its Intuitive Touch Operation lets you zoom
in and out, and automatically focus when shooting still images by simply
touching the subject on the LCD screen. The 230,000-dot
LCD screen rotates up to 270 degrees for multiple viewing angles providing sharp
and detailed images for monitoring or playback. Mirror mode allows you to view a
mirror-image of the subject you are shooting in the LCD screen when the screen
is rotated 180 degrees, but the image will be normal when recorded.
Note: The V500M does not include a separate viewfinder.
Recording Formats: This camera captures video in the
following formats:
- MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 version 2.0: This recording format, commonly known as AVCHD Progressive,
can record high definition quality images up to 1920 x 1080p. It is suitable for viewing on a
large format TV or for saving to a disc.
- iFrame: The iFrame format is suitable for playing back or edition
on a Mac (iMovie'11). Using iMovie'11, iFrame motion pictures can be imported
faster than AVCHD, and the imported file size is smaller than that of AVCHD.
Image Sensor: The V500M uses a 1/5.8" High Sensitivity MOS
sensor. The V500M has a total pixel count of 1,500,000, with
1,300,000-1,120,000 effective pixels for recording 16:9 high definition video
and still images, 970,000 for 4:3 still images, and 1,090,000 for 3:2 still
images.
Lens: This camera features a Panasonic F1.8 (W) - F4.2 (T) lens with a
38x optical zoom, Auto Iris, and a focal length of 2.35mm to 89.3mm. The 35mm equivalent
focal length is 32.4mm to 1345mm for 16:9 motion pictures and still images,
40.7mm to 1547mm for 4:3 still images, and 37.3mm to 1419mm for 3:2. The minimum
focus distance is 1.2" for wide angle, 5.3' for telephoto, and 0.4" for
Intelligent Auto Macro.
Intelligent Zoom: The camcorder has an Intelligent Zoom
(i.Zoom) function that goes up to 50x while maintaining high definition picture quality.
Intelligent Resolution technology lets you shoot at high zoom rates while
preserving image sharpness.
Digital Zoom: In addition to the 38x optical zoom, the
camcorder has a selectable
100x or 2500x (total) digital zoom. Because the picture is processed digitally, the
picture quality deteriorates the more you zoom in. The power zoom lever can be
moved slightly for a slow zoom, or moved further for a faster zoom.
Intelligent Auto Mode: The Intelligent Auto (iA) mode
automatically sets the shooting mode that is appropriate for the condition when
you simply point the unit to what you want to record. Intelligent Auto Modes
include: Portrait, Scenery, Spotlight, Low Light, Night Portrait, Night Scenery,
Macro, and Normal.
Hybrid O.I.S.: Panasonic's Hybrid O.I.S. (Optical Image
Stabilization) uses five-axis correction to thoroughly suppress blurring
throughout the entire zoom range. It also achieves superb effects when shooting
while walking. With Hybrid O.I.S. you can capture crisp, clear images, without
blurring, in almost every shooting situation. The O.I.S. Lock function increases
the image stabilization sensitivity for maximum sharpness at extreme zoom
angles.
Face Recognition: Face Recognition is a function for finding
faces that resemble faces which have already been registered, and automatically
prioritizing focus and exposure for those faces. A maximum of 6 people can be
registered.
Illumination Requirements: The camera records video and
photos in normal mode at a standard illumination of 1400 lx. You can record at
4 lx in the Low Light mode (Scene Modes) and approximately 1 lx in the Color Night
Record mode.
White Balance Adjustment: You can set the
color balance to the brightness of the recording environment using the following
methods:
- Auto: The white balance is adjusted automatically
- Sunny Mode: for recording outdoors under a clear sky
- Cloudy Mode: for recording outdoors under a cloudy sky
- Indoor Mode 1: for recording indoors under incandescent lights and halogen
lamps
- Indoor Mode 2: for recording indoors under color
fluorescent lamps or sodium lamps
- Manual: You
can manually set the white balance using a white card or paper.
Manual Exposure: When automatic exposure settings fail to
give you the images you desire, you can manually set the shutter speed and the
iris/gain values. The Shutter Speed can be set between
1/60 and 1/8000 (1/30-1/8000 in Auto Slow Shutter mode) for movies and 1/2 to
1/2000 for still images. The Iris/Gain value can be set
between F16 and F2.0 (0 dB to 18 dB).
Focus Modes: The V500M focuses automatically for most
situations. When auto focus doesn't work, you can switch to Manual Focus and use
the MF+ and MF- buttons on the LCD screen to manually focus on the subject.
Zoom Mic: The Zoom Mic function links the microphones to the
lens action. When you zoom in on a subject, the microphones focus in on the
sound in the same direction. By suppressing the noise on both sides of the
camera, its performance improves by 3 dB, compared to Panasonic's
HDC-HS80/TM80/SD80 models.
LED Video Light: The camcorder has a built-in LED Video
Light, which automatically switches on when the ambient lighting is
insufficient. Since it is an LED, the light has low power consumption, a long
service life, and operates at a safe low temperature.
Video Camera Features
HD Video Recording: The V500M records Full HD motion images at
1920 x
1080 resolution onto the built-in 16 GB memory or an inserted SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card. The camera
records audio in Dolby Digital 2-channel audio using the built-in microphone. If
the video is going to be uploaded to a Mac, it is recommended that it be
recorded in the iFrame format with 2-channel AAC audio (960 x 540 resolution).
Recording Modes: The HC-V500M gives you the choice of six
recording modes, five AVCHD modes plus iFrame:
| Recording Mode |
Resolution |
Bit Rate |
Recording Capacity
16 GB Built-in Memory |
| 1080/60p |
1920 x 1080/60p |
28 Mbps |
1 hr 20 min |
| HA |
1920 x 1080/60i |
17 Mbps |
2 hours |
| HG |
1920 x 1080/60i |
13 Mbps |
2 hrs 40 min |
| HX |
1920 x 1080/60i |
9 Mbps |
4 hrs 10 min |
| HE |
1920 x 1080/60i |
5 Mbps |
6 hrs 40 min |
| iFrame |
960 x 540/30p |
28 Mbps |
1 hr 20 min |
Quick Start: The camera will go into standby mode if you
close the LCD monitor or push in the viewfinder while the unit is powered on. When the LCD monitor is
reopened or the viewfinder is extended, the unit resumes recording mode/pause in approximately 0.6 seconds,
allowing you to start recording almost immediately.
Pre-Rec: The Pre-Rec mode allows recording of
pictures and sound to start approximately 3 seconds before the start/stop button
is pressed. This helps prevent you from missing a shot.
Fader: When you start recording, the image and audio will
gradually appear, and when you pause or stop recording, the image/audio
gradually disappear. You can select a black or white fader, or turn off the fade
mode altogether.
Playback Modes: During playback, you can choose the following
operations: Play/pause, rewind, fast forward, stop, skip forward, skip backward,
slow-motion, and frame-by-frame. Audio will only be heard during normal
playback.
2D-to-3D Conversion: 2D images can be easily transformed
into 3D images with the 2D to 3D Conversion function. The conversion function
uses the image processing capability of the Crystal Engine Pro processor. The
camcorder will need to be connected to a 3D-compatible HDTV via HDMI cable in
order to view 3D images.
Still Image Recording
Still Image Sizes: The V500M can record still
images in 4:3, 3:2, and 16:9 aspect ratios. Available picture sizes include 1856
x 1392, 640 x 480, 2064 x 1376, 2304 x 1296, and 1920 x 1080. In addition, you
can create a still image from a recorded movie at a resolution of 2304 x 1296 or
1920 x 1080. The built-in 16 GB memory can hold approximately 9,500 pictures at
the highest resolution (2304 x 1296).
Hi-Speed Burst: When the Hi-Speed Burst function is
activated, you can continuously record up to 180 still images at a rate of 60
frames per second. The picture size is 1920 x 1080.
Battery Information
Battery: This unit comes with the VW-VBK180 Lithium-Ion
rechargeable battery (3.6V/1790 mAh/6.5 Wh). An optional high-capacity battery for this camcorder
is the VW-VBK360 (3.6V/3580mAh). The battery can be charged in the camcorder
using the supplied VSK0780 AC adapter, or via USB when connected to your
computer. The
playback and charging times is as follows:
| Battery Model |
Charging Time |
Recording Mode |
Maximum Continuous Recording Time |
Actual Recording Time |
| Supplied VW-VBK180 |
2 hrs 45 min
(5 hrs 45 min via USB) |
1080/60p |
1 hr 45 min |
55 min |
| HA |
1 hr 55 min |
55 min |
| HG, HX, HE |
1 hr 55 min |
1 hour |
| iFrame |
2 hrs 5 min |
1 hr 5 min |
| Optional VW-VBK360 |
4 hrs 20 min
(10 hrs 40 min via USB) |
1080/60p |
3 hrs 30 min |
1 hr 45 min |
| HA |
3 hrs 45 min |
1 hr 55 min |
| HG |
3 hrs 50 min |
1 hr 55 min |
| HX, HE |
3 hrs 50 min |
2 hours |
| iFrame |
4 hrs 10 min |
2 hrs 10 min |
Inputs and Outputs Notes
A/V Multi Output: This camcorder features a proprietary AV
multi connector output for use with the supplied A/V
multi cable (component video/composite video/stereo audio) for displaying the camera's contents on your television.
You can use either the component video plugs (red, green, blue RCAs) or
composite video plug (yellow) along with the stereo audio plugs (red, white RCAs)
to connect the camcorder to your TV. High definition images up to 1080i are
output using the component video plugs, and 480i standard images are output
using the component or composite plugs.
HDMI: You can output high definition video up to 1080p and 2-channel audio through the camcorder's HDMI output. A mini-HDMI to
HDMI cable is required to connect the camcorder to your HDTV. Connecting to a
3D-ready TV via HDMI cable is also required in order to view images converted
from 2D to 3D. When connecting to
a Panasonic VIERA Link (HDAVI control) compatible TV via HDMI, you can control
the camcorder's playback using the TV's remote control. The camcorder is
compatible with VIERA Link Ver.5 or earlier.
USB Port: The camera has a mini-USB version 2.0 jack for
connecting to a PC via the supplied USB cable. Connecting the camcorder
to a PC via USB allows the computer to access the information on the built-in
memory or an
inserted SD/SDHC/SDXC card. You will be able to download still images and video
files to your computer. You can edit and save your video files onto your computer, then make DVDs of
them using the software that is supplied with the
camera. The camera can also be used as an external storage device,
convenient for archiving, storing and transporting your videos and still images.
Software And Computer Information
Included Software: The camera includes HD Writer AE 4.0, which is compatible with Windows operating system only.
With HD Writer AE 4.0, you can:
- copy data to a PC
- copy in BD/AVCHD format (except iFrame scenes) or DVD-Video format
- edit movies
- share movies online
- play back movies on a PC
- format discs
Computer Requirements: HD Writer AE 4.0 works with the
following Operating Systems:
- Windows 7 (32-bit/64-bit): Starter, Home Basic,
Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate (Service Pack 1)
- Windows Vista (32-bit): Home Basic, Home Premium,
Ultimate, Business (SP2)
- Windows XP (32-bit): Home Edition, Professional (SP3)
iMovie: The V500M lets you record videos in iFrame format
for downloading and editing on a Mac. With iFrame, the video in the camera is in
the same format as used by Apple's iMovie'11 application (iMovie'11 is not
included with camcorder--contact Apple, Inc. for details). Videos shot in AVCHD
will need to be converted before importing. (1080/60p must be first converted to
1080/60i). Once you have transferred
and edited the movie, you can upload the movie to the Internet, as well as share
it on YouTube and Facebook in its original high quality.
Note: The HC-V500M is compatible with Mac OS X 10.7.2.
