Leo Ticheli Productions Purchases Panasonic AG-AF100

Leo Ticheli Productions recently purchased the Panasonic AG-AF100 large imager HD cinema camcorder to support its full-service content creation. Recognized for its production work in the areas of automotive, and healthcare, LTP was the first all-digital facility in Alabama and a noted pioneer in HD acquisition.

LTP has utilized the AF100 on a variety of corporate projects including a segment for the city’s annual “Paint the Town Red” benefit for the Red Cross in which video was projected on downtown buildings, and training vignettes for the BBVA Compass bank and Mountain States Health Alliance. Company principal Leo Ticheli has also utilized the camcorder to shoot aerials and a pitch video for a regional advertising agency.

Targeted at the film and video production communities, the AF100 delivers film-like shallow depth of field and the wider field of view of a large imager, with the flexibility and cost advantages of a growing line of professional quality, industry-standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. The full HD 1080/720 production camera offers superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.

“The Canon 5D is a great still camera but a terrible motion picture camera,” said Director/Cinematographer Ticheli. “The aliasing and moiré can completely kill a shot, and the ergonomics are horrible. It can overheat and shut down, and that’s after it has degraded the image quality.”

“The AF100 overcomes every single liability of HDSLRs,” he continued. “There is no observable aliasing and moiré. The camcorder is lightweight with a small footprint, and with its built-in interchangeable lens mount, it can take virtually any cine-style or still lens.”

“The depth of field is similar to that of 35mm film cameras,” Ticheli said. “The AF100 affords the full range of cinematic requisites, including variable frame rates, digital audio recording, customizable scene files, focus assist and Synchro-scan. The color LCD monitor and electronic viewfinder are standard, and the built-in ND filter is a tremendous time-saver, facilitating many more shots in a production day. And with all this comes professional connectors, like uncompressed, 4:2:2 HD-SDI out.”

“We’ll continue to shoot with higher-end—and more expensive—cameras, but the AF100 is really, really good, ideal for a small, fast-moving crew,” he added.  “It’s certainly doing a few jobs that would have gone to a RED, because the AF100 is less expensive and handy to use.”