Shock and dust-resistant disc drive
To minimize errors caused by shock or dust entering the disc drive, the PDW-680 has several unique ways of providing operational resistance to such factors. The disc drive entrance is concealed by two lids, helping to prevent any dust from entering the drive. In addition, four rubber dampers are used to hold the disc drive block in place and to absorb shocks that would otherwise go into the disc drive.
Optional viewfinders available
Two types of optional viewfinders are available for users: the HDVF-20A and HDVF-200 2.0-inch* monochrome viewfinders and the HDVF-C35W 3.5-inch* colour viewfinder.
*Viewable area measured diagonally.
3.5-inch* LCD
A large, easy-to-view, colour LCD screen on the PDW-680 camcorder's side panel enables operators to instantly review recorded footage, as well as access the camera's set-up menus and view status indications such as four-channel audio meters, and the remaining time available on the disc and battery. It also enables advanced operations such as Thumbnail Search and Scene Selection.
*Viewable area, measured diagonally.
Slow Shutter speeds for increased creativity
The shutter speed of the PDW-680 is selectable down to a 16-frame period (in 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, 8- and 16-frame periods). During such a long frame period, electrical charges accumulate on the CCDs, which dramatically increase sensitivity. This helps camera operators to shoot in extremely dark environments. The Slow Shutter function also allows operators to use shutter speeds longer than the frame rate and to intentionally blur images when shooting a moving object, for increased shooting creativity.
Interval Recording function
The PDW-680 offers an Interval Recording function, which intermittently records signals at pre-determined intervals. This is convenient for shooting over long periods of time, and also when creating pictures with special effects of extremely quick motion.
Picture Cache Recording function
The PDW-680 offers a Picture Cache Recording function that is especially useful during ENG applications. Up to 30 seconds of audio and video signals are buffered into the camcorder's memory before the Rec start button is even pressed (when in Standby mode). This means that everything that happened 30 seconds before the Rec start button was pressed will still be recorded onto the disc. This function works even before the disc is inserted in the drive - thereby helping to prevent the loss of any unexpected, yet important events. The caching period can be adjusted by menu setting. This camcorder cache memory also allows users to exchange the discs while recording. By removing a disc from the drive and inserting a new disc within 30 seconds, video, audio, and time code can be recorded seamlessly onto the new disc.
DVB-ASI video stream for field and satellite transmission
The PDW-680 with the HDCA-702* MPEG TS Adaptor provides a MPEG Transport Stream output capability via a DVB-ASI connector. The HDCA-702 encodes signals to MPEG TS and output via its DVB-ASI connector, concurrently with the PDW-680 recording onto disc. The bit rate is selectable from 17.5 Mb/s to 43 Mb/s, which is suitable for material transmissions using microwave and satellite modulators.
Smooth gain control
A wide choice of gain and its easy-to-use control system is one remarkable feature of the PDW-680 camcorder. By setting the gain to the assignable switches, the user can easily access the desired gain. And the transition to each gain value is extremely smooth thus eliminating undesirable abrupt changes to the overall image.
Optical ND filters and electrical CC filters
The PDW-680 camcorder comes equipped with optical ND (Neutral Density) filters and electrical CC (Colour Correction) filters. The optical ND filter is controlled via a built-in ND filter wheel -- Clear, 1/4ND, 1/16ND/, and 1/64ND. And with the electrical CC filter, the user can easily obtain the desired colour temperature by setting the mode - 3200K/4300K/5600K/6300K - on a camcorder-assignable switch. The user can select the four values cyclically or choose one preset value. Another usage of the CC filter function is the colour temperature setting which can be instantly set to the required level with an absolute value 3200K, 4300K, 5600K, or 6300K. This is also available via an assignable switch. This is useful when a sudden change happens in the shooting environment and a quick and direct setting is required.
Trigger REC Function
The PDW-680 camcorder has the Trigger REC function that enables synchronized recording with PDW-HD1500 or portable flash memory recorders connected via the HD-SDI 10bits HD422 interface - a convenient feature for backup recording.