Panasonic India has launched the HX-A1 rugged wearable action camera at a retail price of Rs. 19,990. The camera weighs just 45 grams and is shockproof, waterproof, dustproof, and freezeproof. The main highlight of the HX-A1, which sets it apart from traditional action cameras, is its 0lux night-vision mode. This lets you record in pitch darkness, provided there is an infrared light source illuminating the scene.
The HX-A1 packs in a 3.5-megapixel, 1/3-inch MOS sensor with an f/2.8 aperture. It has the ability to shoot full-HD resolution videos at 30fps, HD slow-motion videos at 60fps or 480p video at 120fps. You can add more storage of up to 128GB through a microSD card slot. The camera has IP68 certification, built-in Wi-Fi to control it remotely, and can be mounted onto goggles, bags, helmets, or a tripod. You can even add other optional accessories like a handlebar mount, extended battery, a clip mount or a head mount.
The HX-A1 works with Panasonic's accompanying smartphone app, which lets you preview your pictures and share them instantly. You can also use Wi-Fi to pair it with its 2015 range of camcorders for a twin-cam setup or connect it to your computer and use it as a webcam. The loop recording mode lets you continuously record for more than an hour by retaining the most recent scenes and deleting the older ones. It can do this by managing the video in two-minute segments.