Panasonic Twin Camera: Two Cameras, More than Double the Fun

After only a few minutes of shooting with one of Panasonic's recently introduced Twin Camera line of consumer camcorders, I found it hard to put down the camcorder, because I was just having so much fun. What's Twin Camera, you may be wondering? It's a new feature found in select Panasonic consumer camcorders that lets you record two independent camera angles at once, with the secondary feed recorded as picture-in-picture in the corner of the frame. The Twin Camera lineup is divided among those camcorders with a built-in secondary camera and those without. I was shooting with the HC-WX970, which records in either HD or 4K, and incorporates a built-in secondary camera mounted on the edge of the flip-out LCD screen. The secondary camera is tiny, and it features a fixed wide-angle focal length (non-zooming) lens. One of the cooler features it offers is that it rotates 270° around the LCD screen so you can easily record yourself with the secondary camera while shooting with the main camera.

The secondary camera moves independently of the LCD screen, and it also tilts up and down, giving you a lot of control over your second angle, although you don't get anywhere near the control and features on the little camera as you do with the main camera, but it certainly adds a whole new dimension to your shooting.  And with just a little practice, you can start to create the most interesting compositions and shots.

For example, I was recording my niece, who's one and a half years old and was kicking a ball. I was able to capture her kicking the ball in the main camera, and with the secondary camera, track the ball once at left frame and then capture her entering that little secondary picture-in-picture shot to kick the ball again. The secondary camera is something that will definitely be a hit at family gatherings, and for home movies. However, beyond that, what I found so enjoyable was trying to frame with both cameras at the same time. Suddenly, I had this new option to bring to my camera work—how could I frame this shot so it's more interesting than just a picture of a kid kicking a ball? What's going to make it interesting, and how can I frame them both in the same shot so that it will be pleasing when viewing the picture in picture? Then I was faced with the question: how do I move this picture-in-picture?

I have to say that Panasonic has really thought the system out well, because the picture-in-picture has two size options. The secondary camera / picture-in-picture has two modes. The default is a widescreen aspect ratio that takes up about 1/6 of the screen; however, you can also shrink it down to a more 4:3 (non-widescreen) aspect ratio, so your secondary image takes up less of your screen's real estate. But wait—that's not all. You can move the secondary camera's image to any of the four corners of your screen. Just tap on the secondary camera's image to activate these options.

A new approach to shooting and good audio

The picture-in-picture feature makes composing your shots a whole new ballgame. Now you get to compose two different shots at the same time, and you've only got one camera. Not so easy, although you do get a lot of independent orientation tools with the second camera. With the second camera, shooting family videos or vacation videos suddenly becomes a bit more of a challenge, albeit an enjoyable one. It is very much a case of, “Wow what can I do with this?” I haven't really had this much fun shooting with a consumer camcorder for quite a while. It's worth mentioning that if you're doing a picture-in-picture selfie, Panasonic has incorporated excellent audio that will pick up your voice so you can do narration, or hear both sides of conversation if you're talking to someone and shooting yourself at the same time.

Wi-Fi unleashes even more features

I did write that some models of the new Twin Cams come with a secondary camera in the LCD’s door, and some models do not. However, do not fear, because all Twin Camera models allow you to connect your Wi-Fi-enabled device to select cameras to record the picture-in-picture, and offer a working radius of approximately 50 feet. While there are a few cameras that are compatible with this feature, the waterproof Panasonic HX-A1, for example, you don't need to worry about having to run out and buy a second camera, as you can pair your smartphone—either iOS or Android—and use that to provide the secondary camera angle. It's not difficult to do, and you have a variety of choices for pairing, from joining a network, using the camera as the network, and even using NFC. It only takes about a minute or less and you're off and shooting.

Wi-Fi functionality has really exploded on the camcorder scene, and Panasonic takes great advantage of this, not just using your smartphone to provide the secondary camera image in the Twin Cam—with the same free downloadable app, you can also control the functions of the main camcorder from your phone when you're not using it for the secondary camera.

The secondary camera mode is available on all the Twin Camera cameras, whether it comes with its own built-in secondary camera or not, and it works equally well, whether shooting in HD or in 4K. And for our friends in Europe, the PAL version works just the same, so don't worry, you won't be left out of the fun.

In addition to the fun at family outings, I found the secondary camera was great for studying my daughter’s archery technique, where I could record the target, and at the same time record them with the camera's built-in secondary camera as they released the arrow. At 4K, there was plenty of detail in the secondary camera. However, if I wanted more detail, I could record my daughters with the main camera and use another camera for the target via the wireless connection. I found that just having to set up one camera made things very simple, but I could see the advantage of using the main camera for details of their technique. See the example of archery footage in the video, below. The archery instructor was looking up the camera on the Internet when we were leaving; I suspect that sports coaches in many disciplines are going to find a lot of uses for the twin-camera functionality, especially with the Wi-Fi functionality.

It isn't all Utopia

The only real caveat to this system is that there are some features and functionality that are not available when using the secondary camera feature. Something else to consider is that when using the secondary camera—either the built-in camera or via Wi-Fi—the picture-in-picture is burned in; the camera does not record two separate files. While I've got to say that this is a drag, and limits the usefulness of the feature, there is a workaround. If you record in HD, using AVCHD, you can go into the menu system and select the Backup mode. This will cause the camera to record two files; one file contains the image from the main camera with the secondary camera burned in, while the second file contains ONLY the image from the main camera. It doesn't work for every shooting mode, so if you are recording to MP4, or shooting in 4K (if your Twin Cam model supports it) then you can't shoot in Backup mode. But, if you are shooting in Backup mode, then at least you can transition between the footage with the secondary camera and the footage without in post. See the video below for an example.

With just a little bit of effort, and if your NLE supports it, you should be able to cut out the secondary camera’s image, isolating just that angle—in essence, providing you with the secondary camera angle to use as you wish. However, since you are recording two files, you will fill up your data card more quickly this way. But with the capacity and affordability of memory cards these days, this might not be such a hardship.

Overall enjoyable and positive

All in all, I found these cameras very exciting to work with. The straightforward operation, the easy-to-use Wi-Fi incorporation and, of course, the new secondary camera option, left me invigorated and ready for more. Thanks for reading, and keep on shooting.