Panasonic supports 'Icebird' sustainable adventure with Secure Digital technology

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Australian explorersPatrick Spiers and Dave Goldie have selected Panasonic's lightweight Professional High Definition Camcorder to record their gruelling and innovative 1600km kitesled voyage across the shore ice of Hudson Bay, Canada.

Along with the adventurers, the camcorder must withstand the extreme rigours of a 1600km trip, travelling up to 16 hours a day in temperatures as low as -40C, biting arctic winds of up to 70kph, and natural hazards such as polar bears.

Adventurer Patrick Spiers explained: "We have an ultimate goal of traversing the Antarctic continent by kitesled in 2009.  To prepare for that voyage, we have crossed the 700km Greenlandicecap as well as other mountain ranges across the globe.   Hudson Bayis the next step in our preparation."

The team - Patrick Spiers, inventor Dave Goldie and Ben Deacon - is committed to sustainable exploration, with Patrick Spiers also an environmental educator who often presents to schools and other groups.  The 'kite sled' was their brainchild, with NZ designer Peter Lynn bringing the concept to life.  The sled design has been customised for the Hudson Baytrip, combining a lightweight frame and a top speed of 100 k/hr with the strength needed. The futuristic 'sled with a sail' is completely wind driven, and can also be hauled - although the explorers hope to 'sail' most of the way with Hudson Baychosen for its high winds.

Patrick Spiers explained: "An important part of the journey is visiting schools in remote Inuit villages.  As well as capturing the journey on camcorder, we will also be filming messages from Inuit schoolchildren on climate change."

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The AG-HSC1UE camcorder is ideal for the Arctic environment, with a tough shock and dust proof body, which is well sealed and offers protection from condensation forming due to rapid temperature changes.  Secure Digital (SD) card technology means there is no tape transport mechanism, so the unit is more robust, as well as being compact and lightweight. 

Importantly, the camcorder is also able to deliver high definition footage of the expedition, using a 3CCD imaging system and advanced AVCHD compression, with hours of footage stored on a tiny SD card.

Much of the time the camera will be carried inside Patrick's clothing to keep it warm.

The camera battery is insulated inside the body of the camera, which is important in protecting it from the cold. It will be recharged using a portable solar panel. 

Patrick said: "Solid state SD instead of tape was the biggest reason that we chose the camcorder. We found in Greenlandthat moving parts created issues, the tape material changed in the cold, and we had more drop out than footage." 

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"Small size was the next key factor.  It's hard to function as a human being at -40, and we found in the past that the best things went unfilmed because we were concentrating on survival.  With this camcorder, we can keep it in our Gore-Tex jackets instead of on the sled and take it out without thinking."

Patrick added: "We have a tripod for pieces to camera, but because the camcorder is small and portable, you also have the freedom to capture spontaneous events as they happen, such as close shots of polar bears, which we are hoping to get. "

The adventurers leave for Canadaon 17 March, and expect to complete the journey by April 25.