I believe the Black Mamba is the Japanese version. Here in America you get the Higher priced Silver Mamba.
http://www.image-acquire.com/panason...s400_3_ccd.jpg
http://www.image-acquire.com/panason...v_gs400_3_ccd/
Panasonic Japan Announces New 4.1 Megapixel 3 CCD Camcorder NV-GS400 by Robin Liss
Today, Panasonic Japan announced the new NV-GS400 3 CCD Megapixel camcorder. Rumored for months, the new camcorder replaces the Japanese NV-GS100. The new Japanese camcorder includes 3 CCDs, each physically larger than before, and uses still pixel shifting to record stills at 4.1 Megapixel, the highest resolution stills of any consumer camcorder on the market. In Europe, this powerful camcorder sells for about ?1600 (approx. USD$1,900). The presence of a product page on Panasonic Europe's web site suggests that the camcorder has also been announced in Europe, but there is no accompanying press release.
The new PV-GS400 includes three 1/4.7-inch CCDs. This is a major upgrade for Panasonic camcorders, as their previous 3 CCD consumer camcorders included 1/6-inch CCDs -- the smallest CCD size available on the market. The increased CCD size is likely to answer the complaints of some users about the still performance of those camcorders.
The PV-GS400 uses a pixel shifting technology for stills, first introduced by Panasonic in its 2003 model line. The pixel shifting technology uses the combined pixel resolution of each CCD to produce 4.1 Megapixel images. Until now, the highest still resolution any consumer camcorder could produce was around 3 Megapixels.
According to both Panasonic Japan and Panasonic Europe's web sites, the camcorder features a 12x optical zoom, a manual focus ring, and a 3.5-inch 200K pixel LCD screen.
One of the biggest upgrades that users familiar with Panasonic 3 CCD camcorders will notice is the change from electronic to optical image stabilization. Previous consumer-end Panasonic 3 CCD camcorders included electronic image stabilization, which became less effective with a zoomed image. The optical image stabilization in the NV-GS400 will likely solve this problem.
The 4.1 Megapixel stills are recorded to SD cards, with their maximum resolution at 2288 x 1728. The camcorder also includes Panasonic's wired remote, which can also act as a zoom controller. The camcorder includes manual white balance, manual shutter speed control, manual iris (aperture) control, an on-camera pop-up flash, and the ability to function as a webcam.
Many believe that the NV-GS400 will replace the very popular PV-DV953, which has been on the market for over a year and a half, in the US. Currently, there are three Panasonic consumer 3 CCD camcorders: the PV-DV953, the PV-GS120 and the PV-GS200. The PV-GS120 and PV-GS200 are Panasonic's second generation of lower-end 3 CCD camcorders. Before Panasonic broke into the 3 CCD market, you couldn't get a 3 CCD camcorder for under $1,800. Now, Panasonic is the only manufacturer with a 3 CCD camcorder below $1,500, with the PV-DV953 selling for around $1,200, the PV-GS200 selling for around $1,000 and the PV-GS120 selling for around $700.
If the NV-GS400 makes it to US shores, it will likely be a huge success. The PV-GS200 and PV-GS120 are both incredibly popular, having been given rave reviews by this publication, and the PV-GS200 was just written up in The New York Times with a stellar review. However, Panasonic seems to have the worst history of all the manufacturers with regard to bringing Japanese and European models to the US. In Japan, a fourth 3 CCD model, the NV-GS100, features many upgrades over the US PV-DV953; however, it was never brought to the US. It seems probable, however, that Panasonic would replace the aging PV-DV953 with a newer, better, and smaller model.
According to Panasonic UK's web site, the NV-GS400 will be available there in July. Pricing information is not yet available
