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Control Panasonic PTZ Cameras with ATEM

Controlling the camera through your ATEM uses ATEM Link, a Middle Control Pro feature.

The Problem​

Panasonic AW-series PTZ cameras are a staple of broadcast and live event production — fixed installations, conferences, houses of worship. But none of them speak the ATEM Camera Control protocol natively.

The Solution​

With the ATEM Link feature of Middle Control Pro, Panasonic PTZ cameras integrate directly into the ATEM control workflow over the network. Pan, tilt, zoom, focus, iris, ISO, shutter, white balance, and ND filters all sync between Middle Control, the camera, and the ATEM — exactly as if your Panasonic were a native ATEM camera. (On AW heads, tint is driven from the ATEM colour-balance wheels rather than an ATEM tint value.)

You can drive everything from:

  • ATEM Software Control
  • ATEM Camera Control Panel
  • ATEM Micro Camera Panel
  • ATEM Advanced Panel
  • ATEM Television Studio HD8 / 4K8 and ATEM Mini Extreme built-in camera controls
  • Bitfocus Companion using the Middle Control Companion plugin
  • The Middle Control camera page itself

Supported Cameras​

The following Panasonic AW-series PTZ cameras are supported in Middle Control 4.0:

  • AW-HE series — AW-HE40, AW-HE42, AW-HE50, AW-HE60, AW-HE70, AW-HE120, AW-HE130, AW-HE145
  • AW-UE series — AW-UE40, AW-UE70, AW-UE80, AW-UE100, AW-UE150, AW-UE160
PTZ joystick control

Pan / tilt / zoom on these Panasonic AW-series PTZ cameras can also be driven from the joystick on the ATEM Advanced Panel or the ATEM Television Studio HD8 / 4K8 — alongside iris, ISO, focus, and color from the same surface.

→ See the compatibility section for the full list.

How it works​

  1. Connect your Panasonic PTZ camera to your local network over Ethernet — no APC-R required.
  2. Pair the camera to Middle Control — see the Panasonic Cameras setup guide.
  3. Connect Middle Control to your ATEM switcher (Preferences Page).
  4. In the Middle Control sidebar, select your camera and set the Camera ID to match its ATEM input.
  5. Toggle the ATEM Link button on the camera page.

Done. Any change made on ATEM Software Control or your hardware panel is now reflected on the Panasonic camera in real time. Changes made on the camera body itself are not written back to the ATEM.

ATEM and Panasonic values don't always match exactly

Panasonic's parameter values aren't always a 1:1 match with the ATEM's. For example, the ATEM may show a 1/100 shutter while the Panasonic reports 1/120. If you need exact Panasonic values, you can disable ATEM Link on the camera page — but you'll lose ATEM-side control of that camera.

Who this is for​

  • Houses of worship with installed AW-UE PTZ rigs and an ATEM control room
  • Conference and corporate AV integrating Panasonic PTZ into Blackmagic-based switching workflows
  • Live event producers mixing Panasonic PTZ with Blackmagic and Sony cameras on a single ATEM
  • Broadcasters standardising on the ATEM workflow but already invested in AW-series hardware

→ Learn more in the ATEM Link guide.

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