Sony to expand 35mm large format sensor camcorder lineup “NXCAM” HD camcorder under development, featuring E-mount lens system
Sony Corporation announced today that it is developing a new type of E-mount interchangeable lens camcorder for professional use that is equipped with a Super-35mm equivalent large format CMOS sensor. This new addition to Sony’s professional “NXCAM” line will be available in the middle of 2011.
Already a key player in the 35mm digital cinematography business with the highly acclaimed “CineAlta” F35 and SRW-9000PL for high-end digital cinema production, Sony has just strengthened its lineup in this category with the recent PMW-F3 announcement. In addition to this, with this new “NXCAM” HD camcorder now (still under development), Sony looks to further strengthen its position in the entry-level segment by providing an affordable yet highly capable professional solution for many applications including independent film, music video and corporate communications all looking for the cinematic look.
This “NXCAM” HD camcorder under development will be equipped with a Super-35mm equivalent sensor, a widely used film stock size in the film industry that is perfectly designed for capturing motion picture. This new sensor will have extraordinary performance in terms of picture quality and sensitivity, and is able to create rich “Bokeh” effect (beautifully defocused image) that is perfect for artistic story-telling in motion picture.
Thanks to the adoption of the E-mount interchangeable lens system that is identical to the “α” series NEX-5, 3 and “Handycam” NEX-VG10, the E-mount lenses will be compatible with this new professional camcorder. In addition, a very short flange back distance (the distance between lens mount surface and sensor surface) let various “α” A-mount lenses be mounted via a mount adaptor (LA-EA1). Furthermore, it is also possible to attach many other lenses using third-party mount adaptors*1. With such flexibility, users will be able to experiment with various creative expressions by exploiting the characteristics of different optics.
*1: Not all types of adaptors and lenses are guaranteed.
The recording format for this new HD camcorder will be AVCHD, a widely supported format by many non liner editing software vendors and the same format as HXR-NX5 “NXCAM” camcorder.
There is also a plan to implement 1080p (60p / 30p / 24p*2 or 50p / 25p) recording modes.
(MPEG4-AVC/H.264 compression will be used for these modes.)
Hirano San was the lovely driver who took us around Kyoto, Japan. This is a film I made of the day in a very rushed, episodic day of going to place to place.
I was there with 5 other shooters (which makes it much harder to shoot as you are tripping over each other!) as guests of Pansonic to test out their 95% finished Panasonic. AF100/101. We were there to give them honest feedback and thoughts on their new camera, not just wow, great camera! Really great idea to do this.
Read more about the trip and my thoughts on shooting with the camera on my blog, including the lenses I used and why.
Also there is a detailed audio commentary there. Worth a listen!!
The new Sony PRO PMW-F3 Camcorder with 35mm Sensor (first ever CMOS image sensor in its Exmor series), the PMW-F3 is Designed for television, commercials, music promos and budget features, the new camcorder is offered at a price point that will bring Super 35mm shooting within reach of a wider audience. The camcorder accepts PL mount lenses. Two configurations of the PMW-F3 will be available (PMW-F3L body only and PMW-F3K with PL lens kit). First deliveries of are scheduled for January 2011. PMW-F3K comes supplied with three high quality Sony lenses (35mm, 50mm and 85mm, T2.0).
Press Release
Basingstoke November 8th, 2010:- Representing a breakthrough for filmmakers in terms of features, performance and price, Sony Professional is adding to its line-up of Super 35mm digital motion picture camera technologies. The family, which includes the legendary F35 and the recently announced SRW-9000PL, is now joined by the all new PMW-F3 camcorder.
Each camera in the line-up is based on a Super 35mm sensor and PL mount technology, and illustrates Sony’s unique ability to offer filmmakers access to the highest-quality imaging tools and most complete digital production workflows.
The new PMW-F3 is the latest example of Sony’s efforts to combine performance and price into a powerful and affordable production tool. Designed for television, commercials, music promos and budget features, the new camcorder is offered at a price point that will bring Super 35mm shooting within reach of a wider audience.
That, and the availability of a low-cost PL lens kit model which includes 35/50/85mm T2.0 fixed focal length lenses, makes it ideal for use as a 2nd unit 35mm camera or as a B camera to the SRW-9000PL.
“Sony has a long and successful track record of developing digital motion production technologies,” said Bill Drummond, Strategic Marketing Manager at Sony Professional Europe. “Our cameras have shot everything from documentaries to big-budget blockbusters, totaling many billions of Euros at the box office. With the new PMW-F3, we’re putting the full power of our expertise to work, to bring precise control over depth of field, and access to the huge range of cinematic lenses available to a wider range of users.”
The new PMW-F3 camcorder is based on Sony’s XDCAM EX workflow (codec is MPEG-2 Long GOP 4:2:0 8bit, 35 Mbps), and uses Sony’s SxS™ ExpressCard-based recording media format. Its Super 35mm CMOS imager delivers shallow depth of field, with high sensitivity and low noise levels (ISO 800, F11; and S/N ratio of 63dB in 1920×1080/59.94i mode), as well as wide dynamic range.
The camcorder offers a wide range of image creation options, as well as the ability to seamlessly inter-cut PMW-F3 footage with content shot on Sony’s F35 or SRW-9000PL cameras – through the use of an HD-SDI dual-link output for external recording (4:2:2 1080 50/59.94P as standard; and RGB 1080 23.98/25/29.97PsF as an option).
Additionally, “S-LOG” and “Hyper Gamma” can be selected. This can allow users to take full advantage of the CMOS imager’s wide dynamic range, giving them the ability to tailor their images during post-production in the same way they would in a film based workflow.
Recording formats include 1920×1080, 1440×1080, and 1280×720 at 23.98/25/29.97p, 50/59.94i and, in DVCAM mode, 25/29.97PsF and 50/59.94i. Filmmakers can also take advantage of ‘slow’ and ‘quick’ recording, also known as “overcranking” and “undercranking” from 1 to 30 fps at 1920×1080 (17 to 30 fps in dual-link mode) and 1 to 60 fps at 1280×720 (17 to 60 fps in dual-link mode).
The PMW-F3’s PL mount adapter can accommodate both PL and zoom lenses, and will offer compatibility with a variety of cine lenses such as Cooke, Arri, Fujinon and Zeiss.
Sony is also announcing its plan to introduce a compatible SR Memory Portable Recorder for the PMW-F3 camcorder. This will add a high-end workflow option as well as full RGB capability providing native recoding in HDCAM SR codec.
“We demonstrated a prototype PMW-F3 on our stand at IBC and have been inundated with requests for more information ever since. It’s great to be able to unveil the full list of features, and announce that first deliveries will be made well in advance of what many customers may have been expecting,” concluded Drummond.
Two configurations of the PMW-F3 will be available (PMW-F3L body only and PMW-F3K with PL lens kit). First deliveries of are scheduled for January 2011.
Film and Digital Times says that Sony teased them a upcoming Full-frame video camera image… Why?.. new Full Frame video camera Price and Specification will be revealed on November 17th, 2010.
Internationally-renowned provider of digital lifestyle innovations, BenQ, expands the lineup of their camcorder product line today with the launch of their latest pocket-size 1080p Full HD M11. The new M11 is packed with features such as a 10MP CMOS sensor; 5x optical zoom and 3.0” 16:9 touch-screen display. Sensational results are a few touches away.
Smart engineering, functionality and intuitive operation gracefully merged to work together in M11: touch exposure; face tracking; time lapse recording; slow-motion and accelerated playback; 3sec pre-recording and dual stream recording are only few of its inexplicable features – along with the scene mode selection allowing its users to change and select up to 10 shooting modes: Auto; Night; Sports; Landscape; Portrait; Sunset; Sand /Snow; Flower; Firework and Aquarium. Giving the consumer’s the ability to record their precious moments in life with ease.
One of the prominent functions in M11 is the Time Lapse Recording feature. M11 allows users to create magnificent video works with this handy feature, engrossing clips of actions slowly being unfolded can be captured. Watch a flower bloom, a rainstorm approach, a city’s dusk till dawn. Videos recorded in this mode can be quickly viewed and take up little storage space.
Viewing experience on the M11 is exceptionally flexible, actions on the videos can be slowed down to as little as 1/64th of the original speed, or sped up by up to 64 times when filmed at the resolution of 432×240. Playback at the speed you like, and capture certain shots with ease using the shutter. Watch a friend’s facial expression in slow motion, or whiz through slow-moving action all at your fingertips, literally.
The 3 sec pre-recording feature on M11 saves the video for the three seconds before the user actually pressed the record button, which means there will be no worry if the record button is pressed right after the action started. Get it all on the video for posterity by using those magically restored seconds.
Dislike fiddling with confusing ISO settings? For users who hope for the best with hit-and-miss conventional auto-exposure settings, use the advanced touch-activated version. The touch exposure feature allows tapping on the screen where the light levels look right to a discerning eye, and the correct exposure levels will automatically be set.
Another proud feature for the M11 is the dual stream recording, built-in with its users in mind. It simultaneously creates two different video files as videos are being filmed. One can be a high-definition version for a luxurious viewing experience on a widescreen TV, whilst another can be a compact version for uploading and sharing on the web. No more tedious conversions or slow uploads!
The M11 will be available in China and Asia Pacific in October, and Latin America in November.For more information, please visit www.BenQ.com
This is an independent evaluation by members of CREWS.TV of the Panasonic AG AF 101/102 micro 4/3 camera.
This test was done purely as an experiment to evaluate its performance as a Film making /Television production tool. We did not test it against charts or other cameras, we simply took it for a test drive in what we thought would be its optimal conditions. Our goal was not to find its faults or decide its place in the market nor was it to choose sides in the ever political best camera debates. We are cinematographers who love their craft and love the tools that give us this ability.
We only had the camera for a few hours so we decided to keep it simple.
The camera is capable of 35mm lenses, so we used a PL adapter and Zeiss Ultra Primes , choosing from our set as we saw fit on the day. We chose to record on the on-board SD cards with the AVCHD codec at 24 mbs but we also opted to use the HDSDI output, recording at 100 mbs on the AVC Intra HD codec to P2 cards. We opted to do this rather than recording to Nanoflash simply to keep it all Panasonic native.
We chose this work-flow as we simply wanted to see this camera in the very best light possible.
We also had a sound recordist on location who used a dual channel radio link to the camera via its standard XLR inputs.
This is a prototype, so there were some technical issues, Panasonic assured us that it would be rectified in the production model. Our test scenes had to be limited to indoor locations as a consequence. It was a temperature related issue.
This footage is edited from the 100mbs files, ingested and edited natively mainly because it was easy. This footage was not graded, altered or manipulated, straight off the files and exported to Vimeo for your viewing pleasure. In fact we even used the natural sound rather than using music so that you can evaluated the footage for yourself.
Panasonic AG-AF100 pro Micro Four Thirds HD camcorder available from December 27 at a suggested retail price of $4995. The Panasonic AG-AF100 camcorder records full 1080p HD videos at frame rates from 12 to 60 fps and is compatible with the company’s line up of Lumix G lenses, filters and adapters.
Panasonic Solutions Company today announced that the AG-AF100, the industry’s first professional micro 4/3-inch video camcorder optimized for high-definition video recording, will start shipping on December 27th at a suggested list price of $4,995. Highly anticipated since its introduction at NAB earlier this year, the AF100 is poised to set new benchmarks in digital cinematography.
“The design of the AF100’s best-in-class 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera body”
Targeted at the video and film production communities, the AF100 delivers the shallow depth of field and wider field of view of a large imager, with the flexibility and cost advantages of a growing line of professional quality, industry-standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. The full HD 1080 and 720 production camera offers superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.
“The design of the AF100’s best-in-class 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera body,” said Jan Crittenden Livingston, Product Line Business Manager, Panasonic Solutions Company. “What’s more, Panasonic engineering ingenuity has resolved the aliasing and moiré that has haunted the DSLR shooter. Indeed, the proof of concept of the AF100 was based on what we heard from and saw customers doing: purchasing DSLR cameras because they liked the look of the image, but then agonized over all of the workarounds required to come out with an acceptable high definition recording.”
The AF100 incorporates a large 4/3-inch,16:9 MOS imager that minimizes skew with fast imager scanning, and incorporates low pass filters for elimination of aliasing and moiré. Additionally, it has a built-in optical ND filter. The camcorder records 1080 at 60i, 50i, 30P, 25P (Native) and 24P (Native), and 720 at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p native,in AVCHD’s highest-quality PH mode (maximum 24Mbps). The AF100 also records in AVCCAM’s HA (17 Mbps) and HE (6Mbps) modes, 1080i only. Ready for global production standards, the camcorder is 60Hz and 50Hz switchable. Equipped with an interchangeable micro 4/3-inch lens mount, the AF100 can utilize an array of low-cost, widely-available still camera lenses as well as film-style lenses with fixed focal lengths and primes.
Variable frame rates are available in 1080p, selectable in 20 steps from 12p to 60p at 60Hz and 20 steps from 12p to 50p at 50Hz. Standard professional interfaces include uncompressed 4:2:2, 8 Bit HD-SDI out; HDMI out; and USB 2.0. It records SMPTE timecode and is able to perform timecode synchronizing via the video output seeing timecode in. It has a built-in stereo microphone and features two mic/line, switchable XLR inputs with +48V Phantom Power capability. The camera can record 48-kHz/16-bit two-channel digital audio recording (in PH mode only) and supports LPCM/Dolby-AC3 in any of the modes.
This newest Panasonic AVCCAM camcorder is the first to enjoy the benefits of advanced SDXC media card compatibility in addition to existing SDHC card support. SDXC is the newest SD memory card specification that supports memory capacities above 32GB and up to 2TB. With two SD slots for continuous recording, the AF100 can record up to 12 hours on two 64GB SDXC cards in PH mode, with automatic clip spanning across the two cards.
Weighing only 3.5 pounds (without lens or battery), the AF100 is packed with high-end features including Dynamic Range Stretch in all modes and frame rates; six built-in, customizable scene files that are exchangeable for quick and easy matching between multiple cameras; seven built-in gamma curves with four selectable color matrices; Syncro-scan shutter; and a high-resolution LCD and viewfinder.
It also offers a focus assist that can be used while recording, which is color-on peaking and a focus bar; two sets of adjustable zebras; two manual black and white balance choices, and preset White Balance at 3200K, 5600K or variable; a waveform monitor and vectorscope for more accurate monitoring of broadcast safe levels. Other essential features include pre-record; an intervalometer function that can be set for up to 24 hours, programmable User Buttons; a Smart Battery interface for recording up to four hours with a 5400mA battery; metadata recording; and a wireless infrared remote controller.
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