IBC 2017 wrapped a few days ago, and today is as good as any day for a bit of a round-up on some of the key cameras Sony exhibited at the show. Sony folks were busy bees at the show floor, demoing the new palm held 4K camcorders that were announced at the beginning of the show – the Sony PXW-Z90, which is the next evolution of the popular compact PXW-X70; also the new HXR-NX80 and the consumer version FDR-AX700 (of the NX80 and Z90).
The big new feature that Sony is pushing for these new 4K palmheld camcorders is not just the fact they feature 1-inch EXMOR RS stacked sensors, but also improved autofocus performance with 273-point phase-detection AF sensor. The built-in HLG functionality also enables 4K HDR capture for quick delivery for YouTube, future broadcast use, or home viewing on an HDR compatible TV set.
Grab a cuppa and enjoy the 40+ minutes Sony Press Conference below:
Sony also claims that their new Fast Hybrid AF system ensures highly accurate focusing and tracking during shooting, delivered by 273 phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 84% of the shooting area, high-density placement of autofocus points and a newly developed AF algorithm to make it easier to focus even when shooting in 4K.
Sony PXW-Z90/HXR-NX80 Key Features:
- 4K full-pixel readout without pixel binning
- Enhanced BIONZ X image processing engine
- Super Slow Motion recording up to 960fps (quality varies)
- Full HD recording up to 120fps
- S-Log3/S-Gamut3
- 29mm (35mm equivalent) wide-angle ZEISS lens
- 12x optical zoom lens and 18x Clear Image Zoom
- MI multi-interface shoe for cable-less audio (with Sony UWP-D11 for example)
- Record onto SD cards
- 10bit 422 in Full HD XAVC-Long GOP (Z90)
- UHD is 8bit 420
- PXW-Z90 features 3G-SDI and HDMI
- NX80 – HDMI only
- 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz with QoS Streaming (Z90)
- Sony PXW-Z90 – $2,799 (B&H / Adorama)
- Sony HXR-NX80 – $2,299 (B&H / Adorama)
- Sony FDR-AX700 – $1,899 (B&H / Adorama)
Sample footage from Sony NX80 and Z90:
In addition to the above key features as series, the Sony PXW-Z90 and HXR-NX80 also have dual XLR audio inputs, a detachable handle, and access to Content Browser Mobile – a supporting smartphone application to enable Wi-Fi monitoring, Camcorder remote control and wireless timecode sync between multiple cameras. The Son FDR-AX700 is the consumer version of these camcorders, with a different codec and the lack of 3G-SDI or XLR inputs.
Also, the Z90 is more broadcast oriented with 10bit 422 XAVC-Long GOP in Full HD ensuring compliance with broadcasters and a 3G-SDI output. The NX80 is HDMI only, and AX700 both record using the Sony XAVC-S 8bit Long GOP codec in all resolutions.
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Seems this sets up what the FS5mII will probably be. Sony will give it this new AF, some minor ergonomic enhancements, maybe a better EVF and all the RAW firmware updates, making it a similar treatment as they did for the FS7mII. Just enough to make it an easy sell for new users but not enough to upgrade from the original FS5.
piece of junk cant even do 4k60p with a 1inch sensor while GH5 can do it in a smaller body with a larger sensor for cheaper. Don’t waste your money on this.
I was most interested in the new 8k camera- 8300!! Wow. Can’t wait to see that closer.