Sony continues to expand their 4K hegemony, this time by announcing the Sony FDR-X1000V Action Cam – a direct competitor to the GoPro Hero4 Black, and as an addition to their action camera lineup. The camera made its debut just yesterday at CES 2015 and already generated a lot of buzz in the filmmaking community.
The camera is equipped with Zeiss Tessar lens with a 170-degree wide-angle field of view and features an Exmor R Back Illuminated CMOS sensor along with a BIONZ X processor. The FDR-X1000V shoots 4K (UHD) video at a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 24 and 30fps. Sony implemented the XAVC S codec using the MP4 wrapper as the main recording codec that provides a broadcast quality bitrates at 60Mbps for HD, and up to 100Mbps when shooting 4K video. The camera can shoot the impressive 120fps in HD mode and 240fps slow motion videos in 720p.
Regarding recording media, you can use regular micro SD cards. However, Sony recommends the new micro SDXC cards for 4K recording, as on the 64 GB card you can capture around 2 hours of 4K footage. Additionally, the FDR-X1000V features wind noise reduction and manual controls in the form of white balance and auto exposure shifting along with a built-in SteadyShot Electronic Image Stabilization.
Here are the feature highlights of the Sony FDR-X1000V:
- 1/2.3 type (7.76mm) back-illuminated “Exmor R” CMOS Sensor
- Effective Video Pixels – Approx. 8.8MP (16:9)
- 4K recording at 24p and 30p
- HD recording at 120fps and 720p at 240fps
- Lens Type ZEISS Tessar with maximum aperture F2.8
- Electronic SteadyShot Stabilizer
- Built-in Stereo Microphone
- Recording format: MP4: MPEG-4 AVC/H.26; XAVC S format: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
- GPS, NFC, Wi-Fi capabilities
- Rechargeable NP-BX1 battery
- Availability: February 2015
Also, the Live View Remote RM-LVR2 that was previously only available with the Action Cam Mini will be available bundled with the camera as well for an extra $100. The waterproof remote (that is made to be touched on your wrist) has a little color screen that connects to the Action Cams over Wi-Fi, allowing you to change settings, preview and view shots and control multiple cameras simultaneously.
Here is a brief look at the built-in stabilization capabilities:
And, some more footage from the camera as well:
The Sony FDR-X1000V will be available next month in February and is expected to cost around $500 which again puts it in direct competition to the GoPro Hero4 Black. However, the biggest selling point here is the availability of the Electronic Image Stabilization along with the professional codec and the attractive price for the features provided.
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