The team attending IBC 2013 from Alias Hire always knew it was going to be busy, but now it’s a WHOLE lot busy!. Sony have launched a 4K handheld camera (it’s called the SONY PXW-Z100) and it looks like it’s the next step on the evolution ladder of hand-held cameras. This is by no means a small thing (well actually, it is…look at the picture if you don’t believe me!). From the PD-150, Z1’s, EX-1’s and EX-3’s Sony have dominated the hand held camera market that is so widely used for broadcast. Canon took the lion’s share of that market with the still widely used and loved Canon XF-305 but Sony have been clawing their way back into the users hearts with the PMW-200 and the upcoming PMW-300.
But this new camera will trump the lot. Why? Well 4K WILL be a format request from broadcasters as they gear up to 4K transmission. I wouldn’t want to say what the ratio of mainstream programmes shot on a handheld to a broadcast shoulder mount is, but from our own hires and camera stock levels I would safely say it’s at least 4:1 in favour of the handheld cameras. So, to have a camera that in every bit looks as easy to use as the handheld cameras I’ve just mentioned, added with the recording capacity of 4K via an 1/2.3″ Sensor and with a 20 x Zoom lens, plus it already uses Sony’s XAVC codec (no need to wait unlike the PMW-300) so, in theory, it should see this camera trumping all other cameras in it’s class.
By the way, we have no time scale of delivery , nor do we know when the inevitable PXW-Z200 is launched, but as ever watch this space!
