NEWARK, N.J.—Panasonic will begin shipping its new AJ-CX4000 4K/HDR shoulder-mount camcorder by the end of December, the company announced today.
With a suggested list price of $25,000, the camera is equipped with a B4 lens mount and can be used with interchangeable lenses. Panasonic is targeting the camera at applications in network news, sports, blue-chip nature films and travel documentaries.
The camera offers many of the features and formats supported by Panasonic’s handheld AG-CX350 camera, the company said. It also shares key imaging features with the company’s AK-UC4000 flagship studio camera.
As with the AK-UC4000, the AJ-CX4000 uses a large 4.4K image sensor to achieve UHD resolution (horizontal, 2,000 TV lines), high sensitivity, low noise and a wide dynamic range, the company said. Another commonality between the cameras is LSSIEL technology, which allows a 2/3-inch lens to be used without an external adapter, with the internal lens designed for large sensors.
The camera supports Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) for high dynamic range (HDR) recording in compliance with BT.2100 and BT.2020 standards. It also offers HLG recording assist functions, including SDR Monitoring Gamma, HDR/SDR Parallel Output, VF/LCD HDR/SDR Selector and eight-mode Gamma selection, Panasonic said.
The camera supports a fast, connected workflow, which includes Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMPS) and Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) for live streaming and NDI|HX for live production. The NDI|HX mode allows video transmission and camera control via IP connection without an external converter.
The camera’s HEVC codec provides for extended recoding of 4K/10-bit video with high image quality while reducing bitrate and storage demands. This file format also supports long file names with up to 20 characters, which makes it easier to manage recorded clips, the company said.
It also supports the MXF P2 file format from broadcasting, enabling AVC-Intra or AVC-LongG HD recording on expressP2 cards, microP2 cards or SDXC memory cards. With 24-bit/48 kHz four-channel digital audio, the camera allows an audio source to be selected for each channel. A LAN terminal with a lock mechanism for IP remote control is provided, the company said.
The camera can be connected to a Panasonic AV-HLC100 Live Production Center. When used together with the production center and the HN/UN PTZ cameras, the camera contributes to an end-to-end live video production as well as web distribution, Panasonic said.
The camera’s standard 12G-SDI output terminal delivers UHD 60p (50p) 10-bit 4:2:2 output. Also provided are XLR audio input (2CH) terminals compatible with +48-V phantom power supply, as well as HDMI OUT, TC IN/TC OUT, GENLOCK IN, USB3.0 (DEVICE) and USB2.0 (HOST, wireless module) terminals.
More information about the camera is available on the company’s website.
