LAS VEGAS—As the last two years have shown, camera technology moves forward despite the restrictions imposed by a pandemic. With more powerful and flexible features available for an expanding array of production demands, media professionals will find an abundance of new image acquisition tools on the exhibit floor.
Cameras
Sony will showcase an expansive lineup of powerful camera technology, including the Super 35mm HDC-F5500, which provides cinematic bokeh in a system camera form. Also featured, the highly sensitive PXW-Z750 4K HDR shoulder-mount camcorder, which shares Sony’s 2/3-inch global shutter technology.
Also debuting is the new VENICE 2, Sony’s flagship digital cinema camera, which features a new sensor with 16 stops of dynamic range, extreme low light sensitivity and natural skin tones.
Hitachi Kokusai will unveil the SK-UHD7000, its second-generation 4K Ultra HD broadcast and live production camera system. The SK-UHD7000 features three 2/3-inch, global shutter CMOS image sensors with native 4K resolution; a new prism design with expanded spectral range; dual 4K and HDTV workflow with separate controls for HDR and SDR; and support for standard B4 lenses without requiring an adapter.
Blackmagic Design’s new URSA Broadcast G2 is a next generation professional broadcast camera with a 6K digital film sensor that brings digital film quality to traditional and online broadcasters. The advanced 6144 x 3456 digital film sensor provides exceptional low light performance with dual gain ISO of up to +36dB and 13 stops of dynamic range. It includes H.265 and Blackmagic RAW file formats, Blackmagic Generation 5 Color Science, a USB-C expansion port and more.
The new EOS R5 C Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera, a hybrid, RF-mount 8K camera, will highlight Canon’s booth. The new camera showcases video formats and features from the company’s Cinema EOS line, alongside select still capabilities that have made the EOS R5 camera a popular choice among professionals and enthusiasts alike. The EOS R5 C records non-stop, uninterrupted 8K/60Pii thanks to an active cooling system. 8K video delivers outstanding definition and realism with four times the resolution of 4K video.
Ikegami will give a first look at its UHK-X700 4K UHD camera, designed for broadcast-quality video production and online streaming. The UHK-X700 allows full 4K UHD production in hybrid log-gamma HDR or in standard dynamic range, plus the freedom to choose between BT.2020 and BT.709 color spaces.
Image acquisition is via three newly developed 2/3-inch CMOS 4K sensors with global shutters to eliminate rolling shutter distortion and flash-banding artifacts. High frame-rate shooting at up to 2x speed in UHD or up to 8x speed in HD via the base station is possible as an option.
New in PTZ & Robotics
PTZ will be a big focus at the JVC booth. The JVC KY-PZ400N 4K and KY-PZ200N HD PTZ cameras are integrated with NDI|HX technology and offer high-quality and low-latency IP video transmission, ideal for streaming in an ever-evolving media landscape for sports, concerts and other live broadcasts. The cameras provide optimal image quality and performance for remote production over the internet, and are equipped with SRT technology, H.265/H.264/MJPEG encoding and VITC multicamera synchronization. A third option, the KY-PZ200, provides an economical HD solution, sans the NDI|HX interface.
Marshall Electronics will launch its CV730-BHN 4K High-Bandwidth NDI PTZ Robotic Camera It contains traditional outputs including two simultaneous SDI (BNC) outputs with genlockable 12GSDI and 3GSDI, as well as HDMI and USB3.0 options at the ready. The CV730-BHN also features the ultra-fast and lossless High Bandwidth NDI streaming ability commonly known as Full-NDI, while offering the newly released NDI|HX3 that can deliver similar low-latency and superior quality video performance in slightly less bandwidth network infrastructure. The CV730-BHN features a Sony 1/1.8” 4K sensor with 9 million pixels and square pixel array packed behind a long 30x optical zoom range (6.5~ 202mm).
Panasonic will add new members of its Professional PTZ Lineup, featuring a proprietary Direct Drive System that delivers precise, accurate pan/tilt moves with quiet operation. They feature stunning visuals, and capture the entire scene with a 74.1-degree viewing angle and 24X optical zoom. Outputs include 3G-SDI, HDMI and IP for added flexibility to integrate with a variety of workflows. In addition to RTMP and RTMPS streaming, they also support NDI|HX2 and SRT to assure stable and secure video streaming.
Telemetrics will debut updates to the OmniGlide Robotic Roving Platform. Also new are streamlined workflow features and expanded capability for the company’s AI-assisted reFrame Talent Tracking and Automatic Shot Correction software (built-into the RCCP-2A STS Control System). The company will also highlight updates to its popular RoboEye 4K Pan/Tilt Camera system, including a new multifunction PS-RM2-48 power supply that can be controlled remotely over Ethernet, and a new extended range (descending) addition to the Televator product line.
Shotoku USA will showcase features that boost functionality in production environments controlled either remotely or on-site. The company, which specializes in manual and robotic camera support and virtual reality tracking, will demonstrate its flagship SmartPed fully robotic XY pedestal with Orbit and LiveView features integrated into the TR-XT control panel, and its Orchestra CMS control system enhanced to enable quick and easy set-up in legislative or house of worship settings. Shotoku USA will also highlight its TG-18i Integrated Pan/Tilt Head and its Ti-11 elevator pedestal.
The Vitec booth will feature products from its extensive line of camera support gear, including Autoscript Voice for WinPlus-IP, which uses advanced speech recognition technology to free productions from their prompting scroll control devices. Presenters are empowered with accurate real-time control of their prompted script simply by speaking the words. Monitoring the production audio feed, Voice automatically advances the script as the words are spoken, even pausing for adlibs, and resumes scrolling when the presenter is back on script. Fully IP and Virtual Machine compliant, Voice delivers resource efficiency and added agility to productions.
