PARAMUS, N.J.—Sony has announced the SRG-A40 and SRG-A12, two new 4K pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with built in artificial intelligence analytics.
Both models automatically and consistently track and naturally frame presenters regardless of their movement or posture, enabling seamless control and content creation without the need for a computer to operate, the company said.
The auto-framing technology driving the PTZ cameras enables automatic operation for quick object tracking and rediscovery. Various auto-framing options are available. The cameras offer quality images with automation, the flexibility of IP, zoom, remote control and easy configuration and operation, it said.
“Our latest PTZ cameras truly represent a new generation,” said Sony Electronics vice president of professional display solutions Rich Ventura. “While they incorporate the image quality that is Sony’s bedrock, these efficient new models are even smarter than ever with the addition of built-in AI analytics, which enable PTZ Auto Framing, paired with the potential resulting from remote control.”
Noting that PTZ users have told Sony that how they capture content, including the locations where they work, has changed “drastically” over the past few years, he said.
“We listened and created a new user-friendly series that enables mounting freedom, prioritizes location-free operation and creates a streamlined workflow that empowers operators with varying degrees of expertise to create extremely professional content while keeping operating costs down.”
The cameras’ auto-framing technology also enables multiple angles to be framed, making simple well-framed close-ups, waists-ups and full-body image shots, it said.
Once powered on, the cameras begin to operate, searching for and rediscovering an object to track. Among the tracking technology used is facial recognition, which is capable of even detecting masked faces. A tally light is available to let presenters know which camera is active in a multi-camera setup, it said.
Both the SRG-A40 and SRG-A12 leverage a highly sensitive Exmor R CMOS imager for pickup of high-quality, naturally vivid images with less noise. They support 4K 30p and Full HD 60p, it said.
The SRG-A40 relies on Sony’s Clear Image Zoom technology that digitally doubles the optical zoom from 20x to 30x in 4K or 40x in Full HD. The SRG-A12 provides up to 12x zoom. With tele-convert mode, the SRG-A40 can extend up to 80x zoom, while the SRG-A12 can extend up to 24x. Day and night modes are available to optimize image capture in brightness and shadows, it said.
The cameras offer 3G-SDI, HDMI and IP connectivity (NDI|HX through optional license) and can be controlled remotely through VISCA/VISCA over IP, using a single network cable for power, output and control. They also support Power over Ethernet Plus Plus (PoE++), it said.
Both cameras are expected to be available in September in North America.
More information is available online.
