65K. Dollars, not pixels, not Euros. FDTimes embedded reporters in LA are breathlessly blogging. It’s too late to stop the presses. I’m flying to IBC, our September Issue 44 is printing, and I had guessed the F65 would be somewhere between 70 – 85K (luckily not specified whether that was with SR-R4, dollars or Euros, or whose exchange rate applied). Today, Sony… read more…

Here’s a workflow review on how we’re moving files from the water-resistant Sony HXR-NX70 camcorder into our Macs. The camera records to Sony proprietary .mts files that are HD MPEG-4 AVCHD format compatible. 1. Plug in the NX70’s external power supply and connect a USB cable from the camera to your Mac. We’re recording directly to the internal 96 GB… read more…

Chris Marchitelli has joined Litepanels as VP of Global Marketing. It was just a few months ago that we were quoting Chris from his position at Sony Electronics as Senior Executive of “Beyond HD Production.” (as in 2K, 4K, 8K, F65). Rudy Pohlert, president and co-founding partner of Litepanels, said, “Chris brings experience in planning and marketing high profile broadcast technology… read more…

More Film and Digital Leaks. I’ll see your viewfinder and raise you…er…lower the duvetyne drapery a bit more. Sony has authorized a more revealing look, if in outline only, at their next CineAlta Super35 >4K camera. Pre-NAB NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements) are serious matters. Promises not to divulge new product information have been scary enough that we considered delivering the… read more…

Sony’s new HXR-NX70 is a water, spray and sand resistant NXCAM camcorder every documentary or news crew has wanted for years: the first Broadcast and Industrial grade rain-proof, spray-resistant, dust-proof, sand-proof camera.  I heard that the networks were influential in development—this was a camera they really wanted. I want one too. The sensor is 1/2.88”. The wide-angle 10x zoom is the… read more…

What can we say about Sony’s new NEX-FS100U NXCAM Super35? How about “best design of a digital camera this year in a tiny package under $7,000?” It fits in the palm of your hand, feels like a Hasselblad, has the same 35mm sensor as the F3, and accepts almost any lens in the universe with its Sony E mount. It looks… read more…

Time for some seriously, non-official, pre-announcement, highly speculative math excercises. Many astute readers have been emailing or posting the big question, “How can the new Sony CineAlta Camera be 16:9 and greater than 4K when its pixel count is 8K x 2K? 8 x 2 is like a super wide-screen 4:1 format, isn’t it?” No. After spending time with some… read more…

Hot on the trail of Sony’s F3, NXCAM 35, and new >4K camera sensors, we fly one and a half hours south from Tokyo to Sony’s Image Sensor Fab Factory in Kumamoto. A short, 15 minute drive from the airport through fields of green tea that look like rows of pixels, we arrive at two massive buildings over 42,000 square… read more…

The memory most remembered at NAB will be SR Memory Cards. About the size and shape of an iPhone, these solid start storage devices will initially come in 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB sizes. They will be capable of a sustained data rate of 5 Gbps. They contain internal memory controller chips and circuits. Data security is top… read more…

This is like an episode of the TV show “Amazing Race.” Rush hour in Tokyo. Racing through Shinagawa station, with three minutes before the “Romance Car” departs. Sony’s Atsugi Tech Center was established in 1960 for research and development. It’s an hour southwest of Tokyo, near the famous temple of Kamakura. The quick, clean and comfortable “Romance Car” train gets… read more…

Sony’s NXCAM design group has been busy. They showed us 2 addtional new compact camcorders to be shown at NAB. We’ll have to wait until NAB to reveal the real names. Water, spray and sand resistant NXCAM camcorder Sailors and sailing coaches around the world will rejoice. This is the first Broadcast and Industrial grade dust-proof, sand-proof, rain-proof and spray-resistant camcorder…. read more…