14 DAY TRIAL // Although most of you typically associate Sony's camcorders to those Full HD handycams targeting mostly the mainstream consumers, the truth of the matter is that the Japanese company is quite actively involved in the field of professional camcorders as well, the latest to join its ranks being the PMW-F3 camcorder, designed for television, commercials, music promos and budget features. As the PhotographyBlog informs us, the new PMW-F3 camcorder is based on Sony’s XDCAM EX workflow (codec is MPEG-2 Long GOP 4:2:0 8bit, 35 Mbps), and uses Sony’s SxS ExpressCard-based recording media format. The professional camcorder comes equipped with a Super 35mm CMOS imager that delivers shallow depth of field, with high sensitivity and low noise levels (ISO 800, F11; and S/N ratio of 63dB in 1920x1080/59.94i mode), as well as wide dynamic range. Furthermore, this highly-advanced solution offers a wide range of image creation options, as well as the ability to seamlessly inter-cut PMW-F3 footage with content shot on Sony’s F35 or SRW-9000PL cameras via an HD-SDI dual-link output for external recording (4:2:2 1080 50/59.94P as standard; and RGB 1080 23.98/25/29.97PsF as an option). Additionally, “S-LOG” and “Hyper Gamma” can be selected, a feature that should allow users to take full advantage of the CMOS imager’s wide dynamic range, giving them the ability to tailor their images during post-production in the same way they would in a film based workflow. Naturally, the device will support plenty of recording formats, including 1920x1080, 1440x1080, and 1280x720 at 23.98/25/29.97p, 50/59.94i and, in DVCAM mode, 25/29.97PsF and 50/59.94i. “Slow” and “quick” recording modes, also known as “overcranking” and “undercranking” from 1 to 30 fps at 1920x1080 (17 to 30 fps in dual-link mode) and 1 to 60 fps at 1280x720 (17 to 60 fps in dual-link mode) are also available. The PMW-F3’s PL mount adapter can accommodate both PL and zoom lenses, and will offer compatibility with a variety of cine lenses such as Cooke, Arri, Fujinon and Zeiss. Two configurations of the PMW-F3 will be available (PMW-F3L body only and PMW-F3K with PL lens kit), with first deliveries being scheduled for January 2011, although pricing details have not yet been provided.
hot right now