Sony: The NewF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we warned you on Monday, yesterday Sony announced its news about “TheNewF”, the name given to the F-series campaign, which brings with it a set of products that will improve the entire 4K workflow. Those of you who registered will receive the news in your email, but for those of you who stayed behind I’ll give you a summary.

The rumors have been quite correct, as the main novelties are two new CineAlta 4K cameras: the PMW-F5 and the PMW-F55. Both use a new Super 35mm CMOS sensor with 4096×2160 resolution and fill the gap between the F3 and F65.

If we talk about their physical appearance, they are distinguished only by the lens attachment ring, which in the case of the F55 is silver and in the case of the F5 is black. Internally, however, there are a few features that separate them.

PMW-F5

It is the next generation of the popular F3 and, like the F55, is built on a modular design and is a multi-codec camera, offering a wide range of recording modes.

It produces 4K images with high contrast and rich color reproduction, which can be displayed on its OLED viewfinder.

It integrates the new XAVC codec for 4K recording and HFR shooting, as well as HD422 at 50Mbps.

The XAVC codec

This is a new, completely open codec whose main purpose is to work in 4K. It is a recording format that occupies an intermediate position between the well-known MPEG2 and MPEG4 (it is compatible with both).

XAVC allows internal recording at 10-bit 4:2:2, while the external AXSM Access Memory System will support 16-bit linear, raw 2K and 4K. If we want to work internally, the XAVC material will be recorded on the new SxS Pro cards, which have a capacity of 64GB or 128GB. If, on the other hand, we want to do it externally, there is an optional integrated module called AXS-R5. This attaches to the back of the camera, so no cabling is required.

The SxS Pro cards have the advantage that they use the cross-platform exFAT system (explained in this article), so they can be used automatically in Windows and OS X using the AXS-CR1 card reader.

In addition, XAVC allows working with RAW and even in high speed (in HD up to 180fps and in raw 2K up to 120fps in F5).

PMW-F55

Sony has dubbed it as the big sister of the F5 and the main difference between the two is that the F55 will give the possibility to capture up to 4K without the need of an external recorder. The way to do this is through SxS cards and this quality has great advantages. One of them is that it allows the recording of XDCAM at 50Mbps 4:2:2 on the SxS cards (internally), while simultaneously recording the raw 4K on an AXSM card.

In addition, its 4K image sensor incorporates a revolutionary electronic shutter that eliminates artifacts; and the color space they use is different. The F55 uses the same color matrix as the F65, thus being able to capture, for example, certain tones that are outside the DCI color space; while the F5 has a more conventional color triangle.

Currently its frame rate is 180fps, but with next year’s firmware updates, the F55 will be able to record raw at 2K at up to 240fps.

Finally, both have a detachable XLR audio input module.

Sony plans to launch the two cameras on the market in February 2013 (price is not yet known). For more details on these two cameras you can visit the Sony website which contains all the information.

F65

Along with the previous two cameras, the F65 sits at the top of the family. Sony has announced that before the end of this year we will have a 2.2 release to improve the remote control capabilities for more live functionality.

Also, a 3.0 version will be demonstrated at NAB next spring. Currently, the F65 is capable of generating a 4K x 2K RGB signal; with this upgrade, 8K x 4K, 6K x 3K and 8K x 2K will be achieved.

At the moment we only know that it will be a paid upgrade.

New lenses

In addition to the two cameras, a set of six PL-mount fixed lenses have also been unveiled. The focal length of each varies (20, 25, 35, 50, 50, 85 and 135mm) and all will be certified for 4K capture.

They will be offered in a complete set of six lenses, or in a smaller three-piece set (pricing has not been announced).

Although Sony has released these, the F5 and F55 incorporate an adapter that allows you to work with any set of lenses on the market.

PVM-X300 Monitor

For 4K image monitoring, the F55 can be connected to Sony’s new PVM-X300 monitor. It has a 30-inch LCD screen and 4096×2160 resolution.