New Sony E-mount camcorder with Super-35mm sensor!
We told you that Sony would announced a few new camcorders and that they would become very interesting even for Alpha-NEX camera owners 
After the PL mount Super-35mm camera Sony announced the E-mount Super-35mm camcorder. Now you can use your NEX lenses on a professional camcorder! The Super-35mm sensor has 2k sensor with large 12 microns. It can capture 4 times more light than the Sony A850/A900 cameras. Imagine what you can do in very dim light!
“Sony Corporation announced today that it is developing a new type of E-mount interchangeable lens camcorder for professional use that is equipped with a Super-35mm equivalent large format CMOS sensor. This new addition to Sony’s professional “NXCAM” line will be available in the middle of 2011.” (Source: Sony.net)
Full press release:
Sony to expand 35mm large format sensor camcorder lineup
“NXCAM” HD camcorder under development, featuring E-mount lens system Sony Corporation announced today that it is developing a new type of E-mount interchangeable lens camcorder for professional use that is equipped with a Super-35mm equivalent large format CMOS sensor. This new addition to Sony’s professional “NXCAM” line will be available in the middle of 2011.
Already a key player in the 35mm digital cinematography business with the highly acclaimed “CineAlta” F35 and SRW-9000PL for high-end digital cinema production, Sony has just strengthened its lineup in this category with the recent PMW-F3 announcement. In addition to this, with this new “NXCAM” HD camcorder now (still under development), Sony looks to further strengthen its position in the entry-level segment by providing an affordable yet highly capable professional solution for many applications including independent film, music video and corporate communications all looking for the cinematic look.
This “NXCAM” HD camcorder under development will be equipped with a Super-35mm equivalent sensor, a widely used film stock size in the film industry that is perfectly designed for capturing motion picture. This new sensor will have extraordinary performance in terms of picture quality and sensitivity, and is able to create rich “Bokeh” effect (beautifully defocused image) that is perfect for artistic story-telling in motion picture.
Thanks to the adoption of the E-mount interchangeable lens system that is identical to the “α” series NEX-5, 3 and “Handycam” NEX-VG10, the E-mount lenses will be compatible with this new professional camcorder. In addition, a very short flange back distance (the distance between lens mount surface and sensor surface) let various “α” A-mount lenses be mounted via a mount adaptor (LA-EA1). Furthermore, it is also possible to attach many other lenses using third-party mount adaptors*1. With such flexibility, users will be able to experiment with various creative expressions by exploiting the characteristics of different optics.
*1: Not all types of adaptors and lenses are guaranteed.
The recording format for this new HD camcorder will be AVCHD, a widely supported format by many non liner editing software vendors and the same format as HXR-NX5 “NXCAM” camcorder.
There is also a plan to implement 1080p (60p / 30p / 24p*2 or 50p / 25p) recording modes.
(MPEG4-AVC/H.264 compression will be used for these modes.)
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Via Sony.net
Thanks Rob
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Recent comments
Comment from George: But AF will work with SSM/SAM lenses (an...
Comment from Mattia: Yes, via an adaptor you can attach every...
Comment from pmac: easy.
1. maximise possible lens opti...
Comment from ET: A-mount lenses do not work with contrast...
James
2 years ago |I wish AVCHD would die!
RubyStone
2 years ago |But if AVCHD were replaced by other format, then what would be used as the next universal format?
Sky_walker
2 years ago |WMV.
AVESTA
2 years ago |Why? Sure beats DV tape
burnardo
2 years ago |ur so right james
Woodent
2 years ago |doesn’t this actually imply that even current E-mount lenses are capable of covering the FF sensor? 0.0
Sky_walker
2 years ago |No. Super 35 is ~25 x 19mm, Full Frame is 36 x 24 mm, APS-C is 24 x 16mm.
So Super 35 is wider version of APS-C, not even close to Full Frame.
erwinkfoto
2 years ago |kevin
2 years ago |The backwards-turning bayonet. Why?
00aeiou00
2 years ago |sounds nice, wish they made it for the full-frame a-mount. I know you can use the adapter but its not the same. shame it seems to put such an awesome piece of kit ready for non-professional e-mount lens.
paul
2 years ago |S35 is pretty much APS-C. A full 35mm frame camcorder doesn’t make much sense.
Milos Janata
2 years ago |So it will take another 2 years to bring pro E-lenses..
Sam
2 years ago |The new recently announced sony PMW-F3 has great specs, but is extremely expensive.
So hopefully this new camera will be way cheaper, but still retain the large sensor pixels of the pmw-f3, and a direct read out from the sensor to video. Hence avoiding the current compromises that we currently have to cope with on the DSLR video, where down-scaling creates nasty compressional artifacts like moire and aliasing. I.e. we get a proper dedicated S35 sensor camcorder.
However the continued use of relatively low data rate ACHD is a shame. The F3 has the ability to produce, via an outboard recorder high quality 4:4:4 data. However there is a big financial cost, and maybe sony thought that they could offer some of the perks of the expensive camera in a small one, albeit with some compromises.
If this camera is small in size. Comes out soon. And is priced well, it could do well. If it is delayed, and is not too small, and is expensive, then most video shooters would go for the Scarlet S35 camera from Red that is way superior in specifications.
Whatever happens 2011 looks like being an incredible year for S35 format digital cinematography! Finally we can start to work with good cameras that are relatively small and don’t cost the earth!!
Photongraph
2 years ago |Sorry Sam, the PMW-F3 with about a price of 22.000 to 24.000 € (it’s the price of a medium format photo-camera like Phase One, Leica & Co.) isn’t so expensive in my eyes, when you compare it to the much more expensive professional Sony CineAlta film cameras like Sony F35 and Sony SRW-9000PL, especially the Sony F35 film camera cost much more than 100.000 € or $! So see it please in relation to the serious filmcameras with CCD-Sensor without Rolling-Shutter and without any Bayer Interpolation thanks to it’s RGB stripe filter design.
misu
2 years ago |I guess Sony has some interest in NanoFlash, as no decent cameraman would shoot s35 with 35mbs codec in the F3. imagine just how well you will be able to see artefacts in the out-of-focus areas.
I hope this new nxcam will have some hd-sdi output, or it will be a worthless piece of equipment.
I too wish for avchd to die.
adit
2 years ago |Read all the anouncement:
”
There is also a plan to implement 1080p (60p / 30p / 24p*2 or 50p / 25p) recording modes.
(MPEG4-AVC/H.264 compression will be used for these modes.)
”
So it will be AVCHD ( wich maxes out at 24 Mb/s 1080i ) and aditionaly 1080p/60 with an unspecified bitrate ( can be 50 mbs or higher).
Milos Janata
2 years ago |That would be nice. They should release unrestricted high bit-rate version of AVCHD. H 265 is not coming until 2012.. but it will support 8k, wider gamut, and high fps.
Dave J
2 years ago |Now, I start to see what Sony wants to do with their cameras and camcoders. No other companies would give the users an upgrade path to the videography. With amount money spend on lenses, it might be very tempting for people who also have interests on videography. Sony is the Canikon on the video world so it will be safe to just get it without thinking if one really wants.
But then again, I am careless about video, and a person thinking that adding video on dslr was one stupid idea after all. Oh well, even if Sony screws up on FF DSLR, price of my lenses are not going to be bashed all that much as they now have other usages.
Chris
2 years ago |Looks interesting, hopefully they don’t dumb it down like the NEX-VG10. Looks more promising with recording modes.
Needs a handle :/
adit
2 years ago |For me video is a very important feature. I don’t do a lot of it but I do record short clips when I travel.A few minutes now and then, not hours. I was contemplating geting a new camcorder but I don’t like caring it and a camera.
For what I need , Sony SLTs are the best. Fast autofocus in video, good video quality, most used camcorder HD codec (AVCHD), and of course great photos. And I don’t need to carry 2 devices. Whould be great to have at least all AVCHD specs (like 24 mbs and 1080p/24) of course but I can live with what they offer, for the price.
I would not buy however any new DSLR which does not offer at least 1080/60i video.
MP
2 years ago |very sad to see sony ignoring minolta lovers and their lens park…
GH
2 years ago |How so? Every Sony DSLR accepts Minolta lenses, and you can fit Minolta lenses onto e-mount cameras via adapter and maintain full electronic control. Heck, some of the Minotla lenses even autofocus on NEX.
MP
2 years ago |why create a new mount?
Don
2 years ago |Why not? The shorter length certainly helps for a camera that promises to be as compact as possible. It would make more sense if there were more shorter lenses to begin with.
MP
2 years ago |I agree for nex, but for a cam like this? or VG10?
don´t take me wrong, I like what sony is doing but I invested a lot ($ and years) in glass and I would like to have a good cam for it.
JB
2 years ago |Wish this was just a A mount. Who would use any of the current NEX lens on this new NEXCAM? Esp when it is design for “professionals”? Unless they come out with NEX CZ lens.
“So it will take another 2 years to bring pro E-lenses..”
+1
ET
2 years ago |A-mount lenses do not work with contrast detect AF. That’s why you have SLT on A-mount. E-mount lenses are designed to work with CDAF. Besides, e-mount has short flange distance, so you can mount any lens (even A-mount) with an adapter. If it were an A-mount camera, the lens choices would be limited.
pmac
2 years ago |easy.
1. maximise possible lens options by reducing registration distance to a minimum.
2. move to an all electronic mount
3. redesign mount electronics to allow for new data paths and control modes.
Frankly, the idea of introducing a whole new way of converging still and video photography and choosing to continue the limitations of a compromised stills photography mount just makes zero sense.
Pepperoni
2 years ago |But Sony is not Minolta…
Bert Pasquale
2 years ago |SLR lenses are designed with a bfl (back focal length) to accommodate the reflex mirror; i.e., the distance from the mount to the image plane. The NEX and video cameras have no minimum bfl requirement, so using E-mount lenses on both makes sense. As long as I can fully use my alpha lenses with an adaptor, I’m pleased.
Mattia
2 years ago |The pal version will not have 24p!!
http://philipbloom.net/2010/11/17/f3nxcam/
Eugene
2 years ago |I was just wondering why don’t they develop a similar camera with the Alpha Mount. Is the E-mount capable of supporting APS-C and FF sensors?
Mattia
2 years ago |Yes, via an adaptor you can attach every lens!!
George
2 years ago |But AF will work with SSM/SAM lenses (and be extremely slow), screw-drive AF lenses (the vast majority) will work in MF only.
Also, while the E-mount is designed to support 24x36mm sensors (current NEX cameras and E-mount lenses are not), the LA-EA1 will crop the image to S35/APS-C format, so you cannot use full-frame lenses the way they were intended to be used.