Not a few hours after our report on the Sony NEX-FS700 and its rumored specs with no pictures to be spoken of, we learn of the camera’s official specs with a few pictures to hold us over until NAB 2012 which will be held in Las Vegas at the end of April. So the big rumor of course was the camera’s ability to shoot in 4k resolution and I’m happy to report that those indeed were true. So what else can you expect? Find out after the jump.
While the RED Scarlet has been the darling of the internet and low-budget filmmaking for sometime, it seems like there’s a new challenger in town. Sony, who’s no stranger to the camera field, producing consumer HD and 3D camcorders while also providing a vast range of the cinema grade cameras which are used to shoot many Hollywood feature films, is set to enter a contender and fight off the RED invasion. Expected to be introduced at NAB later this month with a June release date, the NEX-FS700E is rumored to carry a $8,000 price tag.
Remember how we may or may not have told you about a new Sony NEX-FS100 firmware which was suppose to arrive on March 22nd and add features such as 50Hz recording system (PAL): 1920×1080 50p, 50i, 25p and 1280×720 50p? Well, you may noticed that March 22nd has come and gone and no firmware was released. That’s because Sony has decided to delay the latest firmware till April 19th. The reasons behind the delay are not clear and no new features have been added to the already impressive list of updates which can be found after the jump.
Come March 22nd, Sony’s camera division is releasing a new firmware update for the NEX-FS100. The NEX video camera is already a darling to videographers as it gives them a Super 35mm sensor that shoots 1080p60 content at up to 28Mbps. Like most recent cameras and camcorders from Sony, the NEX-FS100 is capable of recording on SD and Memory Stick flash cards. Now, a new firmware update for the NEX-FS100 will add and improve a host of features on the high def camcorder like added 50Hz recording system (PAL): 1920×1080 50p, 50i, 25p and 1280×720 50p. After the jump, the full list of updates.
Sony Creative Software, a division of Sony Corporation, has announced the buyout of Netblender, a company that develops a range of Blu-ray Disc creation tools. Netblender, which was founded in 2005, designs and develops “practical and professional Blu-ray technology solutions for the global BD production community.” Netblender has also developed the tools which allow iOS and Android apps to control TVs, Blu-ray players, and cable boxes. Netblender has had a wide reach in Blu-ray adoption, having worked on over 2,000 Blu-ray titles in 31 different countries.
“NetBlender and Sony Creative Software share the same passion for expanding Blu-ray adoption among independent production companies and post houses worldwide,” said John Harrington, CEO of NetBlender. “The combination of NetBlender’s innovative products and Sony’s market leadership will be a powerful force for encouraging growth in the Blu-ray industry.”
Through the agreement, Sony Creative Software will acquire NetBlender’s DoStudio product line of authoring applications to expand its current portfolio of Blu-ray Disc software products which currently includes DVD Architect and Blu-print. Details from the deal were not disclosed, though operations are expected to remain the same at Netblender till the buyout is complete.
After the jump, a letter from John Harrington, NetBlender CEO to the NetBlender community.
If you’ve been wanting to upgrade your office webcams for some time to conduct some meetings over the web with different branches and companies, but have been wanting something a little beefier than what Microsoft or Logitech offer, Sony’s latest announcement should put a smile on your face. Sony is set to launch two new full HD (1080p/30fps) and two SD webcams for those with bandwidth limits.
HD models comprise of the EVI-H100s and EVIH100V, which give you:
The devastating tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan nearly 6 months ago rocked the foundation of the country. Sony, which is a Japan-based company, has their main HQ in Tokyo with countless factories throughout the country which were all affected by the quakes in some shape or form. Many factories that were not directly impacted by the quakes still had to shut down, due to power outages and the requirement to create components in large quantities and not on an on and off basis. Even more productivity was lost, due to power outages and the loss of data caused by computer and server shutdowns. Sony, who famously provides batteries for other notebook makers like HP, Dell, and Apple, is now putting their technology to use in other places with the release of the ESSP-2000, a 90kg (198-pound) battery. This nearly-200lb battery is designed to gives businesses and government agencies a few extra hours of battery life during rolling blackouts. With a maximum load of 1000VA, the ESSP-2000 can attain a 95% charge in two hours, utilitizing Sony’s new olivine-type lithium-ion iron phosphate batteries. Priced at ¥2 million ($25,700), this battery backup is clearly not meant for consumers, though I’m sure Sony will be happy to sell it to you if you have the cash.
[Via Engadget]
Set to be rolled out in the second half of this year, Sony is going to be releasing two new TRIMASTER OLED monitors which come in at 17 and 25-inches. Now before you get sticker shocked, you have to remember that these are professional grade monitors which are targeted and meant for the advertising and film industry, though were sure that Sony will take you up on it if you can pay for it.
The first of the two is the 17-incher (PVM-1741) which comes in at $4,900 and then the 25-inch (PVM-2541) model which goes for $7,400. Another thing to take into consideration is that the first of these which was launched just over a year ago cost $16,000 and $29,000 respectively so in terms of price, these units have come a long way. Both hold the following specs:
Sony has long been part of the film industry, both as a film studio; owning Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Screen Gems and as an equipment provider with their professional lineup of cameras and viewing screens which help bring the movies to the screen. Being a big supporter of all things HD and 3D, Sony is now contributing to the movie screens as well with their lineup of 4k digital cinema projectors. Sony is of course no stranger to the cinema realm with Sony’s audio SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound) being a standard audio format for movies. Now, the Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (“DCI”) has deemed Sony’s new 4k digital projectors as DCI complaint which provides 8.85 million pixels, more than four times that of full HD. Another feature of these digital based projectors (rather the film based) is that they also provide access to servers which can stream movies directly to the projector. This alone gives directors the ability to fine tweak their movies till the last day and release as many versions as they want (different versions for different projectors and cinemas like IMAX, 3D etc.) and be practically carried on a hard drive. If a movie is instead brought over on traditional film, weeks before the film release, the movie needs to start creating and producing the different versions which physically need to then be shipped to cinema locations. Of course, it’s also in Sony’s best interest to make sure that audiences get the most out of their cinema and 3D experience., seeing how the company also offers a full lineup of consumer HD and 3D products.
Hit the jump for a full press release.
The RED camera has been a phenomenon in the indie film making sector. Giving those who have knowledge of film making, but not a crazy budget to achieve almost any shot they want, without the need to mortgage their house and their liver. Mix that with the ever growing power of home computers and editing software like Final Cut Pro and you can see why Indy films have been on a ever growing trajectory. Now, Sony wan’t some of this action as well, already known for their studio grade camera’s.
The PMW-F3 (yes, Sony as their catchy names, I mean who wouldn’t forget that over just saying RED…) is Sony’s answer, a $16,000 camera, with Sony’s latest Exmor Super 35 CMOS sensor and interchangeable lens mounts, allowing the users to “facilitating shallow depth of field with a fairly impressive dynamic range”. The camera itself shoots with a MPEG-2 Long GOP 4:2:08bit, 35 Mbps codec), and uses Sony’s SxS ExpressCard-based recording media format (ISO 800, F11; and S/N ratio of 63dB in 1920×1080/59.94i mode). Another advantage that the PMW-F3 offers is the wide expandability of the device with its many ports on the back and PL mount. As Sony put it, “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”. Though it remains higher in the price point category then other indy camera’s, the unit does offer more expandability then most units on the market with superior specs. Look for the camera to roll off of Sonys production lines for a February 2011 release.
As always, hit the jump for the official press release.
Sony camcorders have always been the go to product for studio shoots, whether it be a Hollywood product or a 3D camcorder used to record an NFL or World Cup game. Now, Sony wants to take a crack at the ever-growing indie film market with the new PMW-F3 Super 35mm camcorder with CMOS sensor. Though Sony is still ironing out some of the last minute details and pricing for this unit, we do have specs for you.
Hit the jump for the official press release, as well as a gallery of this upcoming beast.
I ran across this story and read over it twice and wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. This wasn’t a side of the industry that I knew Sony even participated in. Since then, I’ve gone on to do a little bit of research and I’m still confused by it (mostly since the 6 other sites reporting on it all have the same exact copy-paste info). Basically though, this type of energy module is what feeds UPS units (battery backups) as well as servers so when the power dies down, they continue to run until the power is restored. This unit differs from what’s currently out there because most of the currently used devices run on lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries. This works well but there is no way of recharging these units and they are not as efficient and Li-Ion cells/batteries. Because of this, these new units will also be much more environmentally friendly.
One of the things that always humors me is when you visit forums and Fanboys and Girls go nuts over one product over another and defend to it death. They claim, “ill never buy Sony! Only Microsoft for Me!” (or insert your favorite brand and favorite evil brand in place of Sony and Microsoft). The reason this humors me is that I don’t have my own favorite brands. I indeed run this site so you might guess that I like Sony products and having worked for Apple for nearly 3 years, you can take a good guess about what other brand I use. But the humorous part for me is, the “Fanboys” will cling onto one brand and poo poo the other brand to show their loyalty to in this case lets say Microsoft. Of course, at the end of the day, when it comes to the corporations, it’s all about the product and money. Sony uses the latest version of Windows on all of its Vaio’s and creates programs like Acid for music mixing for Windows. On the other hand, Microsoft sees that Sony is the company that fits the bill to create a high enough megapixel camera that is small enough to fit in their upcoming Kin 2 and of course, they go with it. This news comes from Chipworks who did a tear down of the Kin 2 so feel free to read the entire article. What they go on to say about the Sony Sensor is:
The image sensor is one of the latest generation from Sony. Sony has been a market leader in innovation for these camera phones by leading the way in pixel shrink and techniques to improve light collection at the pixel. This particular device, the IMX046, features a five metal process at 90 nm and the latest 1.4 µm pixel size.
This also might give more weight to the news we reported a while back that Sony might be providing the camera unit for the 2011 iPhone.
[Via Chipworks]
It’s always interesting to read about the none consumer side of large business and the products and technologies that they work on. Sony is no exception. Of course, many know Sony for their professional lineup of TV’s and Camera’s that the Studios use to film some of your favorite shows and movies but Sony also does work on other forms, like counterfeit technology for credit cards. Read about this new project of theirs.
The guys over at Engadget have a very juicy story about the prototype Sony EX3 3D camcorder. What makes this camera so beautiful is that the size is something very manageable, so this camera can give smaller studios, news rooms, productions, and films all-access to 3D. This is something that Sony is very much on the forefront with their 3D televisions and the PS3 gaining 3D. Of course, all of this comes hot on the heels of Sony announcing their own Red Camera competitor.
What’s more fascinating about this camera that is also gives you the option to interchange its lenses to gain the shot that you want. This also means that you don’t need to own multiple 3D cameras. This one camera can adapt to your shooting style with just a change of the lens.
Some of the details are:
three half-inch CMOS eyeballs that stream 4:2:0 MPEG-2 video at 1080p to SxS memory cards at 35Mbps per eye,
or send uncompressed 4:4:4 footage over a new pair of HD-SDI outputs.
[Via Engadget]
You must be logged in to post a comment.