Advanced XDCAM Sony camcorder for News and Broadcast operations
The newest addition to Sony’s PXW series of shoulder-mount camcorders, the PXW-X400, is promised to deliver strong network and wireless capabilities, improved weight balance, XAVC 50p recording and pool feed functions to give ENG and field production professionals a versatile tool on its February release.
“This new camcorder combines all the capabilities professional shooters need – enlarged connectivity for content faster to air, improved ergonomics for easier operation on the field, and high performance for efficient workflows – in a true news and broadcast production workhorse.” said Lucie Wendremaire, Product Marketing Manager, Sony Professional, Sony Europe. “The various additions of features like XAVC 50p recording and pool feed make the PXW-X400 a perfect fit for today’s demanding field content creation requirements.”
The new camcorder’s Ethernet interface (RJ45 connector) enables direct connection to a network when wireless LAN is unstable or unavailable, for file transfer, live streaming and control from a web browser. A near-field communications (NFC) feature gives users a one-touch link between the camera and a mobile device. The Content Browser Mobile application enables users to preview or remotely control camcorder settings of various menu functions.
The pool feed function (HD/SD SDI) enables the recording of a 1.5G HD-SDI external signal on an SxS card, a useful function to record a distributed signal from another camera on-site without portable deck.
Redesigning the inner structure of camcorder body, Sony has drastically improved the weight balance and handling capabilities compared to predecessor models. The combination of the newly introduced manual lens and the well-balanced body resolve any front-heavy issues and dramatically reduce the load on the right-hand.
The camcorder’s ‘ONLINE button’ lets users bypass a mobile device or the camera’s menu for direct on/off control over the following features: direct streaming transmission of AV signals from a PXW-X400 to assigned destinations; and auto-uploading of proxy or high-resolution files to cloud services and FTP servers.
The low-power (22W) camcorder PXW-X400 uses a 2/3” 3-chip CMOS image sensor and supports several HD and SD formats including XAVC. Lens options include a 20x Manual Focus Lens (PXW-X400KC model) and a 16x Auto Focus Lens*² (PXW-X400KF model). The PXW-X400 model is body-only with neither lens nor viewfinder. The new camcorder supports Sony’s new HDVF-series Full HD OLED viewfinder. The PXW-X400 camcorder is planned to be available in February 2016.