Sony reinforces its XDCAM HD422 range with a handheld camcorder and an SxS field equipment

Sony expands its

Sony has expanded its range of XDCAM HD422 products with the SxS PMW-50 field equipment and the HD422 50 Mbps PMW-150 handheld camcorder, equipped with three 1/3″ Full HD Exmor CMOS sensors and a 20x zoom lens.

Bill Drummond, strategic marketing manager at Professional Solutions Europe, highlighted that “the handheld PMW-150 joins the popular line of HD422 SxS camcorders (which includes the PMW-100, PMW-200 and PMW-500 shoulder), now becoming the most robust and versatile HD422 family in the sector.”

Fast file-based operation, efficient codecs and stunning image quality make XDCAM HD422 products ideal for applications such as news, where workflow agility is key. They are also very valuable when you are looking for a high-quality HD broadcast image without affecting production costs or efficiency; for example, in TV documentaries and traditional entertainment programs,” explains Bill Drummond, head of strategic marketing at Professional Solutions Europe.

PMW-150: handheld camcorder

The PMW-150 incorporates three 1/3″ Exmor CMOS sensors and offers high sensitivity and low noise compared to other equivalent 1/3″ camcorders on the market. It has a 20x zoom lens and a focal length of 29.5-590mm (35mm equivalent), capable of wide-angle recording (VCL-HG0872K wide-angle converter option available) from a distance, making it ideal for event production, documentaries and the like. The lens has three independent rings for fully manual adjustment of focus, zoom and iris, as well as an image stabilization function.

The PMW-150 can record in 1080/50i, 1080/25P, 720/50P, 720/25P or PAL. To meet the most popular operational and creative needs among professionals, this camcorder also features a built-in four-position ND filter switch (Clear, 1: 1/4, 2: 1/16, 3: 1/64) and a powerful slow and fast motion function that allows recording from 1 fps to 60 fps in 720p mode, and from 1 fps to 30 fps in 1080p format. The PMW-150 also comes with a must-have 15-second cache recording function: you can use the internal memory to record content even before pressing the record button (for up to 15 seconds), allowing the user to record important moments that would otherwise be missed.

Genlock input and timecode input/output interfaces make the PMW-150 perfect for multi-camera environments. The camcorder's great flexibility extends to recording media, as it supports Sony professional SxS cards, as well as SD, Memory Stick and XQD memory cards (with the use of an adapter). The PMW-150's wireless remote control capability (also with adapter) improves flexibility in studio or outdoor applications and allows you to control white balance and playback using compatible mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets.

The lightweight and transportable PMW-150 can be used in a wide variety of applications: not only in broadcast and production, but also in educational and corporate settings and even in event videography.

SxS PMW-50 field equipment

As for the field equipment, the SxS PMW-50 is compact, agile and powerful, and is the perfect portable companion to the shoulder-mounted PMW-500 and the PMW-100, 150 and 200 handheld camcorders.

The dual SxS slot, its versatility of connections and the 3.5" LCD panel offer enormous operational flexibility. Direct recording from the camera, playback, copying files to external media and disks, viewing clips in situ, non-linear editing and file transfer for DSNG transmission are just some of the functions that the PMW-50 offers users. With the possibility of powering the equipment with BP-U batteries - the ones usually used in PMW-100 camcorders, 150 and 200 – and the consistency of the recording format (MPEG HD422 50 Mbps [MXF], MPEG HD420 35 Mbps [MP4] and DVCAM [MXF, AVI]), the PMW-50 is an essential equipment in a multitude of applications and adapts to the immediate needs of operators in the field with minimal kit and investment.