Sony this week rolled out a new 1080p high-end digital camera, targeting television and film production.
As part of the company's CineAlta camera line, the F23 supports 4:4:4 1920x1080 RGB imaging, using three 2.2 megabit 2/3-inch progressive CCD imagers and a 14-bit A/D converter. The system supports 1080/23.98p, 24p, 25p, 29.97p, 50p, 59.94p, 50i and 59.94i formats.
The camera shares the same design features as Sony's 1920x1080 RGB 4:4:4 HDC-F950--also part of the CineAlta product line--along with several new features, including the ability to dock the Sony SRW-1 digital 4:4:4 recorder directly to the top or to the tail of the new system, eliminating the need for cables between camera and recorder. For those who would prefer a lighter-weight camera system, the recorder can also be tethered using a "dual-link" cable connection.
To make the camera "film user-friendly," Sony has designed the F23 body to be compatible with a variety of film camera accessories, including bridge plates, matte boxes and follow focus units, which can be attached to the unit without modification.
When used with the Sony SRW-1 VTR, the F23 can capture and record variable speed images from 1p to 60p (1p to 30fps at 4:4:4 and 1p to 60 fps at 4:2:2) at the full HD resolution of 1920x1080; this allows users to "undercrank" or "overcrank" to produce special motion effects commonly used in high-end production.
