PARAMUS, N.J.—Sony Electronics has launched the PXW-Z300, a flagship handheld XDCAM camcorder featuring 1/2-inch 4K 3-CMOS Exmor R sensors, the latest BIONZ XR image processing engine, and a dedicated AI-processing unit. The camcorder is equipped with a professional lens system that includes three independent manual control rings. The new camcorder is ideal for a wide range of applications including news, sports, corporate, faith, events, documentary, live programming, and reality and is planned to be available by fall.

The PXW-Z300 combines exceptional image quality, a 17x optical zoom lens, and Electronic Variable ND filter with versatile operational capabilities. In addition to high-quality 4K 60p recording, it features AI-powered subject recognition for precise autofocus performance. The camera introduces a new articulating Flexible LCD Arm for adaptable capturing styles and a Side V-Mount that allows smartphones or data transmitters to be securely attached.

Sony says the PXW-Z300 is the world's first camcorder to embed digital signatures directly into video files, addressing the evolving needs of the content creation industry, including the growing demand for content authenticity.

The PXW-Z300's network functionality has been enhanced through improved communication device integration, which supports modern production workflows that utilize 5G and cloud technologies. This enables live streaming from shooting locations and efficient file transfer over networks.

“This latest camcorder has new enhancements, including content authenticity capabilities, that will be very beneficial for those in the news and production industry, whether they’re capturing action-packed content, breaking stories, or producing educational documentaries,” said Kento Sayama, deputy head, media segment, imaging solutions at Sony Electronics.

Imaging Capabilities
The camcorder features 1/2-inch back-illuminated 4K 3-CMOS Exmor R sensors and the BIONZ XR image processing engine, enabling excellent color separation, F12 sensitivity, and 4K 60p recording. It incorporates a 17x optical zoom lens with F1.9 constant maximum aperture and three independent manual control rings for traditional camera operation.

By utilizing the digital extender function, individuals can achieve 1.5x zoom in 4K mode and up to 4x zoom in HD mode with minimal resolution degradation, making the camera suitable for a wide range of capturing scenarios, including news gathering and event documentation.

Additionally, the camera is equipped with an Electronic Variable ND filter that seamlessly adjusts transmission from 1/4 to 1/128, along with optical image stabilization. This allows for smooth brightness adjustment and stable capture when moving between locations with varying light conditions, such as from bright outdoor areas to dim interior spaces.

AI Processing
The PXW-Z300 incorporates a dedicated AI-processing unit in addition to its image processing engine. This enables high-precision subject (human) recognition based on face, eye, skeletal structure, and posture information. The system can maintain autofocus on subjects even when they are facing away from the camera or wearing facial coverings. It also features an auto-framing function that automatically adjusts composition to keep human subjects centered in the frame.

The camera also features a 3.5-inch high-brightness LCD monitor with approximately 2.76 million dots. It provides excellent visibility even in bright conditions and is significantly brighter than its predecessor, the PXW-Z280. It incorporates the newly developed Flexible LCD Arm with three-axis movement, which allows flexibility in adjusting the monitor's position and angle. This enables the camera to accommodate various shooting styles. Operators can adjust the viewing distance when capturing content with the camera on their shoulder, position the LCD monitor at the camera's optical center for stable waist-level capture, or flip it forward for self-recording.

Additionally, this camcorder will be offered as an all-in-one solution (VTK-Z300) that also includes wireless digital audio and accessories, such as a tripod and transport bag for capturing great video and audio on the go.

Enhanced Network Functions
The camera supports new workflows utilizing 5G and cloud technologies, allowing immediate transfer of recorded material from shooting locations and live streaming through smartphone or Wi-Fi/wired LAN connections. Recorded content can be transferred via network to cloud-based media sharing services or on-premises storage in high-quality, efficient formats.

For proxy material transmission at lower bit rates, the camera newly supports the HEVC codec, enabling higher quality and compression rates. Additionally, it can transfer clips in chunk format (segmented recording) during shooting. This eliminates the need to remove media and transfer material after shooting, allowing editing to begin as material arrives, according to Sony.

The camera supports common video streaming protocols including RTMP/RTMPS and SRT, enabling live broadcasting from remote locations. By attaching Sony’s PDT-FP1 Portable Data Transmitter (sold separately) to the Side V-Mount and connecting it to the camera, users can simplify integration and achieve a more stable transmission of video material.

Furthermore, the PXW-Z300 utilizes cloud services such as Ci Media Cloud, a cloud-based solution for media collaboration. This allows the camera to support more immediate and efficient video production workflows with material sharing and collaboration among project members, and live streaming with multiple cameras when combined with Sony’s M2 Live Cloud Switcher.

Support for Various Recording Formats and Looks
The PXW-Z300 supports various recording formats designed for a wide range of video production applications, including news footage and documentaries. It offers standard support for MXF file recording in formats adopted by the XDCAM series, such as MPEG HD422, XAVC Intra (4K/HD 4:2:2 10bit), and XAVC Long (4K 4:2:0 8bit/HD 4:2:2 10bit), as well as MP4 proxy recording in HEVC.

The camera also accommodates diverse looks. In addition to S-Cinetone, ITU709, and 709tone available in Sony’s Cinema Line series, XDCAM, and HDC series, it supports HLG Live, HLG Mild, HLG Natural, and user 3D LUTs. Users can import custom 3D LUTs (.cube files) from memory cards.

The camera is compatible with Sony’s mobile application Monitor & Control, which supports multicamera shooting by allowing angle confirmation, camera settings adjustment, and remote operation from smartphones or tablet devices.

Additionally, the camcorder enables the recording of up to four channels of audio—including shotgun microphones and Sony’s UWP series of wireless microphones—via XLR inputs and the Multi Interface shoe. Future support will provide proxy 4-channel audio recording.

First Camcorder to Support Recording of Authenticity Information in Video
The camera supports the C2PA standard for recording authenticity information and is the world's first camcorder capable of recording video with embedded digital signatures. Expanding authenticity initiatives from still images to video helps fill the growing need for improved content reliability demanded by news organizations in recent years, Sony said.

The PXW-Z300 is scheduled to be exhibited at the Beijing International Radio, TV & Film Exhibition 2025 (BIRTV), in Beijing, China, starting Tuesday, July 22, 2025. It will also be shown at the IBC Show, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam.

SOUTHWICK, Mass.—Hitachi Kokusai will introduce the Z-HD6500 HD camera for live production applications at the 2023 NAB Show, April 16-19, in Las Vegas.

The camera, which will make its debut along with the company’s new 4K models, supports multiple HD formats up to 1080p and is designed to offer a seamless triax-to-fiber transition to lower costs and reduce system complexity, Hitachi Kokusai said.

A three 2/3-inch CMOS image sensor camera, the Z-HD6500 offers a global shutter to enable users to capture crystal-clear video compliant with BT.2020 color. The global shutter technology reduces artifacts, such as banding and flicker that can occur with LED lighting and large LED displays, the company said.

With sensitivity of F10 at 59.94 frames per second, the camera can capture high-quality video in reduced lighting and a signal-to-noise ratio of 62dB. The camera supports HD workflows for multi-format productions and offers separate controls for High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), it said. 

““We are introducing a larger number and broader variety of new camera systems this NAB compared to recent NAB shows, and we will accentuate our market-leading cost-to-performance value proposition as we demonstrate the vast feature sets of each new camera system,” said Sean Moran, the company’s chief operating officer (COO).

The ZD-HD6500 joins the new SK-UHD7000-S2 4K/HD camera and DK-H700 4K box camera on Hitachi Kokusai’s NAB booth next week. The Z-HD6500 begins shipping this spring.

See Hitachi Kokusai in NAB Show booth C6117.

More information is available on the company’s website.

TOKYO—Sony Corp. today announced the development of a 1,000 fps stacked CMOS designed for smartphones. The new image sensor consists of a DRAM layer added to the conventional two-layer stacked CMOS image sensor, with a layer of back-illuminated structure pixels and a chip affixed with mounted circuits for signal processing. (See graphic below.)

Sony said this newly developed sensor with DRAM delivers fast data readout speeds, making it possible to capture still images of fast-moving subjects with minimal focal plane distortion as well as super slow-motion movies at up to 1,000 frames per second in 1,920x1,080-pixel HD.

To get the high-speed readout, Sony said the circuit used to convert the analog video to a digital signal was doubled from a two-tier to a four-tier construction to improve processing ability.

Although there are speed limitations in the interface specs for outputting signals from image sensors to other LSIs, this sensor uses DRAM to temporarily store signals read at high speed, enabling data to be output at an optimal speed for the standard specs. As a result, Sony said the product is capable of reading one still image of 19.3 million pixels in 1/120 of a second, supporting high-speed image capture.

The sensor is also said to include technology for reducing the noise generated between the circuits on each of the three layers.

The sensor results were announced at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, which started on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017 in San Francisco, Sony said.