IBC: Sony Launches New Camcorder and Field Deck

New PMW-160 handheld camcorder expands XDCAM HD422 lineup

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/9/2012 2:52:10 PM

Complete Coverage: IBC 2012

Sony has announced that it is expanding its XDCAM HD422 lineup with the launch of the new PMW-160 handheld camcorder and the PMW-50 SxS field deck.

The PMW-160 handheld camcorder is expected to become available in December 2012 with a suggested price of $7,790. The PMW-50 SxS field deck, which will also begin shipping in December 2012, has a suggested price of $5,740.

"XDCAM HD422 products are ideal for applications where speed, fast file-based operation and outstanding picture quality are required," said Cyndi Lee, XDCAM marketing manager at Sony Electronics. "These applications can include the production of TV dramas, documentaries, or mainstream entertainment programs, and Sony will continue to evolve its line with more HD422 products, including a new recorder, in the pipeline."

The PMW-160 handheld camcorder, which has three 1/3-inch Exmor CMOS sensors, comes with a 20-times zoom lens with a focal length of 29.5-590mm (35mm equiv.) and is capable of shooting even wider angles, using an optional wide converter VCL-HG0872 from a distance, making it ideal for event production, documentaries and other uses.

It can record in a variety of formats, including 1080/59.94i, 50i, 29.97p, 25p, 23.98p, 720/59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 23.98p, and DVCAM for NTSC and PAL countries.

The PMW-50 SxS field deck is designed to support a variety of mobile XDCAM HD422 video production applications using SxS memory.

It allows users to playback and view content recorded on an SxS memory card, copy the data on an SxS card to other storage devices, and record an external SDI signal or convert a signal from SDI to i.LINK, and more.