Sony Professional has expanded its line-up of Super 35mm digital motion picture camera technologies with the launch of the PMW-F3 camcorder. The new PMW-F3 is an affordable production tool designed for television, commercials, music promos and budget features. The low price point will bring Super 35mm shooting within reach of a wider audience, claims Sony. […]
Sony Professional has expanded its line-up of Super 35mm digital motion picture camera technologies with the launch of the PMW-F3 camcorder.
The new PMW-F3 is an affordable production tool designed for television, commercials, music promos and budget features. The low price point will bring Super 35mm shooting within reach of a wider audience, claims Sony. The availability of a low-cost PL lens kit model that includes 35/50/85mm T2.0 fixed focal length lenses makes the camera ideal for use as a second unit 35mm camera or as a B camera to the SRW-9000PL.
“Sony has a long and successful track record of developing digital motion production technologies,” said Bill Drummond, strategic marketing manager at Sony Professional Europe.
“Our cameras have shot everything from documentaries to big-budget blockbusters, totalling many billions of Euros at the box office. With the new PMW-F3, we’re putting the full power of our expertise to work, to bring precise control over depth of field, and access to the huge range of cinematic lenses available to a wider range of users.”
The new PMW-F3 camcorder is based on Sony’s XDCAM EX workflow (codec is MPEG-2 Long GOP 4:2:0 8bit, 35 Mbps), and uses Sony’s SxS ExpressCard-based recording media format. Its Super 35mm CMOS imager delivers shallow depth of field, with high sensitivity and low noise levels (ISO 800, F11; and S/N ratio of 63dB in 1920×1080/59.94i mode), as well as wide dynamic range.
The camcorder offers a wide range of image creation options, as well as the ability to seamlessly inter-cut PMW-F3 footage with content shot on Sony’s F35 or SRW-9000PL cameras – through the use of an HD-SDI dual-link output for external recording (4:2:2 1080 50/59.94P as standard; and RGB 1080 23.98/25/29.97PsF as an option).
Additionally, “S-LOG” and “Hyper Gamma” can be selected. This can allow users to take full advantage of the CMOS imager’s wide dynamic range, giving them the ability to tailor their images during post-production in the same way they would in a film based workflow. Recording formats include 1920×1080, 1440×1080, and 1280×720 at 23.98/25/29.97p, 50/59.94i and, in DVCAM mode, 25/29.97PsF and 50/59.94i. Filmmakers can also take advantage of “slow” and “quick” recording, also known as “overcranking” and “undercranking” from 1 to 30 fps at 1920×1080 (17 to 30 fps in dual-link mode) and 1 to 60 fps at 1280×720 (17 to 60 fps in dual-link mode).
The PMW-F3’s PL mount adapter can accommodate both PL and zoom lenses, and will offer compatibility with a variety of cine lenses such as Cooke, Arri, Fujinon and Zeiss.
Sony will also introduce a compatible SR Memory Portable Recorder for the PMW-F3 camcorder. This will add a high-end workflow option as well as full RGB capability providing native recoding in HDCAM SR codec.
Two configurations of the PMW-F3 will be available (PMW-F3L body only and PMW-F3K with PL lens kit). First deliveries are scheduled for January 2011.
