At CES in Las Vegas this week Sony unveiled its AX100E, which the company claims is the world’s smallest and lightest 4K camcorder. The AX100E is 75% smaller than previous models and 66% lighter. It is also the first 4K Handycam to feature a back-illuminated 1.0-type Exmor R CMOS sensor, capturing 4K Ultra HD images.
The 4K sensor is paired with Sony’s BIONZ X processor that employs area-specific noise reduction and detail reproduction technology. Together with the camcorder’s Cinematone Gamma/Colour function, progressive 25p recording gives a warm look to footage. The Handycam uses a newly-developed ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T lens with 12x optical zoom. The 11 group/17 element lens incorporates AA (advanced aspherical) and ED lens elements.
In another 4K Handycam first, Dual Video Recording lets the user simultaneously record movie clips and ready-to-share MP4 files. Movies can be captured in XAVC S (at up to 4K/60Mbps or HD/50Mbps) or AVCHD formats. At the same time, a more compact lower-resolution copy of the footage is recorded in MP4 format. Users can tap their NFC-enabled smartphone or tablet to wirelessly transfer web-friendly MP4 clips from the AX100E for quick online sharing.
The AX100E features a choice of Clear, 1/4 filter, 1/16 filter or 1/64 ND (Neutral Density) filters to adjust light levels entering the lens. This gives the user the freedom to precisely control shutter speed and aperture. The handycam also features a bright, high-contrast OLED Tru-Finder offering a wide angle of view. Another new addition is My Voice Cancelling, which automatically reduces vocal frequencies from immediately behind the camera, while the subject’s voice remains unaffected.
The new FDR-AX100E 4K camcorder by Sony is on sale in Europe from May 2014.
www.sony.eu
