Sony Unveils PXW-Z750 Flagship XDCAM Shoulder Camcorder, with 4K 2/3-type 3-chip CMOS Sensor System with Global Shutter

Sony today announced the PXW-Z750, the world’s first 2/3-type shoulder camcorder to support 4K shooting with a 3-chip CMOS sensor system. The latest member of the XDCAM family is optimized for news and live production applications including sports broadcasts, magazine shows, unscripted television, and documentary shooting.

Sony’s premier 3-chip CMOS image sensor system is mounted on a wide prism band to ensure detailed imagery and vivid colors, along with 4K, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and High Frame Rate (HFR) acquisition with high sensitivity with low noise.  Its 2/3-type sensor delivers imagery with deep depth of field and enables quick focus operation.  B4 mount lens can be attached directly to maintain high sensitivity and resolution.

The PXW-Z750 is also the first 2/3-type 3-chip camcorder equipped with global shutter technology for capturing clear and crisp images while negating artefacts such as flashband and rolling shutter distortion.  This makes the camera an ideal tool for shooting in uncontrolled lighting conditions, as well as for capturing quickly moving objects and action often associated with sports, live events and nature videography.

As a result of industry demand and adoption, the camera supports HFR for HD, up to 120fps, to minimize blur or distortion.  Its HD images are generated through 4K oversampling, resulting in clear images with minimal noise.

Maximized flexibility in HDR operation

The PXW-Z750 also features maximum HDR operation.  The camera supports S-Log3 / HLG and employs BT.2020 and BT.709 color spaces.  Leveraging the PXW-Z750’s 4K/HD simultaneous recording feature, users can enjoy the benefits of 4K HDR and HD HDR at the same time.  Additionally, the camera accommodates Sony’s SR Live, and supports simultaneous recording of 4K HDR and HD SDR to meet various demands such as simul broadcasting of 4K and HD.

“Our cutting-edge new PXW-Z750 flagship model expands Sony’s lineup by bringing the most transformational visual elements – including 4K, HDR and HFR – into a portable and ergonomic package,” said Hany Bartella, Business Head – Broadcast & Media ME, Sony Professional Solutions MEA.  “In one camera, we’re meeting the demands of producers by delivering a robust 4K platform with global shutter 4K image sensor.  The camcorder can be further enhanced to create an even more comprehensive Sony’s solution when paired with our audio, media and wireless workflows.”

The PXW-Z750 incorporates encoding algorithms for optimizing HDR recording, as well for recording 4K sequences.  The camera supports XAVC-L for long-GOP QFHD 10bit 4:2:2 at 200Mbps, allowing large volumes of captured data to be compressed to approximately 1/3 in size when compared to XAVC-I Class 300*.  XAVC-L does this while maintaining its high quality, high resolution 4K imagery and wide dynamic range.

*600Mbps at 59.94p, 500Mbps at 50p

Another powerful feature is 12G-SDI support, which enables the transfer of 4K images (50p or 60p) over a single BNC cable, enhancing the flexibility of the camera.

Seamless integration with Sony’s hardware and service

The camera supports a range of complementary accessories and options to suit a user’s needs, preferences and budget, while offering expanded interoperability.  Sony’s high-quality wireless audio solutions and shotgun mics, including the latest DWX series digital wireless microphone system; the new slot-in receiver DWR-S03D and bodypack transmitter DWT-B30 are compatible with the camcorder.  Advanced integration with the DWX series includes synchronized power on/off, control by menu settings or assignable buttons and audio information on the viewfinder.

Paired with Sony’s newest durable SxS PRO X cards, the SBP-120F (120GB) and SBP-240F (240GB), ultra-fast transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps* are supported allowing the camera to capture high bit rate content.  When the new cards are used in conjunction with the new reader/writer, SBAC-T40 equipped with Thunderbolt™ 3 interface, it permits the transfer of 240GB of video in approximately 3.5 minutes* creating a fast and reliable solution for shooting and offloading large volumes of content.

*Based on Sony’s internal testing. Transfer speeds vary and are dependent on host devices, the OS version or usage conditions.

The camcorder also supports B4 mount lenses, enabling use with a wide range of in-market and new lens solutions.  B4 mount lenses offer a range of focal lengths tailored to suit the needs of unscripted and news shooting environments.  The PXW-Z750 also supports several viewfinder and battery solutions.

In addition to hardware integrations, the PXW-Z750 has built-in wireless network features and supports XDCAM air, Sony’s cloud-based workflow service for news production that offers streaming from the field and the efficient file clips management.

The PXW-Z750 is planned to be available in February 2020.