4K for £4k in a body not much bigger than a DSLR
JVC don't come out with cameras at nearly the rate of some other manufacturers but when they do you tend to stop and take a good look.
Today at CES in Las Vegas they announced a 4K camcorder that is the same compact size of it's existing GY-HM150 which is quite literally staggering.
So until now you needed to buy into Red 4K or Sony F65 to get this resolution so granted this may not be being pitched against those systems but to have that resolution available at such an affordable price point is very interesting indeed.
So what you get is a camcorder capable of 4 K but will also sit very comfortably at 1920x1080 so why wouldn't you.
Possible Uses
Imagine shooting a 4k master and sitting your footage on a HD time line and be able to digitally zoom and move the camera image because you have so much information to play with.
Perhaps 4K is nearer than we think for trade shows, exhibitions and maybe even other public display advertising systems.
Here's what JVC have said about the camera:
“We’re witnessing the birth of what is destined to become a broad market for full 4K end-to-end production,” said product manager, Gustav Emrich. “The GY-HMQ10 is a breakthrough product that opens up 4K imaging to users who previously wouldn't have considered it.”
High resolution 4K still picture imaging has been around for several years in DSLR cameras. Motion video capture with these cameras has always been done at a lower video resolution because of lack of processing power. Likewise, high end digital motion picture cameras may capture 4K images, but often provide a raw data output to an external storage array for later processing - again due to lack of processing power in the camera. There just hasn't been the ability to capture, process, display and record full 4K images in real time until now.
JVC's exclusive Falconbrid LSI processing takes raw image data from the camera's CMOS device and dematrixes (deBayers) it in real time. Unlike many high end 4K cameras, the GY-HMQ10 is able to output 4K images to a monitor or projection system in real time with virtually no latency. This capability opens up applications in cinematography, medical microscopy, telepresence, specialised observation / surveillance, and live wide-view event coverage.
Using MPEG-4 technology and a variable bit rate H.264 codec operating at up to 144 Mbps, the GY-HMQ10 records up to two hours of 4K video to economical SDHC or SDXC memory cards.
In addition to 4K imaging, the GY-HMQ10 also captures and records astonishing 1080i or 1080/50p full HD, with extraordinary detail provided by its 8.3 megapixel imager and superior lens. HD is recorded on a single memory card in a format compatible with most editing systems, along with the ability to crop an HD image from a 4K frame. This can be accomplished in post production, or in real time during camera playback. The “trimming” feature makes HD cropping easy using the camera's touch panel LCD monitor.
Similar in size to JVC’s popular GY-HM150 ProHD camcorder, the GY-HMQ10 includes a build-in F2.8 10x zoom lens with optical image stabiliser, as well as a colour viewfinder and 3.5-inch touch LCD monitor with a new, intuitive user interface. The GY-HMQ10 is built in a familiar, comfortable and lightweight form factor for hours of field production with minimum fatigue.
The GY-HMQ10 is equipped with manual level controls for audio, with audio metering in the LCD and viewfinder displays. A microphone holder and two balanced XLR connectors with phantom power are located on the handle. The camera is equipped with a built-in stereo mic for ambient sound pickup.
Other features include JVC’s patented Focus Assist, as well as manual and auto control of focus, iris, gain, shutter, gamma, colour matrix and white balance. Plus, the camera has the unusual capability of live 4K output via four HDMI terminals.
“Historically, JVC has been a leader in camcorder and display technology, and the GY-HMQ10 is our latest breakthrough,” added Gustav. “It's part of a larger move at JVC to bring 4K technology to a wide range of customers.” In September 2011, JVC introduced an affordable line of 4K projectors to the home theatre market. The company's high-end 4K projectors are widely used in commercial flight simulators and planetariums. “4K is the logical step beyond HD,” he added, “and JVC is uniquely positioned to lead the industry in this new direction.”
JVC's innovative approach to professional 4K will be unveiled in a series of industry announcements beginning at CES in Las Vegas and continuing throughout 2012.
The GY-HMQ10 has a list price of £4340 and is expected to ship in March 2012.
Source: Denlennie.com
