HD Camera with One-Inch Sensor Type Is Expected to Ship in October

Sony announced the HXR-NX100, a new camcorder with a one-inch 20-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor type—about the same size as a Super 16mm film frame—aimed at corporate, documentary, and event production.

The sensor is designed for low-light acquisition at a minimum illumination of 1.7 lux, Sony said, and the lens has a 29mm angle of view at the wide end with a 12x optical zoom. Manual lens rings control zoom, focus and iris, and the camera has a four-step ND filter built in. The EVF and LCD monitor both have 1550K dots, and available interfaces include HDMI, MicroUSB, XLR, Remote, BNC, and MI shoe.

Recording formats include AVCHD, DV, and XAVC S at 50 Mbps. Dual media slot enable backup, simultaneous, relay and independent recording to SDXC/SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo (Mark 2) and Memory Stick Pro-HD Duo. Buttons on the NX100 allow users to start and stop recording on different memory cards independently.

Sony compared the new camera to last year's PXW-X70, another model with a one-inch sensor type, but while a 4K upgrade for the X70 is slated to be available at some unspecified point in the future, Sony made no mention of 4K capabilities for the NX100. (The camera's 20 megapixel sensor would provide plenty of raw resolution for a 4K image, but processing and recording that image is the demanding part.)

Sony said it expects the HXR-NX100 to ship in October for less than $2,000.