Camcorder News

Click here for a full photo gallery of the PMW-350 and EX1R.

October 20, 2009 – Sony announced today the release of two new models to their XDCAM EX line of professional camcorders—the PMW-350 and the PMW-EX1R. The PMW-350 is an entirely new camcorder from Sony and it is the company's first memory-based camcorder to include a 2/3-inch CMOS chip.

The shoulder-mounted PMW-350 offers full 1920 x 1080 HD recording, includes professional connectivity options (including Timecode-in/out, Genlock-in/out, HD-SDI, and HDMI-output). The PMW-350 features a 2/3-inch bayonet lens mounting system, and the camcorder can be packaged with a 16x optical zoom kit lens for a total cost of $22,000. The kit lens offers automatic lens aberration compensation, three independent control rings, and a focal length of 8 - 128mm. The camcorder will also be available without the kit lens for $20,500. The PMW-350 is expected to be available in January 2010.

Sony's other announcement, the PMW-EX1R, is an upgrade to a previous XDCAM model, the PMW-EX1. The new EX1R features a DVCAM recording capability (for standard definition recording), an HDMI output, a higher-resolution viewfinder, and a number of design alterations to improve comfort and control. The PMW-EX1R features a hand-held design, does not have an interchangeable lens system, and will be available in December 2009 with an MSRP of $7,790.

To improve compatibility with Sony's XDCAM HD 422 models, both of these new camcorders offer 1440 x 1080 record modes at 35Mbps in addition to their Full HD and DVCAM recording options.

Sony also announced the MEAD-MS01 adapter, which is compatible with both the PMW-350 and PMW-EX1R, as a method for expanding the recording media options for XDCAM camcorders. The MEAD-MS01 adapter enables you to record to Sony's Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX memory cards as a backup recording option if you happen to run out of space on your SxS memory cards.

Sony made a few updates to its supplied editing software, Clip Browser, in order to accommodate for the new models. Clip Browser version 2.6 features support for new recording formats and the ability to display metadata while viewing clips.

It seems many manufacturers have slowed down production on professional camcorders over the past year. When asked about the impact of the weakened economy on the pro camcorder market, Bob Ott, vice president of Broadcast & Professional Audio/Video products group at Sony Electronics responded, 'I think the broadcast area has definitely been affected by the economy because stations have cut back. But stations are still buying a lot of equipment from us... It's tough to say we're not introducing new products when we are.' It will remain to be seen exactly how many new professional camcorders and products Sony plans to announce in the coming months.

A full photo gallery of the Sony PMW-350 and PMW-EX1R is available here.