Sony FR7 Brings Swappable Lenses to PTZ Cameras

pcmag.com:

Sony's latest cinema camera isn't made for use in the field or on set. Instead the FR7 is all about remote control for broadcast and live event venues. It's a PTZ—pan, tilt, zoom—camera, a type that is engineered for fixed-point installation and control from a booth. To date, these cameras have used fixed lenses and smaller image sensors. With the FR7, Sony is changing that.

Instead of a fixed lens, the FR7 supports E-mount swappable lenses, and the image sensor is the same full-frame chip included in the FX6 cinema camera, with all of its capabilities—4K60 recording with 10-bit 4:2:2 sampling, electronic variable neutral density control to keep exposure set during shifting light, face and eye detection autofocus with subject tracking—to put it lightly, it's more camera than many of us will ever need.

As such, Sony is positioning this one to high-end customers. A representative suggested use cases ranging from YouTube cooking shows to episodic drama on the production side, and places like concert and wedding venues and houses of worship for broadcast. Since it has the same image pipeline as the FX6, you can match footage in the editing room (with the same editing flexibility), and broadcasters can take advantage of ready-to-view profiles like S-Cinetone. A Genlock connection is included to sync up in multi-camera setups.

The FR7 is an interesting addition to the company's diverse line of cameras, and one that offers up some options for PTZ installations. It can be mounted upright or to a ceiling, and accepts power from an AC source or Power Over Ethernet (PoE). While we expect many to use it for broadcast, there are also dual CFe (Type A)/SDXC (UHS-II) card slots for internal recording, and the full array of SDI, HDMI,