PROREVIEW
There are two XLR Audio inputs and a Shotgun mic holder. However, the biggest disappointment is that there is no shotgun mic with this camera – something that comes standard with other packages. But all is not lost as it does have a built-in stereo microphone. This worked extremely well in capturing ambient sound. However, if you do consider doing interviews, which is very relevant for this specific camera, you should consider using a directional mic. The camera has only one vent unlike most other cameras that have two or even, three. It is, however, nearly noise free and very quiet. Other features of this camera include a headphone jack for monitoring audio and a 3.5 mm jack if you are not working with XLR audio. FTP UPLOADING Getting information on the scene is one thing, sending it back to the edit bay is another ball game altogether. This is where this camera truly impressed us. We used a Wi-Fi hotspot at a local coffee brand shop to upload the files we recorded. You can also use a cell adapter with the cell phone but we didn’t have the opportunity to test it out. It works like a charm. Thanks to the dual codecs, we were able to send our low-res, internet-ready files to the editing bay, and once we came back to the edit suite, we were able to update the proxy files with the hi-res in a snap. This is a process that takes some time to set up in the camera but once it is set, we had no problem uploading two minutes of footage from the field; the upload time itself was only a couple of minutes. This is really the feature that sets this camera apart from all the others in the same class such as the Sony NEX-50 or the Canon XF300. REMOTE CONTROL You can use any of your smartphone devices, tablet or even a computer to control the camera remotely. The camera has an IP address that you put in your browser on your smart device. This enables you to access the zoom and record functions of the camera without even being in the room. It works well and is a very interesting feature especially if you want to put your camera in a weird angle and cannot access the controls.
FROM TOP: The trimming option in the camera enables the end user to shorten their video clips if they do not want to upload the entire footage to the server. BELOW: The camera does have the option of live streaming.
“For run-and-gun shooting or new event gathering, I would say this camera is a great contender”
of different formats and resolutions including: *HD MPEG2 (35/25/19Mbps) *AVCHD 1920x1080 60i *SD H.264 *480x270 H.264 (web) *960x540 H.264 mode One of the main aspects of this camera is perhaps the possibility to record in dual codecs. This is ideal for HD and a proxy file. It records on affordable SDXC/SDHC memory card recording (two slots for dual-backup, continuous recording). Just make sure that you are using a class 6 card or higher. Our testing was done on a class 10 card. Of course, the standard interval recording is there so you will be able to create very interesting time lapses. The MXF is a very good file format for metatagging. It makes the editing workflow a breeze. SOUND Two-channel balanced audio inputs (mic/ line switchable) w/phantom power supply is provided.
46 | www.broadcastprome.com | August 2013