Have Sharp ever made a professional level camcorder before? I remember a few CCTV type cameras and a mix of dodgy VHS-C models in the late 1900’s… but then suddenly last week, they take us all by surprise by announcing a huge 8K camera with a very impressive spec. What isn’t impressive is the name… the 8C-B60A – I thought most manufactures were realising that Directors need to ask for something sexy like a ‘Red Weapon’, ‘Alexa’ or even the ‘Venice’ before persuading you to drive miles just to pick it up?
Anyway, what is clear is that Sharp are obviously trying to leapfrog over the opposition by offering a usable 8K solution before we’ve barely got used to 4K. It uses a Super35 sized CMOS sensor giving 7680 x 4320 at 60P and 4:2:2 10-bit. Luckily, they are also including the ability to record all of this data onto 2TB SSD cards, which might help to keep things a little more affordable. We can’t wait to see how our little laptops handle 4 channels of live 8K, but the Grass Valley HQX Codec is said to be easy on the CPU’s?
With PL mount, BT.2020 colour gamut and live uncompressed 8K outputs though quad-Link 12G-SDI I’m not sure if this is aimed at the film world or Live broadcasts? Either way, it looks like it can do both at once!
The cost in Yen worked out to about £60,000 for the body only, so you’ll still need to buy a (very good) viewfinder, microphone and probably a new iMac Pro, just to join the 8K party.
We can’t wait to see the pictures from this one though….
Specifications:
| Camera Section | |
|---|---|
| Image sensor (number of effective pixels) | Super 35 mm equivalent single plate CMOS image sensor (approx. 33 million pixels) |
| Built-in neutral density filter | Clear, 1/4ND, 1/16ND, 1/64ND |
| Lens mount | PL mount |
| Electronic shutter | 1/24, 1/48, 1/50, 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/240, 1/480, 1/960, 1/1920 |
| Variable shutter (1/24 sec. to 1/10000 sec.) | |
| Frame frequency | 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60 Hz |
| Gamma curve | HLG (dynamic range 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 2000%) |
| Log gamma | |
| Color gamut | ITU-R BT.2020 |
| Input/Output Terminal | |
| SDI output | BNC×4 4K output and 8K output switchable At the 4K output：quad-link 3G-SDI, 4:2:2 2SI At the 8K output: quad-link 12G-SDI, 4:2:2 2SI |
| BNC×1 For HD WFM (with focus assist function) 1.5G-SDI 4:2:2 (Gamma HLG/Log Gamma compatible) |
|
| Analog audio input | AUDIO IN XLR type 3 pin (concave) × 2 (compatible with phantom power supply) |
| Mic input | MIC IN XLR type 5-pin (stereo) (concave) × 1 (compatible with phantom power supply) |
| Others | MADI audio input, TC IN / OUT, genlock, lens remote, headphone output, speaker output, 10 GbE (for file transfer) |
| Recording Section | |
| SD card | SDHC × 1 (for proxy recording and firmware update) |
| Storage | SSD pack (MM-210) |
| Number of slots | ×1 |
| Duration | Approx. 40 min. (when 2TB SSD pack used) |
| Video Codec | Grass Valley HQX Codec (7680×4320 4:2:2 10-bit) |
| Video compression rate | 6 Gbps (8K 60p: approx. 1/7 compression) |
| Audio format | Linear PCM 24-bit 48kHz 32 ch |
| General | |
| Power supply | DC 12V to 17V |
| Weight | Approx. 5 kg (body unit) |
| External dimensions (W × H × D) |
W155 × H188 × D312 mm (not including protrusions) |
| Power consumption | Approx. 80W (non-recording) |
| Accessories | |
| AC/DC adapter | 130W 13V DC output AC/DC adapter XLR 4-pin (concave) |
| MM-210 SSD pack | 2 TB x 1 |
| User manual | CD-ROM x 1 |
| File transfer software | CD-ROM: 10GbE (during Pear to pear network) Data transfer software via transfer BOX Compatible both Win and Mac |
I didn’t even know that Sharp still existed.
Me too – thought they just did calculators now !!!