Sitting at the top of Sony’s XDCAM product line is the PDW-F800, which was just announced at NAB. It offers an unprecedented combination of features and specs that make it ideal for broadcast and ENG applications, as well as cinematic production.

More than an upgrade to the PDW-700, the F800 incorporates some of the image control features originally developed for the Emmy Award-winning F900. In fact, the F800, the latest camera to bear the CineAlta name, was developed with input from camera operators and cinematographers.

The F800 records to Sony’s ultra-reliable, non-linear XDCAM Professional Disc media, in both the dual layer 50GB and single layer 23 GB versions. It offers the capability to record in a variety of HD and SD formats, including the XDCAM HD422 codec. This codec delivers stunning image and audio quality, and the format offers high data transfer speeds and compatibly with non-linear editing systems.

The F800 and its companion F1600 deck allow 23.98P recording natively in 1080 mode and offer multi-format recording flexibility, including 1080P, 1080i, 720P and SD. In addition, HD/SD conversion and cross conversion between these formats is possible.

The F800 offers an impressive array of creative features including variable frame rate recording. What’s more, these over-cranking and under-cranking effects can be played back and viewed in camera for immediate review.

The F800 adds adjustable gamma settings, a feature frequently requested by cinematographers. It offers four pre-set HyperGammas (the same found in the F900) and allows for five User Gamma settings. Settings created for F900R or F23 can be loaded into the camera.

Other key features of the F800 are optical filter wheels, an image inverter function for cine lens adapters, and new focus assist function.

To learn more about the F800, which is expected to be available in June, visit our blog, CineTechnica.