Panasonic announced their new 8K organic sensor with global shutter back in February. Now, 8 months later, they’ve announced the first camera to contain the new sensor. Officially titled the AK-SHB810, this “8K multi-purpose camera” is scheduled to launch sometime in autumn 2019.
It will be released along with the AK-SHU810 image processing unit. Essentially, the SHB810 camera pipes the output through a fibre optic cable into the SHU810 for processing. This allows the camera itself to remain relatively light.
Panasonic’s new 8K organic sensor offers a global shutter. Instead of the fairly standard BSI (back side illuminated) sensor from brands like Sony, Panasonic’s sensor uses an organic photoconductive film (OPF) which allows simultaneous readout of all the pixels in the frame. This means that rolling shutter is completely eliminated.
The new sensor also features a built-in electronic ND filter offering up to 5 stops of reduction allowing for those super wide shallow depth of field lenses in bright conditions. They also promise a wide dynamic range, but they haven’t said exactly how much this will be or how it compared to more traditional BSI CMOS sensors.
Panasonic says that the new camera will support a wide range of applications from broadcast to video production. A reference sample will be on display at Inter BEE 2018 this November, but the camera will not be released until Autumn 2019. There’s no word on pricing yet, although that’s to be expected with a potential release date still a year away.
You can read more about the new camera and the 8K sensor tech on the (translated) Panasonic Japan website.
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