Sharp shows off the first 8K consumer ILS camera under $5,000 at CES 2019

It has no name, right now, other than “8K Video Camera”, but this 8K Micro Four Thirds camera from electronics giant Sharp is currently on display in prototype form at CES 2019. It was spotted by Dave Altizer at Kinotika discovered wandering through the CES show floor. And he decided to make a short video to tell us all about it.

Sharp is no stranger to video cameras, having dealt with the more professional end of the market for quite a few years. They introduced the $77,000 8C-B60A in only 2017. This 8K camera, however, they say, will cost less than $5,000. Do bear in mind, though, this is a prototype. Specs are subject to change. The official specs are expected to be announced at NAB in April.

He says that the camera is “super light and super small”, and feels a lot like the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K in form. Which would make sense considering they both use Micro Four Thirds sensors. The big difference, though, is that this one shoots 8K video at up to 30 frames per second, and apparently they’re working on 60 frames per second. The video is stored using h.265 compression to a UHS-II SD card – yes, just one.

There is some mention of stabilisation in the camera, but no confirmation on whether it’s true IBIS or electronic image stabilisation. There’s a full-sized HDMI port on the side, along with a microphone and headphone jacks, mini-XLR input, and Type-C USB socket.

What’s most amazing about this camera, though, is that it actually has a 5″ flippy out touchscreen LCD. So, yes, if you get one of these for vlogging then you can see yourself and your composition in the shot, check light and focus, and go. Ok, so this particular camera might be out of the budget of many vloggers but why Sony and Nikon don’t seem to be able to figure this idea out, I’ve no idea.

While this is just a sneak peek, it’s very exciting. Sharp hasn’t been in the consumer video market in a decade or more. If they’re rejoining it now, it’s for good reason.

DIYP will be at NAB in April, so we’ll keep an eye out for this one and let you know when we hear more.

[via Digital Camera World]