The Sony HDC-4300 4K/HD – having your cake and eating it

Equipment Rental
UK

The main beauty of the much-lauded Sony HDC-4300 is that operators get what they’re used to but with 4K capabilities on top. It’s multi-format for daily HD applications, and then really comes into its own for filming live sports events on the weekends.

The camera features three 2/3-inch 4K image sensors while supporting the same B4-mount lenses and control surfaces as Sony’s popular HDC-2000 series. This means directors and operators can maintain their preferred approaches to live events – including camera angles, zoom ranges and iris settings – while using familiar camera technology.

“When it first came out, the industry was unsure whether creating a 2/3 inch 4K camera could be done. Well it could, and they’ve been flying out of the door ever since”, says Gravity Media’s Acting Managing Director, Ed Tischler. “What Sony has created is effectively a cinema camera for sports events; the true holy grail of having a 4K camera as well as the ENG form factor operators are used to.”    

The HDC-4300 offers up to 8x super slow motion, to produce high-quality replays and specialty programme effects. Integrating seamlessly with HD infrastructures and the world’s most advanced 4K live production workflows, the camera uses ultra-high-precision alignment technology to realise the three 4K sensors on a new prism. This allows the 4300 to support the ITU-R BT.2020 widened colour space for future-proof masters or post-production options.

“The 4300 really helps in post”, continues Ed. “If you want to go back to a replay, the unit allows you to dynamically zoom into areas of interest, effectively giving the producer a second bite at the cherry.”

With their technology providing the high-magnification wide zoom range lenses currently employed by HD 2/3-inch systems while maintaining an adequate depth of field to accurately show all the action, these cameras have proved particularly popular for live-event and sports broadcasting. Plus, more precise colour reproduction in live broadcasts allows ever-more-demanding TV audiences to really see the difference, with vibrant, true-to-life images.

At Gravity Media we’ve bought over 100 HDC-4300s over the past year, making our stock one of the most complete in the country. Contact our Rental department for details, pricing and full specifications.