The world’s first PTZ camera with a full-frame image sensor, interchangeable lenses, and remote shooting capabilities, the FR7, was introduced by Sony at IBC 2022 back in September. The four-day show’s most talked-about topics was the announcement, which rocked the industry.
The FR7 completely redefined the creative and cinematographic possibilities of live events, reality TV, and fixed rig productions by being the world’s first full-frame PTZ camera that allows you to interchange lenses. The FR7 took the industry by storm in a number of ways!
To provide more evidence of the FR7’s filmmaking prowess, it was the first PTZ to receive approval for use as a primary camera in Netflix productions when it was added to the list of approved cameras by Netflix in early December.
The Sony FX6 and the FR7 both have an integrated variable ND filter that is fully controllable from a distance. With an automated ND option also available, the intensity ranges from 1/4 to 1/128.
The Quicklink ST150’s SDI input is conveniently located on the back of the Sony FR7, which has a 12G-SDI BNC output. The FR7 is discoverable for remote control and Quicklink Manager integration thanks to the onboard RJ-45 (LAN network) connector for network connectivity. There are additionally GPI, timecode-in, and audio-in (5-pin XLR) ports.
Is remote production here to stay?
In the form of mix-and-match building blocks that provide freedom of choice about best-of-breed point technologies, this year and next should see the introduction of more “integrated” off-the-shelf, tried, true, and tested solutions. The adoption of cloud-based technology has accelerated and there is no turning back. This is perhaps the most important lesson of the previous two years.
“We can get by as long as we have the right tools in place,” explained Gabriel Baños, CEO and founder of cloud-based graphics provider Flowics. “Many of the changes we’ve experienced are here to stay, even post pandemic. As an industry, we found that new production workflows could be more cost-efficient, more flexible and offer a better work-life balance for production crews.”
“I believe we’ll see more producers building anticipation and awareness of their productions by using online platforms to drive more and more people to their digital properties and to generate larger viewer interaction,” he said.
The Sony FR7 is an exceptionally remarkable piece of equipment thanks to its full-frame picture sensor and interchangeable lens options. We are clearly very eager to see how the Sony FR7 will be used for professional remote contributions and remote production workflows.
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