The new Panasonic AW-UE150 4K/60p pan/tilt/zoom camera and its companion AW-RP150 remote controller has been released. The UE150 features UHD 60p output and a wide horizontal viewing angle of 75.1 degrees (both firsts in their class), plus a 20x optical zoom/32x intelligent zoom (in HD mode). This next-generation PTZ supports high-quality video production in stadiums, lecture halls, churches, and other venues, and is ideal for reality television production. The UE150 is equipped with a large 1” MOS sensor and various 4K interfaces including 12G-SDI, HDMI, optical fiber and IP connectivity.
“The UE150 is a step-up in resolution, lensing and interfacing, presenting a clear 4K upgrade path and a new workflow for such premium PTZ applications as high-end enterprise and broadcast/production applications,” said Michael Bergeron, Product Manager Studio/System Cameras, Panasonic System Solutions Company.
The large MOS sensor enables high sensitivity shooting with low noise. The sensor boasts a light-capturing area (approximately four times larger than that of a 1/2.3-type sensor) to guarantee a wide dynamic range. Adding “i zoom” to the optical 20x zoom maintains high resolution while enabling ultra-high resolution 32x zoom in HD mode and 24x zoom in 4K mode, allowing distant subjects to be captured clearly. The UE150’s 75.1° horizontal wide-angle shooting captures the entire area, even when installation space is limited.
The camera supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) to prevent blown-out highlights and blocked-up shadows, and still deliver picture contrast closer to that of the naked eye. An Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) ensures that vibrations of the mounted surface caused by doors opening and closing, audio systems and other installed equipment are automatically corrected. The UE150 is equipped with Night Mode for infrared shooting, affording acquisition in situations that would normally be difficult, such as when capturing wildlife.
Pan and tilt operate from a minimum speed of 0.08°/s to a maximum of 180°/s in high-speed mode for rapid capture of the intended target. A low noise level of NC35 or less is assured when operating in normal mode, ideal for shooting in quiet environments.
Camera IP image output, settings and control can be performed using a web browser on a computer connected via an IP network. In addition to PCs and Macs, iPads, iPhones, Androids and other mobile devices can be used for operation. For large-scale production, IP connection from the RP150 remote camera controller enables control of up to 200 UE150 units. Furthermore, a single UE150 unit can be controlled from up to five RP150 units.
Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) is supported to facilitate direct upload of video to live-streaming services such as YouTube Live and Facebook Live. Other key features include PoE++ power supply support, large-size tally and NDI|HX support. The AW-UE150 is available in both black and white, with a suggested list price of $11,400.
AW-RP150: Intuitive Camera Control for Ease of Use and One-Person Operation
The AW-RP150 touchscreen camera controller features a 7” GUI LCD screen for monitoring and menu settings. The controller offers intuitive, single-hand operability with a joystick (with a seesaw lever for zoom or focus control). The built-in touch display allows for easy and quick operation of all essential camera functions. The RP150 adds an SDI input to the LCD panel for camera monitoring.
The touch panel GUI monitor supports camera image display during shooting as well as a variety of operations. The panel is equipped only with buttons that are frequently used, with menu and camera switching operations, indicators and other functions consolidated in the touch panel. The focus is quickly aligned to the area touched by tapping the screen. In addition, the Focus in Red display assists with aligning focus by framing the part that is in-focus in red.
Scene files, system settings files and other camera settings can be saved on the RP150 SD card. These settings can then be copied to multiple cameras via the SD card, significantly reducing on-location setup time when shooting at events with large numbers of cameras.
The UE150 cropping function can be controlled from the RP150. Registration of the camera angle and other remote camera settings allows them to be easily recalled from the touch panel GUI monitor. Additionally, a tracing memory function records a series of operations performed for the remote camera. Supported pre-sets include pant/tilt/zoom positions, focus position, lens aperture, white balance settings and gain.
The AW-RP150 remote controller (also compatible with Panasonic’s higher-end PTZs and other remote cameras) is available at a suggested list price $4,700.
