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AJA goes from Third-Party to Driver’s Seat with CION
AJA has spent the last 21 years creating third party equipment for other camera manufacturers around the globe and now is jumping into the camera game with their camera, the CION. The CION camera is a 4K camera designed with versatility in mind. It is a camera that can create a cinematic look, but is also designed for ENG use as well. The CION can record in 4K, Ultra HD, 2K, and 1080 using Apple Pro Res 444, 422, or 422 proxy files. It records to AJA Pak Solid State Drives in either 256GB or 512GB sizes for great record length times or max file sizes. The camera has four 3G-SDI outputs for multiple accessories like 4K Monitors, viewfinders, as well as the AJA Raw recorder to record 4K resolution at up to 120 frames per second. The camera also has a Thunderbolt connector to output to the AJA Raw recorder at 4K up to 30 frames per second.
Part of the AJA CION design was to take the 4K camera and make it a more accessible ENG style camera for shooting from the shoulder. Many of its 4K predecessors are small, boxy cameras that require a rig or mount to be taken off the tripod and used properly in an ENG setting, but CION has designed it like an old school ENG camera. Along with this ergonomic design, the camera supports PL Lens Mount lenses that can be removed to install any third party lens mounts. The sensor has an integrated Optical Low Pass Filter that helps reduce moiré effects and an Infrared Cut Filter that produces high quality colors by blocking unwanted light wavelengths. There are two removable cheese plates on the top and bottom so you can maximize the¬ accessories that you can have on the camera. If your client needs a high-end cinema camera and you need flexibility to jump into a run and a gun situation, the CION provides the design and hardware to make it happen. With AJA’s first camera, they have brought the power and stability of their recorders into a camera that can hold its own with the other major camera manufacturers.
The AJA CION previewed at the 2014 NAB show and is slated for release during the summer of 2014 at under $9000. Did you get the chance to preview that CION at NAB and if so, what were your thoughts? Do you plan to use this gear with your Chicago camera crew (or wherever you are)? Please share with us here, or on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
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