NAB 2014 video – The “CION” is AJA’s cinema camera

by Johnnie BehiriApril 8^th, 2014

We thought Blackmagic was the only disk recorder manufacturer bold enough to step into the camera market, but lately it seems to become a trend as AJA just released their own version of the “cinema camera”.

[UPDATE:]
The AJA Cion is now available for pre-order. It is selling for $8,995 LINK

AJA is famous for their prores disk recorders and their newest product revealed today is the AJA CION.

The camera will cost about $9000 and its form factor with the small monitor on the side reminds us a little on the ikonoskop a-cam dii, doesn’t it?

The specs list for this camera isn’t complete yet, but what is interesting here is the fact that the camera can record 4K directly to an internal ProRes 444 and it sports slow motion shooting at frame rates up to 120fps via 3G-SDI.

CION – The New Production Camera from AJA from AJA Marketing on Vimeo.

The release is aimed at later this year.

From the press release:

AJA today announced CION, an entirely new professional camera. CION features an ergonomic design and is capable of shooting at 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD resolutions. AJA pioneered lens-to-post Apple ProRes workflows with the introduction of the Ki Pro product line in 2009; CION builds on this achievement by offering in-camera recording directly to the Apple ProRes family of codecs – including 12-bit 444 – for pristine image capture. ProRes codecs are well established in many post-production environments and offer wide compatibility with editing, color correction and finishing applications. CION enables today’s growing demand for high frame rate support and offers the ability to output 4K raw data at up to 120 fps via 4x 3G-SDI outputs. CION can record directly to AJA Pak SSD media at up to 60 frames per second.

CION Features:
Sensor: 4K APS-C sized CMOS sensor with an electronic global shutter. 12-stops of dynamic range.
Recording Formats and Resolutions: Apple ProRes 4444, Apple ProRes 422 (HQ), Apple ProRes 422, ProRes 422 (LT) and Apple ProRes (Proxy); 4K (4096×2160), Ultra HD (3840×2160), 2K (2048×1080), HD (1920×1080). 2K and HD are hardware scaled from the full 4K sensor for high-quality over-sampled images and retention of field-of-view.
Media: Record to AJA Pak SSD media available in 256GB and 512GB capacities. Transfer via Thunderbolt™ or USB3 with optional AJA Pak Dock; Complete 10-bit and 12-bit workflow from HD to 4K.
Raw Support: Output AJA Raw via 3G-SDI at up to 4K 120 fps or via Thunderbolt™ at up to 4K 30 fps.
Lens Mount: Industry standard PL mount
Connectors:
4x 3G-SDI/HD-SDI outputs (4K/Ultra HD/2K/HD)
2x 3G/HD-SDI monitor outputs with overlay support
1x HDMI output offering support for 4K and Ultra HD or scaled 2K/HD
1x HDMI output for 2K/HD
2x mic/line/48v XLR analog audio inputs
2x LANC control ports
1x LTC input connector
1x reference connector
1x USB connector
1x 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN connection
1x Mini TRS headphone jack
1x 4-pin XLR power connector
1x input power connector for attaching third-party battery plates
1x output power connector
1x Thunderbolt™ connector

Pricing and Availability

CION will be available Summer 2014 via a worldwide network of AJA resellers at a US MSRP of $8,995. AJA Pak SSD media is available at a US MSRP of $695 (256GB) and $1295 (512GB). AJA Pak Dock is available at a US MSRP of $395. Optional CION accessories will also be available when the camera ships. For more information about AJA products please visit www.aja.com.

For our entire NAB 2014 coverage, click here