Panasonic unveiled the GH 4K and Sony showed off the FDR-AX100 at CES 2014, and apparently JVC got in on the 4K action as well. While JVC was really at the forefront of consumer 4K with the release of the GY-HMQ10 almost 2 years ago, that camera needed 4 separate SD cards to actually record 4K. JVC introduced a larger sensor 4K camera last year designed specifically for the Japanese market, the HMQ30, which borrowed the 4 SD card recording from the previous camera. Neither really make a lot of sense for convenience purposes, but it looks like the company is going to introduce a new 4K camera that should make a little more sense than their previous attempts.
Here is Photography Bay at this year's CES:
Additionally, JVC had its 4K version of the PX100 on display as a reference exhibit at CES 2014. The camera was tethered to a 4K display and streaming 4K footage from its HDMI port.
It is clear by looking the camera on display that it is a PX100. When I asked JVC about this, they admitted that it is actually a modified PX100 that can capture 4K vide0, which leads me to believe that the biggest (perhaps only) change to the PX100 is in the firmware.
So essentially this is the same camera as the PX100, except for the addition of 4K. This may change by the time it is released, but you can expect it to be very similar to the current camera if that is indeed the case:
The 1/2.3-inch sensor of the PX100 is relatively small, much smaller than the 4K cameras coming from Sony and Panasonic. It's very early yet, so lots of details could change, but if they want a larger audience for the camera, they should include 24fps as an option in this new 4K camera (the PX100 can't do 24fps). While they aren't aiming for the filmmaking market in the first place, at least they could give the user those options when it's clear the camera should be capable of the lower frame rates.
There is no other information yet (I expect it to arrive sometime in 2014), but it will likely shoot a very compressed 4K so that it can fit onto one SD card. For $2,000, it seems like the Panasonic GH 4K and the Sony FDR-AX100 cameras might be better options for people who really want something more consumer-oriented that can shoot 4K.
Link: JVC 4K Camera for “Under $2,000″ on Display at CES 2014
