JVC's New Super 35mm 4K Camera Can Adapt Nearly Any Lens, Including Super 16mm

There have usually been some quirks with many of their products (that first 4K camera needed 4 SD cards to record 4K material), but they've continued to try and do interesting things in a market that is getting more saturated by the day. While they teased some 4K cameras at NAB, they just officially unveiled three new cams that will be coming out in 2015. 

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Likely the most intriguing of these three cameras is the JVC GY-LS300, which has a Super 35mm sensor, but curiously a Micro 4/3 mount. Why is that strange? Lenses made for Micro 4/3 aren't designed to cover Super 35mm. So why make a camera with a mount that was never designed to cover the sensor size? The very simple answer is that they've designed this camera with adapters in mind, and most lenses can adapt to MFT mounts because the flange distance — the distance between the sensor and the mount — is very short, and most older lenses, like Canon EF, Nikon F, and PL are much farther away from their sensors (or film plane). This means there is plenty of space to fit an adapter between the lens and the mount.

The other major part of this equation is that this new camera is designed to take not only MFT lenses, but Super 16mm lenses, which are designed for much smaller image areas than Super 35mm (Sony E-mount lenses are out because the flange distance is too short). They accomplish this using something they call Variable Scan Mapping, which likely involves some cropping and scaling of the sensor depending on what size image the lens is made to cover and what resolution you're trying to hit. It's unclear at the moment how all of this exactly works and what resolution/frame rates you'll get with lenses designed for sensors smaller than Super 35mm, but I'm sure we will find out closer to release. It's also unclear if this camera is 10-bit 4:2:2 or 8-bit, but I assume it's the latter. Either way, getting 4:2:2 in a camera in this range from one of the bigger manufacturers is a welcome change.

Here are the specs on the LS300:

• Newly Developed Super 35mm Sensor
• Micro Four Thirds System Lens Mount (Based on the contacts inside this is a live MFT mount which will mean it can work with smart adapters like the Canon to MFT Metabones Speed Booster)
• Variable Scan Mapping maintains native angle of view for a variety of lenses including Super 35, MFT, and Super 16. Adapters available for PL and EF mount lenses
• 4K Ultra HD recording (150 Mbps, 24p/30p) to SDXC (UHS-I Speed class3) card
• 4:2:2 Full HD recording at 50Mbps (24p-60p)
• 3 position ND filter (1/4, 1/16 and 1/64)
• HD-SDI (3G) and HDMI outputs (4K output via HDMI only)
• 2-channel XLR audio inputs with phantom power
• Shotgun microphone included
• Dual SDHC/SDXC slots enable Dual, Backup and Continuous recording
• Advanced JVC streaming engine compatible with USTREAM, Zixi, and Wowza Streaming Engine
• IP Network Remote Control, Remote Viewing, Metadata editing, FTP clips
• 3.5-inch color LCD display (920K pixel) with smart focus assist function
• 0.24-inch color viewfinder (1.56M pixel) with smart focus assist function
• Wired remote control supported
• 10 user button assignable functions
• Includes handle unit, SSL-JVC50 7.4V battery, AC adapter, and shotgun microphone
• Availability: March 2015
• Price: $4,450

And here's a more detailed look at the frame rates:

The specs are definitely interesting, but as we always say, they don't tell you the whole story. We don't have any examples of the kind of image quality we can expect just yet, and from what I've seen there are no details on the ISO sensitivity, but since this is a relatively large sensor and doesn't seem to be a global shutter, it should be on par with other cameras in the $5,000 range.

The lens adaptability is really interesting, and for people who want to mess around with lots of different formats and lenses, this is a relatively inexpensive way to do so. I'm not sure how well it's going to compete with Sony and Canon, but being able to put an MFT Metabones Speed Booster and then a Super 16mm lens on the same camera, on the same shoot, could prove useful, especially if you're trying to shoot subjects farther away or constantly changing, and you need to use lighter and cheaper MFT or Super 16mm zooms. 

For the second of JVC's announcements, here are the specs on the HM200 4KCAM:

• 1/2.33" CMOS Sensor
• 3840 x 2160 24p/30p (.MOV, 150 Mbps)
• 1920 x 1080 24p to 60p, (.MOV, 4:2:2, 50 Mbps)
• HD and SD (AVCHD, 4:2:0)
• 2 position ND filter (1/4, 1/16)
• 2 x SDHC/SDXC, (SDXC UHS-I U3 card required for Ultra HD recording)
• 3G-SDI and HDMI Output (Only the HDMI sends a 4K signal)
• 2-Channel XLR Audio Inputs
• f/1.2 to 3.5, 4.6 to 56 mm 12x Optical Zoom Lens (35mm equivalent of 29.5 to 354mm)
• 3.5-inch color LCD display (920K pixel) 
• 0.24-inch color viewfinder (1.56M pixel)
• Live HD Streaming via Optional Adapters
• Simultaneous Streaming and Recording
• Availability: February 2015
• Price: $3,000

And here is the HM170, which has nearly identical specs as the HM200, except it drops the SDI output, live streaming options, and XLR inputs:

• 1/2.3" CMOS Sensor
• 3840 x 2160 24p/30p (.MOV, 150 Mbps)
• 1920 x 1080 24p to 60p, (.MOV, 4:2:2, 50 Mbps)
• HD and SD (AVCHD, 4:2:0)
• 2 position ND filter (1/4, 1/16)
• 2 x SDHC/SDXC, (SDXC UHS-I U3 card required for Ultra HD recording)
• HDMI Output with Live 4K signal
• 3.5" Audio Input (built-in mic)
• f/1.2 to 3.5, 4.6 to 56 mm 12x Optical Zoom Lens (35mm equivalent of 29.5 to 354mm)
• 3.5-inch color LCD display (920K pixel) 
• 0.24-inch color viewfinder (1.56M pixel)
• Availability: February 2015
• Price: $2,500

At some point hopefully JVC will introduce a better naming scheme into their products (Sony is also a big offender in this area), but either way these are some compelling cameras that may find their own niche in the marketplace. Whether the LS300 can be a serious cinema tool remains to be seen, but there is no question it has a very compelling set of features.

All of them are available for pre-order right now and as stated above will ship in 2015. 

JVC GY-LS300 — B&H

JVC GY-HM200 — B&H

JVC GY-HM170 — B&H

Source: JVC