Panasonic has announced a next-generation 4K PTZ camera which the company says offers high-quality video production shooting in an easy-to-use design. The AW-UE160W/K provides great low-light image capture perfect for broadcasting, live events, streaming, and overall video production.
   

With the flexibility of remote pan-tilt-zoom operation, the Panasonic UE160W/K has a light-sensitive rating of 2,000 LUX and relies on NDI high bandwidth capability.

The result is the equivalent support of a professional-grade studio camera with a 20x optical zoom and phase detection autofocus for rapid image focus and acquisition of fast-moving subjects.

Moreover, the UE160W/K is the first PTZ camera to support the SMPTE ST2110 standard for IP-based transmission as well as wireless transmission with a 5G mobile router and USB tethering.

The camera has a return input for communication and a rear tally lamp to advise indicating when the camera is live. There is also a cropping zoom function which enables the technical director to pinch and zoom to create multiple-angle videos from a single camera when shooting in HD.

The camera is also equipped with a new optical low-pass filter for moire reduction and is compatible with Panasonic’s 4K V-Log codec for use with higher-end VariCam cinema cameras and Lumix grade mirrorless platforms.

This provides for a consistent image from camera model to camera model, making color grading of a consistent palette much easier to achieve.

The wide dynamic range and wide color gamut come through two settings, V-Log and V-709, which can be selected independently for each output. The camera is also compatible with HDR HLG BT 2020.

The UE160 can also adapt to a variety of existing broadcast camera systems, with additional support for High-Bandwidth NDI, NDI|HX, SRT, FreeD, RTMP/RTMPS.

The result is that users can perform simulcast in 4K, offer scene files, color matrix control, remote operations through the Remote Operation Panel, batch management of multiple cameras, and more.

The camera also has 2 axes in-lens image stabilization for pitch and Yaw, as well as electronic image stabilization for roll correction and vibration compensation caused by audio equipment and other ambient sound impacts.

The camera comes with connections for dual XLR audio inputs, HDMI, Ethernet, and SFP for IP connectivity and transmission of 4K video at a maximum of 250 Mbps for low-latency video transmission. The camera is also compatible with the AQ-RP150 Touchscreen Remote Camera Controller.

No word on when the camera is available or a retail price is mentioned, only that the camera Panasonic UE160W/K is “coming soon.”