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Today’s professional videography equipment market is divided in two sectors: expensive and bulky professional gear or small portable HD and 4K cameras, that sometimes sacrifice practicality for dimensions. E1 by Z Camera aims to place itself in the middle, being the smallest 4K ultra-high definition professional camera with an interchangeable lens system.
“After spending years in the camera industry,” said Jason Zhang, engineer and creator “I realized that most companies are much more interested in cutting costs of their current products than investing in developing new ones and listening to what people want.”
The smallest 4K ultra-high definition professional camera with an interchangeable lens system.
Currently taking pre-orders on the Kickstarter platform (the camera is in fact already fully developed), it has so far pledged about 209 thousands dollars over a $42,000 goal, selling out its initial early bird offer ($499).
The E1 camera features a unique interchangeable, Micro Four-Thirds lens mount, able to handle AF (auto-focus) lenses from brands such as Olympus, Panasonic Lumix, Leica and Sigma. It also supports a variety of existing MF (manual-focus) lenses. The camera features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ambarella A9 image processor. It can easily capture cinema-quality 4K (4096×2160) video at 24 frames per second or ultra-high definition video (3840×2160) at 30 frames per second with H.264 compression. Additionally, the 3D noise filter actively removes ghosting and blurring. This allows incredible low-light performances, even at night.
The camera dimensions are 75.2 x 56.1 x 50.25mm, it weights 209g, with a 2.5” screen. The battery size is 2000mAh. Due to its dimensions, it only supports MicroSD, up to 128GB storage. The magnesium body is designed to limit the heat produced during 4K recording. What to be really excited about is the proprietary applications for iOS and Android, that not only will enable users to control the device but also live stream and manage content via their Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 4.0-enabled devices. The camera is also going to be upgraded by App, constantly adding new features and functions based on the users feedbacks. It makes the E1 perfect for drone aerial photography and cinematography as well: pilots can remotely configure the camera without having to land it. Z is currently working on accessories, to make professional videography even more affordable.
