Panasonic Connect announced its new AK-UCX100 Studio Camera and AK-CFA100 Camera Fiber Adaptor. The two products provide customers with increased production flexibility in studio or live events while delivering high-quality visuals. The UCX100 allows users to choose their operating style to meet their budget and production challenges. It can operate with a single camera head or in combination with the Camera Fiber Adaptor (CFA), or a Camera Control Unit (CCU) – delivering high-quality footage in any shooting environment. The UCX100 and CFA100 will be available from December 2024.

The UCX100 supports 3G and 12G SDI outputs from the camera head and direct connection of the Remote Operation Panel, with sync and tally, so it can be operated as a standalone. The camera head can also operate in non-CCU mode by direct connection to a 25 Gbps network utilizing a ST 2110 media transport network. By adding bidirectional SFP+ modules, this provides full redundancy of ST 2022-7.

Panasonic’s new Camera Fiber Adaptor (CFA100) can insert camera power into a standard ST 311 hybrid fiber cable for standalone camera operation. Alternatively, the camera can be powered by a CCU or a local 12 V XLR power supply. Users can take advantage of either power supply mode and connection method like dark fiber or ST 2110 connection. When used in combination with the CFA100, it can supply power for approximately 2 km (extending to a maximum of 10km with a fiber optic cable).

When producing content in a traditional studio with a CCU, the camera pairs with Panasonic’s recently released AK-UCU700/UCU710 Series Camera Control Unit, which provides all traditional points of connectivity, alongside optional Dante, ST 2110 and ST 2022-7 redundancy. In addition, it optionally supports a wide range of protocols, such as NDI High Bandwidth, SRT, as well as the parallel operation of baseband and IP.

The UCX100 pairs with any Panasonic camera, including the AW-UE160 PTZ camera, to ensure consistent, cohesive production quality. Both cameras also share the same sensor enabling color matching. When used with AK-UCU700/710 Series, the UCX100 supports 4x high speed 1080p and 2x high speed UHD.