The Exertis Broadcast team put Canon’s CR-N500 (4K NDI) PTZ camera On the Bench and here’s what they found inside…
CR-N500
Canon has over 80 years of experience in optics and image capture, and that experience shows in their latest innovation: The CR-N500.
The CR-N500 produces incredible 4K and HD image quality with the combination of a 1” CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV 6 image processor. These core components provide the image-processing power and speed that enables 4K UHD video acquisition, image stabilization and precise Dual Pixel CMOS AF. On-air pan and tilt movement is possible thanks to the smooth and responsive pan and tilt mechanism equipped with the CR-N500.
Highlighted specs:
- 1 inch, 4K CMOS sensor
- 15x optical 20x digital zoom
- 3 Built-in Neutral Density filters
- Focal length of 8.3 – 124.5 mm (a 25.5 to 382.5mm 35mm equivalent)
- 2.8 – 4.5 Aperture, enough for a creamy Bokeh in certain applications
- 73 Degree Field of Horizontal view, 45 Degrees vertical
- Dual XLR with phantom power
- Power over PoE
- 3G SDI, and 4k HDMI
- and IT’S NDI HX READY!
Things we thought were most amazing.
Razor Sharp, Fast Focusing on near and far subjects. Fast movements followed by ultra-fast focus. Awesome Low-light performance and amazing color rendering.
We found even more awesome features in the Canon Web UI. LUT support, raw imaging modes, and all the image controls someone who has used a cinema camera or a Canon DSLR would be looking for. This is extremely rare for a PTZ camera. What’s even crazier? It’s priced lower than any other 1” sensor PTZ camera out there. This is what happens when canon takes years of experience and brings it to a PTZ camera.
If you are wondering if Canon has a dedicated controller for this camera, the answer is: Yes – of course they do. It’s what I’ve been using this whole time to control the camera itself. It’s a very responsive and easy-to-use touch screen controller makes tweaking the camera orientation very simple and lets you tap into one of my favorite features easily. That feature is called “trace”. Now, this and most other PTZ cameras have positional presets. Meaning, I push a button in the UI or on a controller that moves my camera to exactly where I want it to be. Trace allows you to record a complex camera movement and then allow you to replay it via a preset. If I want to record a slow pan and zoom across, I can record that movement. Then, move the camera somewhere else, and recall that movement I recorded whenever I want.
Canon-standard components, and a robust feature set aimed at creators who are used to cinematography, make CR-N500 the ultimate choice in PTZ camera. Houses of Worship, theater companies, sports venues, and concert venues could all benefit from the raw power and high fidelity image quality. Plus, camera operators and content creators looking for PTZ functionality with the same quality they’ve come to expect from Canon, need look no further than the Canon CRN-500.
RC-IP100 Remote Camera Controller
Canon’s RC-IP100 Remote Camera Controller provides IP control for up to 99 supported Canon cameras. An additional Canon camera can be controlled through the serial port.
