Dealers 'Commit Millions' On Sony Camcorders

Just one month after the European launch of Sony's PMW-350 and EX1R camcorders, Sony Professional has revealed that its specialist dealer network in the UK has already made a multi-million pound commitment to the new technology.
Sony anticipates that demand will be further fuelled by the UK debuts of the products at the recent Power of Images event in London.
Mark Bainbridge, General Manager, Sony Media and Broadcast, explained why he thinks the cameras will have a broad appeal: "The latest additions to Sony's XDCAM EX line-up are designed with our customers in mind. At Sony, we understand that everyone has different production requirements and it's in response to feedback from our customers and dealers that we have enhanced Sony's EX1R, with DVCAM recording and introduced Sony's first solid-state shoulder-mounted camcorder, the PMW-350. These camcorders are designed to increase the versatility of the XDCAM format and bring solid state production to new applications."
With strong demand across the channel, Phil Baxter, CEO for the CVP Group, justified CVP's investment: "Sony's XDCAM EX format keeps going from strength to strength. For production professionals looking to immediately benefit from tapeless workflow, without implementing a full HD infrastructure, the new cameras, with their backward-compatible, solid-state, SD recording at DVCAM quality, are the perfect solution. Better still, these camcorders provide the additional features and ergonomic benefits that many of our customers have been waiting for, such as the full size shoulder mount and 2/3" sensors. We are already seeing a real appetite for the new technology, just ten days after their launch, we are receiving pre-orders on the new models."
Ben Murphy, Sales Manager, WTS Group, explained why he thinks that the PMW-350 will prove a popular product: "The PMW-350 is a great addition to an already successful format. Sony's XDCAM range has transformed speed of workflow in time critical tasks such as newsgathering and the arrival of the first true shoulder-mounted XDCAM EX camcorder will be eagerly anticipated by news-gatherers everywhere, especially since it takes 2/3" lenses. The WTS sales teams have already received pre-orders from customers before they've even seen the actual product."
Speaking about the Sony's new EX1R camcorder, Tim Sparrock, Sales Director at Visual Impact, said: "With broadcasters battling against diminishing production budgets, Sony's XDCAM format offers customers a flexible and affordable solution that allows them to transition easily from SD to HD.
"Sony has taken an already hugely successful product, the EX1, and improved it with a whole host of features requested by the end user. We are confident that Sony's EX1R will prove just as successful as its predecessor, which is why we have already made a substantial investment in the new technology."
(KMcA/BMcc)