PROTON Camera Innovations to Launch Cylindrical PROTON LS Camera at IBC 2026

PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has announced the launch of the PROTON LS, a miniature broadcast camera housed in a cylindrical, lipstick-style chassis designed for demanding wearable and on-vehicle applications.

The new camera will make its official debut at IBC 2026 (Booth 10.F21) alongside the company's growing portfolio of miniaturized imaging solutions, including its flagship PROTON CAM, which currently stands as the smallest broadcast-grade camera in the world. Built around a 1/3-inch global shutter sensor, the PROTON LS delivers 12-bit dynamic 1080p capture with full HDR compliance across HLG, PQ, and S-Log3 gamma curves, eliminating the wobble or skew artifacts often caused by rolling shutter sensors in high-vibration environments.

Operating across a 4V-22V range with a total power draw of just 2.5W, the LS integrates discreetly into existing broadcast workflows without demanding additional power infrastructure. Multiple protected lens options will be available, allowing users to tailor the field of view to their specific application.
 
All of these factors combine to make the PROTON LS ideal in rugged, fast-paced, outdoor conditions, and the camera has just successfully completed its first round of Tier One deployments, where it was used in two of the biggest rally sport events of the calendar. The production teams involved praised the camera for its ability to bring audiences right down into the action, with grille and roll-cage mounting giving both low-angle and driver's eye viewpoints, immersing viewers in the mud-spattered, precision-cornering, high-octane speed of the race.

But applications are not limited to motorsports. Like all PROTON cameras, the design of the PROTON LS – not just in terms of miniaturisation and form-factor, but in terms of the technology embedded within – means it can be flexibly applied in a wide range of contexts. In particular, the LS' low thermal output means it is particularly suitable for above-ear mounting, meaning it can be mounted on referees or even athletes, and delivers perfect POV shots without inconvenience to the wearer.
 
The PROTON LS joins a growing range of miniature broadcast cameras from Proton, all of which leverage the company's core competency in miniaturisation but offer distinct feature permutations so that users can match the camera precisely to their application. The result is an ecosystem where the only limitation is creative imagination. This includes PROTON CAM – the smallest broadcast-grade camera on the market, the PROTON 4K for ultra-HD capture, the PROTON ZOOM with integrated variable focal length lens, the PROTON RAIN with full weather sealing, the PROTON FLEX and 4K FLEX, which separate the lens head from the processing unit via a flexible cable, and thus allow for deployments in the tightest of spaces (as well as increasing use in major cinema-driven 3D deployments), and the PROTON PRO, with 2/3-inch global shutter sensor, integrated Genlock, audio input, aux control, and a C-mount lens interface all in a ready-to-deploy package.
 
Speaking of the launch of the PROTON LS, Marko Hopeken, CEO of PROTON Camera Innovations, said: "The PROTON LS is the perfect addition to our expanding line-up. Across the entire range, common threads persist: broadcast-grade image quality, robust engineering, and the flexibility to be deployed in locations that conventional cameras cannot reach. From tennis nets and goal frames to drone undercarriages and helmet visors, PROTON cameras have become a quiet fixture across the world's most demanding sports productions".
 
He continued: "The LS is the latest piece in a broader strategy. We are building a family of miniature broadcast cameras, each optimised for different deployments, whilst remaining flexible and adaptable across a broad range of contexts, and all sharing the same DNA of exceptional image quality and rugged reliability. Whether a production team needs the ultra-compact PROTON CAM, the weather-sealed RAIN, the flexible FLEX, the all-in-one PRO, or now the lipstick-shaped LS, they can choose the right tool for the job. The only limitation is their creativity".
 
More information about PROTON and its products is available at proton-camera.com/ and doc.proton-camera.com/.