The AJA CION was announced at last years NAB trade show in Las Vegas and easily became of the hottest new products at the show. Many attendees and industry folk were surprised to see AJA bringing out their first camera, sort of following the foot steps of competitor Blackmagic Design, who did the same a few years back with their first camera. The 4K CION is a fully capable production camera sporting a Super 35 4K sensor, internal 4K recording in various ProRes flavours, slow motion capabilities, as well as an option for 4K Raw via 3G-SDI out to an external recorder.

The camera started shipping globally earlier in December, and recently AJA released the first firmware update for the camera. See the details of it below.

Grass Valley, CA (February 5, 2015)—AJA Video Systems today released v1.1 firmware for the new CION4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD production camera. The camera started shipping just over one month ago, and this software update increases the Exposure Index (EI) values to EI 320, EI 500, EI 800 and EI 1000, as well as offering improved highlight handling capabilities.

Ergonomic and lightweight in design with unparalleled connectivity, CION is capable of shooting at 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD resolutions. In-camera recording directly to the Apple ProRes family of codecs, including 12-bit ProRes 444, enables incredible image quality capture to cost-effective AJA Pak SSD media at up to 4K/60p, and offers compatibility with a wide range of post production applications. CION can also output AJA Raw at up to 4K 120fps via 4 x 3G-SDI or up to 4K 30fps via Thunderbolt.

“CION is a breakthrough camera system with many unmatched features at an incredible price point,” says Nick Rashby, president, AJA Video Systems. “This new firmware update reflects our ongoing commitment to developing user-requested new features and improvements for CION.”

The v1.1 firmware is field-upgradeable, and is easily uploaded to the CION camera via the built-in web UI with a standard web-browser. This new v1.1 firmware is recommended for all CION users.

About CION

CION features a 4K sized CMOS sensor with electronic global shutter and integrated optical low pass filter/Infrared cut filter combined to produce stable, color accurate images without moiré patterning. CION has more simultaneous on-set monitoring outputs than any other camera in its class, alongside a built-in confidence monitor and LAN browser video tap.

Users can choose a combination of 2 x 4K/UltraHD and 3 x 2K/HD or 8 x 2K/HD, check each camera feed in multi-cam setups through an integrated LAN connection, and monitor remaining recording time all in tandem. The unique LAN port and embedded webserver facilitates full remote configuration and control, so users can set up and control or gang control multiple CION cameras via a standard web browser. Made from a lightweight yet strong magnesium alloy and featuring a contoured suede shoulder pad, CION is easy to setup and comfortable to operate.

Using AJA’s Pak Dock on set, CION operators can also achieve fast transfer speeds via Thunderbolt™ or USB3 for immediate access to files for back up and editing. Third party lens mounts are available which allow the use of Canon EF/FD, Nikon G/F, ARRI Bayonet, Panavision and B4 Lens systems.

Visual Impact is an authroised reseller for AJA products, and for all your CION needs or enquiries, don't hesitate to get in touch with our Large Sensor Specialists at 0208 9777 1222 and visit our Aja CION page here.