NAB 2013: 4K was the dominant theme at NAB 2013, as widely expected, with many manufacturers launching devices at the Las Vegas show to complement kit released a few months ago and complete their ultra-HD workflows.

For Blackmagic Design, that meant the launch of another camera, the Production Camera 4K.

Its unveiling on 8 April didn’t cause as much of a stir as last year’s entry into the camera market, with news of the device leaking from a dealer meeting the evening before the exhibition opened, but it nevertheless provided one of NAB’s big talking points.

Following Blackmagic’s 2012 launch of the 2.5K Cinema Camera, which has been beset by manufacturing problems, the latest device uses the same chassis as the original model but contains a Super 35mm sensor with a global shutter and EF mount optics, and shoots CinemaDNG Raw and ProRes 422.

Chief executive Grant Petty said the firm’s customers had been asking for a camera with a global shutter and a large sensor.

“The camera is going to allow ultra-HD programming to be simple and easy,” he said.

The company also released the Pocket Cinema Camera, which features a Super 16mm-sized 1080p HD sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range and a Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Meanwhile, Red constructed a sterile lab at the trade show so delegates could watch technicians upgrade the firm’s cameras with its new Dragon 6K sensor.

With the delivery of ultra-HD images to viewers’ homes still a work in progress, the Las Vegas trade show provided an opportunity for other camera manufacturers to show how their 4K acquisition tools could be used in today’s HD environments, with Canon and Sony both showing off applications for sports productions that allow an HD image to be cut from a 4K source.

Panasonic demonstrated a prototype 4K camcorder with the same body as its AG-AC90 device.

The handheld device is touted as shooting 4,096 x 2,160 and 3,840 x 2,160, with one HDMI output.

A working model is expected to be on show around September, in time for IBC.