Sony will be attempting to add 4K video-shooting capabilities to more of its point-and-shoot cameras in the near future, developing a new sensor that may help make that a reality.
The company announced two of its most advanced Cyber-shot cameras ever, both including the new Exmor RS CMOS sensor, bringing advanced processing, and, coupled with the DRAM chip, will offer the reading of image data up to five times as fast.
In fact, the new sensor will give Sony the ability to give all of its cameras 4K video abilities over time, an important move for the company as video resolution becomes an increasingly crucial selling point for cameras.
"Utilizing Sony's decades of expertise in digital imaging, we've made it possible for everyday customers to enjoy a professional imaging experience with the new RX100 IV and RX10 II cameras," said Senior General Manager of Digital Imaging Business for Sony, Kimio Maki.
"With the power of the world's first 1.0-type Stacked CMOS sensor packed into a compact, portable body, these new cameras bring the excitement and creativity of high frame rate shooting, 4K recording and a variety of other pro-quality features to a whole new audience."
Of course, Sony does already offer cameras capable of shooting 4K video, however, this is mostly limited to its higher-end cameras, and most of its cameras that aren't high-end are only able to shoot video at 1080p. By moving to 4K, Sony is taking a big step forward, even bypassing the 2K mark for many of its cameras.
It's one thing to be able to shoot video at 4K, but it's another situation to be able to do it at high frame rates. Sony's new cameras can capture video at 960 fps, 480 fps or 240 fps, and users can choose between 60p, 30p and 24p playback formats based on the desired speed of the moving objects in the video.
The RX10 II, which will cost $1,300, is able to capture 4K video clips of up to 29 minutes in length, while the RX100 IV, which costs $1,000, is able to capture clips of up to five minutes in length.
Both cameras will go on sale in July, and pre-sale for them starts on June 17.
Only time will tell when Sony brings 4K video capabilities to its other point-and-shoot cameras, however, it will be a big step for the company to offer the feature in a camera that runs for less than $1,000.
