Will this make 8K mainstream?
Sharp is no stranger when it comes to 8K. Last year, it has brought its 8K LED TVs to the Philippines. In Japan, select major broadcasting networks are working on delivering 8K video to a limited audience since not everyone has access to 8K-capable devices.
To reinforce its 8K ecosystem, Sharp revealed a prototype mirrorless capable of shooting 8K video at CES 2019. Spotted by Kinotika, the prototype camera has a Micro Four-Thirds mount and a design that closely resembles a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. Its features include a 5-inch flippable touchscreen, a UHS-II SD card slot, and support for 8K video at 30FPS using the H.265 codec, and some form of on-sensor stabilization.
Check out Kinotika’s hands-on with the prototype in the video below:
Being a prototype, the said features are not yet final, so there may be changes along the way. As for the price, Sharp hopes to price it at around ¥300,000 to ¥400,000, which translates to around Php 145k to 192k when converted. Considering it is capable of 8K video—at least on paper—Sharp’s asking price is pretty fair.
8K-capable products are in the works: Sony for one is working on an 8K video-capable full-frame sensor that might make it to the upcoming A7SIII. Samsung, on the other hand, has a mobile processor that can decode 8K videos. 4K video is not widely adopted by consumers yet, so 8K might have to wait before consumers can appreciate it.
