AJA CION - 4K at 120 fps: Overview

AJA is the new kid in town when it comes to camera making and with competitors Blackmagic having a healthy head start AJA have everything to prove. Here we take a look at the new AJA CION 4K to see how it stacks up. The estimated retail price of the CION is $8,995

Key technical specs:

22.5mm x 11.9mm Super 35mm sensor with a global shutter

12-stop Dynamic Range

Lens Mount: PL (positive lock), replaceable

Optical Low Pass Filter (OLPF) and IR Cut Filter (combined)

Removable Storage: AJA Pak media (proprietary SSD)

Output:

4x 3G-SDI (main), 2x 3G-SDI (Monitor) (AJA RAW 4K at 120 fps)

2x HDMI

Thunderbolt (limited to 4K at 30 fps)

Audio Input

2x 3-pin balanced XLR connectors with dedicated line/mic/48v phantom

Audio Output

1x 3.5mm Headphone Jack

Inputs

1x Reference Input (BNC)

1x LTC (BNC for Timecode)

2x 2.5mm LANC connectors

1x LAN RJ45 connector 1 Gbps

Weight

7.4 lbs / 3.4 kg (with top handle attached)

Power

AC Range: 100-240 VAC 50/60Hz

DC Range: 12-18Vdc, 5A maximum, 4-pin XLR or 2-pin input connectors

Power: 38-42W typical, 45-47W maximum

(Note: does not include power draw from 2-pin output connector)

Recording modes:

4K (4096×2160), Ultra HD (3840×2160), 2K (2048×1080) (2K limited to 60p)

Progressive 23.98 to 120 fps

Apple ProRes 4444 or Apple ProRes 422 to 30 fps

Apple ProRes 422 to 60 fps

SDI output support for 119.88/120 fps (SDI 1-4 Raw) (2K limited to 60p)

1080 HD (1920×1080) progressive 23.98 to 60

Apple ProRes 4444 or Apple ProRes 422 to 30 fps

Apple ProRes 422 to 60 fps

SDI output up to 60p

For more detailed specifications, click here.

The media card used in the CION is a proprietary AJA card:

CION uses AJA’s proven SSD-based Pak storage. The robust high speed compact storage mounts directly in-camera … Choose from generous 256GB or 512GB capacities and by utilizing the AJA Pak Dock (sold separately) you can transfer your footage over high-speed Thunderbolt™or USB3.

One of the cool features of the CION is that it can be completely network controlled, like a CCTV camera:

CION also offers powerful network-based control. Via the LAN connection, a web-browser UI allows for remote configuration of the camera. Your CION is completely controllable whether it’s on a crane, jib or car mount from virtually any web browser.

The AJA comes with a list of accessories to make rigging easier. For the current list, click here.

AJA CION - 4K at 120 fps: Overview