Do you have a need for a professional camera? About one year ago, the AJA CION was announced, and some fortunate people were able to review it, even more fortunate people were able to purchase it. But that’s not enough for AJA, they want to get 100 CIONs to videographers, this is not one of those times you drop by the camera store, pick up a boxed camera, shoot for a day, and then think about a return. This is a test. You want to test the CION to see if the 12-bit ProRes 444 footage is better than the footage you shoot now. The CION is a very capable camera, able to capture video at 4096×2160, 3840×2160, 2048×1080, 1920×1080 and more. The tricked out camera uses Pak Media, solid-state hard drives, that will have video ready to use. The price to buy a CION outright is $9,000 and if you were to rent the package AJA is arranging, it’d cost well more than $1,500, so what more is there to know about this?
Well, AJA asks for a few things, firstly, and little surprise here, they ask where you are in terms of shopping for a new camera. After that, the questions continue to be reasonable: what workflow are you involved in, what cameras do you use now, and what loan period are you looking for?
Here’s the kit they plan to include in the loan:
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1x CION
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1x Pak256
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1x Pak512
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1x Pak Dock
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1x Front Baseplate
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2x 7” 15mm Rod
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1x Viewfinder Mount
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1x Rod to Rosette Adapter Mount
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1x 6” Rosette Extension Arm
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1x VCT Wedge
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1x VCT Heel
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1x Anton-Bauer Battery Plate
So have you ever wondered what it’d be like to write a review for Videomaker and try a new camera before you put money down? These are similar steps, except you don't need to write up 1,500 words and just remember, you can get a CION camera for more time than most reviewers.
