If you’re working on a field or studio production with high-end cameras that can benefit from remotely controlled cameras with minimal operating crew, and you need more accurate camera-matching than a traditional PTZ camera, the satin black CR-N500 Professional 4K NDI PTZ Camera with 15x Zoom from Canon will fit right into your documentary shoot, event, streaming broadcast, reality show, or digital film production. The CR-N500 is designed to fit right into an existing multi-camera shoot, matching the color depth and visual look with its professional sensor and features so that postproduction camera matching and color correction is made easy.

The CR-N500 sports many resources of a high-resolution Canon camera or camcorder with features such as a 1" dual-pixel CMOS sensor, the Canon DIG!C DV6 image processor, scene modes, face-tracking, 15x zoom, 20x digital zoom, dual XLR / 3.5mm microphone input, and video recording up to UHD 4K. The camera also includes NDI|HX support without requiring a separate license, allowing you to drop the camera into your existing NDI network with minimal configuration. Other professional camera attributes of the N500 include genlock support, Canon Log 3 support, and built-in ND filters with clear, 1/4, 1/16, and 1/64 options.

Where the PTZ camera diverges from the Canon camcorders is in its remote options such as control via IP, RS-422 serial, IR, or Wi-Fi as well as HDMI or 3G-SDI video output. It can perform smooth, precision pan, tilt, and zoom movements with a speed range of 0.2 to 300° per second. Mic-level audio can be input via dual XLR inputs or via a 3.5mm mini-jack, and then embedded in the HDMI and 3G-SDI outputs, in your NDI|HX stream, or in RTP/RTMP/RTSP streaming output.

The camera can also be powered using PoE+ (Power-over-Ethernet) using its LAN port, so it can fit right into your existing PoE+ network without requiring the use of local power to save cabling. The camera supports wide dynamic range, minimum brightness of 1.5 lux, and its lens features a 35mm equivalent focal length of 25.5 to 382.5mm. The camera can utilize an external controller via RS-422 or Canon’s proprietary XC IP protocol on a private, secure LAN, using the optional RC-IP100 PTZ controller. Or if you’d prefer to use Canon’s camera control software, the free-to-download application can work on Windows OS, so you can control all the camera functions from a laptop or tablet. The software provides a 9×9 live view, control of up to 100 cameras, settings loading and configuration, and tally functions.