Sony’s PXW-Z300 Camcorder Is World’s First to Support Content Authenticity

Jul 22, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A professional Sony video camera with a large lens, top handle, viewfinder, and multiple buttons and dials, shown against a plain white background.

Sony announced the PXW-Z300 handheld XDCAM camcorder. The flagship 4K camcorder is the first of its kind to embed digital signatures directly into its recorded video files, which enables content authentication technology.

Sony has been on a camcorder kick lately. Last summer, the company launched a pair of new camcorders, the PXW-Z200 and the HXR-NX800. The new PXW-Z300 shares many things in common with last year’s Z200, including AI-powered subject detection autofocus. Thanks to the AI AF technology, the PXW-Z300 can accurately recognize and track human subjects even when they are facing away from the camera, when their face is otherwise not visible, and when they appear relatively small in the frame. The PXW-Z300 can also automatically adjust framing to keep human subjects in the frame, and it features an improved Auto Tracing White Balance setting to select the optimal white balance, ensuring people appear natural.

The PXW-Z300 also employs Sony’s impressive triple-sensor setup. The camera features 1/2-type Exmor R CMOS image sensors that capture 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) video Sony describes as “exceptionally detailed” and “lifelike.” These are relatively small image sensors, so the PXW-Z300 doesn’t use just one, but three. Each of these three sensors separately records red, green, and blue information that the camera then combines into a single image. Sony’s top-of-the-line Bionz XR chip handles the camera’s image processing.

A diagram shows a beam of white light entering a prism, which splits it into blue, green, and red beams directed toward three separate sensors inside a camera system.

“Triple-chip camcorders are superb in reproducing colors and are highly sensitive. Also, they can offer a superior zoom ratio,” Sony writes of its triple-sensored camcorders.

Speaking of the zoom ratio, the PXW-Z300 includes a 17x optical zoom lens. The built-in lens covers a range from 30.3-515mm (35mm equivalent) and has a constant aperture of f/1.9 through that entire zoom range. The camera can also utilize a digital extender to increase magnification to 2x, 3x, or 4x at FHD resolution and 1.5x in 4K resolution.

Left: An empty modern city plaza with glass buildings, stairs, and greenery. Right: Two men in suits greet a third man exiting a black car near a glass building surrounded by trees. — 30.3mm (left) and 515mm (right)

The Sony PXW-Z300 can record 4K video at up to 60p. The camera supports MXF recording in MPEG HD422, XAVC Intra (4:2:2 10-bit), XAVC Long, and proxy recording in MP4. There is also a Picture Cache Record function available, which continuously buffers video in the camera’s internal memory before recording officially starts, ensuring that operators do not miss a crucial moment.

A black Sony professional video camera with a large lens, flip-out LCD screen, various control buttons, and dials, viewed from the left side against a white background.

Other high-end features include optical image stabilization, the ability to import 3D LUTs, HLG (HDR) and S-Cinetone presets, four-channel audio recording, and an integrated electronic variable neutral density (ND) filter that can be adjusted smoothly from1/4 to 1/128 strength. While this can be controlled manually, users can also set the electronic VND to adjust automatically.

A close-up of a hand adjusting the focus and zoom rings on a professional video camera lens.

From a user experience and design perspective, the Sony PXW-Z300 has all the controls and features users expect from a professional camcorder. There are three rings around the lens to control focus, zoom, and iris independently. The focus ring can also be moved forward and backward to quickly switch between manual and automatic focus.

The camcorder also features a large, bright LCD, a side-mounted V-Mount attachment (which can be used in conjunction with Sony’s PDT-FP1 Portable Data Transmitter), and pro-level connectivity options (including SDI, timecode, genlock, HDMI, USB, and more). Additionally, it has dual CFexpress Type A and SDXC UHS-II card slots. Sony notes the camera does not support the CFexpress 4 standard, though, unfortunately.

A professional black Sony video camera with a large lens and an adjustable flip-out LCD screen, shown in multiple positions to display its range of motion. Various control buttons and ports are visible on the side.

Although Sony claims that the PXW-Z300 is the world’s first camcorder to include content authenticity support, the company adds that video authenticity functionality will be available at a later date, with the timing to be determined. There is another caveat to consider. Recording authenticity information will require a separate upgrade license, per Sony, and only support the MP4 format. Nonetheless, the PXW-Z300 is the world’s first camcorder to support the C2PA standard for recorded video content, which is a massive deal for specific users, including journalists and documentary filmmakers. Hopefully, C2PA tech for recorded video will come to Sony’s Alpha cameras down the road. The company is working diligently to enhance C2PA technology for still photos in its flagship Alpha mirrorless cameras.

A video camera setup with a mounted microphone records a woman in a light-colored blazer holding a microphone and speaking outdoors in a modern, green urban setting.

“This latest camcorder has new enhancements, including content authenticity capabilities, that will be very beneficial for those in the news and production industry, whether they’re capturing action-packed content, breaking stories, or producing educational documentaries,” says Kento Sayama, Deputy Head, Media Segment, Imaging Solutions at Sony Electronics.

Pricing and Availability

Content authenticity is not the only mystery. Sony has not shared when the PXW-Z300 will be available or its price. However, the PXW-Z200 released last year costs about $4,350 and has a single image sensor, so expect the PXW-Z300 to cost more than that. The camcorder is being showcased at BIRTV 2025 in Beijing starting today.

Image credits: Sony