The new Sony NEX-EA50UH pro camcorder

This is not your average kit lens. It's the first E-mount lens with servo zoom. The 18-200mm also features a quiet auto focus motor for clean audio recordings, four aspherical lens elements, and circular iris blades for pleasing bokeh.

To accommodate Sony's first E-mount lens with servo zoom, the NEX-EA50UH sports a rocker-style zoom lever. The rocker zoom is a familiar feature for long-time camcorder users, but those who are familiar with interchangeable lens systems may wonder, what good is a zoom lever if you are using a prime lens or a manual zoom? Sony's answer to that question is a lossless digital zoom. The effect is achieved by cropping the image sensor in real-time, which changes the angle-of-view with no sacrifice in resolution.

Secure Digital memory cards offer professional grade read/write speeds and dependability at previously unheard of prices. The NEX-EA50UH supports both SD and Sony Memory Stick formats. However, it also features an FMU slot for connecting Sony's HXR-FMU128, a flash memory unit with a capacity of 128 GB. The NEX-EA50UH can record simultaneously to SD/MS and an HXR-FMU128, creating an instant back-up.

NEX-EA50UH is serious about photography. Not only would its 16MP APS-C CMOS sensor be right at home in the body of a DSLR, NEX-EA50UH also features a dedicated shutter release button, a mechanical shutter to eliminate rolling shutter artifacts, and a hot shoe for using traditional flash units.

The NEX-EA50UH may be a somewhat eccentric looking mutt, but the design grows on you. It is particularly handsome with the viewfinder diopter tube, a shotgun microphone, and the 18-200mm servo zoom lens attached. Another nice design attribute is the shoulder pad, which slides backwards to accommodate a comfortable shoulder-mounted position.