Here are some of the new features that will be included in the PDW-F800 and the PDW-700 with firmware version 1.5 :

23.98 Support – This comes standard with the PDW-F800 and F1600 deck, and will now be an optional upgrade for the PDW-700 and PDW-HD1500 deck.

Mixed Data Recording – This enables the ability to record multiple formats to the same disc as long as they share the same frame rate. For example, you could record 1080P XDCAM422, 720P XDCAM 422, DVCAM, IMX, or any other record format to the same disc as long as all formats were in the same frame rate. The HD1500 deck will support this with a firmware update as well.

Continuous Record Mode – This allows video to be captured into one single file per disk, much like a tape. Instead of creating individual clips every time the camera is started and stopped, it creates one large clip. This may be preferable for some editors and it will decrease download times off the disc because opening and closing individual clips slows down the process.

USB Memory Proxy Record – The camera will be able to write proxy video to a USB memory stick. This will be the same proxy data found on the disc normally, but very easy to hand off. 60 minutes of proxy video will take up about 1 GB of space.

On top of those upgrades there are a couple of things that make the PDW-F800 extra special. Here are the features that will only be found in the PDW-F800:

Slow & Quick Motion – That’s what Sony calls over and under cranking the camera. In 23.98P mode it can record 1-48 FPS, in 29.97 it can record 1-59.94 FPS, and in 25P it can record 1-50 FPS.

Image Inverter – This will flip the image for use with lens adapters.

Optical CC and ND Filters – They have added back the traditional color and ND filter wheels that we know and love.

Focus Assist – This is a cool feature that displays a bar graph on the screen that lets you know the focus of a center portion of your image. The bar grows as the image becomes more focused.

User Gamma Curves – You can define your own Gamma curve with the Sony CVP File Editor. Curves created for the F900R or F23 will work with the camera as well.

Lastly we will also see another upgrade to the PDW-U1 drive that will enable full UserData writing. That means you’ll be able to write any data to the disc. This is a great way to back up footage or just about anything, and the XDCAM EX Clip Browser 2.5 will allow direct copying from SxS cards to the UserData directory on the the disc.

So when can we see all of these updates? The official answer is… around the end of June. We’ll see how it all rolls out but I’m excited about the big update.

Update: I’ve posted a short video highlighting the F800 – Hands on with the F800.

Now, if you own the PDW-700 don’t dismay, an optional 24p recording board will be available in June and the SD record modes are already available for purchase. The F800 will ship with these features and be priced accordingly. Looking at the specs I can see that Sony has taken feedback from the production community and added features that make the camera very versatile. When Sony puts the ‘F’ in front of the product code (ie: the F900R or F23) they are aiming a product at a film community. And with 24P, variable frame rate recording, and custom gamma curves, this camera should fit nicely into a commercial production environment.

Click here to read a nice article about the camera from Sony Belgium.

Sony also announced the PDW-F1600 Deck. This is similar to the PDW-HD1500 deck but adds some new features as well. Again don’t worry if you already own the PDW-HD1500 deck, the discs from both the PDW-700 and PDW-F800 will work in the the HD1500. What they have added is pretty interesting though. First, they added insert/assemble editing capability which allows users to work with it more like tape. Secondly, it sounds like they added a web interface for viewing clips on the disc or browsing data written to the disc. This function should really open up the door for using the XDCAM disc as a data archive for all tapeless media. Just add the F1600 to your network and you can read, write, and browse any ProDisc. Lastly, and on that same note, they have added a dual-optical pickup for faster data transfer.

Click here to read the full press release from Sony.

Check out the new Sony brochure as well.