With so many TV news reports being shot on computer web cams of dubious quality, Marshall’s introduction of the CV503-U3 USB3.0 HD camera with interchangeable lenses could be a useful upgrade.

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Marshall: The CV503-U3 USB3.0 HD camera with interchangeable lenses

The CV503-U3 uses the same sensor and processors as other Marshall Broadcast pro-AV cameras, such as the CV503, CV506, CV566, CV344 and CV346 often used for professional broadcast production, particularly in sports and news. It has the same adjustable broadcast features such as white balance, black levels, exposure, gain, gamma and more, allowing it to fit in easily in a production workflow.

The 1080p 50/60 miniature camera is also software agnostic for universal application, so no additional drivers are necessary, and it works with any video conference, streaming, video chat or computer video capture, with settings adjustable via UVC1.5. It is claimed to offer simple plug-and-play connectivity to any Mac, PC, laptop or Linux system. It has self-adaptive resolution and frame rate to adjust to computer processing power and bandwidth available for reliable operation.

It has an interchangeable (M12) lens mount and comes with a wide-angle 2.8mm lens giving a 90° horizontal angle of view (AoV). However, users can fit other focal lengths, all fairly inexpensive, to give the most appropriate AoV for a specific application. The choice on offer ranges from a 2.3mm/f2.2 with 120° AoV to a 16mm/f1.8 with a 25° AoV, there are also two zooms: 2.8~12mm/f1.4 (108~30° AoV); and 6~22mm/f1.6 (46~16° AoV).

The 104g CV503-U3 has the same rugged aluminium alloy body as other Marshall miniature PoV cameras with rear connector protection wings on its back panel. It ships with a locking 2m USB3.0 cable, so the cable can’t be pulled out during video streaming. It also comes with a Marshall CVM-5 monitor/stand mount and has a universal 1/4-20 mount for use with other professional mounts. It costs €434/£398/$489 (ex-VAT).