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Professional cameras are meant to be used in a studio, or in the field with a portable recorder or satellite van for electronic newsgathering. The latter are generally known as ENG cameras, though I think they get used in both roles.

My cameras are all ENG, I think. I used to have a Hitachi studio camera but it was extremely large and extremely broken and I couldn't justify housing it.

Here's some up-front info so I don't have to repeat it per-device:

• These come in three flavors:
  • Standalone variety with no recorder, and no capability for a recorder. They invariably have a huge multipin connector intended to connect to a big fat umbilical cable that carries a thousand different signals to and from the camera. The other end connects to either a simple recorder, or a thing called a Camera Control Unit in a broadcast van or control room that has a bunch of remote controls that override the ones on the camera itself, apply extra processing, etc. before the signal goes on to a recorder.
  • Modular or "dockable" design, in which the camera "head" (the sensor itself, and most controls) is a distinct unit that can be "docked" to a variety of recorders of different formats, or docked to a "studio back" which has no recorder, just a CCU plug, turning it into a standalone camera. In these designs there's a separate model for the camera head vs the VTR, but my VTRs and heads are paired so I'm just referring to these with the model numbers of the heads.
  • Dedicated camcorder. I think these are usually lower-cost models? They have built-in recorders, so they're basically like supremely upscaled consumer camcorders. Some still have the CCU plug and can be used in a studio setup, others are absolutely limited to the built in recorder.
• Lenses are somewhat interchangeable; I haven't yet decoded the mount standard. It might be "B4"? The manufacturers are incredibly cagey about actually naming the lens mounts, I don't know why. Some of my lenses interchange with some of my cameras. The ones I'm including in any pictures *I* took are the ones that came on them usually.
•  Virtually every professional camera has ND (neutral density aka "dark") and color temperature filters built in, usually on a carousel that sits in front of the sensor and can bring the different filters into place as you rotate a knob with detents.
• Nearly everything takes the same power - 12V @ 4A or so over a 4-pin XLR plug.
• Most of these use three sensors (either three CCD/CMOS sensors or three videotubes) but some are single sensor.

JVC KY-210 - 1985?

I made a Youtube video about this one which has my detailed opinions.

I think this might be my oldest pro camera (no recorder.) It's a three sensor videotube camera, bright red, made of incredibly heavy aluminum casting. Everything about it is unreasonably heavy. It does have a shoulder mount (with a chest pad) but it wouldn't be a ton of fun to use. The microphone it came with is enormous and is built in to a heavy cast aluminum (what else) mount. The access covers for the various switches are heavy aluminum. The list goes on, you get it.

My specimen is nearly dead and barely functions. It probably needs an end to end recap.

Sony DXC-M3 - 1983?

This is a fairly late three-tube camera (no recorder.) I'll write more about it the next time I have it out of storage.

Sony DXC-M7

This is a fairly early (I think) three-CCD camera (no recorder.) I'll write more about it the next time I have it out of storage.

JVC GY-DV550

This is a fully integrated camcorder that records on DV (full size - though, I think it might take mini DV? I can't recall) tape. I have a standalone viewfinder for this one, but I much prefer the 4" monitor that fits on the aluminum rail on top. Pretty sure the tape mechanism is broken.

Panasonic AG-DVC200

Pretty much the same as the JVC in all regards.

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