I’ve personally never shot with an AJA Cion, but I’ve always been interested in this camera because it offers some great specs in a beautifully designed body. That said, the fact that it retails for $9000 was always a huge drawback to me, as it always seemed like the Cion should be priced in the $5000 range to compete with the Blackmagic URSA. As of today, AJA just made their pricing more competitive and lowered the cost to $4995… which they really need to do, in my opinion.
This is pure speculation, but like many people I have to assume that the AJA Cion was developed for the original Blackmagic cinema cameras. AJA and Blackmagic Design have been rivals for years, and there’s no doubt that the original BMCC must have sparked a lot of discussion at AJA, which ultimately led to the creation of their Cion.
When Cion was first released, it looked really promising. It offers many great features such as 4K recording, 12-bit ProRes4444, RAW functionality, 60p slow-motion, and more. Even more impressive is the actual design of the camera, as it’s clearly ergonomically designed. One of the biggest issues many people had with the original Blackmagic cinema camera was of course its size and shape, and the AJA Cion offers a viable alternative.
That being said, the Cion has never been as attractive to many shooters as the BMCC. Sure, some users fell in love with the camera immediately, but most people still stared at Blackmagic’s cameras without really noticing what was going on with AJA. This is not only because Blackmagic was the first to bring such a product to market, but also because their designs and branding have always been excellent. Competition in the AJA is indeed tough, and it gets even more difficult this year.
I was expecting to see some kind of update or new camera from AJA at this year’s NAB, but nothing was announced. Instead, Blackmagic once again stole the show with their URSA Mini – which I think played a big part in prompting AJA to lower the price of the Cion. The fact that the URSA Mini only costs $3000 (even including DaVinci Resolve) makes it hard for AJA to justify charging $9000 for their camera…especially since it hasn’t been updated in a few years .
Once you get into the $9,000 range, there are plenty of other types of cameras to consider — not just Blackmagic’s offerings. The Sony FS7, for example, offers some truly incredible performance (at least on paper) and is significantly better than the AJA Cion in almost every way. It may not be a true cinema camera, and it certainly has more of a “video look” than the Cion in my opinion, but regardless, it’s still a very tempting option from a trusted brand.
Now that the AJA Cion is only $4995, I think sales will definitely start to increase. I don’t think it will reach the level of Blackmagic’s URSA Mini as it is still a slightly older camera and doesn’t quite have the appeal of a Mini… but there is no doubt a segment of the market that would love to work with the Cion and you would Found it to be the best camera for their particular needs.
While I probably wouldn’t pick one up (even if the price dropped), I’m really glad the price has dropped since more competition in this price range is a good thing. It will only push all the other competing brands in the field to come out with better products, not to mention it could be a sign of another AJA camera to come.
AJA Cion – B & H Now on sale for $4995
For those interested in AJA’s other products, the Cion isn’t the only one to see a price reduction. Click here to read AJA’s “Summer Savings” announcement, which also includes price cuts on the Ki Pro series.
That’s it for now! Be sure to bookmark my site and come back soon for more news, tips, camera reviews, and more!
