We're almost certain that the new FS700 Mk II will be announced soon - possibly as early as next week

We're always very cautious about rumours, especially when they're based on leaked smartphone pictures, and text in a language that we can't read.

But this one looks pretty certain. It's the new FS700 Mk II.

What we're told is that it will be natively 4K, will record internally using XAVC, Sony's new codec that's made for the 4K generation.

It will take E-mount lenses.

Picture from www.filmaker.cn

From the picture it looks like Sony has addressed the ergonomic concerns of the previous generation FS100/700 which some said resembled a black box with buttons sprayed over it.

Ground breaking

Nevertheless, the FS700 was a ground-breaking camera with its high-speed HD capabilities (240 FPS at HD 1920 x 1080). And it has steadily gained a great reputation for its images - easily rivaling much more expensive cameras in the right conditions. Perhaps the biggest weakness was its codec, which was AVCHD.

Sony Alpha Rumours says that it will have the "same sensor size" as the F55. That wouldn't be surprising. What would be surprising is if it were exactly the same sensor as the F55, which would mean that it would have a global shutter. We don't think this is likely.

According to the Chinese Site www.filmaker.cn the new FS700 will have Sony Raw and S-log 3. It will also support 180 fps continuous. What we don't know is at what resolution.

In fact, what we don't know is anything at all, with certainty. But we strongly believe that this is real.

Nor do we know when it will be launched, but given the proximity of IBC (starting next week in Amsterdam), we wouldn't be surprised if it were officially revealed then.

We will update this article if any more news comes in.