Digital Video - December 2007 - (Page 12) DV UPDATE IBC PERSPECTIVES esting ideas, though the price of the noX camera may make it tough for this unknown manufacturer to succeed. Panavision announced the availability of its SSR-1 flash-memory recorder for the Genesis camera. It’s similar to Grass Valley’s Venom recorder in appearance and operation. No file-based recording, though it can record alpha channel signals. Capacity is just over 21 minutes when recording uncompressed 4:4:4 at 23.98 fps. The film-like magazine weighs 5.5 lb., and mates to the Genesis for untethered shooting. ARRI introduced a “hand crank” device for its D20 digital cinematography camera, dubbed the HC-1. Commercial DPs love the look of hand-cranked framerate changes—which previously only were available via film cameras—so expect to see this effect overused shortly in a commercial campaign near you. The other camera manufacturers aren’t standing still. Aaton showed its beautiful new “Penelope” 35mm film camera, which is designed to be handheld. Its ergonomics are impressive, and while it now records only to 35mm film, Aaton is planning to manufacture digital magazines that would record data—a great idea, should it ever come to pass. shot with Red One prototypes—was shown every evening in the large theater at the convention hall. [Editor’s note: see DV’s First Look at the Red One camera on page 20.] All in all, it’s an impressive achievement for a start-up company to deliver a camera, lenses and accessories, and form alliances to ensure post workflow options. ARRI's new "hand crank" for its D20 digital cinematography camera. HIGH-END OFFERS Post workflow presents some challenges for another new player in the camera arena, Silicon Imaging. However, the company’s partnership with P&S Technik has made the SI-2K camera far more production-friendly than it was a year ago. At IBC, SI introduced an optical viewfinder which was very cool. Camera operators will really appreciate it, though it is limiting if you want to have information displayed in the viewfinder. The SI-2K has several impressive new features, including full integration with Iridas Speed Grade to create non-destructive LUTs that can be applied to the camera’s Raw file output for display. The integration of CineForm Raw QuickTime recording should help expand the options for post beyond Adobe Premiere. The SI-2K mini (the camera-head-only version) already has found a home in 3D work. GS Vitec, a German manufacturer, introduced the noX 2K camera ($82,000) and noXboX recorder ($32,000). The camera uses a single 35mm-sized CCD and records uncompressed raw data on its hard-drive-based recorder. The company claims the camera has a 12-stop dynamic range. GS Vitec has some inter- formerly known as Mitsui Advanced Media ACCESSORIZE Cooke Optics continued to garner support for its /i technology lens metadata project, announcing that Aaton and Red Digital Cinema have joined the roster. Cooke’s /i “Intelligent” stechnology tracks the lens’ focal length, focus, and aperture information, all of which is extremely useful for doing visual effects work. Cooke’s S4i series of lenses and Red lenses output information for storage as metadata in compatible camcorders or using an external recorder. Two new camera support products merit attention. Chrosziel showed its new DV Balancer (about $200), a shoulder brace for camcorders that looked promising, since the size and weight are appropriate to the task. Meanwhile, Sachtler introduced the SOOM HiPod modular support system: a 75mm ball head tripod www.dv.com • Blu-Ray • Dual Layer DVD+R • DVD +/- R: 24 Karat Gold Archival and Silver Printable • Highest Quality Recordable media is our only business, so we pay attention to detail. We offer DVD media with the lowest error rate and jitter in the industry and superior bonding for best durability. MAM-A • 10045 Federal Drive • Colorado Springs, Colorado 80908 http://www.mam-a.com http://www.mam-a.com http://www.dv.com
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