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Imaging technology innovation has
continued at a fast and furious pace; there have been a number of significant
new camera releases at NAB Show 2024. Here’s a brief rundown:
High-End TV and Cinema
Blackmagic Design jumped into cameras a decade ago
with its first Pocket Cinema Camera and has been upping the ante ever since.
Its new URSA Cine 12K is
the new flagship designed for high end production.
The $14,995 camera features a new
sensor that builds on the technology of URSA Mini Pro 12K with larger
photo-sites capable of 16 stops of dynamic range. The full sensor area gives
customers a 3:2 open gate image enabling post reframing. Alternatively, the
larger sensor area can be used to shoot anamorphic and deliver in a range of
aspect ratios. Plus, you can shoot in 4K, 8K or 12K using the entire sensor
without cropping, retaining the full field of view. There are even 9K Super 35
4-perf, 3-perf and 2-perf modes for full compatibility with classic cinema
lenses. An optional Cine EVF is for outdoors and handheld shooting.
There are a variety of ways to work with the media,
which at 12K uncompressed will be substantial. For example, the URSA Cine will
enable H.264 proxy file creation in addition to the original camera media when
recording. “This means the small proxy file can upload to Blackmagic Cloud in
seconds so media is available back at the studio in real time,” according to
the vendor. “The ability to transfer media directly into the DaVinci Resolve
media bin as editors are working is revolutionary and has never before been
possible.”
Media can also be streamed direct
from the camera (over RTMP and SRT) to major platforms or to clients via
Ethernet, WiFi or even connect a 5G phone for mobile data.
“We wanted to build our dream high
end camera that had everything we had ever wanted,” said Grant Petty,
Blackmagic Design CEO, “Blackmagic URSA Cine is the realization of that dream
with a completely new generation of image sensor, a body with industry standard
features and connections, and seamless integration into high end workflows.
There’s been no expense spared in designing this camera and we think it will
truly revolutionize all stages of production from capture to post!”
BMD has also upgraded the PCC into a rugged cube
design that targets the market currently occupied by the likes of Red Komodo.
The full-frame Blackmagic Pyxis 6K costs $2,995 and comes with multiple mounting
points for camera rigs such as cranes, gimbals or drones and is available with
either L-Mount, PL or Locking EF lens mounts.Cr:
Blackmagic Design
Like the URSA Cine 12K, the Pyxis
also generates proxy files for instant upload to the cloud and media
availability to editors anywhere working in Resolve. It also includes an
optional Cine EVF for outdoors and handheld shooting.
“Since the introduction of the
original Pocket Cinema Cameras, our customers have been asking us to make it in
a more customizable design,” said Petty. “But we wanted it to be so much more
than just a Pocket Cinema Camera in a different body. The Pyxis is a fully
professional cinema camera with more connections and seamless integration into
post production workflows.”
Live Production/Studio
High end camera makers are turning
their attention to broadcast and live events market where there is growing
demand for cinematic imagery (for live, highlights and BTS documentaries) and
the depth of field capture of digital cine lenses.
In its first outing since been acquired by Japanese
camera maker Nikon last month, RED
was at NAB Show highlighting broadcast solutions, including a SMPTE fiber cine-broadcast module
and broadcast color.
The new RED Cine-Broadcast Module
integrates the company’s V-RAPTOR camera into live broadcast scenarios such as
sports and concerts. It enables two channels of 4K 60P (HDR/SDR) over 12G-SDI
and is IP ready with SMPTE ST 2110 (TR-08) and up to a 4K 60P JPEG-XS feed. The
module features a hybrid fiber optical cable connector which connects to a rack
mountable base station.
Additionally, broadcasters will also be able to
shoot with slow-motion, AI/ML augmentation and live to headset using 8K 120FPS
R3Ds by using RED Connect, available for a separate license.
Complementing these developments is a
new firmware broadcast color pipeline for “live painting” of RED cameras in a
broadcast or streaming environment.
ARRI has also expanded its Alexa
brand of high-end imagers into live broadcast setups such as outside broadcast
concerts, sports, esports to studio based talk shows and game shows.
The Alexa
35 Live Multicam System integrates
into existing live production environments providing the full functionality of
a system camera while retaining the flexibility of a dockable camera setup,
according to a release.
Supporting a current trend in live
productions, the Super 35-sized 4K sensor enables shallow depth of field and
offers 17 stops of dynamic range for handling extreme lighting situations
presented in SDR and HDR.
“As a result, even contrast-y concert
lighting is captured faithfully and skin tones are beautiful, so performers
always look their best. Low light scenes display minimal noise, and highlights
roll off in a natural, film-like way,” ARRI claims.
The full System comprises the new Alexa 35 Live
camera with fiber camera adapter and base station), a Skaarhoj remote control
panel (though it can work with other RCPs), and accessories such as base and
receiver plates, an adjustable monitor yoke, an extra-long camera handle, a
tally light with camera ID display, and a rain cover. A new large lens adapter
assists rapid setup with box lenses.
One of 87 pre-made looks from a
built-in Look Library can be selected and there’s also producer choice of
Textures (five multi-cam and eight cine-style) to modify grain and contrast.
Japan’s Ikegami marks its 60th anniversary
with an expanded range of HD and 4K UHD cameras
targeting bread-and-butter live broadcast.
“Our emphasis at NAB 2024 will be on
the advance to 2160p 4K-UHD as the globally preferred standard for producing
high-value television content,” said the company’s Alan Keil. The new UHK-X700
model can be used for pedestal-mounted studio operation, tripod-based sports
coverage and shoulder-mounted location production and features three 2/3-inch
CMOS UHD sensors with a global shutter to minimize artifacts when shooting LED
screens or scenes illuminated with flash or strobe lighting.
The UHL-F4000 is a compact and
lightweight UHD HDR camera with low power consumption designed for aerial shots
from a helicopter. The camera head sports three UHD CMOS global shutter sensors
“capturing natural images completely clear of geometric distortion and flash
band effects.”
Germany’s PROTON
Camera Innovations launched the PROTON CAM, billed
as the world’s smallest broadcast-quality camera.
Measuring just 28mmx28mm and weighing
only 24 grams, PROTON CAM is tiny in size, but also incorporates market-leading
specifications compared to other comparable cameras. It uses 12-bit sensor
technology and advanced FPGA to deliver unmatched high resolution and dynamic
range, capturing details with exceptional clarity. It also grants a wide-angle
view of up to 120 degrees and better low-light performance, without any image
distortion, thus allowing broadcasters significant flexibility and creative
scope in its deployment.
“Crucial to the core proposition of
PROTON as a company is our ability to maintain 100% ownership over our research
and design process, meaning that we guarantee full control over the innovation
and quality standards of our product,” said PROTON CEO Marko Hoepken. “Whilst
the tiny size of the PROTON is of course a key USP, it was crucial to us that
this was not a gimmick that came at the expense of other deliverables. The
exceptional image quality and technical specifications embodied within the
PROTON are what will set it apart from the market.”
PTZ and Studio Automation
Production budgets and staff are
being stretched like never before. In light of the need for more content to
support multiplying distribution channels amid the headlines of economic
recession, camera robotics comes into play. Innovations in this vibrant product
sector range from higher quality sensors to AI face tracking, expanded SDI and
NDI support and more.
Sony’s NAB launch PTZ has a 20x optical zoom and
AI-driven auto framing primed for sports coverage. The BRC-AM7 is
equipped with a 1.0-type image sensor and compatible with 4K 60p as an
integrated lens PTZ remote camera. Sony claims it is the smallest and lightest
camera of its type in the world. It is possible to record at up to 4K 120p
another boost for dynamic sports action.
The Sony BRC-AM7 is equipped with
a 1.0-type image sensor and compatible with 4K 60p as an integrated lens PTZ
remote camera. Cr: Sony
The $1,999 KY-PZ540
PTZ series from JVC is the company’s first PTZ
cameras to incorporate a 40x zoom. The 4K imager also feature JVC’s Variable
Scan Mapping technology, which scans the sensor to produce a lossless image
transition up to 40x in full-resolution HD. The cameras are intended for large
event spaces and instances when the need to zoom in from a distance is
essential and they support NDI network connectivity.
“We already have an award-winning PTZ
product – so increasing the zoom magnification while keeping the unit
affordable made it possible for us to accommodate the needs of a larger segment
of customers,” said Joe D’Amico, VP of JVC Professional Video.
Ikegami’s new UHL-43 4K UHD is a
compact box-style camera designed for robotic studios, live-event broadcasting
and point-of-view image capture. The camera head can be used on practically any
support device such as a remote pan and tilt, long-reach arm or overhead mount.
An Ethernet interface allows control from practically any distance, making the
camera ideal for remotely supervised field production.
Ross Video’s Artimo addresses some common challenges faced with
traditional studio camera movement solutions such as pedestals, dollies, and
jibs. According to Ross, it offers quiet, fast, programmable moving shots
without the limitations of fixed rails, markers, or the need for perfectly
smooth studio surfaces. The increasing use of LEDs and the need to have more
on-air movement “to engage and entertain the audience” makes a studio robotics
solution like this necessary says Ross. It comes with geofencing and LiDAR so
it can be programmed for uninterrupted operation, maneuvering around obstacles
with precision.
The Artimo robotics studio system
addresses some common challenges faced with traditional studio camera movement
solutions such as pedestals, dollies, and jibs. Cr: Ross Video
Phones and Drones
Atomos has released the Ninja Phone, a 10-bit video co-processor for smart phones and
tablets that lets you record from professional HDMI cameras. The $399 Ninja
Phone is designed for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max and the uses the
phone’s OLED display and Apple ProRes encoding to create “the world’s most
beautiful, portable, and connected professional monitor-recorder.”
It is also the first time Ninja users
will have access to an OLED monitor screen, “which, at 446 PPI, is by far the
highest resolution, most capable HDR monitor that’s ever been available to
them,” added Young.
It is intended for use with many new,
smaller format mirrorless cameras such as Fujifilm’s X100 and G series, Canon’s
R5 Series, Sony Alpha Series, Nikon Z series cameras and Panasonics GH and S
series.
Atomos CEO and Co-Founder Jeromy
Young said, “Ninja Phone is for the thousands of content creators who capture,
store, and share video from their iPhone 15 Pro but aspire to work with
professional cameras, lenses, and microphones. At the same time, the Ninja
Phone is a perfect tool for longer-form professionals who want to adopt a cloud
workflow without a complex and expensive technology footprint.”
China’s DJI, perhaps better known as a maker of
prosumer drones, has new versions of its
camera stabilizer platform DJI RS 4.
The DJI RS 4 costs $869 and is
capable of carrying up to 3kg (6.6lbs) of mirrorless camera and lens
combinations for comfortable handling and robust power. A redesigned gimbal
horizontal plate enables smoother transitions to vertical shooting.
The DJI RS 4 Pro retails for $1099
and can carry 4.5kg (10lbs). It features an extended battery runtime of up to
29 hours provided the DJI RS BG70 Battery Grip is used. This also incorporates
the firm’s proprietary LiDAR Autofocus system to offer cinematographers precise
autofocus and enhanced control in dynamic shooting scenarios.
DJI is also making the LiDAR system
independent of its own systems in the new DJI Focus Pro Automated Manual Focus
(AMF) lens control system.
With a 70-degree focus field of view;
76,800 ranging points and a refresh rate of 30 Hz, the upgraded LiDAR “empowers
cinematographers with intuitive spatial understanding by using LiDAR waveform
as focus assistance, enhancing their ability to capture scenes with precision.”
According to the company the move
marks a “significant leap forward” in providing LiDAR technology, once
exclusive to the DJI PRO ecosystem, to more creators.
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