U.K.-based specialty camera manufacturer Camera Corps announced the launch of the MeerCat – a high quality miniature HD broadcast camera that can be mounted practically anywhere without being visible to other cameras or to an audience.
Developed in response to demand from sports, reality-television and stage-show producers, the MeerCat is housed in a metal case with a very small footprint – 30 x 30 x 93mm. Lens protrusion is just 25 mm. High quality NF-mount lenses are available.
“The MeerCat has been trialed with outstanding success during a series of major international sports events prior to its official launch,” said Camera Corps’ business development director, Shaun Glanville. “It is based on a new imager which delivers video with very wide dynamic range, low noise and excellent color rendition.”
The MeerCat head can be attached to a quarter-inch mount for easy integration into narrow-profile locations such as a sports markers or reality show props, or it can be discreetly located in a studio set. It can also be used as a wearable camera with a full high-definition live wireless link. Full control facilities including manual iris setting with adjustable electronic exposure can be performed remotely using Camera Corps’ range joysticks and remote panels.
The imager is a 1/3-inch MOS sensor with 1944 x 1092 effective pixels. This can be switched to deliver 1080P, 1080I or 720P video at 50, 59.94 or 60 fps. Video is output as HD-SDI which can be converted to an optical feed using a Camera Corps optical fiber interface. Minimum illumination is 1.2 lux at f/1.4. Chroma, master black, saturation, gain, shutter, detail, white balance, gamma, speed and exposure, video format and noise reduction can all be adjusted from the remote control panel.
The MeerCat comes with a standard Camera Corps power supply and interface which can be positioned up to 30 meters from the camera head. Control signals can be delivered over a standard audio line, allowing the interface to be located far from the operator. Up to six MeerCat cameras can be operated from a single Camera Corps remote control panel.
