ARRI introduced a new Super 16mm camera, the Arriflex 416. The camera,which is 25-percent lighter than the Arriflex 16 SR3 Advanced, featuresa redesigned 35-style viewfinder incorporating fewer lens elements anda shorter optical path. The viewfinder can be freely rotated, extendedor flipped to either side of camera.The 416, which is expected to ship at the end of 2006, offers variablespeeds from 1 to 75 fps. It also features new magazines, as well as thenew on-board battery, that can be quickly removed with one hand.To avoid the clutter of extra boxes and cables, lens motor electronicsand a wireless radio can be integrated directly into the camera body,which the company is calling the Arriflex 416 Plus.The big draw at BandPro Film & Digital’s booth was the new SonyNGC-23 camera, the next-generation CineAlta camera. As of IBC, therewere only three prototypes in existence, but BandPro had one of them atthe booth, outfitted with a Zeiss DigiPrime lens).BandPro’s CTO Michael Bravin explained that the company has 28 camerason order, and has already sold most of them.”The way we sold all those is we bought the remaining inventory of theF950s and we made a package deal where if you bought the F950 and thedeck, you can use it until the new camera comes out and then we’ll buythem back,” he explained.The camera features a 3-CCD, 60P imager that delivers a 1920X1080, fullbandwidth 4:4:4 RGB image, recorded to HDCAM-SR decks at either 440 or880 Mbps.The company was also showcasing the first production models of the newCarl Zeiss Telephoto DigiZoom 17-112mm T1.9.The second zoom in the Zeiss line of precision optics for electroniccinematography, this 6.5x zoom focuses to just 22 inches from the imageplane—11 inches from the front of the lens. Plus, it has the ability tofocus tightly on objects as small as 66mm x 117mm, bringing them fullyinto frame in precise focus.Thomson Grass Valley announced that it will launch its newestgeneration HD camera, the LDK-8000, later this year. The new camerawill offer 14-bit A/D sampling and 24-bit resolution digital signalprocessing at all of today’s HD formats, and will support future1080/50p or 60p formats.The camera will be a successor to the popular LDK-6000 HD, of whichthere are over 1,500 already in use worldwide in broadcastapplications.And while the company has yet to ship its Infinity digital mediacamcorder, it has built an extensive network of corporate alliancesthrough its Open Alliance Partner initiative—companies that willsupport Infinity’s REV Pro Media when it hits the market.Adobe Systems, Matrox Video Products Group, and Harris Corporation havesigned up to support REV PRO, joining such companies as AvidTechnology, CineForm, Hewlett-Packard, MainConcept, MOG Solutions,Telestream, Fast Forward Video, Focus Enhancements, OpenCube and TheRhozet Corporation.Cooke Optics introduced its new S4/i 15–40mm CXX Zoom, which featuresthe company’s new Variable Vignetting Stop, allowing the CXX lens toautomatically adjust to maintain T2.0 and high resolution throughoutthe zoom range, with no ramping or flare. It features Cooke’s “/i”technology which gives continuous electronic feedback on lens setting,focus distance, aperture, and depth-of-field.Matthews Studio Equipment introduced its new Colornetts—fabrics thatshift the color temperature of a light source as light passes throughthem. A single gold Colornett will lower the Kelvin temperature of thesource by 400 degrees, while a single silver Colornett will raise theKelvin temperature by 200 degrees allowing individual lighting fixturesto be isolated and manipulated.Matthews also introduced its new Mini Max, a smaller version of its Maxthe Menace arm, which allows the placement of fixtures where the POVdoes not allow for stands. MINI MAX works well on uneven surfaces, evenflights of stairs.The company also introduced its new Roundy-Round Doorway Dolly, a newdolly with all-wheel steering designed to fit through doorways and takecorners in a tight radius.Fujinon introduced two new lenses designed for 1/2-inch HD cameras: theHSs18x5.5BERM-D38 and HSs18x5.5BERD-D38 HD. Both lenses feature an 18xzoom range and a wide angle of 5.5mm. The HSs18x5.5BERD-D38 features aservozoom and focus.With a focal length range of 5.5 to 100mm (11–200 with 2X Extender) anda wide angle of view (64 degrees at 5.5mm), the new lenses are designedto enhance the performance of the newest 1/2-inch ENG-style cameras.They feature an 18x zoom ratio, a maximum relative aperture of 1.8 at100mm, and a M.O.D. of 0.6m from the front of the lens.Both lenses come with Fujinon’s Inner Focus technology to minimize lensbreathing and feature Fujinon’s “GO” technology to minimize chromaticaberration and improve contrast and edge sharpness.
Written by Scott Lehane
