Pro Motion Hire’s BSC Expo Round Up
Here is a round up on our highlights from this years BSC Expo, cameras, lenses and accessories galore.
The British Society of Cinematographers Expo ‐ 30th & 31st January 2015 ‐ Pinewood Studios
As the title indicates, the BSC expo is geared towards cinematographers and filmmakers, covering the latest advancements in digital cinema technology as well as hands on experience with various cameras, lenses, lights and accessories there is a wide range of seminars. This year’s expo was even busier than before with queues to attend seminars and the show floor packed with people.
Here’s a round up of a few of the show’s highlights:
Cameras
ARRI had the ALEXA 65 with Hydroflex underwater housing on display; with its giant sensor, this really is a super sized ALEXA. RED had the EPIC Dragon on display in various forms, with the REDmote and RED Wireless focus and monitoring options. Panasonic had their Varicams catching a lot of attention. The VariCam has two different heads that can mount onto the same recorder acting as the cameras back end. One head is geared specifically to digital cinema and the other to broadcast. The VariCam35 with a Super35mm sensor for 4K shooting with a PL mount, and the VariCamHS with a 3×2/3rd CMOS sensor and a B4 mount. We were incredibly impressed with Panasonic’s Varicam35 having a dual native ISO, making the sensor as clean at 5000 ISO as it is at 800!
Accessories
The Zacuto Gratical was on display and this high powered EVF has been built to the highest specifications, with a Mirco‐OLED screen, incredible sharpness and a heavy duty drop‐it‐and‐carry‐on body. It also has 2 x HDMI and 2 x SDI ports both with cross conversion. Tiffen had their latest filter ‐ the Black Glimmerglass. These high definition diffusion filters soften fine details and add a mild glow to highlights. At Optical Support’s stand we had a demonstration of the INOVATIV film carts. These amazing on‐set camera / DIT carts are super strong, well designed and offer a wide range of accessories, from lockable laptop draws to tripod head mounts. But the best part is that they can quickly and easily compact down into a a wheelable trolley perfect for travelling, with dimensions designed specifically for flight.
Lenses
ARRI, Angenieux and Cooke all had large crowds around their stands as PL glass continues in popularity. Canon had the CN7X17 KAS S/P1 (otherwise known as the 17‐120mm Canon Cine Zoom). This lens has proved incredibly popular in our hire stock and demand continues to grow. Our favourite demonstration from the show had to be Preston’s Light Ranger 2. It has two parts, a sensor unit that sits on top of the camera, and a video interface that attaches to your monitor. The Light Ranger 2 uses infrared light to assess where your subject/objects are in frame, then divides the monitor into 16 areas with a line cutting across the screen with each area displayed as a rectangle. These rectangles demonstrate where your depth of field sits and if something is in focus or not. As it’s a visual tool it’s incredibly intuitive ‐ these really can be a focus pullers best friend, especially in tricky circumstances or if shooting 4K on a lower resolution monitor.
This was a quick tour of our favourite bits from the BSC Expo, if you’d like any further information on anything mentioned above or anything else from the BSC show please give us a call or send through an email. tel: 0845 460 9988 email: hire@promotionhire.co.uk
We are exhibiting at BVE at Excel London 24th‐26th February, come and see us on our stand C42, and check out the latest broadcast and digital technology.
Manufacturer Links for the above equipment:
http://www.arrirentalgroup.com/alexa65/
http://www.red.com/products/epic
http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/varicam‐models.asp
http://www.zacuto.com/gratical‐hd
http://www.tiffen.com/Glimmerglass.htm
http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Digital_Cinema/Cine_Lenses/CN7x17_KAS_S_E1‐P1/
