TL;DR
- Technology innovation is moving at a fast and furious pace, as evidenced by a number of significant new camera releases at NAB Show 2024.
- Blackmagic Design introduced the URSA Cine 12K, the company’s new flagship camera system designed for high end production, and the full-frame Blackmagic Pyxis 6K.
- In its first outing since it had been acquired by Japanese camera maker Nikon, RED was at NAB Show highlighting broadcast solutions including a SMPTE fiber cine-broadcast module and broadcast color.
- ARRI expanded its Alexa brand of high-end imagers into live broadcast setups with the Alexa 35 Live Multicam System.
- Germany’s PROTON Camera Innovations launched the PROTON CAM, which the company bills as the world’s smallest broadcast-quality camera.
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.
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 $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.
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.
VR and 360 Cameras
Insta360 unveiled the new X4, a versatile 360-degree action camera featuring 8K video and AI-powered gesture control. The new 360 camera appears to be a dramatic upgrade over its predecessor, offering higher video resolution, a larger touchscreen, longer battery life, and a more rugged build than the X3.
When shooting 360 video, for example, the X4 can capture up to 8K at 30fps, while the X3 tops out at 5.7K video at 30fps. In single-lens mode, the X4 can do 4K video at up to 60fps; the X3 also supports 4K video, but only at 30fps. Other video modes, including Bullet Time, Timelapse, and Me Mode, also received similar boosts to resolution.
the X4’s most notable upgrade might be its new gesture controls, which let users start/stop recording or take a photo using hand signals. That might sound like a niche feature, but for anyone who’s ever suffered the humiliation of shouting voice commands at a non-compliant camera in a public place, it’s a welcome addition.
Additional X4 camera upgrades include a slightly bigger and more durable 2.5” touchscreen, removable lens guards for improved ruggedness, and a major boost to battery life: lab tests showed that the X4 can record 5.7K video at 30 fps for 135 minutes, which is 67% longer than the X3’s recorded time of 81 minutes.
The Insta360 editing suite has options for creators of all levels, from one-tap, zero-effort AI edits, to fully customized manual editing. Reframing in the Insta360 app has two upgraded options. With Quick Edit (formerly known as Snap Wizard), simply move your phone or use the virtual joystick to point the camera, making 360° video editing easier than playing a video game. The reframed clips are immediately saved and ready to share.
For a fully hands-off approach, try AI Edit. Insta360’s algorithm handles the entire reframing process, now faster with improved subject detection. The Insta360 app also has Shot Lab, where creators can find 30+ viral-worthy effects that can be edited in just a few taps.
For creators who prefer a desktop workflow, the recently updated Insta360 Studio is a highly flexible editing tool for seriously clean, ready-to-share edits at maximized resolution, compatible with both 360° footage and regular flat images. Both the mobile app and desktop software are also free to use, no subscription required.
Besides this, Insta360 has just launched Insta360 Reframe, their own plugin for Adobe Premiere Pro. Creators can reframe 360° files shot on X4 directly in Premiere Pro for a smoother workflow with minimal exporting and maximum image quality.
Videos: Cameras, Lenses at Lighting at NAB Show
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