GEAR OF THE YEAR
the popular five-inch monitor/ recorder making huge waves in the market. But the Blackmagic Video Assist 7in 12G HDR is an even larger and more capable unit. And for monitors, the Atomos Shinobi 7, Desview R7S and SmallHD 702 Touch are all hugely successful. But perhaps the biggest and most important accessory purchase is lighting – it can really set your work apart. In recent times, LEDs have taken over, and many now offer RGBWW functionality, meaning you can dial in any colour you like. There’s lots of remote control via app, too, so you’re not running around changing settings. British firm Rotolight is at the cutting edge of technology in soft light panels. The fully customisable, high-tech Titan X1 is a firm favourite, as well as the smaller Anova Pro 2. Other panels worthy of nomination are the Aputure Nova P300c, legendary Arri Skypanel S120-C and Litepanels Gemini 2x1. Also shortlisted is the Litepanels Gemini 2x1’s ‘harder’ brother, the Gemini 1x1 Hard – which is super- bright. A more traditional-looking hard light that’s a real winner is the Light & Motion StellaPro CL 10,000c, as well as the Aputure LS 600d and Broncolor LED F160. In the lighting innovation category, there are some fascinating nominations. The Aputure Accent B7c RGBWW light bulb replaces household bulbs to give a controlled ‘practical’ light, while the DMG Lumiere Dash brings full RGBWW
control to a tiny, yet affordable, LED. The Airstar Neo is an inflatable light, while the Sumolight Sumosky is both light and background all in one huge package. It’s winning lots of fans. With cameras recording data at ever-faster rates, memory cards and hard drives have evolved to keep up. The Sony 160GB Tough CFexpress is a unique memory card, as it is the newer, smaller Type A – while the Lexar 512GB Professional CFast 2.0 has a huge, speedy capacity. Hard drive manufacturers continue to innovate, with the Samsung SSD T7 Touch 1TB using fingerprint recognition technology to keep data safe. Lacie’s Rugged SSD Pro 1TB with Thunderbolt 3 is small and incredibly quick, while the G-Technology Armorlock SSD 2TB can be unlocked via a phone app, with its G-Speed Shuttle SSD 16TB a unique product for shooting on location and editing in the studio. When it comes to editing, the obvious leading candidates are Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Apple Final Cut Pro X, and the latest version of Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 17 Studio. Cast your vote! “LEDs have taken over, andmany nowoffer RGBWW functionality”
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