AWARDS GEAR OF THE YEAR
ACCESSORIES
J ust like Hoover is to vacuum cleaners and Biro is to ballpoint pens, Peli has become the catch-all name for protective hard cases. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the legendary Peli brand wins this year’s award with its 1646 Air. Peli’s hard cases come in two types – standard or the lighter Air range. The latter are still rugged and safe – properties that make the brand famous, coming in lots of sizes including even deeper cases to carry yet more gear. These models include the 1646 Air, which features press-and-pull latches and a customisable foam insert. Every component in the Air range has been pared down to shave off weight, and some weigh up to 40% less than standard cases. They still feature high-security latches, stainless-steel hasps so you can use padlocks, plus an extendable handle and hard-wearing wheels. Like all Peli cases, this one is made of high-impact plastic resin to withstand extreme temperatures, including rounded corners to fend off impact. An O-ring seal keeps the nasties out and the latches are tough, fitted with stainless steel hinge pins. In the category for backpacks or holdalls, the winner for the second time is the Think Tank Video Workhorse 19. It is a traditionally shaped camcorder bag, so you can drop your rigged-up camera inside without taking it to bits. The 19 model fits camera rigs up to 48.3cm/19in long and 19cm/7.5in tall. It is built with an aluminium-reinforced
collapsible lid, the material is ballistic nylon and there’s YKK zips, welded metal hardware, nylon seatbelt webbing and high-density foam for protection. A wide handle pass-through means it can be attached to a trolley or rolling luggage –ideal for travel. It also comes with a rain cover in case of a downpour. When it comes to monitor/recorders, the Atomos Ninja V+ is the winner thanks to its performance and versatility, turning as it does into a connected device. The Plus model allows 8K/30p and 4K/120p ProRes Raw recording via HDMI – although buy the right module and it’ll work with SDI cameras, too. It’s most popular with mirrorless camera owners who can use the clean HDMI output to record 4:2:2 footage in 8- or 10-bit, which gives a lot more colour information and is a huge benefit if you are shooting Log. When it comes to storing your data, most use memory cards and then ingest the data to external hard drives for safety. This year, the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B 2TB is the winner in the memory card class, as it’s fast and reliable. Best of all, the huge 2TB capacity means you won’t be needing to change cards during a shoot, risking card or data loss. For the external drive class, the Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield 4TB was
External hard drive Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield 4TB
THE WINNERS
Monitor and/or recorder Atomos Ninja V+
Backpack/holdall Think Tank Video Workhorse 19
Memory card Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B 2TB
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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