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NEW CAMERAS GEAR GROUP
BLACKMAGIC URSA BROADCAST
ARRI ALEXA LF The missing piece in the ARRI camera lineup has now been filled with the announcement of a true 4K camera, with a sensor that is slightly bigger than full- frame (commonly referred to as ‘large- format’ cinematography). The German company now has cameras to cover 2K, 4K and 6K resolutions. The new system, launched at the recent BSC Expo, includes an LF camera based on a large-format 4K version of the ALEXA sensor, and comprises the ALEXA LF camera, ARRI Signature Prime lenses, LPL lens mount and PL-to-LPL adapter. It is also compatible with existing lenses, accessories and workflows. The first ALEXA LF cameras will be shipped at the end of March 2018, and the initial set of four Signature Prime lenses (35mm, 47mm, 75mm and 125mm) will be shipped in early June. The remaining lenses will be available over the course of the year. Featuring a sensor slightly bigger than full frame, ALEXA LF records native 4K with ARRI’s best overall image quality. Filmmakers can explore a large-format aesthetic while retaining the natural colorimetry, pleasing skin tones and proven suitability for HDR and WCG workflows they are getting from the other ALEXA makes. Versatile recording formats, including efficient ProRes and uncompressed, unencrypted ARRI RAW up to 150fps, are also included. “The larger ALEXA LF sensor has the same optimal pixel size as other ALEXAs, resulting in a 4448x3096 image,” says Marc Shipman-Mueller, ARRI Product Manager for Camera Systems. “This doesn’t just add definition, it creates a whole new look – one that is truly immersive, with a three-dimensional feel. The various recording formats and sensor modes make this look available to all productions and satisfy any possible deliverable requirement.”
Canon has now taken careful aim at the SONY FS7 with its new C200. It’s already cheaper than the FS7, at around £5800 plus VAT (and you can expect prices to come down as the market matures) and it has retained most of the best features of the C300 Mark II. The first thing you notice as you take the C200 from the box is that Canon certainly hasn’t skimped on engineering quality. The C200 feels every bit as solid as its bigger sister, with high-quality, high- density plastics, and robust castings, hinges and machining. At the front of the camera, as you would expect, is the EF lens mount and a couple of assignable buttons, defaulting to Push Auto Iris and One Shot AF. The 4K, S35 sensor has the same features as you find in the C300 Mark II, with Dual Pixel autofocus a claimed 15 stops of dynamic range and a native ISO of 800. The camera is capable of recording H.264 wrapped in MP4 files at 150Mbps to SD cards, and a new version of Canon’s Raw (called RAW Light) to CFast cards. The 12-bit RAW Light images are stunning. Where shadow detail disappears into compression mush with lesser CODECs, there is so much you can reveal in the shadows with Raw images, even at higher ISOs. On top of that, there is the creamy smoothness to the images that characterises the ‘C’ family of cameras, and Canon’s fantastic colour science – particularly evident in skin tones. With a good prime lens, the rich tonality combines with sparkling levels of detail – more than the MP4 CODEC manages to retain. The Raw files, of course, have no inherent noise reduction or sharpening, so they may need a tweak in the grade. The C200 is going to be a very important camera for Canon. It is so close to being a C300 Mark II – in terms of build, features and image quality – but at an amazingly competitive price. CANON EOS C200
Blackmagic Design kind of quietly announced their URSA Broadcast
camera at the start of February. This is a professional broadcast camera designed for both studio programming and live production. It works with existing B4 broadcast HD lenses, can be used for both HD and Ultra HD production, features a 4K sensor, extended video dynamic range, traditional external controls and buttons, built-in optical ND filters, dual CFast and dual SD card recorders. URSA Broadcast is like two cameras in one: a field camera for ENG and programming work; as well as a professional studio camera. The camera features traditional broadcast controls, all in a compact design that is ideal for fast-paced, fast-turnaround production work. The key is URSA Broadcast’s new extended video mode. That means customers might not have to colour correct images before going to air, making URSA Broadcast good for news, live sports, studio talk and game shows. URSA Broadcast is also designed to work with the equipment and systems traditional broadcasters already have. For example, customers can use their existing B4 HD and Ultra HD lenses with URSA Broadcast. Unlike other broadcast cameras, URSA Broadcast records onto standard SD cards, UHS-II cards and CFast cards, and records 1080i or 2160p video into standard .mov files (with .mxf to be added in future updates). URSA Broadcast records using DNx145, DNx220X or ProRes, so video doesn’t need to be copied or transcoded. This makes it fast to work with video from URSA Broadcast because it’s compatible with virtually all existing broadcast systems and editing software. The B4 lens mount features high- performance optics with spherical aberration correction specifically designed to match the camera’s sensor. It also supports full electronic B4 lens control.
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APRIL 2018 DEFINITION
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