AWARDS GEAR OF THE YEAR
SPECIAL AWARDS
EDITOR’S CHOICE: ASTERA LUNABULB Astera’s new Lunabulb looks like a conventional bulb and screws directly into an AC-wired socket, but can be converted from its standard shape to a slimline style, so it’s the perfect practical light. It’s the only LED-based bulb with inbuilt
Its many frame choices – including open gate 3:2 – make it ideal for anamorphic shooting, allowing for reframing in post- production. The sensor also caters to true 6:5 anamorphic without cropping for widescreen, high- resolution, cinematic images. The Pyxis shoots in all standard resolutions and frame rates, from HD up to 4K and 6K DCI. It records 36fps at 6048x4032 3:2 open gate or 60fps at 6048x2520 2.4:1 6K and 4096x2160 4K DCI. To achieve higher frame rates, the sensor can be windowed to shoot up to 100fps at 2112x1184 – a Super 16 crop. The built-in LCD is a four- inch-tall, high-resolution, HDR touchscreen with 1500 nits of brightness so there should be no need for an external monitor. Recording in Blackmagic Raw allows precise control of detail, exposure and colour during post- production. The Pyxis includes a 12G-SDI for monitoring, with support for HDR and Ultra HD output. This means an SDI display can be employed for monitoring on-set, with or without overlays showing camera info and status. SDI enables much longer cable runs than HDMI, making it much easier
These final awards honour the latest innovations that are often so new they might not have had time to make an impact on the market, yet deserve to be celebrated. In launch of the year, Blackmagic was dominant with lots of votes for its Cinema Camera 6K – a hybrid device offering great quality – and Ursa Cine 12K. The latter is the most recent model in the family and now fitted with a larger sensor. But victorious is a truly compact cinema camera from Blackmagic: the full-frame Pyxis 6K, which is surprisingly affordable. It records 6K Raw footage internally, comes in a choice of L-Mount, PL or locking EF lens mounts and starts at £2790/$2995 for the body. The box design of this full-frame cinema camera makes it very simple to rig up, with multiple mounting points and side plates. The included SSD plate allows users to connect a USB-C drive for recording or mobile phone for live streaming. The 6K has the same 36x24mm sensor and dual native ISO up to 25,600 as the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K. It also offers 13 stops of dynamic range, dual CFexpress recorders and media syncing with Blackmagic’s cloud platform.
CRMX, can provide full-colour and wireless control with adjustable 1750-20,000K white levels, as well as extensive colour mixing with RGB, mint and amber, HIS, XY and filter gel colour options. That’s why it’s worthy of an Editor’s Choice accolade in the Gear of the Year Awards. What makes it even more special is the huge range of accessories that turn it into a truly versatile practical light. It’s so much more than a simple LED light bulb.
to reach monitors placed further away within the set. Featuring a streaming engine that supports RTMP and SRT for YouTube, Facebook, X and more, the camera has mini XLR inputs with 48v phantom power and accepts high-capacity BP-U batteries. It offers a huge number of features for what it costs. The Freefly Ember S2.5K is the innovation of the year winner. This is a high-speed camera that can unlock incredible slow-motion images in very high quality. The Ember allows for recording at 2.5K resolution and a maximum frame rate of a staggering 3563fps. It offers continuous recording as well as a pre-record function from one second to two hours. The camera uses the Apple ProRes 422 LT codec and has a fast workflow, with live app previewing on smart devices. It uses an EF lens mount and includes a global shutter, wireless control and a USB 3.2 Type C port. It’s a versatile, powerful camera that pushes the limits of what is possible and will open up creative opportunities for forward-thinking image makers.
CUTTING EDGE The Astera Lunabulb (above) and superfast Freefly Ember (below) are new and push the boundaries of tech
Innovation of the year Freefly Ember S2.5K
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