MI XED BUNCH | GEAR GROUP
ALPHA 7S III SONY
URSA MINI PRO 12K Blackmagic Design
Bebob V200/A200 MICRO BATTERY
12K for moving images! What is it all about? Well, it’s about the development of sensors, also a little bit about marketing, but also about the old adage of imagery ‘starting large and downsizing to something smaller’ and you will get a better final image. The Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro 12K is a new digital film camera with a new 12,288x6,480 12K Super 35 image sensor, a claimed 14 stops of dynamic range and high frame rate shooting at up to 60fps in 12K at 80 megapixels per frame. This new third-generation model supports new Blackmagic Generation 5 colour science and higher Blackmagic Raw performance, all in the Ursa Mini Pro camera body. The combination of 80 megapixels per frame, new colour science and the flexibility of Blackmagic Raw makes working with 12K a reality. Oversampling from 12K gives customers the best 8K and 4K images with the subtle skin tones and extraordinary detail of high-end stills cameras. Customers can shoot at 60fps in 12K, 110fps in 8K and up to 220fps in 4K Super 16. Ursa Mini Pro 12K features an interchangeable PL mount, as well as built-in ND filters, dual CFast and UHS-II SD card recorders, a SuperSpeed USB-C expansion port and more. Ursa Mini Pro 12K’s extreme resolution is vying for the film and high- end television market, IMAX as well as plates for VFX capture and more efficient green screen work. This super sampling at 12K means customers not only get better colour and resolution at 8K, but also a smoothness that comes from making aliasing invisible. 12K at 60 fps is impressive, or you can use in-sensor scaling to allow 8K or 4K Raw at up to 110 fps without cropping or changing their field of view. The key to this 12K worflow is Blackmagic Raw to make 12-bit Raw workflows in 12K doable. Just imagine editing 12K on a laptop!
Once Canon launched its EOS R5 camera, it was almost inevitable that Sony would counter with its latest low-light star, the A7S III. Fanboys and girls will muddy the water with their tainted affiliations, but we prefer to wait and see until some cinematographers who earn their living in the business try them out. As with the R5 though, the specs are mouth-watering. Featuring a new 12.1-megapixel back-illuminated full-frame image sensor with ultra-high sensitivity and 15+ stops of dynamic range, a host of impressive video recording capabilities (including 4K 120p and 10-bit 4:2:2 colour depth), a new heat dissipating mechanism, dual slot relay recording enabling over one hour of 4K 60p movie shooting until battery ends, a new autofocus system, and touchscreen interface and side-flip LCD, the new Alpha 7S III certainly impresses. The Alpha cameras have found professional homes all over the world and are well known for their low-light performance. The 7S III follows this tradition with classic A series sensitivity. The new 35mm full-frame 12.1-megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor reduces rolling shutter by up to three times and utilises advanced light- gathering techniques to ensure high sensitivity with low noise, allowing users to shoot in low-light situations without large-scale lighting set-ups. In addition to improved image quality, the image sensor includes a focal plane phase detection AF system – a first time for an A series camera. To complement the new sensor, the Alpha 7S III also includes a new BIONZ XR image processing engine that promises to provide up to eight times more processing power, which should minimise processing latency, and enable many of the hallmark stills and imaging features of the camera. You also get dual CFexpress Type A card slots, enabling high-speed data transfer in a compact size.
In line with the industry trend towards lighter and more powerful devices, Bebob has launched its new V200micro and A200micro battery packs. Available as V-Mount- (V200micro) and Gold Mount- compatible (A200micro) versions, both feature 196Wh and 14.4V (16A maximum discharge current). The Bebob V200micro and A200micro lithium-ion packs only measure 75x101x81mm – that’s about two thirds of traditional 200Wh batteries. But their size doesn’t mean they’re less smart that other batteries: an integrated LED flashlight can be activated at the touch of a button to light up dark settings. The rainproof ‘Twist D-Tap’ output allows you to plug a D-Tap connector into the battery with a free choice of cable trailing from the left or right. To power accessories, atop each Vmicro and Amicro is a USB port with a sliding cover to keep the elements out. On the side of each battery there is a five-step, colourful LED ‘power remaining’ indicator that monitors battery life. They also conveniently support through-the- finder power data protocol from Arri, Red and Sony cameras. Below the power gauge is a push button to wake up the battery, check the power status or to activate the built-in LED flashlight. Engineered and handcrafted in Germany to the highest specifications, all Bebob batteries feature composite housings, which are stackable for easier transport on-set. Another unique Bebob feature: the cells of all Bebob batteries can be exchanged and re-celled once their capacity becomes insufficient after years of use. To recharge, Bebob offers its own range of micro chargers, including one-, two-, four- and eight-channel simultaneous chargers, as well as numerous battery plates, power bars and adapters. Optional hot-swap adapters provide uninterrupted power through battery changes.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 19
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