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NAB 2015: 4K Keeps Exploding by Paul Kalbach / Artichoke Productions
Author Paul Kalbach, at the recent NAB in Las Vegas, testing out Letus's new gimbal stabilizer, the Double Helix. photo: courtesy P. Kalbach
COMPARED TO THE SEVERAL YEARS IT
took for High Definition (1080 HD) to become the norm, 4K (also called Ultra HD or UHD) is rapidly being adopted as more consumers take advantage of plunging prices on 4K televisions and more 4K content becomes available. Alas, because 4K is four times the resolution of 1080 HD, the data files are massive and distribution technologies are still in early days.
Nonetheless, Netflix is not only streaming 4K but producing their own 4K content, such as on “House of Cards”. There’s also 4K content on Vimeo and Youtube. No wonder 4K was everywhere last year at NAB, and this year even more so.
It seems everyone is making a 4K camera these days, even companies which have never made cameras before, such as AJA, which used to just do interface and conversion equipment, with its newly released CION.
There’s a 4K GoPro and even 4K smart phones. Do we really need a 4K phone? All 4K is not created equal—indeed, as the saying goes, “Garbage in/garbage out.”
I jumped on the 4K bandwagon in 2007 when I ordered a Red One from Red Digital Cinema. Although Red didn’t invent 4K, I have to say that they spearheaded the 4K revolution. Indeed, we wouldn’t have the 4K world that we have today if it hadn’t been for Red founder Jim Jannard insisting that 1080 HD simply wasn’t good enough.
As usual at NAB, this year I spent most of my time in the Red booth. There were major announcements from Red and they had lots of new gear to show. I’ve put myself in line to upgrade my 6K Red Epic Dragon to a Magnesium Red Weapon Dragon, which is a new camera body (Brain) to house the same 6K Dragon sensor.
The Red Weapon is smaller and lighter with more horsepower and built-in WiFi, as well as a more ergonomic design for such things as I/O access (input/output). Detailed specs are not available yet but the Weapon will be able to record both raw RedCode (.R3D) and Apple ProRes simultaneously to the same Red Mag media card!
In-camera ProRes recording should make Red cameras more attractive to producers for fast turn-around projects such as television episodics.
The RED Camera's newest release, the Weapon Dragon. photo: P. Kalbach
Next up on the upgrade ladder is a Carbon Fiber Weapon Dragon with different chips for even more processing power. The highest upgrade path is a Carbon Fiber Weapon with an 8K sensor for a Full Frame Vista Vision format. Shipping of upgrades will begin this summer.
In-camera ProRes recording should make Red cameras more attractive to producers for fast turn-around projects such as television episodics. In-camera ProRes recording is one reason why Arri Alexa dominates in episodic television production.
Did I hear Arri say “Me too!” at NAB? Arri showed their Alexa Mini which pretty much emulates RED’s concept of a small, light, modular camera with a cube-like form-factor. To be sure it’s a great camera that takes beautiful images, but I can’t afford one!
Another item of extreme interest was the 3-axis motorized gimbal camera stabilizer, the market for which exploded at last year’s NAB. My research, at that time, led me to buy a Letus Helix with a weight capacity of 16 pounds to allow me fly around with my Red Epic.
The Helix is quite different than the typical gimbal in that it is built from the ground up rather than under-slung. This enables the lens to be at eye level when holding the rig normally, rather than at belly-button level.
Under-slung gimbals require you to hold the rig as high as you can reach in order to have the lens at eye level. It is also balanced around the optical axis of the lens, which is really great for doing a 360º roll.
Letus also makes a “Forth Axis” bracket which allows mounting of the Helix on a Steadicam arm or other device such as an Easyrig. This year, Letus released two new models of Helix: the Helix Jr. and the Double Helix.
The Helix Jr. is designed for small cameras such as DSLRs with a weight capacity of 7 pounds; however they did display in their booth a stripped-down Red Epic with a small lens mounted on a Jr. The Double Helix is designed for large fully rigged cameras such as an Arri Alexa with up to 40 pound weight capacity. Having this heavy of a payload really requires some kind of auxillary support such as a Steadicam arm, an Easyrig, or some kind of an exoskeleton rig.
The new URSA Mini from Blackmagic Design, the Australian company centered in the US in Fremont, California. photo: P. Kalbach
In the photo, I’m using a Beyond HD EXO ExoSkeleton to make the Double Helix with Arri Alexa feel essentially weightless in my arms because the weight is transferred to my back and hips.
Flowcine Serene is a modification accessory for an Easyrig that helps minimize the vertical yo-yo action that results when walking with an Easyrig. An Easyrig is a vest which suspends your camera from a cable that is spring-loaded from an over-head bracket. I tried out the Serene, but felt my Steadicam arm does a better job of damping the vertical action.
Off the show floor I saw a Digital Bolex. Quite a retro curiosity that uses C-mount lenses. It has a handcrank throwback to the original Bolex that you use to access the menus and configure your settings. Somewhat of a collectors item I think. The format is similar to a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera but more than three times as expensive.
Speaking of Blackmagic Design, they showed some new cameras; the URSA Mini, Micro Cinema Camera, and the Micro Studio Camera 4K. The URSA Mini (up to 4.6K resolution) is a miniaturized URSA designed for shoulder-mount hand-held use.
The Micro Cinema Camera is similar to their Pocket Cinema Camera’s Super 16 format, but is miniaturized for remote use with PWM and S.Bus for use with model airplane remote controls. The Micro Studio Camera 4K is the world’s smallest HD and UHD live studio camera that is fully controllable from ATEM switcher.
A large screen display of the Redrockmicro's Hālo interface, which gives you a real-time map of your entire scene. photo: P. Kalbach
An interesting product that I saw being developed by Redrockmicro is a follow-focus system called Hālo. According to their website, it incorporates “cutting-edge technology [the same technology that powers autonomous cars and delivers precision aerospace measurements], the Hālo Explorer gives you a real-time map of your entire scene, combining pinpoint accuracy with up to 180 degrees of view.”
“Artificial intelligence precisely identifies all your subjects (people and objects) and tracks their distance and location in real-time. The modern user experience delivers full scene information, and you can tap-to-focus with visual, audible, and haptic feedback. Hālo becomes your technician, handling the practical details so you can concentrate on your creative performance.”
Seeing it in action reminded me of seeing the monster in “Alien” being tracked on a computer screen as it advanced on someone to devour them. Impressive…but Union First AC Focus Pullers probably won’t like it. Yet another job taken away by automation!
And did I mention drones? Drones, drones, drones everywhere! Coming soon to a window near you! Another time…
Paul Kalbach is a cinematographer, editor and filmmaker who runs Artichoke Productions in Oakland. He has a stage and enough gear to outfit a feature production and can be reached .Posted on May 06, 2015 - 12:20 PM