CineGear 2007
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… CineGear Expo 2007. The sights and the smells of new and old products filling the grounds near the Wadsworth Theatre in West Los Angeles.
: : [T] Phantom HD camera showed itself at several vendor’s booths. Here’s a setup at the Photosonic’s booth. The Phantom HD is a high speed camera (2048 x 1536) and can be scaled down to other resolution. At HD resolution (1920×1080) the camera can shoot 1000 f.p.s.
: : [B] The chassis of the new Dalsa camera, Evolution due out in 2008. Much improved.
: : Stealthwear is offering a Bluetooth like earpiece for your on set walkies. No more cables! Hazah!
: : I know that others are making blackout tents, but I really like the design of this one. Village Blackout offers several sized and it breaks down to what you see on the right.
: : I ‘m so excited about these light panels from Rosco that I’m seriously considering buying a kit. We’ll see. While speaking to the Rosco rep there, he did elusively mention that Rosco “might” be considering making a color temperature meter tailor made for the entertainment industry. Here too, we’ll see.
: : [L] I’ve been a huge fan of the Barger Baglite since the beginning. This is the new 4K with a Chimera Strip Bank. My only complaint is that I wish it was easier to use this light in a vertical position. Especial with table top work of say a bottle of wine.
: : [R] Also from Photosonics, a 58,000W light box. You can slide in a diffusion screen in front of the unit but while it’s on, you can only run the light for eight seconds. It does have a series of fans in the back.
: : [L] B&G is offering a line of products on the claim of going “green”. The unit here is the Mac Tech HPL 12 Light – 12, 750W HPL lamps housed with a interchangeable parabolic reflector and lens as opposed to the usual 1K globe. They claim to put out the same amount of light as a 1K because of better parboils. Also, instead of carrying various globes, you only need to change out the lens, no the whole globe. Sounds great. Cheaper bulb, same output, and a smaller amount of globes to carry.
: : [R] Matthews if offering a wheeled platform for light, ballast and lift.
: : [L] Here’s one of my favorite finds. Dolly track with strong under-support that eliminates most of the cross pieces. Also you can expand it beyond the usual width. So now less chances of tripping. Dragon Grips
: : [R] How does a powered hand truck sound. Industry Assist has a retro-fit kit to do just that. This could make life so much easier.
: : We’ve all see the shot. The car is perfectly still while it races down winding roads. Move ‘n Shoot
: : I think my friend Jay described it best when he said, “huh, a wheelchair for geriatric steadicam operators.”
: : Two semi moments of Zen for you. The camera on the left is a painful reminder of the 80’s. It’s a Sony DXC-3000. There once was a time when a camera would be tethered to a recording deck by way of a cable. (Oh, wait a minute. We have those again don’t we. What’s old, is new.) On the right is a mechanical hamster on a treadmill.
