NAB Show 2019 - So Far...
NAB had a slightly quiet feel to it first thing, but soon the masses arrived and stands were swarming with people wanting to see the latest evolution of product.
Nothing unexpected from Sony
- V4.00 for the Venice
- The new Audio Back End for the FS7 the HDC-5500 4K OB Camera with 4K accessible off the sensor
- New SxS cards
Arri had the new Mini LF which doesn't address the major flaw of it's big brother. That is the pitch of the pixels on the sensor make it extremely difficult to lens. In FF mode you need LPL Mount lenses, and if using it in Super 35 UHD, you need to use FF lenses at the wide end to get coverage of the sensor. Arri have had to go early with the Mini LF to try and stem the flow of the Sony Venice. I think it's too early and believe that the camera has all the issue of the Full Fat LF, just Arri are trying to get leverage by using the popular Mini format.
Lenses, Lenses, Lenses!
Of real interest are the new Tokina Vista Cinema Primes. 6 Lenses in the set, T1.5, 18mm to 105mm. They come in various mount E, EF, MFT and PL, 9 Blade Iris, 46.7mm Image Circle in PL, 45.6mm in E Mount, all 114mm Front Diameter. So a real grown up set of Primes at a very affordable price (5 set excluding 105mm circa £21,000.00). We then have the new Canon Primes, the Sumire range. Don't be mislead by the focal ranges and think they're just the CN-E primes with a PL mount, they're very different. The Sumire Primes have a very cinematic feel and natural look, a nice roll off on the focus point but with all the engineering excellence of Canon. People are looking for affordable primes, and the new Canon and Tokina fulfil that wish with lenses that have personality. The new Zeiss Supremes are great but the price point (between two and three times the cost) makes them inaccessible to the freelancer as they'll never recover the cost. These new generation of Primes also have a look and feel that the Zeiss quite frankly, just doesn't have!
Fuji launched the Premista FF Zooms and there is much more to be discovered over the next few days.
Sliders
Two ends of the scale. At the Premier end, Ronford Baker have their new Mini Slider with all the elegance and fineness that you'd expect from them. Syrp have the Magic Carpet Pro that integrates with their genie. This looks a very cost effective motion slider for the freelancer wanting that special shot.
Atomos Shogun 7
Atomos have the Shogun 7 and the new SDI module for the Ninja V. The main improvement on the Shogun 7 is the screen which uses a unique combination of advanced LED and LCD technologies which together offer deeper, better blacks than rival OLED screens, but with the much higher brightness and vivid colour performance of top-end LCDs. Objects appear more lifelike than ever, with complex textures and gradations beautifully revealed. In short, Shogun 7 offers the most detailed window into your image, truly changing the way you create visually.
