American Cinematographer - April 2009 - 84

The exterior of Canon’s manufacturing facility in Oita. Kuniyoshi, deputy chief executive of Image Communications Product Operations, noted that Canon currently ranks second in worldwide camcorder sales, with a market share of 36 percent (trailing industry leader Sony, at 48 percent). He attributes Sony’s top position to the fact that in past years, Canon did not manufacture its own CMOS sensors, relying instead on sensors produced by other companies; the company has since internalized production of its CMOS sensors and other components at its Japanese manufacturing headquarters in Oita. In a further attempt to close the gap in market share, Canon is focusing on the development of high-definition camcorders equipped with flash memory, which represents the next stage in an evolution that began with tape-based camcorders before progressing to DVD and hard-disk systems. Explaining Canon’s strategy during an interview with AC, Kuniyoshi maintained that flash memory will soon be the dominant format. “We recognized in the early days that [tape] would not be the ideal media,” he said. “Next came the DVD [format], which did not allow us to deliver a portable camcorder that would fit into the palm of your hand. When it came to the hard disk [format], we understood that in terms of capacity there was potential; however, it also presented a problem in terms of the size of the medium. [Disk-based camcorders] also had many mechanical movements that led to concerns about crashes. From that point we arrived at the conclusion that flash memory would be the optimal medium.” The company’s concentration on HD camcorders is also based on the idea that consumers are becoming more and more tech-savvy and “image conscious.” Yuichiro Asano, deputy executive of the Video Products Group, concluded that the arrival of HDTV sets has helped Canon’s marketing team stress the importance of shooting HD images. “People now understand why they have to [shoot] HD-quality pictures,” he said. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com. OB-1 Offers New Hope for Recording S.two has introduced the OB-1, an on-board recorder featuring removable FlashMag solid-state digital-film magazines. Weighing in at less than 6 pounds and measuring approximately 8"x5"x4", the OB-1 uses less than 25 watts at 10-36 volts DC while recording uncompressed images as industry-standard DPX files. Four HD-SDI inputs support two dual-link cameras for 3-D projects or even four 4:2:2 cameras, all with metadata support, and it can record two channels of balanced analog audio. The recorder can also accept external time code and hold sync for up to 24 hours without external power, and it can de-Bayer and display raw images in real time while applying user-loaded 1-D and 3-D LUTs. The OB-1 provides full compatibility with S.two’s existing workflow products. Using a simple adapter, the FlashMag can be used in an i.Dock for automated, frame-accurate, color-timed dailies in Final Cut or Avid; in a DSR digital studio recorder; and in an A.Dock4 for dual uncompressed data tape archiving and automated “neg pull.” With an easy-to-use interface that offers complete feature control, the OB-1 also supports a wide range of digital cinematography cameras from Arri, Sony, Panasonic and others. For more information, visit www.stwo-corp.com. Liquid Red Makes Splash Tampa Digital Studios recently collaborated with director and cinematographer Jordan Klein Jr. to shoot underwater footage for a television commercial using the Red One camera. The 10-pound camera was housed in an 80-pound metal casing built by Klein and dubbed the Liquid Red. Constructed of 6061 aircraft aluminum, the Liquid Red allows users to mount zoom or prime lenses to the camera and control them electronically via motors for focus, iris and zoom. The Liquid Red can be fully remote-operated, and for the recent commer- 84 April 2009

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American Cinematographer - April 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2009