In Broadcast - April 2015 - 62

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 5 - Issue 4 | April 2015

InFocus

4K Capable Cameras & Lenses
4K production is here to stay and the specialist manufacturers are
gearing up for the latest step in TV evolution. Contributing Editor
Jim Evans reports on the latest lens and camera developments...

hot topic at this month's NAB
show is sure to be 4K delivery
and its associated technologies. It is
certain to be a major talking point at
the workshops and on the exhibition
ﬂoor. Warmly recommended is the daylong session '4K Workﬂows', scheduled
for Wednesday April 15.
4K Sessions
The NAB sessions programme,
says: "With 4K delivery for Television
and Cinema approaching faster than
anyone expected, join Gary Adcock
and special guest DPs Geoff Boyle (UK)
from CML and Art Adams (USA) from
DVinfo.net. and others as we delve
into the needs and requirements of
working in the larger frames and the
intimidating amount of data generated
when shooting in 4K /UHD.
"As production moves headlong into
4K and beyond, all of that additional
content increases geometrically, the
corresponding production and postproduction requirements to satisfy
speciﬁc workﬂow needs and demands.
Our day-long discussion starts with
an introductory overview on the
latest hardware workﬂows, tools and
techniques that will enable your 4K
projects to soar without limitation,
regardless of camera or editing
platform.
"UK DP Geoff Boyle, Founder of CML.
org will stop by before our lunch break
to share his latest camera comparison
testing done to determine the best
tools currently available to him for an
upcoming project."
Topics to be covered during this
seminar will include 'What is 4K?' and
'What cameras work best for my type
of projects?'
Meanwhile on the exhibition ﬂoor
there will be innovations a-plenty to
check out in the world of cameras and
lenses.

Hitachi's 2/3-inch optics production
camera SK-UHD4000

4K Cameras
NAB 2015 will feature a demonstration
of "the world's ﬁrst, practical, 4K UHD,
2/3-inch optics production camera
system," the Hitachi SK-UHD4000.
The SK-UHD4000 provides normal
TV production workﬂows in 4K by
using existing HDTV 2/3-inch lenses.
Hitachi Kokusai Electric has developed
the SK-UHD4000, a broadcast 4K
Ultra-HDTV camera system which
uses the 2/3-inch B4 mount lenses
of conventional (2K) HDTV broadcast
cameras.
The use of standard HDTV lenses
eliminates the need for optically
degenerative lens mount adapters.
This
technological
advantage
allows broadcasters and production
companies to effectively use their
existing camera lenses to shoot video
in 4K resolution, while capitalising
on well-established TV production
workﬂows associated with normal
HDTV cameras. The standard, UHD1 aka 4K; is quickly becoming the
mainstream high-end production
picture recording format due to its
high-resolution and delivery of faithful
television images.
The higher resolution and depth
of modulation offered by the SKUHD4000's image in 4K serves as
the foundation for its outstanding,
simultaneous,
super-sampled
2K
HDTV outputs. This new camera
is a vast improvement in picture
quality over the best known HDTV
production cameras now on the
market. It foremost provides effective
solutions to some of the largest group
of challenges faced by live sports and
television studio production today...
one of which is the lack of optical
depth-of-ﬁeld and ergonomic lens
controls.
"The SK-UHD4000 is equipped
with new 2/3-inch MOS sensors, that
acquire video images with no-smear,
high sensitivity, and high resolution,
while increasing power efﬁciency,"
states Sean Moran, the company's
VP of Sales and COO. "New functional
developments in lens' aberration corrections allow the SK-UHD4000 to
generate the best possible image by
correcting optical ﬂaws found even in
the most expensive HDTV lenses. The

camera system comes equipped with
tried and tested
functions
and
features speciﬁcally designed for
TV
programme
production in the
studio and in the
ﬁeld.
"This new camera represents the new frontier
in advanced Television
acquisition and forges a
roadmap to higher-order 8K
products which Hitachi already manufactures and has exhibited [at] the past
two NAB shows."
General Dynamics Global Imaging
Technologies has introduced Cineﬂex
ULTRA, a compact gyro-stabilised
camera system that can be customised
with high-deﬁnition 4K and 6K
cameras, as well as the longest lens
available. The ULTRA incorporates the
recently launched geo-pointing option,
GEO+, which enables video overlays,
system and lens metadata and geopointing advanced ﬁlming techniques.
Additionally, with the Cineﬂex ULTRA
system weighing in at less than 100
pounds, cinematographers, directors
and broadcast media have the ease-ofuse and ﬂexibility they need to secure
the breathtaking images that capture
viewers' imaginations.
"Building on our proven family of
Cineﬂex products, the highly mobile
ULTRA gives our customers the
exceptional range-performance and
unmatched precision and stability
they have come to expect," said Carlo
Zaffanella, Vice President and General
Manager responsible for the Cineﬂex
product family. "From blockbuster
movies and documentaries to highproﬁle sporting events to broadcast
news, Cineﬂex ULTRA's user-friendly
interface, small, compact design and
geo-pointing option will help our
customers deliver creative excellence
and technical innovation to audiences
worldwide."
4K Lenses
Panavision has introduced its new
line of Primo 70 lenses optimised
to work with today's larger sensor
digital cameras. "Panavision Primo

Sony's PXW-FS7 4K
camcorder system

lenses have set the standard
for excellence in motion picture
production for 25 years," says Kim
Snyder, Panavision's President and
CEO. "Now, ﬁlmmakers can combine
that essential Primo character with
the larger sensors found in the latest
digital cameras."
Panavision Primo 70 prime lenses
are available in twelve focal lengths:
24mm, 27mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm,
65mm, 80mm, 100mm, 125mm,
150mm, 200mm and 250mm. Super
70 zoom lenses are also available in
three sizes: 28-80mm, 70-185mm
and 200-400mm. The Primo 70
series are equivalent in size and
weight to standard Primos, a feature
driven by the need for portability and
manoeuvrability on today's ﬁlm sets.
Primo 70 lenses have already been
tested in the ﬁeld under real-world
production scenarios, including two
feature ﬁlms and several commercials.
Panavision's Dan Sasaki, VP of Optical Engineering, comments: "The cinematographers who have used these
lenses reported that they were very
happy that we didn't create something
that is synthetic or too scientiﬁcally
sharp. Cinematographers tell us that
the character of the lens is even more
important with digital cinematography. We maintained the artistry, and
preserved the dimensionality that was
originally designed for the Primos
back in the 1990s. The Primo 70 lenses
deﬁnitely share the Primo family resemblance."

Panavision's Primo 70 lenses are
optimised for large sensor cameras

http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/product/broadcast-products-camcorders-digital-motion-picture-camera/pxw-fs7/overview/ http://www.DVinfo.net http://www.hitachikokusai.com/Products/BroadcastandProfessionalCameras/BroadcastandStudioProductionCameras/POC_021492.html http://www.panavision.com/products/primo-70-series

In Broadcast - April 2015

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