Definition January 2019 - Sampler

BSC EXPO PREVIEW ONES TO WATCH AT THIS YEAR’S SHOW P08 January 2019

£4.99

FIRST TEST Z CAM’S WONDER E2

Death and Masterclass in light WINGING IT AT 160MPH

Capturing Jetman up close and personal

FOCUS ON NEW MONITORS HDR – SAVING THE SCREENS MANFROTTO 545B TRIPOD OLFI ONE.FIVE 4K ACTION CAM

BACKING THE FAVOURITE

Film shines in award-winning 18th-century comedy

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W E LC O M E

BRIGHT PUBLISHING LTD, BRIGHT HOUSE, 82 HIGH STREET, SAWSTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE CB22 3HJ UK

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EDITORIAL Editor Julian Mitchell 01223 492246 julianmitchell@bright-publishing.com Editor in Chief Adam Duckworth Contributor Phil Rhodes Chief sub editor Beth Fletcher Senior sub editor Siobhan Godwood Sub editor Felicity Evans Junior sub editor Elisha Young ADVERTISING Sales director Matt Snow 01223 499453 mattsnow@bright-publishing.com Sales manager Krishan Parmar 01223 499462 krishanparmar@bright-publishing.com Key accounts Nicki Mills 01223 499457 nickimills@bright-publishing.com DESIGN Design director Andy Jennings Designer Lucy Woolcomb Senior designer & production manager Flo Thomas Ad production Man-Wai Wong PUBLISHING Managing directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook @definitionmagazine Twitter @definitionmags Instagram @definitionmags

DOP Stephen Murphy metering for Death and Nightingales.

Read about the design on page 24.

WELCOME

S

ometimes the most interesting production stories come from the least likely sources.

Stephen Murphy has shot programmes like Vera, where you’ll always find superior cinematography. He has also recently shot a three-part series for the BBC called Death and Nightingales – a period drama that takes place within a Northern Irish farming community. Set against the political turmoil preceding the 1885 Irish general election, the plot is driven by family drama and the appearance of an enigmatic, handsome stranger. For cinematographers trying to bring something different to period dramas, shows like these are a blessing and a curse. Those who take them on, like Stephen, can shine as a result.

If the series is still on BBC iPlayer when you read this, I urge you to go and see what Stephen has done with his vision. Within the schedules of modern television production, he has painted beautifully with light in an otherwise intentionally moody and dark atmosphere.

He attributes his perfect exposure to light meters, rather than the use of waveforms and false colour: “They are meaningless to me”, he comments.

MEDIA PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS OF

JULIAN MITCHELL EDITOR

Definition is published monthly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. Definition is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Definition that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted in sterling, euros and US dollars are street prices, without tax, where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.

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S E T- U P | S H OW P R E V I E W : B S C E X P O

BSC EXPO 2019 O N E S T O WAT C H

The BSC Expo in Battersea, London is with us again and bigger than ever. Here’s our selective preview of some of the exhibits

ARRI RENTAL www.arrirental.co.uk ARRI Rental is an ARRI-owned network of camera, camera grip and lighting equipment rental facilities across Europe and the US. Everything from cameras and accessories through to cranes, remote heads and a full spectrum of lighting fixtures and grips is offered.

A large transport and generator fleet is also available and, when required, the company can call on the resources of sibling facilities within the group to offer a seamless and cohesive pan-European service.

At BSC, ARRI Rental will showcase its current 65mm optics range for the Alexa 65 camera.

Joining the already successful line-up of Prime 65 and Vintage 765 lenses are the Prime 65 S and Prime DNA lens sets that extend the creative appeal of the Alexa 65 system still further. Also on display will be the Alexa XT B+W, as well as a further selection of spherical and anamorphic options.

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GF-SLIDER SYSTEM www.g-f-m.net The GF-Slider System is available in seven lengths from two feet to ten feet. The modular design allows you to swap the precision rails depending on the size of slider required for the shot.

The tracking carriage accepts a Mitchell Bowl (there’s also 4-Way Leveller available) and an 80mm Euro-adapter tube mount. As a base mount you can decide between Mitchell and Euro-adapter. Side plates offer you a unique and fast way for horizontal repositioning. A wide range of accessories, end mounts (lighting stand, levelling legs, scaffold mounts etc.) and ³⁄₈in holes on the rails complete the system.

With its very flat profile, smooth tracking, versatility and outstanding reliability the GF-Slider enjoys great popularity among grips and operators.

S H OW P R E V I E W : B S C E X P O | S E T- U P CANON www.canon.co.uk With a remit to help filmmakers deliver higher-quality content faster, Canon will be showcasing its latest 4K and HDR solutions. Products lined up to be displayed on the stand include the new EOS C700FF, EOS C700, EOS C200 and a range of high-end lenses such as the CN E18-80mm T4.4L IS KAS S and CN-E70-200mm T4.4L IS cine-servo lenses, as well as professional reference display monitors.

The EOS C200 is the first Cinema EOS camera to feature Cinema RAW light format. It’s been designed to take the complexity out of delivering high-quality footage, with benefits including an advanced AF system that provides reliability and accuracy when shooting 4K, and a high-quality LCD panel and Dual Pixel CMOS AF. The CN E18-80mm T4.4L IS KAS S and CN-E70200mm T4.4L IS compact cine-servo versatile lenses take advantage of 4K and offer integrated servo control and effortless switching between several subjects in a single shot.

COOKE www.cookeoptics.com

TERADEK www.teradek.com

For over 100 years, Cooke has been at the centre of the filmmaking business. This is a company steeped in tradition that has been listening to the community it serves for generations, and while it’s hugely aware of its legacy it’s also remarkably forward looking and is constantly pushing the frontiers of technology to offer new and innovative products.

On the stand at BSC will be one of these, /i Technology, which enables film and digital cameras to automatically record key lens data for every frame shot and provide it to postproduction teams digitally, a process that is invaluable to post-production teams and which greatly speeds up the editing process. Visitors will be able to handle and experience the likes of Cooke S7/i Full Frame Plus (pictured) and Cooke Panchro/i Classic prime lenses, Cooke S4/i, Cooke Anamorphic/i, Anamorphic/i SF (Special Flare) optics and the Cooke S4/i and mini S4/i lenses with and without coatings.

At BSC Expo, Teradek will be showcasing the latest in zero-delay wireless video systems: the Bolt XT. Completely reimagined, the XT combines great wireless performance with smart design to give cinematographers incredible flexibility on set. Real-time 1080p60 video offers pristine image quality, and powerful software features like a built-in 5GHz spectrum analyser and 3D LUTs allow professionals to monitor the feed with complete confidence.

The Bolt XT receiver features a newly integrated NATO rail, while the transmitter includes an ARRI Pin-Loc for fast and easy mounting on set.

Available battery plates include Gold or V-mount for the Bolt 1000/3000 XT, as well as Sony L-series or Canon LP-E6 plates on the Bolt 500 XT. Bolt XT is compatible with all third-generation Bolt 500, 1000 and 3000 models, as well as 703 Bolt, 10K and Sidekick II units.

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S H O OT S TO RY | J E T M A N

WORD ON A WING

A new documentary will feature jetmen with strapped-on wings, flying at fixed wing speeds – but capturing the flight is just part of the story W O R D S J U L I A N M I TC H E L L / P I C T U R E S J E T M A N

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J E T M A N | S H O OT S TO RY

The jetmen will pull up and begin their unmissable display at speeds of up to 160mph

Y

ves Rossy should have been born a bird. He’s an ex-fighter pilot, an ex-Swiss Air pilot and now a selfcontained human airframe attached to a jet-powered wing. In fact, to register to fly in the US and UK, Yves had to be classed as an aeroplane (but was exempt from having to wear a seat belt over his harness).

Yves originally came up with the idea of Jetman back in 1996 but has now been joined by two other jetmen, and watching them fly in formation is truly awe inspiring – reminiscent of Marvel’s Iron Man. Such a sight has encouraged commercial sponsorship and even stunts, such as two jetmen flying in formation with the Patrouille de France aerobatic team, and an invitation from Emirates to accompany one of their Airbus A380s (one of the biggest airliners in the world) in front of a spectacular Dubai backdrop. There have been country hops like crossing the English Channel – only an eight-minute flight time – and even a try at crossing the Gibraltar Straits, which unfortunately failed and ended with a dunking in the sea.

IMAGES For an air launch, the jetmen have to launch from the side of a helicopter – there’s no room inside.

LOFT DOCUMENTARY For all aspiring and existing thrill seekers, Yves’ life has now been turned into a documentary – which is still being added to. The plan was to combine the Jetman stunts with the history of flying, but for the sake of this article we’re concentrating on

the three jetmen flying across various jawdropping locations in Norway. One of them was Trollveggen, or Troll Wall, part of a mountain range in the Romsdalen valley in the west of the country.

The Troll Wall is the tallest rock face in Europe at around 3600 feet and is therefore a favourite for BASE jumpers and climbers.

But Yves has different requirements, needing the height of the wall to give him time to spool up his four jet engines while initially, basically, falling. The jetmen will then pull up and begin their unmissable display at speeds of up to 160mph, breaking the horizon by diving and then arching above the mountain. The shots are there to be captured, but flight time is short so planning is essential.

Launch is either from the side of a helicopter (the wing doesn’t actually fit inside so they have to perch on the skids before they peel off) or from a constructed platform on the apex of the Wall. Flight time for the jetmen is about ten minutes, and they display a selection of Jetman moves for the waiting crew positioned either in the helicopter, on the ground, at the top of the Wall or operating a drone – mainly for the overhead shots.

HISTORY The history of shooting Jetman films has mostly been about smaller, more viral projects that rely on the spectacle of the

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S H O OT S TO RY | D E AT H A N D N I G H T I N G A L E S

DARK VISION

DOP Stephen Murphy explains how he approached this bleak Irish period drama – particularly the lighting design WORDS STEPHEN MURPHY / PICTURES BBC, S T E P H E N M U R P H Y, T E D DY C AV E N D I S H

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yself and the director, Allan Cubitt, referenced several films throughout prep, including The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (shot by Roger Deakins), The Best Intentions (shot by Jörgen Persson) and Fanny and Alexander (shot by Sven Nykvist). As we spent time looking at locations and getting to know each other’s tastes, the visual style of the film began to form in my mind’s eye. I was inspired daily by the locations we found and as prep continued, I started seeing designs from [production designer] Gillian Devenney with a beautifully delicate colour palette.

These were complemented by the costumes from Hazel Webb Crozier. Between us, we came up with the visual style.

I wanted a naturalistic style of photography that still had a very cinematic quality to it; what I’d call hyper-naturalism.

I was keen to stay true to the idea that, without electricity or gas light, the interiors were sometimes quite dark, even during the day, so I worked towards a single-source lighting approach for day interior work and used candles and oil lamp for night interiors.

As it was a tight schedule, I had to work fast. Usually I prefer to adopt a ‘light the room not the shot’ approach, by which I mean I’ll usually have the set lit for at least 180 degrees with close-ups needing little to no additional lighting. This keeps everything moving quickly on set, which helps the actors immensely and I find it gives a more naturalistic-looking image.

HMI For day interiors, I used large HMI sources outside windows, usually 18K ARRIMAXs and ARRI M90s, and pushed them through several layers of day-grey muslin. This became a large soft source, cut naturally by the size of the building windows. I’d then mix in a smaller, punchier source, like an M18 at full spot, and let that splash in through part of the window, usually to bounce off the floor. By keeping the harder source cut off above the actors shoulders, I got a nice mix of hard and soft light. This kept the texture of the light interesting, especially as an actor in a pale dress would pass through the hard light and momentarily bounce it around the room, changing the character of the shadows.

Night interiors presented a different challenge. Some of our locations had heavy restrictions in terms of what kind of rigging I could use. In one of our primary locations, I wasn’t allowed rig to any roof or wall, nor was I allowed to use naked flames

RIGHT For day interiors, Stephen used large HMI sources outside windows, pushed through muslin.

Night interiors were a challenge. In one of our primary locations, I wasn’t allowed rig to any roof or wall

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S H O OT S TO RY | T H E FAVO U R I T E

FROCK HORROR

This three-headed 18th-century romp continues the resurgence of film use for movies and commercials W O R D S P H I L R H O D E S / P I C T U R E S F OX S E A R C H L I G H T

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T H E FAVO U R I T E | S H O OT S TO RY

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M O N I TO R S | G E A R G R O U P

SOUND VISION

Long-term testing of some monitor technologies has illuminated problems, but there’s still some great products out there W O R D S J U L I A N M I TC H E L L

BenQ PV270

SWIT

S-1073H

Canon

IT ISN’T ALWAYS APPROPRIATE to spend £30k on a grading monitor.

Lower-budget productions may well be graded in a small suite – often doubling as the edit suite – with no cash available for high-end equipment. One option for these small suites is a monitor that sits halfway between a full grading unit and one designed for photography and print.

The BenQ PV270 is a 27in post-production grading monitor with DVI-DP, HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 inputs, but none of the I/O associated with higher-end monitors – SDI, analogue and the like.

Nevertheless, the monitor has many features for professional grading and perhaps deserves more attention. The panel is ten bit, 2560x1440 pixels and covers 100% of the Rec. 709 colour space (but only 96% of DCI-P3). It supports hardware calibration using BenQ’s version of X-Rite’s software suite, and uses X-Rite’s excellent i1Display Pro, i1Pro or i1Pro2 spectrophotometers.

THE NEW S-1073H FROM SWIT IS A seven-inch LCD TFT panel with LED backlight, a native high-definition resolution of 1920×1200 and a contrast of 1000:1 with a 160° viewing angle, both horizontally and vertically.

The new SWIT is packed with features – the non-glaring LCD screen being the standout. I/Os include 3G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 (4K60p) input and loop output. Users can also select any two audio channels to output via 3.5mm socket or speakers.

Video features include a nine step quick zoom-in and mapping, and there is also focus assist with a precision adjustment tool. Other shooting tools include zebra stripes and false colour.

S-1073H monitor has built-in camera log to Rec. 709 conversion LUTs, including Log-C, C-log, S-log2, S-log3, V-log, J-log1 and RedLogFilm.

You can also import your own 3DLUTs to monitor by USB stick and support 17x17x17 3DLUT cube files.

ONE OF THE NEWEST HIGH-END monitors from Canon is the DP-V2411, a 24in professional reference display designed for 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) broadcast and film production workflow. It offers superb image quality with high luminance and wide colour gamut, extensive functionality and advanced interfaces.

The DP-V2411 delivers a brightness of 600cd/m² when displaying full screen white, with the ability to increase luminance up to 1,000 cd/m² using the boost function. Canon’s original built-in backlight control system is able to correct brightness to ensure a uniform, stable, precise and high-quality image.

Delivering accurate colour reproduction, the DP-V2411 uses a direct matrix backlight LED panel, which has been optimised to an IPS LCD to achieve a much wider colour gamut. Standard support includes ITU-R BT.2020 Ultra HD broadcast-standard colour gamut.

Verdict

Verdict

The screen is pleasant to look at with a matte, non-reflective surface and very even backlight illumination. Viewing angle is good and stand is adjustable.

DP-V2411

The S-1073H is a workmanlike camera monitor with substantial built-in Rec. 709 conversions in order to deal with high-end cameras.

SIZE

27 INCHES

SIZE

PEAK BRIGHTNESS

250 CD/M2

PIXEL PEEPING

PIXEL PEEPING

2560x1440

OTHER

7 INCHES 1920x1200 REC.709 CONVERSION

Verdict

Very helpfully, the monitor is able to display metadata from Canon’s Cinema EOS camera range and the ARRI camera systems.

SIZE

24 INCHES

PEAK BRIGHTNESS

600 CD/M2

OTHER

SUPPORTS ACES

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F E AT U R E | M O N I TO R I N G

SCREEN SAVER

AS HDR FINISHING BECOMES THE NORM FOR MANY STUDIOS WE LOOK AT WHAT’S NEW IN THE MONITORING WORLD WORDS PHIL RHODES

O

ne thing the TV industry really wants is a video display that can achieve black blacks, healthy bright whites, and a wide range of colours all in one unit. For a long time, it’s seemed that organic LED displays – OLEDs – offered a near-perfect solution to the problem, with the ability to treat each individual pixel on the display as a set of lights that could be individually controlled. Crucially, those lights could be turned entirely off, finally producing a technology that could, like no other, achieve a true black. It seemed like a solution.

And for many applications, it’s a very good solution. OLED took a long time to develop, with small demonstration panels shown at trade shows for years before the first broadcast monitors appeared. The key limitation is brightness.

The issue was manageable with conventional, standard dynamic range work, which demands

a bit more than 100 candles per square metre, abbreviated 100 NITs. HDR finishing, on the other hand, demands whites up to ten times brighter while ideally leaving the blacks as black as they ever were. Sony went some way to meeting this demand with the BVM-X300, which combines the inky blacks of OLED with the soaring brightness and colour performance of 1000-NIT HDR.

HDR GRADING Laurent Treherne, Chief Technology Officer at Goldcrest Post Production in London, is happy with the company’s five X300s. “We use these monitors for SDR and HDR grading including HDR10 and Dolby Vision passes. The monitor calibration is a critical process for us and the X300 has been easy to align both in SDR and HDR. We regularly check the calibration of each monitor and all of them have been extremely stable so far.”

For a long time it’s seemed that organic LED displays offered a near-perfect solution to the problem 46

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USER REVIEW | Z CAM E2

Z CAM E2 CAMERA P R I C E $ 1 9 9 9 P LU S S H I P P I N G

Jon Shepley from Creokinetics reports on a camera that is almost too good to be true: the E2 from Z Cam I N T E R V I E W J U L I A N M I TC H E L L / P I C T U R E S Z C A M

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couple of years ago Z Cam launched their E1 camera through Kickstarter: the new E2 has had a more traditional birth.

Z Cam is a Chinese company with previous links to GoPro (its chief designer used to work for chip designer Ambarella which populates many GoPros). In fact, one of the chief engineers Jason Zhang claims to have had ‘deep involvement in GoPro camera development’. With around 40% of Ambarella’s revenue coming from GoPro this claim might be true.

Creokinetics is a specialist broadcast company probably best known for installing and managing the in-car camera systems for shows like The Grand Tour and Top Gear.

To keep ahead of the curve, owner Jon Shepley will look out for gear that looks promising for his shoots, then deep testing ensues before any pieces to camera get recorded. He saw the new E2 and pre-ordered one immediately, mainly from the impressive specs. “I got one several months ago when they did their first run – I think I was one of the first people to pre-order one. We actually

Z CAM E2 | USER REVIEW

S PECI FI C ATI O N S SENSOR: 4/3” WDR CMOS SENSOR – 17.3X13MM VIDEO: 4096X2160 @ 59.94 /50/29.97/25/24/23.98 FPS FRAME RATES: 120 FPS FOR 4096X2160, 120 FPS FOR 3840X2160, 240 FPS FOR 1920X1080.

MAX BIT RATE: 230MBPS FOR 4096X2160/230 MBPS FOR 3840X2160/230 MBPS STORAGE: CFAST 2.0 MOUNT: MICRO FOUR THIRDS I/O: HDMI 2.0/USB 3.0 TYPE C /10-PIN LEMO PORT/DB-9 CONNECTOR, SUPPORTS RS-232/LANC

“IT’S AN INTERESTING LITTLE CAMERA AND THE FACT THAT IT CAN RECORD 4K AT 120FPS IS AMAZING, AND AT 10 BIT AS WELL” ordered six of them, Z Cam was really helpful in fulfilling our order.”

As he has previously with cameras like the Panasonic GH5s, Jon fed back some ideas that Z Cam might want to incorporate into future updates. “It’s an interesting little camera and the fact that it can record 4K at 120fps is amazing at the price, and at 10 bit as well. I think as a result of being a small camera company, it has the freedom of allowing others to build their own interfaces into the products – the protocols are all open source and anyone has access to them through their website. Getting that information out of bigger and more established companies means going through a lot of hoops and signing plenty of NDAs.

I/OS “The camera has a lot of inputs and outputs; it’s got the Wi-Fi which is quite common on cameras now but I wouldn’t use it because of its unreliability. But it has Ethernet which allows you full remote control and even monitoring of the image. You could get six cameras and plug them all in to an off-the-

shelf Ethernet hub, you can do all that through their software from anywhere as long as you have an Ethernet link.

“For me it means that I can write software to send it commands via Ethernet. For example I could change the white-balance, shutter speed or activate start and stop recording. Even seeing what is remaining on the media – you can do all that quite easily remotely. There’s also an RS232 serial data comms on it and it’s got LANC as well. They’ve literally put everything they can think of on the camera.

“It’s kind of ideal and what I want out of a camera. I’m hoping to use it for in-car shoots; so where you might have three cameras, one for piece to camera, one over the shoulder and one POV. You can have them all rigged in to the vehicle and all going back to a controller brain and then from the tracking vehicle if I need to I can interrogate the cameras remotely. You can find out what they’re doing, what their status is,

BELOW Because Z Cam is a small company, all its protocols are open source and can be accessed through the website.

COLOUR BIT DEPTH: 10 BIT (H.265)/8 BIT (H.264) WEIGHT: 757g (WITHOUT LENS)

like the battery voltage, how much is left on the memory cards... in fact do anything, just as if I’m standing next to the camera. They could be driving at 150mph and I could still be able to tweak or change any settings I need to.

“So you then could extend that network to three cars and have all six camera set-ups on a screen in front of you. You can then change any camera in any presenter’s car at any time.”

The fact that Z Cam is using all professional media in the camera is also a bonus for Jon. “The read speeds on these cards are massive and are also the same cards that are used on the main cameras,” he says.

FORM FACTOR The E2 is about the size of half a Canon 5D camera and sits nicely in the palm of your hand. “It’s smaller than a Panasonic GH5 but deeper. On the body there are a few threaded mounts but you don’t want to use those on a camera like that because it will get

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M A N F R OT TO T R I P O D | U S E R R E V I E W

MANFROTTO 545B TWIN MS WITH NITROTECH N12 HEAD PRICE £1160/$1199

A fresh twist on Manfrotto’s well-loved tripod brings new flexibility to film-making W O R D S & P I C T U R E S A DA M D U C K W O R T H

anfrotto’s traditional twin-tube aluminium video tripod with midlevel spreader, teamed with the firm’s 504 fluid head, has long been the go-to set of sticks for filmmakers around the globe who demand performance and value. And it’s easy to see why – sturdy but not too heavy, rugged, long-lasting and top value for money.

But in the past couple of years there’s been a revolution in tripod and head design and the use of carbon fibre has become more widespread. Manfrotto has swung back in with a carbon fibre version of its twin-tube tripod, now with the N12 Nitrotech head, which makes it suitable for camera payloads up to 12kg/26.4lb.

Our sister publication Pro Movie Maker raved about the aluminium version of the 545, fitted with the N12 head. Well now the carbon version is available, and Manfrotto claims there is a 50% increase in rigidity thanks to the combination of the carbon fibre tubes and a new internal leg lock mechanism. That’s impressive, especially considering the whole kit weights 840g/1.85lb less than the aluminium version and costs only a little more at £1160/$1199. A bargain for such a high-tech bit of kit.

The new legs look stunning thanks to the carbon fibre weave, and are as fast and easy to set up, plus more resistant to twisting or bending. Carbon has better damping qualities so vibration is reduced, although you’d need to compare the two closely to spot the difference.

The legs have quick-release rubber feet which expose spikes that are ideal for outdoor use. You can also buy a version with a groundlevel spreader.

S PECI FI C ATI O N S HEAD FITTING: 100MM HALF BOWL WITH 75MM ADAPTER COUNTERBALANCE: VARIABLE CONTINUOUS 4-12KG/8.8-26.46KG LEG SECTIONS: 2 CARBON FIBRE HEIGHT RANGE: 75-169CM/29.5-66.5IN MAXIMUM PAYLOAD: 12KG/26.4LB SPREADER TYPE: MID-LEVEL HEAD TYPE: NITROTECH N12 WEIGHT: 5.16KG/11.39LB

The minimalist N12 head is quick and easy to balance for lots of different cameras and lenses, and is beautifully damped for pans and tilts without any snatching at the start of the move or bounce-back at the end.

The head uses a nitrogen-charged piston to control counterbalancing, with a knob on the side to dial in the right amount of balance. It’s adjustable for most cameras and the supplied long camera plate makes it easy to dial in. A quick-release system means the camera clicks in firmly when lowered into place.

We thought the aluminium version of this kit was better than anything Manfrotto has offered before. The carbon version is lighter, more rigid and doesn’t cost much more, making it an even better buy.

RIGHT Metric markings on the camera plate help make set-up consistent.

“THE HEAD USES A NITROGEN-CHARGED PISTON TO CONTROL COUNTERBALANCING” JA N UA RY 20 1 9 | D E F I N I T I O N

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4 K C A M E R A LI S T I N G S

DEFINITION’S 4K CAMERA LIST We’ve decided to take the brakes off the list as far as capture resolution is concerned. Now our starting point is 4K; after that the sky’s the limit

ARRI ALEXA LF 90FPS

14 + STOPS

LPL MOUNT

4448X3096

ARRI ALEXA MINI

SXS/SXR

ARRI’s long awaited large format camera arrives with a package of camera, new lens mount and new Signature lenses. Expect plenty of use by Netflix. Sensor tech is still the ALEV-III technology with big photosites.

SPECIFICATION

200FPS

14 STOPS

PL MOUNT

2880X1620

SXS

New features include the EXT Sync function, which allows sensors and operational parameters of up to 15 ALEXA Minis to be synchronised to a master ALEXA Mini. Slaves can assume parameters like frame rate, shutter angle or ND setup of the master.

SPECIFICATION

SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE

CMOS, 36.70x25.54 mm - 4448x3096, ø 44.71 mm

SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE

CMOS, 16:9 (1.78:1), 23.8x13.4mm – S35

FRAME RATES

ARRIRAW: 0.75 - 90fps ProRes: 0.75 – 60fps

FRAME RATES

Up to 200fps in ProRes

LATITUDE (STOPS)

14+

LATITUDE (STOPS)

14

LENS MOUNT

LPL with PL-to-LPL adapter

LENS MOUNT

PL, EF, B4 w/ Hirose connector

EXPOSURE INDEX

EI 800

DIGITAL SAMPLING

2880x1620, uncompressed ARRIRAW/1920x1080

RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME

16 bit linear ALEXA Wide Gamut/Log C colour space.

Output colour spaces: Log C, Rec 709 or Rec 2020

RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME

3.2K: 3200x1800; 4K UHD: 3840x2160 (up-sampled from 3.2K); 4:3 2.8K: 2880x2160 (up to 2944x2160)

RECORDING RESOLUTIONS

Sensor modes – LF Open Gate 4448x3096; LF 16:9 3840x2160; LF 2.39:1 4448x1856

WEIGHT (KG)

2.3 (camera body with titanium PL lens mount)

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D E F I N I T I O N | JA N UA RY 20 1 9

4 K C A M E R A LI S T I N G S

ARRI ALEXA SXT EV 120FPS

14 STOPS

PL MOUNT

2880X2160

ARRI ALEXA SXT W

SXS/SXR

120FPS

> 14 STOPS

PL MOUNT

2880X1620

SXS

SXT ALEXAs get the sensor from ALEXA, the electronics from the A65 and the colour management from AMIRA. In-camera rec is ProRes 4K UHD/CINE. A direct response to requests for cutting-edge digital capture with traditional elements of the film cameras.

Based on the ALEXA SXT Plus, the SXT W has replaced the SXT Plus and Studio models with an industrial version of the Amimon chipset for wireless transmission. ARRI has ruggedised the W mainly for feature work.

SPECIFICATION

SPECIFICATION

SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE

16:9 or 4:3 sensor mode. 4:3 output only for ARRIRAW and ProRes 2K recording

SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE

16:9 or 4:3 sensor mode. 4:3 output only available for ARRIRAW and ProRes 2K recording

FRAME RATES

At 16:9 – 0.75-120fps/60fps max when recording 2K ProRes/ speeds adjustable with 1/1000fps precision

FRAME RATES

At 16:9 – 0.75–120fps/60fps max when recording 2K ProRes/speeds

LATITUDE (STOPS)

14+

LATITUDE (STOPS)

+14

LENS MOUNT

PL

LENS MOUNT

54 mm stainless steel LDS PL mount

DIGITAL SAMPLING

2880x2160 uncompressed ARRIRAW

DIGITAL SAMPLING

2880x1620, Uncompressed ARRIRAW/1920x1080

RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME

SxS PRO 64GB; SxS PRO+ 64GB; SxS PRO+ 128GB; LEXAR 3600x CFast 2.0 cards 256GB; XR Capture Drives 512GB; SXR Capture Drives 1TB & 2TB

RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME

16-bit linear internal image processing in full ALEXA Wide Gamut/Log C colour space. Target output colour spaces: Log C, Rec. 709 or Rec. 2020

WEIGHT (KG)

6.5 (SXT EV body with PL mount)

ARRI ALEXA 65 60FPS

> 14 STOPS

XPL MOUNT

6560X3100

ARRI AMIRA

SXR/XR

With a sensor larger than a 5-perf 65mm film frame, ALEXA 65 heralded the start of large-format. Now shooting as a main production camera for Netflix, Amazon and the rest. Only available exclusively through Arri’s global network of rental facilities.

SPECIFICATION

14 STOPS

200FPS

PL MOUNT

2880X1620

CFAST

Amira is now split up into standard, advanced and premium. Features include in-camera grading with preloaded 3D LUTs, as well as 200fps slow motion. From reportage and corporate films to TV drama and low-budget movies. Multicam mode too.

SPECIFICATION

SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE

ARRI A3X CMOS sensor, 54.12x25.58mm active image area open gate aspect ratio of 2.11:1 (6560x3100)

SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE

Single CMOS, 16:9 (1.78:1), 28.17x18.3mm – 35 format

FRAME RATES

Capable of recording 20-60fps (open gate) using new SXR media. XR drives allow 27fps

FRAME RATES

Up to 200fps in ProRes

LATITUDE (STOPS)

14+

LATITUDE (STOPS)

14

LENS MOUNT

XPL (LDS); LPL; MAXI PL; PL

LENS MOUNT

PL, B4 mount w/ Hirose connector

Crop modes – 1.78 Crop Mode (5-perf 65 mm): 5120x2880 /1.50 Crop Mode (8-perf 35 mm): 4320x2880/LF open gate: 4448x3096/4K UHD: 3840x2160 (SUP 3.0 update)

DIGITAL SAMPLING

2880x1620, uncompressed ARRIRAW/1920x1080

DIGITAL SAMPLING

RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME

HD 1920x1080, 2K 2048x1152, 3.2K ProRes 3200x1800 4K UHD 3840x2160

RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME

Codex SXR Capture Drive 2000 GByte capacity Max. frame rate capability: 60fps (open gate). Recording time: 43 minutes at 24fps

WEIGHT (KG)

4.1 (camera body with PL lens mount)

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