Cingear 2019 Recap
Cine Gear has been gaining popularity gradually over the years and this year it was incredibly busy over the very short two-day exhibition time. At the show, there wasn’t a lot of new releases, but we managed to get our hands on a few new and exciting products!
Angenieux Optimo Primes
This is a release we have been waiting for! Currently, there are only a handful of “high end”, full frame, spherical, cinema lenses on the market, so it’s great to see Angenieux throw their hat into the ring with the new Optimo Primes. These lenses were announced at Cannes and we managed to have a look at them at Cine Gear. Obviously, Angenieux is known for creating zooms, extremely good ones, but they have built primes in the past. The image from these looks great and look to match Angenieux’s highest-end Optimo’s extremely well. This is great because the Optimo’s are fantastic and people love the image that they produce.
These primes also have some great tech specs. They are able to cover most full frame sensors with their 46.5mm image circle, they have a T1.8 aperture throughout the 12 lens set (this could change on the extreme focal lengths) which consists of the following focal lengths: 18mm, 21mm, 24mm, 28mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm, 75mm, 100mm, 135mm & 200mm. The lenses also have an interchangeable mount which you can swap between LPL & PL mount. They also have the ability to support both Cooke/I and ARRI LDS data. They will have a 320-degree focus rotation and an 80-degree iris rotation. You will also be able to customise the lenses by changing the iris or rear element and also by using the magnetic filter holder at the back. One nice thing to note also is that the Optimo Primes are being manufactured in France, which wasn’t the case with the EZ series. This means you can expect the regular mechanics and QC checks more akin to the Optimo series of zooms. The 40mm on show at Cine Gear felt smooth and consistent with a moderate amount of resistance on the focus throw.
Our tech team managed to see the 40mm prototype both on camera and on a projector and these are his notes.
On Projector
- Resolved 200 line-pairs wide open in the centre and fell off smoothly in the corners.
- Had breathing, but not much.
- Had minimal CA when wide open.
On Camera
- Mechanics felt solid and smooth.
- The image looked similar to Optimo zooms.
- Creamy & clean without being too clean.
Overall these new primes look amazing and we can’t wait for them to start hitting end users hands. However it is going to be a while before that happens as the first focal lengths (21mm, 28mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm and 135mm) are not going to be delivered until the Fall of 2020, with the 18mm, 32mm & 100mm following in Winter 2020 and the 24mm, 60mm & 200mm finishing off the set in Spring 2021. To get in contact about pre-ordering a set click here.
Glaswerk One & One+ 2x Anamorphic Primes
We’ve known about these lenses for a little while now and we were excited to check out the latest versions at Cine Gear. Glaswerk is a new lens company looking to position themselves in the high-end anamorphic lens market. These 2x anamorphic lenses are front mounted and have a large image circle of 40mm (Covering 30.672 x 25.56mm) aimed to be used with the latest full frame cinema cameras. Both sets of lenses are going to consist of a 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm, 75mm, 100mm, 135mm & 180mm. The One & One+ are very similar, but the + lenses have more saturated blue flares, reduced contrast and a special order service to have your flare a custom colour. The lenses will all have a maximum aperture of T2.4, a 17 bladed iris, and are built to withstand the wear and tear of a modern set.
From what we have seen from our time looking at the lens on camera at Cine Gear they look like a nice sharp set of anamorphics more akin to ARRI’s Master Anamorphics than Cooke’s. We are excited to test them more, and if you want to learn more click here.
These were not the only two lenses on display this year. Others that caught our eye was the Vaxen 1.8x Anamorphics designed for MFT cameras; Panasonic’s latest 10-25mm F1.7 for MFT cameras; Caldwells new Ultra Baltars designed for 65mm sensors; Whitepoint have managed to rehouse Canon’s 50mm f/0.95 for the first time, and Infinity’s new MikroMak macro primes.
Panasonic S1H & S1 Firmware Upgrade
Panasonic entered into the full frame mirrorless market with the S1 & S1R earlier this year, and we criticised them for not releasing these with the more video orientated firmware that they teased at launch. Well, not only is the firmware finally here but so is Panasonic’s Full Frame video flagship, the S1H. Before getting into the camera let’s look at the S1 firmware upgrade.
This new firmware upgrade referred to by Panasonic as the very catchy DMW-SFU2 is going to be available in July with a price tag of $199. It will add a range of awesome features to the already excellent S1.
- VLOG enabling 14+ stops of dynamic range.
- 4:2:2 10 bit 4K30P (MOV) internal recording
- 4:2:2 10 bit 4K60P via HDMI Output for external recording
- LUT video check during recording
- LUT display/custom function
- Luminance level check during recording
- High-Resolution audio recording by MOV format (48 kHZ/24 bit,96 kHz/24 bit)
- Waveform Monitor
- V-Log/V-Gamut Compatible
I can’t wait to test the S1 with these upgrades and see what this mirrorless powerhouse will be able to produce now! Make sure to check out our review and short that was filmed with the S1 earlier this year and keep an eye out for our videos on the update and the S1H.
On that note, let’s look at the Panasonic S1H. From the spec’s we have seen this camera looks to be a little beast! Panasonic is aiming the S1H to match with the Varicam systems, but I am interested in how it compares to their EVA-1 system as I think this may beat that out in image quality. At the moment we have a hand full of features confirmed.
- 6K 3:2 capture at 24p
- 16:9 5.9K capture at up to 30p
- ‘Multi aspect’ recording including anamorphic 4:3 capture
- 10-bit DCI and UHD 4K capture at up to 60p
- Unlimited recording times
- 14+ stop V-Log/V-Gamut capture
- Colour reproduction to match Cinema VariCam series
This camera looks like it could dominate the video full frame mirrorless market and could be a compelling choice for shoots wanting a compact camera with robust codecs, good lens choices, 6K resolution and the flexibility and look of full frame.
Sony VENICE V5.0
The Sony VENICE has seen an absolute boatload of updates since its announcement in September 2017 that have completely changed and unlocked this camera. We are now just around the corner of Version 4.0 of the firmware which is bringing one of the most requested features, extended HFR modes. You can experience it hands-on at our event coming up on July 29th, you can sign up for free here.
Version 5.0 aims to take these high frame rates even further with 90fps at 6K 2.39:1 and 72fps at 6K 17:9! You will also be able to record Apple ProRes 4444 in HD direct to the SxS PRO+ without the AXS-R7 attached. They have also added several other smaller features people have been asking for. The first being 180-degree rotation for monitor Out, a high-resolution magnification via the HD Monitor Out, and improved User Marker Settings. With this Sony also announced the VENICE is now ACES approved!
Apple Mac Pro & XDR Display
I know this wasn’t released at Cine Gear, but its announcement is a huge talking point! Not only did Apple finally announce the long-awaited update to the Mac Pro, but they also introduced their monstrous new Pro Display XDR monitor. This new display is a 32-inch 6K display with a peak brightness of 1600 nits and a 1000 nit sustained brightness across the display. It covers the full P3 colour space, supports true 10-bit colour, is factory calibrated out of the box, has a range of reference modes, has 3 USB Type-C ports and doesn’t come with a stand. You’ will have to fork out either $1000 for the Pro Stand or $199 for the VESA mount adapter, which is pretty hefty on top of the already $5000 price tag for the monitor, but at least they give you the option. Honestly, considering the specs of this thing, it’s pretty damn impressive. In fact, the specs of the panel are getting almost as good Sony X300II which is one of Sony’s flagship reference monitors. Obviously one of the downsides of the XDR display over the Sony is the lack of inputs. However, Blackmagic has looked to solve that with their new Teranex Mini SDI to Displayport 8K HDR which will allow you to output an 8K feed onto the 6K XDR panel. This is awesome and I’m excited to see the image that this combo will produce. So yes, colour me impressed, I can’t wait to get my hands on one!
Up next is the actual Mac Pro, and I can’t believe they have designed it to look even more like a cheese grater than the G5! OSX users have been waiting years for an updated modular Mac Pro so it’s great to see Apple have listened to user feedback from the mistake that was the trashcan 2013 Mac Pro. I think the high-end specs look very interesting and could help transform several workflows, however, the entry-level $6000 system is awful value for money and does not warrant the price tag whatsoever. As of yet, we don’t know what the top end spec will cost but it will consist of a 28-core Xeon-W, up to 1.5TB’s of RAM, up to a 4TB SSD and uses AMD graphics cards, which isn’t ideal due to Nvidia’s fantastic support of REDCODE with their RTX graphics cards. However, Apple have found a way around this with one of their MPX modules. These modules are essentially PCI modules that Apple are making and the one that has caught a lot of attention is the Afterburner. This accelerator card will, in theory, allow your Mac Pro to handle up to three streams of 8K ProRes RAW at 30fps which sounds very impressive and they are working with RED to implement support for REDCODE! I wish Apple would make friends with Nvidia again but I am happy that Apple is clearly realising they need to treat their pro users a bit better and this release is a step in the right direction.
Atomos Neon
One of the largest announcements comes from Atomos with the new Neon line of on-set and in-studio HDR monitor-recorders. They announced 4 different versions, a 17″, 24”, 31” & 55”. This new series of monitors are aimed at a range of productions from indie through to features. The panels in these seem pretty decently spec’d ranging from a lower spec 17” model with a 2048×1080 resolution and 128 direct dimming zones to the 31” featuring a DCI 4K panel with 512 direct dimming zones. All the panels are true 10-Bit, have 100% P3 coverage and a peak brightness of 1000 Nits. One thing to note is the implementation of the monitors IO, out of the box the Neon’s only have an HDMI 2.0 port and you will need to add on an AtomX expansion module for SDI or NDI connectivity. I can see why Atomos have decided to do this, but I think leaving SDI off of the built-in IO is a big mistake as it means that you have to add two points of failure onto the monitor to give it a very basic feature. However, the fact you can switch out these modules does mean that you do have more flexibility which leads me onto their master control unit. This unit will allow you to capture with 4K or 8K. 8K is obviously a bit of a buzzword at the moment and Atomos have clearly been working with Apple to time this well with the release of the Mac Pro, which Apple has stated can handle three feeds of 8K ProRes RAW. At the moment this is the only product that is going to be able to record 8K ProRes RAW, however, we don’t even have a camera that can output that yet so let’s see what happens over the next year.
Overall these monitors look like a pretty decent addition to the Atomos line. I’d love to compare the 31” model against Apple’s new XDR screen as they are around the same price and could end up being used in very similar ways. If you want to know more about the tech specs click here.
Panavision LCND
At Cine Gear 2018, Panavision first talked about the LCND and at this year’s show, it was one of the pieces of kit on everyone’s lips. The LCND is a side loading variable ND that uses an electrical current to adjust the strength of the ND. This can be operated on the unit or in conjunction with a Preston FIZ wirelessly. Currently, you will only be able to use the LCND with side loading Panavision matte boxes, but they are thinking about making a top mounted version so you can use them with more matte boxes on the market in the future. This is obviously awesome for a whole bunch of reasons, the main two being the reduction of colour shifts you get with traditional variable ND’s and the ability to control the ND wirelessly. This means that you will be able to ride your ND instead of your iris wirelessly and thus achieve smooth light transitions effortlessly. Check out Panavision’s overview video here.
Bright Tangerine Prodigy
Bright Tangerine showed off their new rain deflector which brings a new twist to the traditional rain spinner. Unlike other solutions, the prodigy uses a compressor to push air over their specifically designed glass panel. It does this very well because the air is pushed over the glass at roughly 300mph, however, this is also a huge trade-off because this produces roughly 60db of sound which makes recording any audio a huge challenge. There are several big benefits of using air instead of a traditional spinning mechanism, the main two being no dead spot in the centre of the lens and the lack of moving parts adding forces to the camera when operating. This unit is priced at around the $3000 mark, which is considerably less than other rain deflectors on the market.
Preston HU4
The latest hand unit from Preston made an appearance at Cine Gear and with it came a range of new features that people have been waiting for! The new unit looks more akin to ARRI’s WCU-4 with its bright daylight viewable 4.63” touch screen and wider form factor. It’s a decent amount larger than the HU3, but is 35% lighter and now uses Sony’s NP-FZ100 battery used with Sony’s A7III line of cameras. The key features that stood out to us were the addition of touch gestures for squeezing and expanding the lens scale resolution, the integration with the Light Range 2 system, camera control functions for Sony, RED & Panavision and a day/night mode.
So that’s our round-up of everything that caught our eyes and ears at Cine Gear 2019. Though we didn’t talk about everything we found in depth, we do have a few honourable mentions which you can see below.
- ARRI DEH-1
- Caldwell Ultrabaltar
- Cameogear Vesa Mount
- SmallHD 1303HDR SK RX & 1703P3X SK RX
- Tracis Automated Lens Scanner
- Vazen 1.8x Anamorphic
- Wooden Camera Directors Cage V3
- Woode Camera Rialto Power Strip
If you think we’ve missed anything let us know in the comments below!
