CREATION
May-June 2017
Ross Video’s ACID camera not only aims to fill
the gaps in chroma keying, but also supports
HDR productions and will be a key component
as the company continues to grow its portfolio
of virtual set solutions.
range (SDR) systems and displays.”
This, according to Spratling,
allows an HDR signal to pass
through a production facility with
minimum to no change in infra-
structure. “This enables current
facilities to generate higher qual-
ity content that directly enhances
the consumer viewing experience,
without much change in the faci-
lities’ current workflows. This is
a huge step towards producing
content that is true to the human
visual experience,” he adds.
Ross Video also believes that
HDR is shaping up to be a valuable
tool for creative teams and content
producers alike. Set design and
tough lighting conditions, particu-
larly, are areas where HDR excels,
Spratling cites, adding: “Using
HLG HDR in conjunction with
our UltrachromeHR chroma key
provides greater adjustment range
in low-light areas, making shadow
separation and black level noise
elimination far easier.”
And as Ross Video continues
to grow its portfolio of virtual set
solutions, expect the ACID to be
a key component of this ecoystem,
says Spratling, who also suggests
that because of technological ad-
vancements, broadcast AR (aug-
mented reality) is already a reality.
Where Ross Video is con-
cerned, the company says it has
advanced AR productions to a
level of quality that is “truly fit for
broadcast”. Spratling describes:
“To achieve realism when virtual
objects such as monitors, logos
and graphic elements are added to
a live production, numerous set-
tings must be tuned to perfection.
“These include precise camera
positional tracking, integrated
recall of virtual objects from the
production switcher, camera lens
calibration and geometry map-
ping, as well as, of course, the right
image quality from the camera
itself.”
This, he emphasises, requires
products that are tightly integrated
for simple fine-tuning. Similar to
Ross Video’s XPression 3D graph-
ics system and UX camera track-
ing solution, the ACID camera
includes full Dashboard control
integration, and can form an inte-
gral part of a complete AR solution
and provide simple user control,
Spratling concludes.
In any broadcast camera sys-
tem, one key component that is
hard to ignore is the camera lens;
the good news for content pro-
ducers is the plethora of choices
available, regardless of the formats
they are working in.
Recognising a growing de-
mand for 4K/Ultra HD (UHD)-
compatible broadcast equipment
in Japan, Europe and North
America, Fujifilm is continuing
to expand its 4K/UHD broadcast
lenses.
New to the company’s UA
Series of 4K/UHD broadcast lens-
es are the compact and lightweight
portable zoom lenses — Fujinon
UA18x5.5, Fujinon UA14x4.5 and
Fujinon UA27x6.5
These offerings bring Fujifilm’s
4K/UHD broadcast lens line-up
to seven models in total, and are
designed to deliver 4K/UHD qual-
ity across their zoom ranges by
preventing resolution degradation
around the edges, and to control
“all types of aberrations”.
Available since April this year,
the UA18x5.5 and UA14x4.5 are
portable lenses with compact and
lightweight bodies for advanced
mobility, according to Fujifilm.
The company also recommends
these lenses to videographers who
shoot while carrying 4K/UHD
equipment on their shoulders.
The UA18x5.5 weighs 2.04kg
and covers focal lengths from
5.5mm on the wide-angle end
to 100mm on the telephoto end,
making it useful for mobile situa-
tions that require added mobility
— news reporting and on-location
productions, for instance.
The UA14x4.5 covers the ultra-
wide-angle focal length of 4.5mm
and measures just 238.5mm, al-
lowing users to go up close and
personal during live sports cover-
age or on-location productions
with a real sense of depth, says
Fujifilm.
Scheduled to be available this
June, the UA27x5.5 is a 4K/UHD-
compatible 27x zoom lens recom-
mended for in-studio applications
in news applications and variety
shows. With a wide-angle focal
length of 6.5mm, the UA2.7x5.5
can also be used to provide a full
view of a concert venue during
live coverage. A built-in extender
also allows its focal lengths to be
doubled to cover up to 360mm in
focal length while maintaining im-
age quality in advanced definition,
says Fujifilm.
Other notable features of the
UA27x5.5 is its employment of
High Transmittance Electron
Beam Coating (HT-EBC) technol-
ogy, which offers richer colours
and “greatly improved” blue re-
sponse and transmittance. HT-
EBC, coupled with Fujifilm’s pro-
prietary Aspheric Technology,
reduces ghost and flare while
increasing light transmission.
Equipped with 16-bit encod-
ers, the UA27x5.5 is also capable
of high-resolution output of lens
data, including zoom and focal
position information. It can be
linked with other systems such as
virtual studios for combining CG
images with live action footage.
Also new to the market are
ZEISS’ CP.3 lenses, which ZEISS
says are compatible with more
cameras and mount types than
any other cine lens on the market.
Available in 10 focal lengths from
15mm-135mm, the CP.3 lenses are
colour-matched with an improved
advanced lens coating to support
HDR projects and offer a higher
contrast