In Broadcast - November 2021 - 16

16
www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 11 - Issue 11 | November 2021
InStudio
Robotic Camera
Systems Update
Contributing Editor David Kirk gives us
an update on some of the developments
over the last year within the world
of robotic camera systems...
his article looks at developments
in remotely controlled camera
systems over the past 12 months. It
is a product sector which has become
more competitive than ever given the
increasing willingness of broadcasters
to use miniature pan/tilt/zoom cameras
to capture content from remote
locations or difficult angles. Remote
control
T
enables a small production
team to monitor and adjust multiple
cameras, or TV presenters to work
in self-op mode. Automatic tracking
continues to develop, exemplified by
MRMC's Polymotion Chat software
which is designed to track multiple
performers across multiple cameras.
Canon's CR-S700R robotic camera
system allows still images to be
captured from unusual viewpoints. It is
based on a remote pan head which can
be used to control a compatible EOS
camera. The system includes the CRG100
IP camera controller. Optional
CR-A100 software can be used to
control multiple cameras from a PC,
display live view images, remotely
trigger a camera or simultaneously
shoot with multiple cameras. Turning
radius is approximately 26cm.
The CR-G100 IP camera
controller
connects to a PC
for remote operation using an
Ethernet LAN cable. " The remote
pan head allows operations such as
zooming, panning, tilting and rolling, "
details European Product Marketing
Manager Ryan Kamata. " It can also be
used to follow subjects that move at
high speed. "
Egripment's ARC Compensation is a
hardware and software tool designed
for use with the company's Xtreme
T10 telescopic camera crane. It allows
automated moves including vertical
straight
lines,
horizontal plane and
pan compensation by the activation of
a single button. All axes of the crane
arm, dolly and telescopic column can
be encoded for augmented/virtualreality
applications. The arm weighs
275 kg can be extended from 2.1 to 7.5
metres length. Maximum telescoping
speed is 2.1 metres per second
Fujifilm's Fujinon S10 digital drive
unit is designed to deliver precise
zoom and focus, supporting robotic
video production. Externally the same
as the S6/8/9 drive unit, it features
16 bit iris, zoom and focus encoding,
reduced mechanical backlash and
faster processing of commands to
reduce lag when used in robotic or
Fujifilm's Fujinon S10
AR/VR applications. Breathing
compensation can be
activated to keep the angle of
view the same whilst making focus
adjustments during shooting.
Grass Valley's PTZ 35X HD remote
PTZ camera can be operated directly
from any of Grass Valley's Kula
switchers or automated as a part
of GV Pace preset scenes. Images
from the PTZ 35X can be intermixed
with images from Grass Valley's LDX
cameras. The camera uses a 1/1.7 inch
12.4 megapixel sensor with a 3840
x 2160p30 UHD video resolution.
Zoom magnification is up to 35x
optical starting from 60.5 degree
horizontal wide-angle. Video-over-IP
is supported along with H.264 and
H.265 encoding as well as NDI v4.0
video transmission and control. White
balance, exposure, focus, iris can be
adjusted automatically or manually.
128 presets can be stored within the
camera head. Up to 7 cameras can
be connected using VISCA protocol.
Additional features include image flip
for upside-down installation and video
format switching within 3 seconds.
Ikegami's UHL-F4000 is a compact
and lightweight 4K HDR camera
designed
for use
in applications
such as studio robotics. It is capable
of capturing broadcast
quality colour video across
a very wide range of night
or daytime conditions. An
image sharpening function is
incorporated and a vertical
image reversal mode allows
the camera to be mounted
upside down. The operator
Canon's CR-S700R
can adjust the camera in real time
for optimum noise reduction when
shooting at night with high gain. The
UHL-F4000 camera head measures
100 x 128 x 90mm WHD and weighs
only 1.1 kg. Digital zoom from 1.01x to
10.0x magnification, including gradual
acceleration, can be combined with a
BTA S-1005B-mount optical zoom lens
to achieve natural long-range wideangle
to close-up effects. Minimum
illumination level in standard
operating mode is 0.0015 lux at F12.
A focus-assist function places the
edge components of the 4K image on
the high-definition monitor output
feed. An integral motorised neutral
density filter can be set to 1/4, 1/16,
1/64 or 1/256. Colour correction can
also be adjusted. The camera head
consumes very low power as all video
processing is performed in a separate
base station. A 40 Gbps duplex optical
fibre
connection
communicates
between the camera head and base
station. These can be positioned up to
10km apart. The optical fibre can be
integrated into one bidirectional core
using an optical circulator and passed
through a single-core optical rotary
joint used for a small gimbal. The base
station is also compact, measuring 145
x 145 x 173mm WHD and weighing 2.5
kg. It simultaneously outputs 4K and
HD video compatible with HDR.
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.fujifilm.com/us/en/news/optical-devices/fujifilm-announces-S10-digital-drive-units https://www.mo-sys.com/product/camera-tracking/startracker/
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