Although there were some fairly big releases that are definitely making waves in terms of camera equipment and standards in the industry (notably the showcasing of the Alexa LF and Signature Primes), there were also some products that weren’t necessarily groundbreaking, but still very interesting from a usability and accessibility standpoint. Here are a couple of my top picks of products that may be of interest to the industry.
Bright Tangerine Alexa Mini Cage
The Alexa Mini Cage designed by Bright Tangerine was on display at their booth and personally I was excited about it. There are a bunch of solutions for the Mini already, but what sets this one apart for me is the battery/power solution. Traditionally, you’d be mounting the battery plate on rods like the D-Box or BAP-1 or on a rail based system like Arri’s RAB-1 or the Tilta cage for the Mini, but the Bright Tangerine Cage not only mounts the battery plate so it’s butting up right against the back of the Mini, it provides cheeseplates on either side of the body with plenty of ⅜ and ¼-20 mounting options. For those worrying about the rear exhaust fan on the camera body being blocked, the Bright Tangerine cage provides exhaust fans that will assist the fans on the Alexa Mini. (Similar to the Tilta cage). The PTap ports are also universal configuration which allows users to orient the PTap with the tail coming out whichever way suits their build. It seems like the one on the show floor was still a prototype, as the Mini’s media bay door was prevented from opening completely, however the rep assured me that the solution was already being implemented for that for their next iteration.
Atlas Lens Co. Orion Anamorphics
Although not new to this years NAB, with shipments slowly starting to roll out for those who preordered, the Orion Anamorphics have been buzzing lately due to their budget friendly cost, speed, and clean look . They are designed by Atlas Lens Co., founded by two cinematographers who wanted an accessible, optically pleasing anamorphic lens with modern workflow in mind. The lenses utilize a cam driven focus mechanism, giving you the same operational feel as the Cooke line of lenses in terms of focus, and all the lenses in the set can open up to T2. They currently have a 40, 65, and 100mm shipping, with the 32, 50, and 80mm releasing Q2 of 2019. The sets will also utilize an IMS so you can use the lenses in EF as well, which opens up accessibility to a whole range of camera systems and end-users that wasn’t really supported before with anamorphic glass. Getting a chance to get some hands on time at the Atlas Lens Co. booth, I can very easily see them being utilized by student films and low-mid budget commercials where costs of anamorphics were sometimes prohibitive with the inherent budget constrictions associated with these types of projects.
