These are a few of my favorite thiiiiiings (picture Julie Andrews twirling amidst a field of jibs, dollies, tripods, etc.)

If last year's NAB was highly focused on the RED camera, this year's NAB is all about 3D. If this year's floor displays are true indicators, 3D may be gaining some real traction. I'll leave the merits of the technology to others to debate. Panasonic had a prototype of a wacky-looking prosumer camera (appeared based on HPX-170 body model), which I'll be sharing with you once I process the image files.

I'll have some pictures and grabs to upload soon.

Meanwhile, amidst the array of sat-com stuff that I don't understand, there were a few cool gadgets for the rest of us.

In the "why didn't they think of this before" category, Bogen has released a set of C-stands/light stands that lock together like Legos for easy transport. You can put a rack of these together and carry them as a single unit. Very handy and will spare you multiple trips to the car.

*However,* Matthews, who makes just about the best gear in the world...I want one of everything they make...has released its own unique stand design. The legs invert when you close it, so it makes the whole thing very compact and, again, easily transportable. These will be great when you want to pack super-light and, if you're like me and have more heads than legs, these are a very nice solution that won't chew up a lot of space. Finally a true light stand that can be folded small enough to fit in or be strapped to a backpack. Being able to muck around more, when I'm shooting alone, with lighting by using a reflector, a nanoclamp, and one of these will bring a lot more artistry to light outdoors set-ups.

Packing your light kit just became less awkward, thanks to both Bogen and Matthews.

More stuff, with pics, once I have more fully recovered from last night's revelry....

here's some stills of Panny's 3-D prosumer prototype camera, no release date, not much info, just "we're working on it."

more pics of the bogen stackable stands and the Matthews ultra-compact, ultra-portable Merf

I didn't think I had any interest in new tripod releases, but this head is so tiny, sturdy, smooth, and the price is right. Rates to 8.8 lbs. -- looks super light and great for outdoor shooting where weight is an issue. The last thing that I came here looking for is an HDV head, but this one looks fantastic for the price, size, and weight. Should have no issues bearing the weight of my A1 plus mics and light...

Continuing on with the theme, I didn't want another tripod head until I played with this. It's ultra-smooth and the simplicity of the design drew me in. I want one for my RED camera. They have smaller sizes as well, but of all the heads I have used, this one seems to be the smoothest, like a Miller only smoother....

This is one of the units that caused the most buzz. This tripod-mountable box will let you record to full Pro Res files. So you can take your little HDV camcorder (in my case an HV10) and the darn thing will output full 4:2:2 10-bit files to a 250 gb hard drive, built into the unit....oh yeah! It will cost you $4000 or so to do it, but for higher quality images, faster and tapelessly (is that a word?), it might be a good buy. Adds XLR inputs too...

I was thinking that it would be a cool way to avoid transcoding RED footage for certain applications, to be able to go out straight to a 4:2:2 10-bit Pro Res timeline. But I hear that there might be some issues with that, which I'll have to confirm or deny. It would be cool to have one box that I can use with my HV10 and my RED. How about an HV10 for a 2nd camera to a RED? We live in wild times.

They've re-designed the funky menu controls for the Zoom H4...this thing is very obvious and intuitive to use. As a person who shoots a lot of documentary work, I wanted something that I could give a subject and have them record sound, but the H4 needed a rocket scientist to operate the menu structure. Looks like they have solved it with this re-design. This looks very easy to operate. Takes XLRs and just about every jack you can imagine. Anyone want to buy an H4, cheap?

You've seen these and drooled over the studs who ride them. Now you can own one. They are now selling modded Segway units designed to be guided and driven with the pressure of your knees, leaving your hands free to operate the camera. Also has a stand for mounting the arm and gimbal, so you can leave the vest behind.

I don't even know if this is news...but it did make me want one.

Canon was showing off Sony EX3s mounted with their new Canon broadcast lenses, this one with a fabulous 7.7mm wide angle -- I think the tele side went to 130mm or so. Seems like the best of the Sony and Canon breeds.

Does it dilute the brand? Only Canon's hairdresser knows for sure...

NHK does this ridiculous 16K camera display, apparently they have been showing it at NAB for awhile now. But this year is different because they have made this model about 3x smaller than it used to be. They've finally got the technology down to a useable, somewhat portable scale. And they brought an actual 16K film to screen which, while somewhat goofy in content, did produce quite amazing images and a deep focus photography which would have made Orson Welles and Gregg Toland proud....

Also, they brought along some Astro-branded 4K monitors which have been for sale at B & H for awhile, but these newer models looked nearly consumer quality...competition is going to make true 4K delivery a reality in my lifetime (barring any unforeseen tragedy, ahem, one for the karma gods...)...

May you live in interesting times...

Just in case you think I get too lost in the world of uber-geek futuristic technologies, here is Sony's 3.8K monitor, deliverable in, ahem, October of 2009. So they say!

This is going to be the year of 3D. I have already had someone approach me about shooting a 3D feature on RED in Colorado! If Colorado is doing it, you can bet everyone else is doing it better.

Cineform has announced a $3000 software package that will allow you to edit 3D natively in Final Cut Pro. I looked it over, and it brings ease of use to a process that has not been typically easy. Cineform was demo'ing their software with a very nice looking set-up from Silicon Imaging, along with P+S Technik's 3D mount -- SI, right now, is probably the best digital cinema company for shooting 3D because the heads sit closely together, making ocular distance adjustments relatively easy, and the rig doesn't look too bulky. Theirs looks like the most complete and most mobile solution.

Element Technica was showcasing their 3D rig prototype with RED cameras, and it looks great, too, comes with a beam splitter. They say that their rigs will be rental-ready in July but not for sale until some time in the fall. Their set-up was luscious. But also massive. They had it mounted to a big dolly, like a JL Fischer. Once the smaller SCARLET enters the picture, you can bet it will all change, but that is all still off in the future.

NHK, the makers of the 16K camera in Japan, also had a 3D rig on display and a kind of odd outer space show that featured 4K satellite photos of the earth and the moon, which sounds cooler than it was. A bad soundtrack and poor pacing rather killed the 5-minute experience for me, proving once again, that good editing can triumph over bad footage, and bad editing can trump good footage any time.

Anyway, here is a blast of 3D rigs. Welcome to your future!

PS. The top image is the NHK, the rest are Element Technica. I thought that I had a few of the SI-2K, but I'll have to go dig em out of my hard drive back at Circus Circus (fleabag hotel that I am re-naming Never Again Never Again)...

Let me know if anyone wants to see 'em, otherwise that is it from me, for now, till next NAB, thanks for watching!

more 3D stuff...

Meryem:

Just wanted you to know your posts are really appreciated. Feel like I have been there !

I agree - encore! encore!

Yes thank you very much.

Wow. Very cool stuff! Anyone else have any neat things to post????

Thanks you guys, I will have a few follow-up goodies, but it will probably take me a couple of days to process and put 'em up. Actually it will take me a few days to recover, period. Oh my aching...word of advice, don't break in new shoes at NAB, even comfy hiking shoes, you will pay.

Meryem,

Are you telling me that what happened in Vegas (i.e. your feet) didn't stay in Vegas? ;)

2 days of hoofing it around always gets to me. Of course sitting at a booth for 3 1/2 days will kill the strongest too. :)

Very nice, Meryem.

Bravo!

Here's a few other items that I just had a chance to process...

Since we have started processing every project through Color, I've developed a big case of the I WANTS for a control panel.

JL Cooper was showing its brand new Eclipse CX - with a space-saving, modular design - you can add the audio controller and more keys - and designed for ease of use with FCP
costs around $4K

And the CP200 from Tangent was on display in the AJA booth - Tangent has a fantastic new product called the Wave with a breakthrough price point around $1700 - but it does not work with Color, since it plugs in through Ethernet and Color is not Ethernet enabled.

The CP200 is also about $4K

I found the Tangent controls to be a bit smoother. I'd love to have either one of these units, since they supposedly increase work speed in Color as much as 50%

But even better would be if Color's next release permitted compatibility with the les expensive and even more fully featured Wave...

This is the newest prototype of the modular EPIC

NAB '09 (http://www.redpinestudios.com/cmocos.html)

This motion control unit had to be the very coolest thing that I saw in the entire show.

Crazy stuff.

More info:

http://www.cmocos.com/

This is the newest prototype of the modular EPIC

Not quite sure why making this camera look incredibly front heavy is considered the most sexy way to show it, but at least it looks like the shoulder pad can move forward quite a bit.

NHK, the makers of the 16K camera in Japan, also had a 3D rig on display and a kind of odd outer space show that featured 4K satellite photos of the earth and the moon, which sounds cooler than it was. A bad soundtrack and poor pacing rather killed the 5-minute experience for me, proving once again, that good editing can triumph over bad footage, and bad editing can trump good footage any time.Hey Meryem, not sure if you're talking about the same thing or something different that I missed, but if you mean the five minute 1080p 3D earthrise / earth diamond ring video that was being shown right next to the NHK UHD demo, I'd have to say different strokes for different folks. As a space buff, I thought it was mind-blowing...in a "content is king" and tech demo sort of way...I couldn't even tell you what music was tracked over it! Will it go to Cannes? No. But what an amazing demonstration of advancement in technology! This was 3D HD transmitted from lunar orbit!

This was 3D (I think 1080p?) transmitted from the Japanese satellite Kaguya, in polar orbit around the moon, and showed what for me were mesmerizing earthrises and earthsets with earth in different phases including full, as well as a diamond ring eclipse of the earth. Here's a link with more info:
KAGUYA (SELENE) - TOP (http://www.kaguya.jaxa.jp/index_e.htm)

And I owe fellow space enthusiast Mr. Hurd an apology, because I meant to text him to make sure he knew not to pass it by on his way to the UHD demo (which I also enjoyed more than previous year's displays) and in my rush to the airport I didn't. Hope you saw it, buddy!

Not quite sure why making this camera look incredibly front heavy is considered the most sexy way to show it, but at least it looks like the shoulder pad can move forward quite a bit.

Hi Charles: It was very nice finally meeting you at the bash. Always great to put together the names and faces.

I think that this configuration was mostly so that they could show it free-standing/floating in the plexiglass box. I think it was a choice of form over function, as I agree that it's not a tempting set-up, as it stands...RED has released other renders that show the HH rig mounted substantially forward, and the Element Technica Mantis (on my wish list, but at $2K, it may stay there for awhile...) does allow a lot of flexibility in terms of choosing your balance points, both fore and aft and laterally as well. Even the unwieldy RED ONE is comfortable on one of these.

Hey Pete: I found your description more compelling than the images themselves. They should have dumped the overwrought Holst-ian soundtrack and hired you to narrate. I would have been so there!

I almost always find seeing the earth from space awe-inspiring, it's my UWOL-ish nature, but I found the 3D oddly flattening of the experience than, say, if I had seen the same thing in a dome theater...I found it more interesting in concept than execution. But, as you say, different strokes. It's good to get a different reception of these things...

I meant to text him to make sure he knew not to pass it by on his way to the UHD demo...No need -- saw it, really enjoyed it and fully agree with your assessment!

Hey Pete: I found your description more compelling than the images themselves. They should have dumped the overwrought Holst-ian soundtrack and hired you to narrate.Ha! I'll take the job, even though I don't have a good narration voice. Of course I watch most of the space shows on channels like DiscoveryHD etc and it drives me INSANE to hear the often inaccurate narration, full of mispronounced names and tech terms.

Just more motivation to get off my *** and shoot, eh?

Chris, glad you saw it!