Does anybody know what model camera is being used to film the football (soccer..) matches in Germany over the next 4-5weeks?

Panasonic?
Sony?

This article on FIFA's site gives some detail about the matches, but doesn't mention which cameras etc being used.
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/050629/1/41zh.html

thanks

If you look close at the left side of this picture, isn't this either an FX1 or Z!?

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/fi/20050629/i/606792133.jpg

The cameras used in live broadcasting share extremely little in common with the consumer camcorders that you use. The cameras themselves do not record anything to tape, they simply produce the picture and send it down a triax or fiber line to the truck where they can be cut into the broadcast or recorded for replay. Intercom and program audio and video also travel back to the camera operator to keep him aware of the overall production. Exposure control is set by a small team of specialist operators in the truck looking at all of the cameras matching them for consistency.

For the actual models of cameras, I am going to guess that they are using Thomson Grass Valley LDK series cameras.

..nothing personal, but how in the world, did you even guess that it was was a Sony FX1 or Z1.... we're looking at the same photo, right?...

..nothing personal, but how in the world, did you even guess that it was was a Sony FX1 or Z1.... we're looking at the same photo, right?...

No offense taken, it's just that I have a similar picture of my FX1 and it looks exactly the same, may be it's not.

For the record, I am not sure that it is.

It's abit obvious that the Z1 is not used for broadcast use for the world cup, Thomas was actually talking about the camera on the left of the broadcast camera, oh Thomas beat me to it.

Thanks Jemore,

Sorry for the confusion guys!

You might've mistaken the lens on the far far left as a handycam, but that's a lens. I dont see how anyone could consider that OB cam in the image center as a handycam. If you've configured a handycam to look like that...heck even to fit on the V-plate that those cameras sit on (for the Tripod)...sheesh.

They are using 17 Thompson/Phillips LDK 6000MKII, 6 LDK 6200 Slow Motion cameras,

Panasonic - 50 DVCPRO SD units, 25 DVCPRO HD units, and 60 P2 Cameras (35 HVX200, and 25 ENG P2)

Maybe, just maybe you saw an HVX but not in that image.

..nothing personal, but how in the world, did you even guess that it was was a Sony FX1 or Z1.... we're looking at the same photo, right?...

Black color vs grey of FX1, plus mic suspension, which the FX1 doesn't have.

Check out that zoom. He's got the player 'two tits' from across the field. Damn those Germans are good!

Check out that zoom. He's got the player 'two tits' from across the field. Damn those Germans are good!

The lenses that can do that are actually relatively common in the sports broadcasting world. Bare minimum zoom in a sports truck is 55x, and a lot of trucks have a full compliment of 70x lenses plus an 87. They go all the way up to 100x but I've only ever seen one of those personally. These things cost more than your house, which is why it never ceases to amaze me that they actually trust camera operators with them. =O

I believe a 100x can fill the screen with someone's face on the opposite 30 yard line from a low endzone position. Actually being able to keep a shot that tight is a different matter, you need surgeons hands to pull it off.

They are using 17 Thompson/Phillips LDK 6000MKII, 6 LDK 6200 Slow Motion cameras, Thanks Daniel. Any idea what the frame rate is on the LDK 6200 ? Just watching the slow-mo stuff on Tv, it looks pretty high fps.

The specs on the camera are here: http://thomsongrassvalley.com/products/cameras/ldk6200_hd/

They shoot twice the basic scan rate of whatever standard they're in. In NTSC countries they shoot 119.88 fps in 720 and 59.94 fps interlaced in 1080 (119.88 fields per second). In PAL they shoot either 100 fps in 720 or 50 fps interlaced in 1080 (100 fields per second).

Thomson also has standard def super slomo cameras that shoot three times the NTSC or PAL field rate, 89.91 frames/179.82 fields per second NTSC and 75 frames/150 fields per second PAL.

what kind of system do the camera operators have to move the camera+seat (left-right. do they have hand controls or foot controls?
anybody knows?

thanks

I take it you're referring to this shot: http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=189149&d=1

Notice his feet are sitting on the ground, he's just kicking himself around. The hands are too busy zooming and focusing to bother with yet another control.

One unusual thing I noticed is all these european camera operators have their lens controls backwards. All the camera ops I know control zoom with the right hand and focus with the left. I'm curious as to how the europeans came to do it their way, especially since on older lenses with crank-operated zoom (that's right, no servo zoom, just a big crank. You'd be suprised at how many trucks still don't have servo zooms, and a lot of operators prefer it that way!) the cables for the zoom and focus enter the lens in a way that you would need to awkwardly cross the cables over each other to do it the "european" way.

It also doesn't make sense because if you're running handheld you're pretty much are forced to zoom with your right hand and focus with your left, so if you switch between handheld and hard cameras a lot I can't imagine it would be very easy to adapt.

I take it you're referring to this shot: http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=189149&d=1

Notice his feet are sitting on the ground, he's just kicking himself around. The hands are too busy zooming and focusing to bother with yet another control.

One unusual thing I noticed is all these european camera operators have their lens controls backwards. All the camera ops I know control zoom with the right hand and focus with the left. I'm curious as to how the europeans came to do it their way, especially since on older lenses with crank-operated zoom (that's right, no servo zoom, just a big crank. You'd be suprised at how many trucks still don't have servo zooms, and a lot of operators prefer it that way!) the cables for the zoom and focus enter the lens in a way that you would need to awkwardly cross the cables over each other to do it the "european" way.

It also doesn't make sense because if you're running handheld you're pretty much are forced to zoom with your right hand and focus with your left, so if you switch between handheld and hard cameras a lot I can't imagine it would be very easy to adapt.


hello stephan, there was a close up shot during this morning soccer game, and the camera operator did moved the camera+seat motorized, and not with his feet.
which brings me back to my org question, how do they operate this, by hand/ foot?

greetings

It would have to be his feet, having to take a hand off of zoom or focus to move the chair around would be unacceptable.

i am actually suprised we're not having a camera operator here who would know.....wow

greetings

The camera operators who would know are probably too busy shooting the World Cup to come and post here. =D

All I know is I've been shooting professional sports for quite a while now and I've never seen one of those.

All the turrets that i've seen in use when working at rugby games here in NZ are controlled by the operators feet... so im guessing those would be the same. The operators need full control over where their glass is pointing so having something that was mechanical and could break down would be far to unreliable i'd say.

just found this picture.

http://img.stern.de/_content/56/55/565547/Buli_ddp_500.jpg

http://www.stern.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/unternehmen/:Bezahl-Bundesliga-Alles/565547.html

did email espn, several times, but they do not answer.

greetings

here is an other one

http://www.morgenpost.de/images/2006/07/14/wirtschaft/120563_scaleUp.jpg

greetings