With over 20 top lighting-makers on the scene, it is fair to say that lights are on at Cine Gear Expo, again. LED lighting leads the herd, with new solutions shining in LA, like the Remote Phosphor Pipes from Denmark’s BB&S Lighting.
Light is essential for all of us, and light is essential for storytelling. No wonder, then, that light, in different shapes and colours, is one of the highlights (!) of each new edition of Cine Gear Expo. We wrote about LED being king in 2015’s edition, this time, again, LED is to be seen everywhere on the show floor.
Panel lights from names as ARRI SkyPanels, Fluotec Cinelight, Ikan’s new Lyra and Rayden, Magic Gadgets, and Litepanels’ Astra are available for visitors to check. But there is much more. Mole-Richardson expands its LED Fresnel line with the Tener that sets a new standard for high output from a single source LED. Cush Light shows a new line of LED Flex fixtures and the new Blind Spot Tile makes its American debut. ETC introduces Source FWRD, a time and energy-saving LED upgrade to its popular Source Four ellipsoidal fixtures. LEDsfilm offers a family of hard LED lights up to 10,000W.
From Denmark comes BB&S Lighting, presenting the first Remote Phosphor Pipes, in 1-inch diameter by 1’, 2’, 3’ or 4’ long stand-alone units, or Pipeline 4-Bank, 3’ and 4’ systems—all with a TLCI over 95. And there is even a special light for drones, the Stella Pro 5000d ultra-powerful aerial light from Light & Motion already mentionned here at ProVideo Coalition. That’s a compact 5000-lumen light which is remotely controlled from the drone controller providing on/off and smooth transitional dimming.
At Cine Gear Expo there are even choices when it comes to modifying the light. The Rag Place is showing the Snapgrid and Snapbag which soften and help direct LED lights. Los Angeles Rag House debuts the RiteRig Soft Box that can be custom fit to any location or budget. K5600 Lighting will show the KURVE 3 parabolic umbrella (3’, 4.5’, and a 6’ version) that works with their existing Joker HMI’s and others. Chimera will also be on hand with an array of softboxes. So much light, so little time!
Besides all that light there is all the other gear that makes cine Gear Expo what it is: this year nearly 300 equipment vendors show both their time-honored and new innovations. Camera makers responded to filmmaker’s input, and one example comes from ARRI, with its new documentary-style AMIRA and the groundbreaking ALEXA XT. Sony will exhibit its range of widely used digital motion picture cameras, professional workflow solutions including the new R7 portable memory recorder capturing 4K at 120fps, the latest professional and consumer digital imaging technologies and the complete lens to the living room High Dynamic Range product family including the newest professional HDR monitors and 4K UHD TVs.
Blackmagic Design will demo its Micro Cinema Camera and URSA Mini 4.6K digital film cameras, as well as the new Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder. Streamlined workflow and high image quality are features Panasonic will emphasize when showing its new Cinema VariCam LT. Canon will show its new, lightweight ME200S-SH multi-purpose camera for live HD broadcasts, production and surveillance, featuring Dual Pixel CMOS AF on a Super 35mm sensor. Pro8mm will showcase its classic professional Super8 50th anniversary edition, designed for C-mount lenses. For 360° interactive video fans, Kodak’s PIXPRO SP360 4K VR camera will be on hand.
Anamorphic lenses are, apparently, making a digital camera comeback. Besides the presentation of the new Panavision DXL, Cine Gear Expo will have lens vendors offering anamorphic solutions. Angenieux will unveil its Long Range Anamorphic Optimo 44-440 A2S zoom and in Servicevision’s booth, visitors can see the Scorpio Anamorphic 2x 138-400mm T4 Zoom lens. P+S Technik will showcase a 35-70mm Cinemascope zoom for 16:9 and Full Frame sensors.
Lens-makers are also adding to their prime lens families. Schneider Kreuznach will extend its full-frame Xenon FF-Prime lens line with an 18mm. CW Sonderoptic introduces two new lenses in the Leica Summicron-C cine lineup, the highly anticipated 40mm T2.0 and 15mm T2.0. Fujinon will show its 20×120 Cabrio/T3.5 (XK6x20) zoom lens. Rokinon Cine will introduce DS and XEEN Professional Cine Lens systems. And Tokina will premier its Cinema ATX 11-16mm T/3.0 PL mount and 100mm T/2.9 Cinema macro lens.
Cine Gear’s aisles and stages will be packed with new ways of adding production value with camera support. Benro offers new, affordable BV4 Pro and BV6 tripod kits. Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment will showcase the all-new compact CL Mini Remote Head, COBRA VT 22-61 camera dolly and the Miniscope 5 & 7 on the versatile Mini Base. Adding new functionality to its Cool-Rigs, Cool Lux will debut a Shift Baseplate. Servicevision will present the new Scorpio Stabilized Head. Matthews will be on hand with grip gear and the new Infinity Arm that can mount everything from a GoPro to a fully dressed out cine camera. Filmotechnic USA and Camera Car Systems will show the unique camera angles made possible by their Flight Head Mini working with Supra Cam. To get shots from as low as an inch and a half off the ground, Swerv will demo its Camera Luge. And Tiffen will show a new Steadicam Fawcett Exovest semi-rigid exoskeletal vest.
These are some of the reasons to visit, June 3 and 4, Paramount Studios, in Hollywood. With major screenings, filmmaker panel discussions, groundbreaking techniques and new equipment premiers that are sure to influence the filmmaking industry, Cine Gear Expo, a show started in 1996 – yes, that’s 20 years ago – is the place to see the latest gear.