The Lensrentals Podcast Episode #46 – New Gear Rodeo: Video Accessories

Each week Roger Cicala, founder of Lensrentals.com, hosts conversations about the art and science of capturing images. From photography to videography, film, history, and technology, the show covers a wide range of topics to educate and inspire creators of all kinds.

 

New Gear Rodeo: Video Accessories

Gather round y’all, it’s time for another gear rodeo where we shoot the you-know-what talking about our experiences with gear from our inventory. Today Ryan is talking to the Lensrentals Onboarding Supervisor, Ally Aycock Patterson, and LensProToGo’s Dom Boisvert about which of our newest video products we’re excited about. We nerd out about products that may be a little more unexpected too, like switchers, gimbals, and even batteries if you can believe it.

As you start ramping up your video production, another thing that ramps up is the confusion of the gear you need. Shooting a short video on a single camera is inherently easy and straightforward by design, but once you start ramping up the production to multiple cameras and systems, the need for large battery packs, switches, and multichannel recording comes into play and really makes the process convoluted and confusing. Fortunately, Lensrentals (and LensProToGo) have some great resources in our video departments and are here to walk you through all of these new pieces of tech that make your large-scale production easier and more organized. So listen in as Ryan, Ally, and Dom talk about some of their favorite new products in the video world to make your production easier and more organized. And as always, if you’re planning on ordering for your next production and have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call so one of our video experts can help you decide what products might work best for the work you’re producing.

From a new battery standard to the future in 12K, this episode covers all the latest and greatest in video accessories and tech. 

Gear Mentioned in this Episode:

• Anton Bauer Titon Micro 90 V-Mount Power Kit 8-Pack
• Titon Base
• Blackmagic Design ATEM Switchers
• Soundcraft Ui24R 24-Channel Mixer/Recorder w/Wi-Fi Control
• Soundcraft Software Demo
• Tilta Nucleus-M Wireless Lens Control System
• Teradek Bolt 4k line
• Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro 12K Premium Kit

Resources:

• Blackmagic ATEM Mini Extreme ISO: Overview and Live Demo
• Live Demo: ATEM Mini HDMI Switcher by Blackmagic Design
• URSA Mini Pro 12K: How Many K’s is TOO MANY?!

 

Timestamps

0:55– Howdy, yeehaw, hello, and welcome to another new gear rodeo!

1:45– It’s a different way to start, but we’re starting off talking about the new battery format from Anton Bauer, the Titon Micro, and how awesome it is to double down on the amount of battery power, d-tap’s and USB without adding much weight or changing the format.

4:00– One caveat is they do not enable 24V output like some plates. So an Alexa LF, Gemini 2X1, and others will not be powered by these types of batteries.

4:45– Next up is the Titon Base which is designed to fit between the tripod head and camera. But Dom has an issue with using this freehanded on location.

7:15– With a perfect segue, we’re on to the Blackmagic ATEM Extreme ISO Switcher and Recorder. Dom explains what ISO recorders are exactly, and the differences between some of the labels. You can see a link to Dom’s video where he uses it as he’s explaining more about it here:

 

9:00– The Blackmagic ATEM Extreme has 2 USB-C and 8 HDMI outputs, but no SDI, which we find to be a bummer. But they do have other things that have SDI so, we get it.

12:50– Now for the Soundcraft Ui24R 24. This is a 24 XLR channel audio recorder, and Ally, a self-proclaimed “analog snob” is singing its praises.

15:30– Harmond, the company who makes this, has done some amazing R&D and we’re big fans of the software demo, Arri does it too, and we’d like it if every manufacturer did!

18:10– Break

19:00– The Tilta Nucleus-M was all over social media so Dom knew he was already going to like it, and once he opened the kit and saw the side handles and he knew why.

22:10– The Tilta Nucleus-M also has a 1000 foot range, which was honestly hard to test out, but Dom sure tried.

26:20– If you’re using a wireless follow focus, you’re going to need a wireless video system, like the new Teradek Bolt 4k line, which is “insane”, “doesn’t stop” and while we really like the products, we also advise you to heed Ryan’s advice, “If you’re ordering a Teradeck you should call us” because we can help you figure out what works best for your specific project.

27:10– These names aren’t intuitive at all, but Ally shares with us that the numbers in these names are indicative of the distance it’s supposed to be rated in feet. The “LT” label applies to 3g, whereas the non-LT will have 12g support.

30:40– Last we’ve got the Ursa 12k by Blackmagic. Blackmagic RAW is pretty delicate it seems, and Ryan isn’t sold on 12k to begin with.

35:00– Is there a situation where you think 12k is practically useful? Dom’s video addressing this, called “How many K’s is too many?” Can be seen here:

 

36:10– Ally shrewdly observes that 12K will be here before we know it. On a consumer level, it’s hard for people to convince themselves these upgrades are necessary. But in a professional context when you’re working with video, you have to keep up with it, even if it means changing all of your hardware and cables and a never-ending cycle of certifications and standards.

38:50– We’re not quite sure how a real rodeo ends, but Dom’s admission that he uses “y’all” but not around his southern coworkers because he doesn’t want to be condescending a pretty adorable place to wrap up.

 

The Lensrentals Podcast is a production of Lensrentals, founded by Roger Cicala. Our production staff includes Drew Cicala, Ryan Hill, Sarah McAlexander, SJ Smith, Julian Harper, John Tucker, and Zach Sutton. Other contributors include Roger Cicala, Joey Miller, Ally Aycock Patterson, Joshua Richardson, and Philip Robertson.

Thanks to Jacques Granger for our theme song.

Submit a topic idea, question, or comment, leave us a voicemail at 901-609-LENS, or send us an email at podcast@lensrentals.com.

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