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The Ten Biggest Announcements at NAB 2024
The National Association of Broadcasters show (commonly called NAB) is a bit like an annual Christmas for cinematographers and videographers. As one of the largest trade shows in the world, NAB is where all the major manufacturers meet and show off their latest products and technological advancements in the videography field. Because of NAB, the majority of product announcements in the videography world are all announced during the week of the annual trade show in Las Vegas, so it felt like we should look through these announcements, and list off our favorite ten announcements at NAB (though in no particular order). So without further delay, here are our favorite products announced during this year’s NAB show.
Atomos Sun Dragon
First on our list is the very impressive Atomos Sun Dragon, which is an entirely different product than what you’d expect from Atomos – the industry standard in video monitors and monitor recorders. The Sun Dragon is a waterproof RGBAW strip light that offers HDR lighting, wireless DMX, and an impressive 2,000-lumen output at a CRI 99 rating. The Hi-Density LEDs promise no micro shadows, and even, bright lighting throughout the entire 16ft strip. The Sun Dragon is expected to ship in June, and will be available for $999.
“I was only at NAB for a day and half, which did not seem like nearly enough time, but I think the Atomos Sun Dragon was more impressive than I expected. Not only is it spec’d and priced right but Atomos’ focus on lighting for HDR is a really smart move for them since it allows them to push into a new space while leveraging what they already understand and do well.”
– Ally Aycock Patterson
New Product Development Director for Lensrentals.com
Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K
Marketed as the ‘World’s Most Advanced Digital Film Camera’, the new Blackmagic URSA 12K might have the right claim to that title once you start digging into their spec sheet. Starring their newest full-frame sensor offering an impressive 16-stops of dynamic range, the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K also features interchangeable lens mounts – switching to PL, LPL, and a Locking EF mount quickly and easily. The camera also shoots at an incredible 12K resolution, at speeds up to 120fps (with 224fps available in 8K & 4K). The Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K also features 8TB of removable storage, built-in color-balanced ND filters, an optical low pass filter, and Blackmagic’s Generator 5 color science. And that is just touching the surface of all this camera is capable of, but it should be shipping now for $14,995.
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
If the $14K price of the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K is well out of your price range, Blackmagic has also highlighted another new camera in their lineup with the Blackmagic PYXIS 6K. The PYXIS 6K gives you an incredibly versatile design with a lot of options to build a camera rig for your production. On the spec sheet, the PYXIS 6K shoots 6K 2.4:1 up to 60 fps with its full-frame HDR sensor, and has a built-in optical low pass filter, dual native ISO, and dual CFexpress media slots. The Blackmagic PYXIS 6K is available in three different models with fixed L-Mount, PL, or locking EF lens mounts and is available now for $2,995.
Canon CJ27ex7.3B Lens
The latest offering from Canon comes in the broadcasting world, with the Canon CJ27ex7.3B. This 2/3″ portable lens supports an impressive 27x optical zoom, with a focal range of 7.3mm to 197mm. Paired with its built-in 2x extender, the maximum reach of this lens extends to 394mm. While this lens will almost certainly not make its way onto our inventory, it is likely the lens you’ll see most sports broadcasts shot with in the coming years.
Atlas Orion 18mm, 135mm, and 200mm
In the anamorphic lens world, Atlas had plenty to show off this year, with their three newest lenses in their Orion lineup, the Atlas Orion 18mm T2, the Atlas Orion 135mm T2.2, and the Atlas Orion 200mm T3.2. With their organic streak flares, and oval bokeh, anamorphic lenses have a beautiful yet subtle look that is preferred by many directors and filmmakers. We’re hoping the interest for these lenses is high enough, and they’ll land in our inventory soon. But until then, the Atlas Orion lenses are available next month, with prices starting at $17,995.
Zeiss Nano Prime Lineup
Next on the list of announcements was one from Zeiss, with their Zeiss Nano Prime 6-lens kit. Designed for the Sony E-Mount full-frame system, the Zeiss Nano Prime set comes with six T1.5 lenses – 18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm. Their small footprint and lightweight design make them an excellent lens kit for the videographer on the go and supplement each other perfectly as they all share the same gearing, front diameters, and aperture ranges. While they’re marketed as an entry-level lens kit, it’s still Zeiss, so it’s still going to cost you $25,950.
I also maybe fell in love with the Zeiss Nano prime line. If I were still working in production on the daily, the Nano primes would be my go-to prime set, no question about it. The focal range, matched t-stop across all focal lengths, electronics for real-time metadata communication to select cameras, and a form factor that keeps the CP.3 95mm front diameter (so you can keep your favorite matte box) and adds filter threads (in case you actually hate your matte box) in an adorably compact housing that won’t require you to join a gym just to so you can haul your glass around set are just a few of the features that made a big impression.
– Ally Aycock Patterson
New Product Development Director for Lensrentals.com
Freefly Systems Ember S2.5K
Likely not used in commercial situations but instead in scientific scenarios, the Freefly Ember S2.5K is a high-speed camera system that offers speeds up to 3500fps in 2.5K resolution. These speeds are pretty incredible, and even surpass our beloved VRI Phantom VEO4K systems we currently rent. While it’s unlikely these cameras are going to make their way into the next Hollywood production (Though I’m sure Zack Snyder would love something like this), it is still a powerful piece of tech worth mentioning here. The Freefly Ember S2.5K is available now for $24,995.
Atomos Ninja Phone
Atomos has always been known for making exceptional monitors and monitor recorders, but they’re now branched out, and giving you the option to use the monitor that’s in your pockets all day, with the Atomos Ninja Phone. While named the Ninja Phone, a phone it is not; instead, it’s an iPhone accessory that turns your iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max into a professional-grade monitor. While having a lot of great features needed in a monitor, like great brightness and contrast, it does have some limitations – most notability only recording in 1080p/60. Still an interesting tool, and available in June for $399.
DJI Avata 2
For the past year or so now, the DJI Avata has been the coolest drone you could buy, and DJI just upped the ante with their latest in fast-paced drone action with the DJI Avata 2. Offering a nice set of improvements over the original Avata, the Avata 2 expands its flight time to 23 minutes, its O4 Video transmission expands its transmission distance to 13km and at speeds up to 60Mbps, and now offers backward visual positioning – allowing you better flight accuracy and upgrades in positional safety. Finally, the Avata 2 features “Easy ACRO”, allowing you to flip, roll and do
180° Drifts through the press of a button. The DJI Avata 2 is available now for $999.
Insta360 X4 360 Camera
Insta360 has been quietly taking over the action camera segment for the past few years, offering exceptional action cameras with many of them offering 360 camera functionality included. Their latest offering, the Insta360 X4, continues in market segment domination with 8K30 functionality in a small 360 camera package. Offering 67% longer run time over the Insta360 X3, active HDR, and waterproof capabilities up to 33ft, the X4 has a broad use case beyond just an action camera strapped to the stem of your mountain bike. Scaling down to 4K, the Insta360 X4 gives you up to 100 fps in 360 mode, and if you’re using the photo functionality, the X4 gives you 72MP photo resolution. The Insta360 X4 should be available soon and for only $499.
Are there any products you think we missed? Feel free to chime in with what product is most exciting to you in the comments below.
