The Ace 500 HDMI wireless video transmitter and receiver set is the newest entry level wireless kit from Teradek. Priced at $900, the manufacturer promises a 500 foot (152 meter) range with this set for nearly $500 less than the nearest Bolt 500 LT HDMI pair (priced at $1,350). Who is the ACE 500 for and what do you give up in exchange for several hundred dollars in savings over their base Bolt 500 HDMI kit? Let’s find out.  Teradek ACE 500. Image Credit: Graham Sheldon Over the course of 14 consecutive shoot days in California and North Carolina, I put the ACE 500 duo through its paces. For monitoring, I used both the Bolt 703 and the newer FOCUS Bolt 500 RX monitor. Any of the integrated Bolt monitors and Bolt 500 XT/LT  series also work with the ACE 500. Initial Impressions When you hold the ACE 500 HDMI TX/RX, its weight will reveal immediately that the chassis is not built from the milled aluminum you would recognize from the Bolt LT/XT series. It feels plasticky to the touch. As a longtime Bolt user myself I don’t think the ACE 500 would hold up over years of use in a rental environment. For high volume rentals, you’ll want the more rugged Bolt series. If you’re a careful owner/op though, then you’ll find the build quality of the ACE 500 adequate for longterm use. Like most of you, I’m not a fan of HDMI in general. It just isn’t as robust as SDI/BNC connectors, but we live in a world where nearly every camera includes HDMI output, so it seems for now we’re stuck with it. I will say the included HDMI cable is sturdy.  It fits snugly and securely in its input. It would be nice to see an HDMI lock accessory in the future from either Teradek or a 3rd party for the ACE 500 (and for everything they make with an HDMI port). Pairing the ACE 500 with any integrated bolt monitor is absurdly fast and user-friendly. It took me roughly 3-min to pair. Manual? What manual? Once you’re paired, you shouldn’t need to do it again, even after its batteries die or moving the transmitter to other cameras. For example, if you have to swap the battery on the monitor, simply power the monitor back up and the wireless connection will automatically re-establish after perhaps 15 seconds. You’ll still need a paperclip to start pairing the transmitter, but I’m hoping Teradek will eventually integrate bluetooth based pairing across the board like in their upcoming Bolt 4K system. Fingers crossed there. The ACE 500 HDMI TX/RX Kit ships with the following: Ace 500 Transmitter 18″ Ultra Thin HDMI Cable D-Tap Power Cable Ace 500 Receiver Mini-USB to USB Cable 18″ Ultra Thin HDMI Cable AC Power Cable Ace 500 transmitting to the Bolt 703 monitor (pictured). Image Credit: Graham Sheldon. Range I tested the promised 500 foot (line of sight) range while filming with the Canon C300 and the FOCUS Bolt 500 RX.  The advertised 500-foot range seems pretty spot on. The monitor image starts to slowly break up well before you lose the signal or experience delay (at around 500 feet ), so you have ample visual warning and the signal won’t just drop out on you. Most of the Teradek products these days are billed as being “zero delay,” and I can attest that you can absolutely pull wireless focus with this setup.  However,  you may find a full 1920 x1 080 7″ monitor easier on your eyes in that particular situation. More on this later. When filming interiors, we also never experienced any signal dropout, despite the transmitter and monitor leaving line-of-sight on multiple occasions. Castles and historic homes may be different, but the range should be fine for most applications on a soundstage or in a modern suburban home. We also did a quick test in a hot air balloon (pictured above with the Bolt 703 on the receiving end), and I’m happy to stamp the ACE 500 “hot air balloon approved.” In case that was the one thing you were holding out for… Power Personally, I tend to use D-Tap cables for powering all on-camera accessories, but you can also power the transmitter or receiver with optional Sony L-Series, BP-U, BP-9 or Canon LP-E6 plates. The D-Tap option requires a D-Tap on one end to 1 x barrel (7 to 17 VDC) cable on the other, but the barrel connector isn’t quite as robust as a locking lemo connector. My guess is the lemo connection was likely cut to save on overall production costs. Generally, just pay attention to your cable management, anything and you shouldn’t have any problems. On the Canon C300 I found myself most often mounting the ACE 500 directly to the gold mount battery plate. Image Credit: Graham Sheldon FOCUS Bolt 500 RX The FOCUS Bolt 500 RX monitor (pictured bottom left) deserves a dedicated review, but it works so well with the ACE 500 system I wanted to include a few thoughts on the monitor itself here. From an investment perspective, the FOCUS Bolt 500 RX/ACE 500 combination makes a lot of sense. If you buy an ACE 500 transmitter for $494.00 and a FOCUS Bolt 500 RX kit for $1,499.00, then you’ll have a contained wireless video package for around $2,000 with shipping/tax. (I wish something like this had existed when I was first starting out.) I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this monitor. It’s 5 inches and sports the same great director handles as the larger Bolt 703, but it tops out at 720p resolution and 800 nits. For comparison, the Bolt 703 monitor is full HD and features a whopping 3000 nit panel. That brightness comes at a premium price tag though, and the Bolt 703 is twice the price of the FOCUS Bolt 500 RX. The 5″ FOCUS is just so darn handy to have on set though. I found myself carrying it around and tweaking light levels, and I even handed it to the boom operator at one point, so he could keep an eye on frame line for the boom. It weighs about a pound with the L battery mounted and it’s perfect for directors on run & gun shoots, who want to verify their coverage. One drawback of the FOCUS Bolt 500 RX for me is the L battery requirement. I’m sure many out there have a wide range of L batteries laying around, but as a predominantly Canon C series user myself, I would personally love a BP or LP-E6 option, but this is a small quibble. Of course, both the Cine 7 RX and the Bolt 703 have V-mount and gold mount power plates if you’re looking for integrated bolt monitors with larger battery capacity. Obviously, this wouldn’t be the monitor you’d use for pulling focus or to reference a DP’s final visual word before you roll.  For that, you’ll want the full HD resolution, brightness, and screen size of the Bolt 703 or a Cine 7. As part of the Creative Solutions umbrella, Teradek and SmallHD are creating really impressive product collaborations. I’m starting to get a bit of an Apple vibe from the whole thing, which extends to their packaging with Indiana Jones quotes. One benefit of the Apple ecosystem is the seamless intercommunication in all of the company’s hardware, and I would be delighted if more of my camera-related technology took on that challenge. Final Thoughts If you’re just getting into the world of wireless video, then you should be well served with the ACE 500 kit. The whole system really shines when you add any of the integrated bolt SmallHD monitors to the equation and the price point makes it especially appealing to owner/operators. Size comparison between the Bolt 500 LT (SDI/LT) and the HDMI ACE 500. Please note the antenna are not attached on the Bolt 500 LT. Pros: Price – A few hundred dollars cheaper than the Bolt 500 LT HDMI only version It works – I’m able to get a 500ft line of site wireless video Power – Tons of power options beyond D-Tap Compatibility – Works with integrated Bolt 500, XT, and LT, as well as SmallHD monitors with integrated Bolt wireless technology Cons:  Build Quality – Doesn’t have the same bulletproof feel of the more expensive Bolt 500 LT Lack of Lemo Connector What do you think? Will you be adding the ACE 500 to your kit? Comment below!

We’ve heard promises of salt water batteries and sodium ion batteries, but for the foreseeable future lithium ion batteries aren’t going anywhere. Everyone needs them and they make airlines nervous. When they work you don’t think about them and when they unexpectedly fail you end up with a really hot brick. So, when I heard there was someone innovating in the space I thought I needed to see what Bebob batteries were all about. When I  first received the new Bebob Amicro battery series in gold mount for testing I was intrigued. They’re small (easily 40% of the size of comparable Wh batteries), but do they hold up under the rigors of filming in the field?   Image Credit: Graham Sheldon Bebob Amicro Battery: Battery manufacturer Bebob, based out of Germany, does seem to be trying to break the mold when it comes to their batteries and they recently created a new B-mount for ARRI cameras that looks rock solid. With the new Amicro line, in my opinion, the three banner features are the size, impact resistance and the nifty twist D-Tap port. Luckily the batteries arrived just in time for a few upcoming shows where I’d often be shouldering the camera. I spent almost two weeks on two separate series using primarily the A150 and A90 mounted on a Canon C300 MK II and a Small HD Bolt 703 monitor. For charging I used the Bebob AS2 2-Position Charger. Bebob also sent me a smaller A45 (43 Wh) battery for review that I used primarily with smaller handheld monitors. Image Credit: Stephen Napolitano In terms of style we are still dealing with a black cube here and the batteries arrived with a large silver sticker affixed to the outside already starting to peel off at the base. Not an auspicious start, but I don’t spend a ton of time thinking about style when it comes to my battery purchases and I’ve actually had issues in the past building out camera bodies with some of the stranger non cubed designs out there. Size: The batteries are so small coming out of the box that I initially felt that engineering corners must have been cut somewhere to give me such a small battery.  The 98Wh Bebob battery is significantly smaller than the recently discontinued 2 lbs Anton Bauer Digital 90 and has similar power specs across the board — with the addition of a 5v USB port in the case of the Bebob battery. I don’t usually depend on the battery weight alone to keep my camera well balanced and so the smaller size/weight was very, very welcome. This is the major feature of the Amicro line. It’s… micro. So, if small/size and weight are a major consideration for you then these batteries are already off to a promising start as a potential solution. Build Quality/Design: These batteries are rated by the manufacturer to survive falls from 4.9 feet. While I decided not to drop the batteries directly onto concrete during testing I do think they can take a beating. Over the course of two weeks I filmed in a variety of environments and temperatures and none of the three strengths of Bebob batteries I had with me exhibited any issues. Another design standout is the twist D-Tap port that allows any male D-Tap cable to be inserted in either direction. A tiny feature, but one that should be universally adopted on all cinema focused batteries going forward in my opinion. Battery Life: Battery life will obviously vary from camera to camera and Premium Beat has a great article breaking down how to judge power consumption with your particular setup. In my case, I was using the A150 while powering a Canon C300MK II w/Teradek ACE 500 wireless transmitter and got almost seven straight hours of shooting time before having to swap batteries. Always useful to have USB charging options while on location. While obviously similar to what I’d get from any other 150-ish Wh battery I’m not taking the added weight over those seven hours, which is a plus. For comparison, here is the weight breakdown of a few other 150 Wh batteries on the market: Bebob A150: 1.8 lbs Anton Bauer Digital 150: 2.6 lbs Anton Bauer Titon 150: 2.4lbs Core SWX HyperCore 150Wh: 2.4lbs Anton Bauer CINE 150: 2.7lbs I should note that a few other brands such as Fxlion, IndiPRO and Hawk Woods are starting to come to market with other small sized cinema batteries that are all listed as being competitive in terms of weight. Twist D-Tap port in action. Cost:  Batteries may not be the “sexiest” of camera purchases, but they are obviously 100% necessary and pricing is always a consideration. Here is the cost breakdown for the three Bebob batteries I tested: A150: $395.00 A98: $325.00 A45: $245.00 Bebob has priced the micro versus non-micro batteries very close to one another with online retailers. For example, the micro version of the 98 Wh battery is only $5.00 more when compared to the non-micro. The micro version even allows a slightly larger Maximum Load of 10A, versus 8A from the larger 98 Wh version. So, from where I stand if you’re going to invest in Bebob batteries then you should go for the micro versions.  When you look at the costs from Anton Bauer for roughly the equivalent Wh batteries — the new Titon 90 is currently priced at $318.00 and the Titon 150 is priced at a hefty $517.00. Image Credit: Jonathan Michals Conclusion: The Bebob Amicro are small, they work, they charge your phone, and they have an idiot proof D-tap port. What more could you want from a battery? Truthfully once you’ve spent time with 150 Wh batteries this tiny it is a little tough to go back to anything bigger. The most exciting prospect for me is that perhaps battery companies will now start competing for who can fit the highest capacity batteries into the smallest packages. What do you think? Are these micro/high Wh batteries worth adding to your kit? Comment below!

The new Preston Hand Unit 4 (HU4) made an appearance at Cine Gear and there is lots to love right off the bat. For one, the unit now features a huge 4.63″ (diagonal) daylight viewable touchscreen and is 35% lighter than its predecessor the Hu3. Howard Preston from Preston Cinema Systems gave us the inside scoop in an interview on the show floor:  There are tons of improvements with the new system across the board when compared to the previous generation. In particular I found the touch screen FIZ controls (Focus/Iris/Zoom), to be very intuitive in the brief floor demo and the squeeze and expand hand motion makes lots of sense to anyone who has used a smartphone over the last five years.  Focus assist integration with the Light Ranger 2 on the handgrip is well thought out and you don’t have to let go of the grip to switch from manual to autofocus control on the LR2. The micro force zoom control is included this time around and isn’t a paid upgrade like in the previous generation. The Hu4 will also allow you to transfer lens library data to and from your cell phone using bluetooth with an updater module attached to the lemo port. Simply turn the red portion of the knob (pictured) to adjust knob drag. The HU4 seems able to withstand a fair amount of punishment (especially in the form of moisture) and Howard Preston mentioned that the touch screen interface actually helped make the device more weather sealed overall. You can also control the overall menu using the joystick. Everything remains backwards compatible with past motor drivers from Preston like the MDR-3 and MDR-4. Image Credit: Preston   The Hu4 weighs in at 2.4lb when you include the Sony alpha series NP-FZ-100 battery needed to power the device. The company is also teasing camera control for specific brands of cameras, so it will be interesting to see if that comes to fruition in the near future. Interestingly their manual for the HU4 specifically highlights camera control for the Sony VENICE as “coming soon.” For more information you can visit the Preston Cinema Systems website HERE. What do you think? Does the HU4 make you want to pull the trigger on a Preston Cinema Systems focus, iris and zoom kit? Comment below!

K5600 Lighting, an HMI based company that has previously shown a hesitation towards LED tech, is now diving head first into LED lighting with three new lights: a panel, fresnel and Joker style LED.  With the new Joker 300 LED, Alpha 300 and LED panel we now have a complete LED based ecosystem from K5600. Both the Joker 300 and Alpha 300 have similar internals built around a Bi-Color matrix LED chip and both boast a 95+ CRI. Kelvin is adjustable using the new ballast system from 2700 to 6500 degrees kelvin. Both lights are also compatible with wired and wireless DMX using Lumen Radio’s protocol. Let’s break down each of the new lights below and their features starting first with the Joker 300. The Joker 300 head has a familiar Joker2 matte black look. Image Credit: Graham Sheldon Joker 300:  If you’ve used a Joker HMI fixture before you’ll find lots of familiarity with this new LED version. Four light shaping options are available including parabolic beamer, lenses, soft box and an ellipsoid spot. This light is also compatible with all Joker 400 lenses and the barndoors. Depending on configuration you’ll find a similar output to the Joker 400 HMI from the Joker 300 LED according to the manufacturer. Alpha 300 head from K5600. Image Credit: Graham Sheldon Alpha 300:  Based on the Alpha 800 HMI, the Alpha 300 has the crisp highlight and shadow qualities that you’d expect from a fresnel and you can adjust the beam angle from 5 to 55 degrees. The front lends is 6.9″ in diameter and uses PlanoConvex optics. The new K5600 LED panel lights shown here in 4×4 formation. Image Credit: Graham Sheldon K5600 Panel Lights:  The company showed off a 4×4 connected version at Cine Gear, but the system is modular and comes in 4′ x 1′ (300W), 4′ x 6′ (150W) 2′ x 1′ (150W or 2′ x 6″ (75W) panel sizes. Each of the sizes are less than 1.35″ thick. Like with the Alpha 300 and Joker 300 you can expect an adjustable Kelvin range from 2700-6500 here too. The system has an interlocking male/female design allowing for multiple units to be connected. There are also corner holes for connecting to drywall and 3/8″ positive locking pins for additional mounting options. All panels include a 3′ Head Cable that are backwards compatible with past head cables from K5600. All panels are DMX controllable using the same Lumen Radio protocol. K5600 additionally debuted two LED ballasts and a splitter at Cine Gear that seem very easy to control based on my short demo time on the show floor. The company also teased that the ballasts will allow for a full color upgrade sometime in the future, but notes that output will be affected with a full color solution. What do you think? Are you surprised that K5600 decided to move into the world of LED lighting or is that a natural evolution for the HMI manufacturer? Comment below!

Operating heavy cameras over long shoot days can be hard on the body and there are several products on the market that aim to transfer the weight of the camera to your hips.  The Ergorig takes a unique approach to that weight transfer in a form factor that stays fairly compact. I stopped by the Ergorig booth at Cine Gear to give the new support system a try.  I personally shoot on the shoulder all the time throughout a variety of different genres and the act of carrying a heavy camera takes a toll by the end of the filming day. Standing at 6ft 2 inches I’ve struggled in the past with other support options on the market that raise my height as much as a foot or more (door frames were not designed for this). Note the adjustable straps and ability for quick height adjustments using the center knobs. The Ergorig gives you what amounts to a second spine and prevents you from hunching over while maintaining a form factor that doesn’t extend much beyond your normal body size. It forces good posture and has a nifty shoulder design that floats the camera slightly off the shoulder, but not to the extent that I felt like I was losing control over the shot. At $1850.00 it also comes in slightly cheaper than several camera support competitors, but it obviously wouldn’t help you with the weight of a gimbal, for example. For now it only comes in two sizes (standard and small) though you are able to make incremental adjustments to fit your particular measurements beyond those two core sizes. The Ergorig weighs just 5lbs and took only a minute or two to size and put on. During a quick show floor demonstration, led by Jesse Feldman from Ergorig, I shouldered an Alexa that weighed in at about 37 lbs while wearing the Ergorig and it definitely transferred the weight in a positive way. I’d love to see how the rig fairs under constant use over a period of months. We’ll reserve final judgement until we’re able to get our hands on a unit for a full review, but early signs are promising. For more information on the Ergorig you can visit the manufacturers website HERE. What do you think? Does this seem like a good solution for those long shoot days of filming with a shouldered camera? Let us know in the comments below!

It’s been a few years of development but the Cinefade VariND recently started shipping and we had a chance at Cine Gear to catch up with Oliver Christiansen, the inventor of the Cinefade, for a hands on demonstration and to see how the system has progressed. The device looks promising and can deliver more features beyond its signature Cinefade effect (the ability to control depth of field independently from exposure). Details below:  My colleague, Tim Fok, recently broke down all the key specs in his article available HERE. The Cinefade is designed to work with compatible 2-stage matteboxs and is powered by LBUS cable.  In general, the entire system seems quick to setup and having a variable ND (obviously useful for cameras lacking internal ND) and a rotating polarizer (great for car to car) is very useful in my opinion. Control unit for the Cinefade system. Image Credit: Graham Sheldon While the depth of field effect outlined in the video is admittedly very cool it may not see use all the time on set and thus the addition of the polarizer and ND capabilities make this a device that could certainly live on the front of the camera over weeks of filming. That being said, all these features do come with a cost and pricing ranges from $6655 to $8885 depending on the kit you select. As that price point this is likely to be a rental item for most and it will be interesting to see how DP’s and Directors adopt the Cinefade depth of field effect in their projects going forward. Already several films and television projects have found unique ways to use the system and you can find which projects the device has been used on HERE. The Cinefade LBUS power port. Image Credit: Graham Sheldon The full system is available for purchase directly from Cinefade HERE. What do you think? In what ways would you use the Cinefade effect to enhance your story? Comment below!

After a successful Kickstarter to fund the 100-C, Hive Lighting is expanding their LED lineup with the 575-C. In terms of output, the light is roughly a 1 to 1 (in terms of watts) equivalent to a 575 watt HMI (or a 2,000 W Incandescent), and is compatible with all C-series accessories. This is welcome news for those who look to the Hive Lighting LED line for quality single point hard color fixtures. Details below:  While RGB panel lights are certainly having their moment, Hive Lighting occupies a unique segment within the LED community of lights. Previously the drawback to these lights was that their output ceiling was the equivalent of a 1K tungsten fixture (with the Hornet 200-C) and that makes lighting large multi-subject scenes tricky.  At 5 ft, Hive Lighting rates the 575-C at a 4,500fc or 51,667 lux — which is a ton of punch and roughly 2.5 times brighter than the 200-C. Even at 575 watts we still don’t have quite the punch needed for placing these lights outside of windows during a daylight scene. For that, you’d want a 1600 or an 1800 watt+ HMI or something in the realm of a 4K or 5K+ tungsten unit. However, the fact that Hive Lighting has continued to push the output envelope while remaining compatible with their full line of accessories is welcome news. Here is a list of technical highlights from the 575-C: 4″ x 11″ and 5.5 lbs. Head 10″ x  9″ x  4″ and 9 lbs. Power Supply 550 Watts 90 – 264 VAC Profoto Mount Compatible (just like other C-Series lights) Hive C-Series Accessories Compatible 0-100% dimming Wired and Wireless DMX (Lumen Radio/CRMX) Bluetooth App for iPhone and Android increased range. Preset Effects Planned Price Point: Somewhere in the realm of $5,000 depending on the retailer. What do you think? Does the increased output make the Hive Lighting range more attractive for your next project? Let us know in the comments below!  

Accessories manufacturer Wooden Camera has had several iterations of their popular directors monitor cage over the years and they just debuted their third version of the cage at Cine Gear 2019. We had a chance to give the new cage a try with the help of Wooden Camera President, Ryan Schorman. Details below:  With manufactures like SmallHD adding handles to many of their Focus and Bolt lines of monitors, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that many companies (notably Convergent Design and Atomos) still need suitable rigging to make their monitors easy to handle. The new Director’s Monitor Cage v3 works with any monitor up-to 9 inches (measured diagonally) and also leaves room for several wireless video receivers behind a handy swing away back battery panel. Wooden Camera has moved away from the wooden handles of the v2 and towards a more maneuverable carbon fiber handle design (image below) with the v3. Perhaps a name change to Carbon Fiber Camera is in the works? Either way, the new handles are a welcome change, though perhaps less stylish than their predecessors. The single monitor version of the cage includes a wide variety of accessories such as: Offset Adapters Lots of 1/4-20 Mounting Points Sunshade (easily attached with a snap button system) Gold Mount/V-Mount Screws Neck Strap Convergent Design Mounting Screws The Director’s Monitor Cage v3 also comes in a dual monitor configuration, but that is slightly more expensive ($599) versus the single monitor version ($299). This obviously isn’t a full field review, but at first glance, this seems like a solid option for those with older SmallHD monitors that don’t include handles and an integrated video receiver or for those using monitors that require a bit of rigging. What do you think? Will the Director’s Monitor Cage v3 find a space in your kit? Is it worth upgrading from the v3? Comment below!