The new Q3 robotic pan/tilt/zoom/focus camera is designed to be used almost anywhere. It is fully IP45 rated for outdoor events, and comes in the unobtrusive compact spherical housing of its Q-Ball predecessor, making it barely noticeable if placed within view of other cameras.
The unit is 104mm high, 125mm in diameter and weighs 2.5kg, with a 1/3-inch 1920×1080 RGB Bayer progressive CMOS imager, and high-precision motorised pan/tilt/zoom/focus. An enhanced motor drive is claimed to match the precise acceleration and deceleration of much larger robotic heads when tracking moving performers on-air. The camera’s integral 20x optical zoom lens can be adjusted from maximum wide (59.4º) to full telescopic (3º) in just three seconds. Maximum focus time is 10 seconds.
Q3 can deliver live video in all common HD formats, interlaced and progressive, at up to 60Hz, selectable from the operator’s control panel. The motorised head can perform an unlimited number of 360º lateral rotations. Video can be transferred at 3Gbps (using an optional optical-interface) over high-quality slip rings to ensure complete freedom from cable snagging. Pan and tilt speed are adjustable from an ultra-slow 360º in 90 minutes to 90º per second. Motion control sequences of up to 25 seconds duration can be stored to internal non-volatile memory.
Other features include: genlock with remote timing adjustment; smooth on-air operation of iris and master black; manual and automatic white balance; minimum illumination of 0.5 lux (colour mode) or 0.02 lux (monochrome); gamma correction; 16-step edge enhancement; and a 2 to 1/10,000 second shutter.
