South African rig manufacturer, 3DRigs, has debuted the Pro Light 3D, which at just 7kg, is designed for handheld and Steadicam operation. The Pro Light comes in two flight cases (rig and beam splitter) and can be set up in under five minutes, according to the vendor. It is capable of carrying cameras up to 5 kgs each. ‘Once cameras have been locked onto the rig’s dovetail plates, the electronic quick alignment tools allow rig alignment to be achieved in under five minutes Lens changes and realignment checks are really fast with the slide in, slide out beam splitter configuration, and should take no longer than three minutes. “We have maintained the rigidity of our Pro Ultra Rig in the new lightweight version to ensure that cameras maintain their alignment during operation,” comments Russ Bowden, CEO, 3DRigs.com. New operating software allows control of positive and negative parallax. Parallax depth percentage is the measurement of the ratio of separation, on the far and near points in a frame, to the width of the screen. “The software controls and drives highly accurate inter axial and convergence motors that maintain set positive and negative parallax percentages even during live convergence pulls. While this may appear complex, the GUI is easy to understand and operate and quick to master,” says Bowden. Operating software versions will be available for iPad, iPhone, tablets and smart phones running on Android. These systems will allow the rig to be run hard wired or remotely. 3DRigs is also introducing an optical reader that can be attached to any zoom lens and will allow a technician to calibrate the zoom lenses and feed focal length information back into the rig control system, information necessary to make real-time correction of zoom tracking errors. The first units will be ready for shipping in mid-February.
