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In other news – Ruby, Cooke and more

Ruby lens offers polished performance; Cooke extends /i Technology data tools; IDX simplifies hot swapping batteries; and Canon updates 5D firmware.

Sharp-cut Ruby wide-angle zoom lens

Focus Optics has developed a new wide zoom lens, the Ruby 14-24mm T2.8, which is claimed to be extremely sharp, especially at the wide end.

The Ruby is being exclusively distributed by Band Pro, and offers full coverage even for the F35 sensor. It weighs 1.36kg and measures 138mm long, with a front diameter of 110mm, and will accept a 102mm screw-in filter. The lens works on all 35mm PL mounted cameras, including the Sony F35, Arri, Red, and Canon D7, and fits the Canon D5 with an adapter.

Focus direction is reversed to go in the traditional cine direction and it offers longer focus travel at 126 degrees, using an anti-backlash design for accurate focus marks.

www.bandpro.com

Cooke garnishes /i technology lens data

Cooke Optics has added new functions to its /i Technology protocol for users of Cooke 5i prime lenses, which will provide additional lens and camera information,

The new functions allow data to transfer from third party external equipment to the lens, as well as from the lens to the camera, for recording with other metadata. The information can be stored in the camera or on an External Data Source Unit, and can include such data as 3D encoder information, details from electronic slates, or metadata from wireless devices such as iPhone apps.

The information can be particularly useful in post. “The streamlined transfer of data from the set, lenses and camera into post production makes accurate, high-quality VFX creation easier for everyone involved – cinematographers, VFX supervisors and VFX artists – as well as saving time and therefore money,” explained Michael Lancaster, managing director of The Pixel Farm, a development partner with Cooke for four years, whose PFTrack software integrates /i data.

“/i Technology is designed to be open access, and this set of functions takes that a step further,” added Les Zellan, chairman and owner, Cooke Optics. “The kind of data you can transfer is user-defined, so you can really record anything relevant or useful to you, as long as it fits into the allowed space – 60 characters with no carriage return.” The new functions are available immediately within new and existing Cooke 5i lenses.

www.cookeoptics.com

Hot-swap batteries on a plate

IDX Technology’s new A-E241E dual V-Mount battery plate can be fitted with two IDX V-mount batteries to give double the battery capacity for cameras and accessories. The plate has a universal V-Mount to fit a wide variety of broadcast cameras and equipment and is compatible with all IDX Endura System Lithium Ion batteries. It means that users will be able to hot-swap batteries without turning the camera off.

www.idx.tv

Canon updates 5D Mark II firmware

Canon has issued a new firmware update (Version 2.0.7) for its EOS 5D Mark II HD DSLR, mainly fixing a couple of exposure problems.

It fixes a problem where the aperture exhibits abnormal movement when shooting movies in manual exposure mode and Aperture Priority AE (Av mode) using some Canon lenses (such as macro lenses). This involves the aperture of the lens changing when the focusing ring is moved (during focusing). This sort of behaviour is often seen on zoom lenses with variable maximum apertures, where the aperture can change during zooming, but shouldn’t happen during focusing.

The other exposure problem applies to stills photography (where the exposure information shown in the LCD didn’t match what was shown in the viewfinder in manual exposure mode.) The update also fixes a problem with Canon’s Wireless File Transmitters.

web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos5dmk2/firmware.html