US-based gear maker Zacuto, mainly known for their robust and high-quality camera accessories and, of course, the epic Emmy Award Winning series “The Great Camera Shootout“, recently announced two new flagship products – the Next Generation Recoil Rig and the superb Gratical HD EVF.
Both items are essential for any cinematographer & videographer, who spends more than 8-10 hours on a professional shooting day. Whether you’re shooting for TV, film, documentary, weddings or news, a balanced shoulder mounted rig will keep your shots relatively steady and allow you to shoot for a reasonable amount of time without experiencing any shoulder aches and fatigue.
The core of the Next Generation Recoil Rigs is the so-called VCT Universal baseplate. This is a universal tool that can be used for almost any available camera on the market today, from the tiniest mirrorless compact cameras to the ARRI Alexa or URSA sized monsters and everything in between. The Next Generation Recoil rig is designed for optimal balance and comfort when shoulder mounted, and it’s the perfect match for continuous handheld work. The rig can be easily fitted to a tripod as well.
The new Recoil Rig consists of five elements base, top, back, front and viewfinder that provide numerous combinations of setups for any camera.
- The top custom plates for cameras like the Canon C-Series and Sony F5/55 bolt directly to the camera frame offering a full array of accessory attachment points.
- The back of the VCT is tapped for Zacuto 15mm rods to mount power accessories like batteries, recorders, wireless units and more via our Zwiss Plate.
- The VCT baseplate also provides the balance of the rig by sliding the camera/lens forward or back.
- At the front of the rig, there are two essential sections: focus control and camera control.
- The viewfinder is a crucial element of any rig. The new generation Recoil Rig is compatible with any EVF on the market.
The Gratical EVF has been a long-awaited release, and it deserves some serious consideration. It comes in two versions – The Gratical HD version has a micro OLED display with 1280 x 1024 resolution and the Gratical LT with 1024 x 768 resolution. Both feature 4:3 aspect ratio, so you can move your video up and down and simultaneously having all the EVF settings such as histogram, waveform, vectorscope, battery life and more real estate in the open area of the display without overlaying the actual video image.
Gratical HD Product Update from Zacuto on Vimeo.
The Micro-OLED display supports high pixel density with unparalleled resolution, true blacks, gamma and contrast range. The Gratical HD has 5.4 million pixels on a 0.61” diagonal screen no bigger than the size of your thumbnail.
The Gratical EVF also features two HDMI and two SDI ports with a cross conversion from HDMI to SDI with weather resistant covers on top of the ports preventing moisture and dust getting inside. With an excellent field of view, extremely sharp image and the built-in -1 to +4 diopter range, the Gratical EVF outperforms many of the already established high-end competitive EVFs.
The Gratical HD EVF now can be pre-ordered at a reduced price of $3,600. The new Zacuto viewfinder is expected to start shipping on January 15th, 2015. After the release date, the retail price will be $3,800, and the reduced pre-order price will no longer be available.
[ via zacuto.com]
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