NAB 2013: 4K and RAW are trends we are excited about investing in, as more clients join the 4K revolution, says Jess Reese.

The world of cameras has been evolving at a staggering rate.

Sony and Arri have led the charge with the the PMW-F5, PMW-F55 and the Alexa XT, and it will be interesting to see if Sony adds anything to its range of camcorder to compliment the new XAVC codec. 

Hopefully Panasonic will be showing off the 4K camera it demonstrated at NAB last year, and there are plenty of rumours of new Canon cameras to be released, even though its C300 EF and PL models are still extremely popular.

I’m sure there will be some interesting surprise releases - especially after last year’s Blackmagic explosion - but I will be hitting the floor looking primarily for accessories to build around the recently released cameras. 

First up will be the phenomenal Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q (pictured, right).

It’s a great 7.7” OLED monitor with all the high-end features you’d expect like onboard LUTs, waveform and vectorscope.

But add to that an inbuilt quad splitter that can record and playback up to 4x compressed HD signals simultaneously, as well as the ability to handle ARRIRAW and Canon RAW - it really will be a multi functional/essential tool at an incredible price. 

Lens-wise, we’ve been keeping a close eye on Angenieux and are really excited to see their new Anamorphic Lens range.

Anamorphic lenses are increasingly being requested by DoPs and clients looking for that extra special look to make their work stand out.

With Arri committed to the 4:3 sensor in their Alexas, the future definitely looks wider.

I’m excited about the new Opteka EF mount which will be fully compatible with Sony F5 and F55 cameras, allowing them to access a whole new market with EF lenses.

This will be the first adaptor that allows full functionality including image stabilisation as well as dual focus and iris control.

Marshall also have a new 27” 2K/4K monitor with a built-in quad split, which will be great for new multi camera set ups.

They also have a new wireless range which will be great to test in person.

We are always looking for new lighting solutions and LED seems to be a serious contender with Dedolight having some very exciting new products up their sleeves. 

Last and by no means least, we are really looking forward to seeing the new Summicron-C lenses from Leica. 

Highlights for me will be the Angenieux Anamorphic Lenses working together with the new RAW capabilities Arri and Codex have released. Rigged with an Odyssey 7Q, it will be an awesome package. 

Jess Reese isoperations manager at S+O Media

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