Polecam Announces Major Expansion To Its Product Range

Major additions to the Polecam product range made their first British exhibition at BVE.
Polecam introduced to UK broadcasters and programme-makers the GoalCam and StadiumCam sports OB system, the 3D-capable Head and the Theia MY125M ultra-wide-angle effects lens. An enhanced version of the industry-standard Polecam truly-portable production rig will make its world-first appearance.
Polecam, a leading innovator of compact mobile systems for digital film and television content creation, has announced a major new addition to its product range. Incorporating GoalCam and StadiumCam, it allows highly efficient outside broadcast coverage of stadium sports such as rugby, soccer and hockey.
Jeremy Curtis, Polecam Sales & Marketing Manager, said: "The Toshiba cameras we provided to Camera Corps for coverage of the 2010 World Cup in South africa caused a sensation during the England team's defeat by Germany at Bloemfontein when 26 million viewers saw Frank Lampard's goal disallowed because the referee and his assistant had their attention elsewhere. The referee expressed due astonishment during video replay at half-time but still didn't grant the goal!"
A key element of the GoalCam and StadiumCam system is that it can be brought to site, installed and dismantled much more easily than traditional heavyweight kit. It is also ideal for use in combination with one or more Polecam portable rigs. The system consists of two GoalCams and one StadiumCam. Each camera incorporates a 1/3 inch CMOS HD-SDI imager allowing the use of ultra-wide-angle lenses with high corner resolution. Both GoalCams are fitted with 125 degree low-distortion lenses giving images of the entire goal mouth without the barrel distortion commonly experienced at such wide angles. StadiumCam is equipped with a 170 degree dishy lens and, like the GoalCams, can deliver 1080i line resolution at 50/59.94Hz. An optional downcoverter is available to provide SD-SDI output where required.
All three cameras plus two auxiliary cameras can be controlled from a single Polecam RCP remote control panel. The GoalCams and StadiumCam incorporate individual data receivers allowing full control of camera functions, including motorised iris adjustment, The data signal can be sent along standard audio cable, over optical fibre or via a radio microphone link. Control data can also be embedded into, or extracted from, an HD-SDI stream.
Each GoalCam is supplied with a fully adjustable bracket equipped with a weather housing, available in white or carbon fibre effect. The bracket allows the camera to be positioned in the corner of a goal and will re-stabilise quickly if the net is struck by a ball. Suspended from a single point, the mount is also designed to prevent injury by flexing if a player collides with it. The 125 degree lens allows the entire goal mouth to be seen even when the output video is cropped from 16:9 to 4:3. This gives commentators the ability to report accurately that a ball has indeed crossed the line.
Weighing less than 500 grammes, StadiumCam can be positioned overhead, at a halfway line or at a corner of the pitch. With 5 megapixels equivalent optical resolution, its 170 degree lens allows the entire crowd and stadium to be encompassed in a single view. The size and weight of this system provides health and safety with far less headaches than traditional sized cameras.
The Polecam 3D-capable Head was also demonstrated at the show. Supplied with all new Polecam systems since its launch at NAB 2010, the 3D-capable Head allows extremely realistic stereoscopic content to be produced from paired HD mini-cameras and lesnes such as the Toshiba IK-HD1 and the HRO69. attaching directly to all standard Polecam rigs, the 3D-mounting Plate is optimised for normal studio shooting and close-ups where it is desirable to march normal human eye spacing. Setup is quick and easy, conforming with Polecam's strategy of ensuring high mobility and operational efficiency. A levelling plate with three fine-adjustment verniers allows each camera to be exactly matched in height and forward angle.
Steffan Hewitt, Polecam Founder and Managing Director, said: "The Polecam system is fully 3D-ready. Using unobtrusive minicams eliminates the need for a comparatively massive and complex 'mirror rig'. Our cameras and lenses can easily be brought closer than the optimum 65mm interocular distance. A wider version is available for producers who want a greater distance between cameras. The 3D-Head retains the freedom to achieve sweeping dynamic vertical and broad lateral camera movement without sacrificing fast and easy tools-free set-up and dismantling and the high efficiency which results from the true portability."
Also showing at BVE was the Theia MY125M ultra-wide-angle effects lens. Designed for use with 1/3 inch single-CCD or CMOS cameras of up to 5 megapixel resolution, the C-mounting MY125M captures a massive 125 degree horizontal filled of view with high geometric precision and 10cm to infinity focal depth. Aperture is manually adjustable between F1.8 and fully closed. The mY125M weighs just 100 grammes, is 54mm in length and 36mm in diameter and can be used across a temperature range of -20 to +60 Celsius. Being a rectilinear lens, the image is top-down so the camera must be mounted upside-down or the output inverted electronically. With less than 3 per cent barrel distortion, the MY125M's geometric accuracy is incomparably superior to traditional fisheye lenses, allowing production in confined spaces such as a car. The MY125M was a stellar performer in Toshiba's SPACE CHAIR Project when it delivered broadcast-quality video in combination with a Toshiba IK-HR1S camera from the edge of space, 98,000 feet above the Nevada desert.
The Polecam rig was also shown at BVE. The rig has enhancements that are now standard features. These include new low-friction bearings in the pan and tilt mechanisms, delivering significantly improved performance especially at slow speeds.
(KMcA)