The International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (InterBee) was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba just outside of Tokyo. The show for professional audio, video, and communications equipment, peripheral applications and technological solutions showcases the latest industry developments giving both visitors and exhibitors and idea about the current market and where things are heading.

There were some pretty cool and exciting releases in the broadcast sector which I’ll touch on a little later… but first let’s take a look at the DSLR kits which just recently broke into the broadcast and professional market.

 

Zacuto
Zacuto’s DSLR Sniper, (pictured above), complete with matte box and follow focus. For me this kit is too complicated and I’m pretty sure I could figure out a better way to spend $3,402.90 USD.

I’m a fan of Zacuto mainly for the Z-Finder which is a “must have” if you’re shooting video. Zacuto appeared in a couple booths and they seemed to be getting a good response..

 

 

Vocas
Netherlands based Vocas has been manufacturing matte boxes and shoulder mount kits for HDV cameras for years so I was hoping to see a decent DSLR kit from them to keep up with the competition. The Vocas guys are super nice people and they take great pride in their work. Did you know that besides manufacturing matte boxes, Vocas services equipment and specializes in pixel fault repairs?

The Vocas kit is simple, solid and seems to adjust easily to the comfort of the user. I particularly like the padded leather hand grips.

While the follow focus itself works well, I’m not sold on the gear ring that fits around the lens. I know that it’s nearly impossible to make a gear ring to fit every lens out there… but the zip-tie deal wasn’t doing it for me.

 

 

Redrock Micro
I’m not sure what these guys are thinking about. What’s the deal with rails all over the place? How are you even supposed to see what’s going on with two rails directly over the viewfinder? The only thing I saw decent from RedRock is the gear ring for the follow focus. Not the follow focus… just the ring.

 

 

German Dream Team
By far the most beautiful DSLR kit I’ve seen - and it just occurred to me that all of the components besides the camera are German. Starting with the tripod: Sachtler FSB-8 - top of the line. Nothing compares to Sachtler and if you’re shooting video with your DSLR then by all means use a fluid head tripod meant for video and not stills. There’s a huge difference.

The Arri swing away matte box system allows you to change the prime lens without disassembling the entire system. Saves a lot of time on the shoot!

Carl Zeiss compact prime 50mm lens and Chrosziel follow focus - it doesn’t get any smoother. Smooth not only feels sweet to the fingertips… it prevents camera shake when pulling focus.

I’m not sure what the green piece is between the lens and the camera. I assume it’s an adapter but I didn’t catch the make or model number. If you have an idea please let me know.

 

 

Panchro by Cooke
Panchro by Cooke is the latest range of lenses from Cooke Optics, due to ship late in 2009. Below, Cooke’s 25mm PANCHRO Lens which is priced at $7,400 USD! and a Chrosziel matte box and follow focus. Once again I’m not sure what the green part is and I’d really like to know.

 

Check my DSLR Gear Store for all kinds of goodies. I’ll post more info and photos from InterBee 2009 including broadcast video developments and updates on the, “Tapeless Format War,” - Sony PMW-350 vs. Ikegami HDS-V10