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|  Brian O’Carroll controlled the lens from inside the helicopter while capturing non-choreographed footage in Africa. Thales Angenieux 26x7.8 HD Lens Takes Flight In Africa Totowa, NJ (August 10, 2006) – Shooting video from a helicopter can be a complicated and sometimes even harrowing experience, but with the right lens it’s possible to get some amazing footage that can be an editor’s dream. On a recent shoot in Africa for the New York based UV Phactory, a design and production company, Brian O’Carroll, an award-winning New York-based DP, used his new Thales Angenieux 26x7.8 mm AIF HD ENG/EFP Telephoto Zoom Lens exclusively for capturing aerial footage, and he couldn’t have been more pleased with the flexibility of the lens and the results it achieved. “The assignment was to capture non-choreographed footage that included parallel lines with some negative space, if possible, for the client logo, some color contrast and a human element to show some scale,” said O’Carroll. “We were ‘fishing’ for shots and the Thales Angenieux lens was a brilliant fishing rod.” Using a Panasonic VariCamHD, O’Carroll shot 15 hours of footage in 36 hours of airtime over 12 days in and around Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, South Africa. The set-up for the aerial assignment involved installing the camera and lens in a Gyron gyro-stabilized nose mount attached to the front of the “Squirrel” Eurocopter, piloted by Gert Uys. O’Carroll controlled the lens from inside the helicopter. “The ability to zoom from 7.8-203mm (19.5-508 mm in 35mm equivalent) with this lens was fantastic. It’s an unprecedented range in both HD and film and I don’t believe there’s another lightweight HD lens that has such a range,” he said. Strong winds and banking maneuvers causing extreme physical vibration presented some restrictions and forced O’Carroll to pull back on the zoom at times, but when the helicopter was stable he was able to push the lens to the limit. “I chose this lens because of its incredibly wide range and this particular aerial assignment was a great example of ‘the perfect lens for the job’.” O’Carroll’s credentials include commercial, documentary and feature films as well as broadcast television. He has used Thales Angenieux lenses with his film cameras, and after hearing about the 26X HD video lens says he didn’t have to look any further after reviewing the specs. Global travel is a routine element of O’Carroll’s life. From South Africa, he next traveled to Houston, TX on assignment for BET with director Brendon Carter. He was there to shoot a bio documentary on Vince Young, the star quarterback from the University of Texas now with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Once again, the flexibility of the 26x7.8 HD lens was perfect for the job. “The ability of this lens to go from wide to tight and from shoulder to tripod quickly and easily is phenomenal,” said O’Carroll. “The camera was constantly going from the tripod to my shoulder and back again and the best part was I never had to take the lens off the camera once or fiddle with an additional base plate. I used the same lens for almost the entire 28 day shoot.” From the heart of America’s football country, O’Carroll was back to Africa on his next assignment for the Dallas based commercial production company, Explosive Shorts. The project was to shoot a pilot episode in HD for a travel show and included locations in South Africa, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe. According to O’Carroll, the lens easily withstood the constant travel rigors as well as the extreme heat and dust. “We captured footage of a lot of wild animals on this particular shoot and once again the 26x7.8 HD lens was ideal,” he said. “The lens maintains sharp focus, even on the long end, which is especially critical in the wild.” O’Carroll added that the images were rich and razor sharp. While O’Carroll is not certain where his next HD assignment will take him, he is certain that he will use his Thales Angenieux lens. About the 26x7.8 AIF HD ENG/EFP Lens The Thales Angenieux 26x7.8 AIF HD lens features the exclusive Assisted Internal Focus (AIF) capability, a focal range of 7.8mm to 203mm, (15.6mm to 406 mm with a 2x extender) and a fast aperture of f/2.2. Its digital features include a large variety of modes for zoom and focus servo controls; iris priority (the zoom range stops when the lens starts to ramp); anti-breathing mode to keep the field of view constant when focusing; auto-cruise (when zooming, pressing the AIF switch will cover the range at existing speed); and an RS232 serial interface for Digital remote control. |
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