Axiom Images News & Updates

First Glimpse of Pictorvision's "Mini-Eclipse"

Mini-Eclipse Aerial and Ground Head

 

Shortly before NAB '14, Pictorvision announced a new stabilized system for ground and air: the Mini-Eclipse. Now we've been sent the first rendered image of the new system.

 

From the press release:

Pictorvision, the leaders in gyro stabilized camera systems, is pleased to announce the mini-Eclipse™, the first compact head designed specifically for both the air and ground. This breakthrough is made possible by the next generation of stabilization technology: Gen-V™.

The press release reveals little about the system's capabilities and the "Gen-V" technology behind it, but given the track record with Pictorvision's current system, the Eclipse, this announcement is very exciting for a multitude of reasons.

 

Soon productions will be able to use the same stabilized head on cranes and camera cars, and then move over to the helicopter for absolutely stable aerial shots. Not having to bring in a separate head and crew for simple aerial shots has long been at the top of producers’ wish lists, and with the Gen-V breakthrough, we’re excited to finally be able to satisfy that need.

Aerial systems have often been used for ground units on cranes, cars, etc., and vice versa with ground heads being used on aerials, though often unsuccessfully. Pictorvision's Multicam Array System has been used for ground production units on Avengers 2: The Age of Ultron and, recently, Jurassic Park 4: Jurassic World.

 

multi-cam array
Pictorvision's Multi-Cam Array

 

Until this announcement, there had yet to be a system designed for both ground and air and the Mini-Eclipse will potentially be a huge benefit to productions that require the dual purpose of a ground/aerial system. With this system, operators would be able to transition from ground to air, and vice versa, on the same production with no additional learning curve.

Additionally, there are no ITAR restrictions – which means that every customer will have the advantage of capturing the most stabilized images available, anywhere in the world, without being concerned with US export restrictions.

The current Eclipse does have ITAR restrictions, which prevents it from being shipped to certain countries. The Mini-Eclipse will be a global competitor along with the Cineflex Ultra/Elite and the Shotover F1/K1.

 

When asked for a comment about the camera and lens payload capabilities of the Mini-Eclipse, Tom Hallman added:

"The Mini-Eclipse's open architecture will allow for all commonly used lens and camera payloads, including the Epic with a 12:1."

There's no indication whether or not the system will be available for sale or strictly rentals, like the Eclipse. The press release hints that the system is going to be more affordable than the current offerings, which hopefully will help smaller budget productions produce aerials.

Not only will the Mini-Eclipse offer superior performance compared to current technologies, but its elegant design and fewer active components will result in lower overall costs.

According to Tom Hallman, there will be a prototype of the Mini-Eclipse on display at Pictorvision's booth at Cine Gear. Cine Gear exhibits run June 6-7th at Paramount Studios.

 

Here's the entire announcement, which can also be found here on Pictorvision's site: Pictorvision Mini-Eclipse Announcement

Pictorvision Announces the MINI-ECLIPSE Stabilized Aerial and Ground Head

 

Van Nuys, California – April 2, 2014 – Pictorvision, the leaders in gyro stabilized camera systems, is pleased to announce the mini-Eclipse™, the first compact head designed specifically for both the air and ground. This breakthrough is made possible by the next generation of stabilization technology: Gen-V™.

 

“Ever since we launched our full-sized Eclipse™ system, the market has been asking us to release a smaller version dedicated to the new digital cinema cameras,” said Tom Hallman, President of Pictorvision. “They also repeatedly asked us to make a version to support the needs of the ground market with the same level of performance as our Academy and SOC award-winning Eclipse. We listened, and the result is the mini-Eclipse.”

 

Not only will the mini-Eclipse offer superior performance compared to current technologies, but its elegant design and fewer active components will result in lower overall costs.

 

Hallman adds, “Soon productions will be able to use the same stabilized head on cranes and camera cars, and then move over to the helicopter for absolutely stable aerial shots. Not having to bring in a separate head and crew for simple aerial shots has long been at the top of producers’ wish lists, and with the Gen-V breakthrough, we’re excited to finally be able to satisfy that need.”

 

“Recognizing that the world doesn’t need another aerial or ground head with just ‘good enough’ performance, (like others recently released), we decided to wait and produce one product that meets the needs of both markets, with no compromises. We believe the production community worldwide will agree the advantages of Gen-V technology are worth the wait.”

 

Additionally, there are no ITAR restrictions – which means that every customer will have the advantage of capturing the most stabilized images available, anywhere in the world, without being concerned with US export restrictions.

 

According to Hallman, “The mini-Eclipse is just one product in a family of new systems that will be available from Pictorvision and parent company PV Labs, all utilizing the same core Gen-V technology. Additional models will be specifically designed for Electronic News Gathering (ENG), LiDAR, Corridor Mapping, Wide Area Mapping, Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) and Public Safety and Security.”

 

The first units will be flying as early as June, with production units ready within a year. Pictorvision representatives will be available at NAB, and will showcase the new mini-Eclipse at Cine Gear Expo in June.

RSS  Grab Our RSS Feed
Keep up with every update by saving our feed to your browser or feed reader.

Archives

August 2023 (2)
July 2023 (3)
June 2023 (1)
May 2023 (2)
April 2023 (4)
March 2023 (1)
February 2023 (2)
January 2023 (3)
December 2022 (10)
November 2022 (4)
October 2022 (3)
September 2022 (2)
August 2022 (3)
July 2022 (4)
June 2022 (4)
May 2022 (6)
April 2022 (3)
March 2022 (3)
February 2022 (4)
January 2022 (3)
December 2021 (3)
November 2021 (6)
October 2021 (4)
September 2021 (6)
August 2021 (6)
July 2021 (7)
June 2021 (10)
May 2021 (5)
April 2021 (6)
March 2021 (7)
February 2021 (3)
January 2021 (5)
December 2020 (3)
November 2020 (3)
October 2020 (4)
September 2020 (2)
August 2020 (2)
July 2020 (3)
June 2020 (4)
May 2020 (3)
April 2020 (2)
March 2020 (3)
February 2020 (5)
January 2020 (7)
December 2019 (5)
November 2019 (15)
October 2019 (15)
September 2019 (11)
August 2019 (10)
July 2019 (9)
June 2019 (8)
May 2019 (13)
April 2019 (15)
March 2019 (7)
February 2019 (10)
January 2019 (13)
December 2018 (3)
November 2018 (16)
October 2018 (15)
September 2018 (9)
August 2018 (20)
July 2018 (12)
June 2018 (15)
May 2018 (13)
April 2018 (19)
March 2018 (16)
February 2018 (10)
January 2018 (12)
December 2017 (20)
November 2017 (8)
October 2017 (14)
September 2017 (18)
August 2017 (6)
July 2017 (12)
June 2017 (3)
May 2017 (13)
April 2017 (11)
March 2017 (13)
February 2017 (27)
January 2017 (21)
December 2016 (7)
November 2016 (16)
October 2016 (20)
September 2016 (18)
August 2016 (15)
July 2016 (10)
June 2016 (13)
May 2016 (12)
April 2016 (15)
March 2016 (7)
November 2015 (2)
October 2015 (3)
June 2015 (1)
May 2015 (3)
March 2015 (2)
February 2015 (1)
December 2014 (1)
November 2014 (1)
September 2014 (10)
August 2014 (20)
July 2014 (10)
June 2014 (25)
May 2014 (14)
April 2014 (1)
March 2014 (1)
December 2013 (1)
August 2013 (8)
July 2013 (2)
May 2013 (14)
New   Save View   Add All Clear All Untitled Playlist(0)