If you’re a photographer or filmmaker, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the NAB Show. Each year, thousands of content professionals from across the media, entertainment, and technology ecosystem attend the show. It is designed for those looking to drive audiences and viewers in larger numbers for greater reach. Moreover, it’s designed for users who want to create audiovisual experiences that are unique and unforgettable.
The Las Vegas Convention Center is hosting the annual exhibit from April 23rd to 27th. Regardless of where you sit on the spectrum of content creators, you will want to stay current with the latest news and technologies to ensure your work advances in bold and exciting ways. Let’s take a look at the major announcements at NAB so far.
Adorama’s own Seth Miranda is in Las Vegas, NV to learn what’s new in the industry and was able to find out about some other really interesting products from some well-known brands as well as from those that have been making waves in recent years.
Check out the AdoramaTV video below.
Brands To Keep Your Eye On
Frame.io
Out of almost every company at NAB, Frame.io will undoubtedly be one of the most talked-about due to its vast announcements of partnerships, apps, cloud collaborations, and massive updates.
There’s something here for practically everyone: the new Frame.io app for Apple TV 4K; Camera to Cloud integrations with FiLMiC Pro, Atomos, Teradek, Viviana Cloud, and FDX FilmDataBox; a new native integration with FilmLight’s Baselight color grading system; and high-powered security features like Digital Rights Management and Two-Factor Authentication. That’s all in addition to Frame.io for Creative Cloud, which was announced last week.
Angelbird
Angelbird has released some new AV PRO XT MK2 CFexpress Type-B Memory Cards in 330GB, 660GB, and 1320GB (4TB) options. Built for advanced filmmaking productions, their largest capacity CFexpress Type B card is available in up to 4 TB for capturing the highest bit-rate RAW video and photo files at 6K, 8K, and 12K+ resolutions.
Anton Bauer
Anton Bauer announces the Dionic 26V LP4 Quad Gold Mount Plus Charger, Bundle with 4x 26V 240Wh Lithium-Ion Batteries. The batteries are capable of backward compatibility due to their mechanical design so you don’t have to use two separate chargers. You can keep everything under the same system, essentially.
Sachtler
Sachtler is a worldwide leading producer of camera support equipment such as fluid heads, tripods, pedestals, and lighting. Their new aktiv14T 100mm Touch & Go Fluid Head with Flowtech 100 Carbon Fiber Tripod & Ground Spreader is geared towards professional filmmakers who can’t afford slip-ups. The Aktiv range of fluid heads has incorporated the locking mechanism into the bottom of the head so you have the ability to drop the head from a tripod to a slider to a dana dolly — all seamlessly.
Deity Microphones
Deity Microphones is committed to making unique microphones and products that get the job done. So far at NAB, they’ve announced three new products. The most notable one is a new slate that now has Bluetooth-enable timecode and a backlit LED display. Deity went one step further and made them NPF battery-capable so you can sync up to 20 devices directly to their phone app.
Astera Lighting
Astera Lighting showcased a new mini LED panel that will be released this summer called the “Hydra Panel.” A 25W, 1298 lumen box with a magnetic backing that can be stuck to a truss or connected to other Hydra Panels. The panel allows for swapping out panel diffusion and grids with ease. Although, the main selling point is the Titan Engine that helps control the light itself and the cross-functionality with their app.
Blackmagic Design
There are certain staples we can count on when NAB rolls around. One of those is a product barrage by Blackmagic Design. This year is no exception, as the company announced a handful of new products and updates just prior to the start of the trade show. This includes a major cloud collaboration update to DaVinci Resolve 18, the new Cloud Store network storage solution along with Mini and Pod offerings, and a new HyperDeck Shuttle HD recorder/player. They also announced the ATEM Constellation HD Live Production Switcher — available in three different models.
Atomos
Atomos recently partnered with Frame.io to bring Camera to Cloud workflows to their monitors and recorders. Two new products are introduced with this announcement: the Atomos Connect accessory for Ninja V/V+ and the brand new Shogun Connect. Both products will be available in June.
Atomos Connect is a brand-new 12G-SDI unit that attaches to the Ninja V/V+. This product combines the capabilities of AtomX SDI and SYNC modules, supporting 4K inputs at up to 120 frames per second and SDI RAW data up to 6K30. In contrast, the Shogun Connect has an elegant aluminum design and a bright (2000nits) 7-inch HD screen. With the addition of cloud-based features, it inherits the recording and HDR monitoring capabilities of the popular Shogun lineup.
Smallrig
SmallRig has announced the RC220 COB LED video light in Bi-Color and Daylight, which is more powerful than their previous point-source offering. Despite having a lux rating of nearly 100,000, the 220 series is no larger than the 120 series and both lights weigh around 3.6 pounds. The daylight capable RC220D with a Kelvin rating of 5000K and the color adjustable RC220B bi-color LED with a Kelvin rating of 2700-6500K. Both lights require about 230 watts of power but are incredibly bright with a center illuminance reaching 98,700 Lux and 84,500 Lux respectively at 1 meter. An active and quiet cooling fan switches on and off when needed.
SmallHD
The new Cine 18” 4K High-Bright Monitor from SmallHD is a production monitor that offers a perfect blend of screen size, brightness, color accuracy, and portability. This makes it the most flexible high-bright 4K monitor for any production scenario. It’s big enough for Video Village, bright enough for daylight viewing, and features an ultra-lightweight aluminum unibody construction. Features include 1100nits brightness, exceptional image quality, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 4x 12G-SDI inputs/outputs for workflows up to 4K resolution.
SmallHD OLED 27″ 4K Ultra HD LED Reference Monitor is available for pre-order. It’s SmallHD’s brightest and largest 4K OLED reference monitor yet. It offers the best combination of premium color accuracy and lightweight, set-ready portability you’ll find in any workflow. OLED 27 delivers up to 550nits of brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio for previewing HDR on set, as well as 10-bit, true-to-life color accuracy with 110% DCI-P3 and 135% Rec. 709 color gamuts for precise grading in the suite.
Lume Cube
The RGB Panel Go LED Light from Lume Cube is a portable and ready-for-anything lighting tool. It enhances the look and feel of your content in the studio. When creating portraits, you have full creative control. For everything else, it will give you the power to make your vision a reality. The RGB Panel Go produces cinematic color to help you capture mood and emotion and functions as a strong key light to brighten up scenes. Most importantly, it has an intuitive design so your creative focus isn’t interrupted.
Core SWX
Core SWX has updated its Powerbase lineup — initially launched in 2019 — with two new batteries. There’s the PB Edge Link, a 70Wh V-mount battery that sports a 7.4v output port for your DSLR or mirrorless camera. There is also Type-A 5v and Type-C Power Delivery USB ports and two 14.8v d-tap ports. According to Core SWX, this battery can power a Sony A7 series camera for over 12 hours.
The other is the new PB Edge Lite. This is a 47Wh battery that is primarily designed to live underneath your camera. It provides a little over eight hours of use on a Sony A7 series camera. The PB Edge Link has two 14.8v d-tap sockets and a 7.4v port for your camera, but no USB-PD port. Instead, you get two 5v USB Type-C ports. Although similar to the original PB Edge Base, this model lacks V-mount connectivity.
Aputure
Aputure is constantly innovating and releasing new products. It’s no surprise that something was inevitably going to be announced during NAB. Aputure announced its new LS 600c Pro in V Mount and Gold Mount. This is essentially an RGBWW version of the 600d/600x Pro with a few improvements. Aputure’s LS 600c Pro is the first full-color point-source light fixture that uses RGBWW LED chipsets and produces 600W of light. Custom color-blending optics, weather resistance, and professional level connectivity are all included in this 720W fixture.
Lexar
Lexar also announced the release of the world’s fastest Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B Card DIAMOND Series and Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card GOLD Series while at NAB this year. The CFexpress Type B Card has read speeds of up to 1900MB/s, write speeds of up to 1700MB/s, and can quickly capture smooth RAW 8K, 6K and 4K video with ease. The Type A format features speeds of 900MB/s read and 800MB/s write to capture high-quality images and seamless 8K, 6K and 4K video.
Wrapping Up
The 2022 NAB Show is in full swing and the news coming out of the show is constant. To stay up to date on all of the latest developments, keep an eye on the 42 West Blog and Adorama’s YouTube channel.
