When the going gets tough

Will Strauss#

Author: Will Strauss#

Published 1st May 2014

by Will Strauss Issue 88 - April 2014

When working in the field, the kit we use has to withstand a fair old battering. And Im not just talking about the cameras, viewfinders and those expensive lenses.
While glass still needs protecting, these days so does your laptop, your storage, your memory cards: the lot. They all need bags, cases and toughened exteriors that can deal with whatever temperature, precipitation, dust or bumps come their way.
Here are some examples of recent tough guy innovations, including several that you can see this month at NAB, capable of doing just that.

Laptops and editing

When explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and his crew crossed the Antarctic during the winter months in 2012, a journey that only the hardiest would attempt, they took with them Panasonic AP-HPX250 cameras, P2 cards and Panasonic Toughbooks.
Faced with snow, ice and temperatures that plunged to below -70 degrees Celsius, the kit had to be pretty resilient. So, Panasonic probably knows a thing or two about rugged design.
One of its latest innovations, introduced at CES this year, is a robust 20-inch tablet computer with not just a strong chassis and impressive graphics capabilities but also a 4k screen. The Toughpad 4K UT-MA6 performance model has an Intel Core i7 vPro processor with an NVIDIA Quadro GPU and is said to be ideal for mobile video editing, graphics work or even as an on-set dailies review device. As far as durability is concerned it has a 2.5-foot drop rating, magnesium alloy chassis and GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer) rear case. Sturdy stuff.
On a similar theme, on show at NAB will be the DuraPAC from ACME Portable Machines. Described as a portable graphics solution for live video editing it is tank of a portable computer with a rugged chassis that is designed for editing, transcoding or grading as well as live graphics overlays. Built around an Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell 3.5GHz Quad-Core desktop processor and GeForce GTX 760 it even features rubber corners and bumpers for added Grrrr.

Storage

These days video storage is no longer just kept in air-conditioned machine rooms. It can be portable too. Take G-technologys G-RAID mini for example. This device features both RAID 0 and fail-safe RAID 1 operation and has a high-speed quad interface and storage capacities up to 2TB. Small but tough it has an all-aluminum enclosure that makes it perfect for capturing and editing on the go or while working on location.
As we know storage is now not only portable it also comes in various shapes and sizes including compact. In that category, at IBC last year, Sony announced its first SSD and HDD portable storage range. The PSZ-SA25 SSD drive and the PSZ-HA50 and PSZ-HA1T HDD drives are for backing up footage, not surprisingly, and can transfer content via USB 3.0 up to 400MB per second for SSD and 120MB per second for HDD.
As rugged as an ice road trucker with a hangover, they are capable of absorbing falls of up to 2.3 metres (SSD). Theyre even compliant with the 810G military standard and thanks to a silicon cover are also dust-proof and splash proof.

Bags

There is a whole industry built around broadcast cases and bags so much so that even Luis Vuitton offers a camera bag these days. So, for me to attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of this market in a few paragraphs would be foolhardy. But heres some that might tickle your fancy if you use HDSLRs.
Petrols Digibag PD221 Camera Bag and its over-the-shoulder DSLR Sling Bag, the PD333, are designed to be portable but sturdy. Used during coverage of the Daka Rally, they are constructed of 900D and ballistic nylon fabrics (which sound amazing, even if I dont really know what they are) and lovingly cushion their contents in layers of soft padded red fabric.

Portabrace has something similar. The Camera Hive Backpack and Slinger uses a honeycomb system of removable padded lens cups to maximize space and protection. Lens cups can be used to support and stabilize equipment or they can be filled with lenses, flashes, light meters or other accessories. The thick padding and soft interior lining keep everything shipshape and Bristol fashion.
The new Peli U160 Half Case Camera Backpack is interesting too. It incorporates a large waterproof, crushproof case to protect cameras and lenses and has moveable cushioned dividers to protect each piece of camera kit.
In the hard case category, the same company has responded to popular demand this year with the launch of a pink version of its watertight, crushproof and dust proof Peli 1510 wheeled case. Not only an extreme colour, it comes with an extendable handle and rugged wheels and carries the companys you break it, we replace it lifetime guarantee.
Audio
For sound recordists and production sound mixers, K-Tek has a new audio bag designed specifically for the Sound Devices 633 and Zaxcom MAXX mixers. The Stingray features a rigid internal frame that protects its contents and a rigid exterior frame that allows the user to mount wireless receiver pouches or a battery distribution box on the outside. A removable clear cover protects the top of the bag.
Portabrace also has new bags for the 633 (and indeed the 664 and 788) and the MAXX as well as the Zoom ZH-6.
Monitors
This isnt really for extreme conditions but it did catch my eye. At NAB Transvideo will unveil StarliteHD, a new on-board field monitor for cinematographers that is about the size of a smartphone. The 3G-SDI HD OLED device is 5-inches big and includes a high-resolution waveform monitor and a precision vectorscope as well as an embedded recorder for delivering dailies in H.264 on to SD cards. Carefully ruggedized it looks capable of withstanding most things, even a client meltdown.

Transport

As its tough-sounding name suggests, the BullDog Field Fiber Transport System is another sturdily constructed innovation. I first saw this at IBC but it is now shipping and will be on show at NAB. BullDog allows camera operators to significantly extend the transmission distance of multiple camera signals, including HD-SDI video, audio, intercom, control data, Ethernet, GPIOs, tally and power. As its maker, Multidyne, points out, it has a rugged enclosure designed to withstand the harsh environments of sports and ENG applications and can either operate on a lightweight battery pack or via an optional MultiDyne JUICE power supply.
Tripods
It goes without saying that, by default, tripods have to be sturdy and, as such, manufacturers are always looking for improvements.
Sachtler is one such company. At NAB it will show a new aluminium addition to its product line, the ENG 75/2 D HD. This Bear Grylls of the tripod world supports a payload range up to 35kg (77.2lbs), weighs just 3.1 kg (6.8 lbs) and is the ideal companion for the companys FSB fluid heads. Most interesting for this article, it has been built to operate temperatures ranging from -40 to +60 degrees Celsius.

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