News roundup: HTZ VIVE, Laowa, Ulanzi, DJI, SanDisk, Hollyland and Tamron

This week we look at new kit from HTZ VIVE, Laowa, Ulanzi, DJI, SanDisk, Hollyland and Tamron

HTC VIVE launches FIZTrack Lens Encoder 

Leading XR innovator HTC VIVE has announced that its new VIVE Mars FIZTrack, a new lens encoder for VIVE Mars CamTrack is available in select countries in North America, Europe, and APAC. This technology allows the seamless sharing of camera lens "FIZ" data – Focus, Iris, and Zoom – between physical and virtual elements during film shoots. With VIVE Mars FIZTrack, filmmakers can pull focus, change zoom, adjust iris, and instantly apply those exact parameters to an Unreal Engine scene.

The price for FIZTrack Lens is £499.

Laowa Nanomorph 65mm & 80mm with 1.33X anamorphic adapter

Venus Optics is planning on adding a new 65mm T2.4 and 80mm T2.4 to its "Nanomorph" series via an Indiegogo campaign, alongside a 1.33X Front Anamorphic Adapter. The Nanomorph 65mm and 80mm maintain the constant 1.5X squeeze ratio across all focus distances and consist of three flare options (Blue, Amber, and a neutral Silver), complementing the existing focal lengths of 27mm, 35mm, and 50mm. Both the 65mm & 80mm are designed to work with almost all types of set-ups, including handheld, on a gimbal, on a slider, in tight space, or mounted on a drone if necessary. 

The official campaign is set to launch on August 29, 2023, at GMT 14:00 here.

Ulanzi LT028 40W LED Light with built-in battery

Ulanzi has a new lightweight bi-color LT028 LED Light with 40 watts of output and a built-in 3400mAh battery. This gives users 75 minutes at full brightness before the need to plug it into AC power or an external battery (14.8V). The internal battery can be recharged in three hours. Having the built-in battery option helps if you are shooting short scenes in different locations saving time from setting up.

The LT028 features a bi-color COB LED with a color temperature range between 2500 – 6500 kelvin. Color rendition is stated to be 95 CRI and 96 TLCI. You can find controls in the back of the lamp featuring a display, a CCT knob for color temperature, a DIM knob for intensity, and an on/off switch rounding off the control interface. The LED light comes with 8 different effects.

Ulanzi LT028 40W Bi-color LED light is available now at an early bird discount of $79.95, and a regular price of $99.95.

DJI Video Receiver and Transmission

DJI has announced the DJI Video Receiver and DJI Transmission wireless transmission system. The new DJI Video Receiver is designed to be used with production monitors. It come in two different flavours: Standard Combo and High-Bright Monitor Combo. The Standard Combo supports metadata transmissions via SDI and the output of fractional frame rates, while the High-Bright Monitor Combo integrates reception, monitoring, recording, and control into one. This makes the system compatible with mainstream cinema cameras such as ARRI and RED with comprehensive shooting data.

The DJI Transmission allows one transmitter to be used with multiple receivers so you can send video and audio feeds in two different transmission modes. You can connect DJI LiDAR Range Finder (RS) to the DJI Transmission Cable Hub, and create an integrated stand-alone focusing and monitoring system. When connected to the DJI RS 3 Pro, this configuration provides a solution that seamlessly integrates stabilization, remote monitoring, gimbal control, and LiDAR focusing.

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE PROJECT Thunderbolt 3 external hard drives

The SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE PROJECT Thunderackingcbolt 3 External Hard Drives offer storage ranging from 6TB to 22TB. These are not SSDs, but feature enterprise-grade Ultrastar 7200 rpm hard drives, limiting maximum read and write speeds to 250MB/s. According to SanDisk, these drives are targeted at professional content creators and are mainly aimed at backing up. But if you are working with footage that wasn’t recorded in high bitrates or high resolutions, the speeds should be enough to allow them to be used for editing (and they also feature a PRO-BLADE SSD Mag slot that allows you to add higher-speed storage without increasing the device's footprint).

The drives weigh 3.64 lb / 1.65 kg and have physical dimensions of 8.27 x 5.24 x 3.01″ / 210.06 x 133.1 x 76.45 mm. They are also not bus-powered and require AC power.

KEY FEATURES

• 6-22TB Storage Capacity
• 2 x Thunderbolt 3 Ports
• Read Speeds up to 250 MB/s
• Write Speeds up to 250 MB/s
• SanDisk PRO-BLADE SSD Mag Slot
• AC Adapter Included
• Aluminum Enclosure
• Thunderbolt 3 Cable Included
• Preformatted APFS for macOS 10.15+
• Windows Compatible with Reformatting

Prices vary depending on the size but the smallest 6TB hard drive starts from $369.99

Photo credit SanDisk

Hollyland enters the camera market with Venusliv

Hollyland, best known for wireless video/audio solutions, has entered the camera space with the VenusLiv Streaming Camera. With RTMP support, this camera streams to Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, or other platforms. VenusLiv offers complete control over exposure, ISO, white balance, and aperture. It also has real-time autofocus, horizontal and vertical live streaming and recording, color correction magic, precise zoom capabilities, and flexible connectivity options. With a flippable high-definition 5-inch touchscreen, you can capture and monitor your live-streaming scenes easily. 

Sony NP-F style batteries power the Hollyland VenusLiv for up to 6 hours. For mounting the VenusLiv has two 1/4″-20 mounting points on the bottom and one on the side. This enables both horizontal and vertical angle options. VenusLiv has advanced 6x zoom capabilities, with 3x optical and 2x digital zooms. The camera shoots with a 12-megapixel sensor, adjustable aperture, 80° wide field of view, and a minimum focusing distance of 0.5m. 

Hollyland VenusLiv is available for $999.00.

Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 for Sony E-Mount cameras

Tamron has just announced the development of the second generation of its compact telephoto zoom lens for Sony mirrorless cameras: the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2. Since releasing the original unit in April 2020, Tamron has addressed some issues, perhaps the biggest one being built-in image stabilization. 

The compact lens comes with a length of 15.6cm/2.2in and a weight of 855g/1.88 lbs. The G2 lens still features a high-speed VXD autofocus system that is compatible with Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF modes. It also covers full-frame image sensors and features moisture-resistant construction, and the front element has a Fluorine coating for protection and safe cleaning.

The Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 will be available in fall 2023. Find out more here.

Photo credit Tamron