- The Optical Devices Division of FUJIFILM announced the first sale and delivery of the company’s just-introduced “UA18x5.5B” 4K compatible, Ultra HD, handheld zoom.
LMG Vice President of Technology Neil Morrison, FUJIFILM Optical Devices Division President Shingo Harada, and LMG CEO/President Les M. Goldberg shown with the new FUJINON "UA18x5.5B” 4K compatible, Ultra HD, handheld zoom in the FUJIFILM NAB 2017 booth.
The Orlando-based live event and systems integration firm, LMG, purchased five UA18x’s for use within its expanding “Touring” and “Show Technology” divisions. The new zooms will complement Sony HDC-4300 4K/HD cameras and Panasonic AK-UC3000 4K Studio cameras and will be used to shoot large-scale music concerts and corporate events.
The UA18x, “UA14x4.5B” and “UA27x6.5B” were introduced earlier this month and are the latest in the FUJINON Premier UA Series of 4K 2/3” lenses. The “UA18x5.5B” has a focal length range from 5.5mm in wide angle to 100mm in telephoto, and a zoom ratio of 18x. The unique zoom range of the “UA18x5.5B” makes this a “2-in-1” lens, offering both wide-angle and telephoto capability.
LMG was looking for a cost-effective, shorter 2/3” lens that could shoot in both UHD and HD. “We were attracted to the price and performance of this lens,” said Neil Morrison, Vice President of Technology, LMG, LLC. “It definitely fills an unmet need for us. We have an upcoming tour that needs the zoom length to accommodate longer shots as well as up close, wide angle work. We do several shows in the round that this lens will be perfect for. Because of its wide angle and zoom capability, the UA18x is a great hybrid lens. It’s long enough for long slash style shots and wide enough for hand-held work.” (Positioned at the corner of a basketball court’s baseline - on the diagonal, or slash, from center court - the slash camera is typically used to capture low-angle replays and live shots of the benches, coaches, and players between plays)
The first projects on the docket for LMG’s newest FUJINON zooms will be the SAP Sapphire and EMC World corporate events. Founded in 1984 by then teenage entrepreneur Les Goldberg, LMG has become a premier provider of live event and systems integration services with nationwide locations.
In addition to its five new UA18x’s, LMG also bought three FUJINON “UA80x9” 4K field lenses to handle growing demand for its high-end production services. These acquisitions follow the addition of four UA80x’s and two “UA13x4.5” 4K wide angle lenses in December of last year.
“This selection by LMG reaffirms our belief in our new UA lens series,” said Tom Fletcher, Director of Sales, Optical Devices Division of FUJIFILM. “It’s the world’s first designed specifically for UHD broadcast applications. And our design team really delivered with these lenses. They provide exactly what our customers have been asking for – sharp 4K imaging in a lightweight and affordable package. We can’t wait to show them off at NAB and to see the results they produce for our customers.”
The UA18x, UA14x, and “UA27x6.5B” studio zoom make their debut this week at the NAB Convention. They join the “UA13x4.5B,” “UA22x8B,” “UA80x9B,” and “UA107x8.4B” in the UA series. They can be seen along with the complete UA Series within the FUJIFILM booth (#C7225) during NAB, which runs from April 22-27 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
