Rodosto invests in F23

Spanish company Rodosto S.L. HD Production & Rental has bought an F23 digital cinema camera and is using it to create high quality wildlife footage.

The F23, part of the Sony F Series of top-end CineAlta cameras, features three 2.2 megabit 2/3-inch type progressive CCD imagers for fantastic 4:4:4 1920 x 1080 RGB recordings. Rodosto, based in Madrid, has bought the F23 alongside an SRW-1 HDCAM SR recorder, which docks directly to the camera. It also has the latest ZEISS DigiZoom lens package.

Director of photography and producer Gabor Bene and his team have an ongoing job of creating high-quality archival footage of seasonal bird migration in key spots like Panama, Gibraltar and Sicily. “That’s a lot easier, now that we have the F23/SRW-1/ZEISS DigiZoom package,” he says.

“With this combination, we can capture critical images in available light with extreme highlight levels in the background such as flying birds with unpredictable sky-background levels. We get great colour reproduction, slow motion in 4:4:4, and time lapse. And the DigiZoom lens is sharp and fast.”

Since capturing this footage is seasonal, Rodosto keeps the HD equipment (which also includes an HDC-F950 camera) busy on projects such as the Festival of Havana and Julio Medem’s feature Caotica Ana (Chaotic Ana), as well as commercials for Nintendo, Sprite, and the promotional spots for the launch of the only HD channel in Spain, HD Canal.

Supplied by Band Pro

“We decided to make the jump to HD equipment several years ago,” he explains. All the equipment was bought from leading camera company, Band Pro, which has offices in Munich, Los Angeles and New York.

“The process would have been impossible without Band Pro,” says Bene. “We speak the same language. My company’s strength is the top technology, top professional staff and personal care. The same for Band Pro. Inevitably, problems come up with new equipment. Nevertheless, Band Pro always treats my problems right away,” he adds. “The good thing about their technical assistance is that they combine shooting experience with solid expertise and knowledge as to future technical trends. Between the US and Munich offices, there is practically 24 hours of troubleshooting service. I never have to stop for lack of immediate personal real-time assistance.”

Bene also plans to purchase the F35 digital cinema camera. The new camera sits alongside the F23 in the CineAlta range offering cinematographers the choice of either using the F23’s two-thirds inch sensor, which is ideal for a longer depth-of-field or low light conditions, or the F35’s Super 35mm sensor, which can capture full resolution 1920 x 1080 RGB 4:4:4 material using a large number of PL mount 35mm film lenses and accessories.

19 January 2009