Otto Nemenz Sony F65 Upgrades

Otto Nemenz International (ONI) has been working on accessories and upgrades for their fleet of Sony F65 cameras. Ryan Sheridan sent these pictures and descriptions.

SR-R4 Stabilization Plate

A plate on the bottom of the F65 prevents the SR-‐R4 from being wiggled loose when the operator uses a Hollywood Handle or grabs and operates by holding the on­‐board  battery at the rear of the camera.

Steadicam and Support Shoe

A removable shoe supports a Steadicam plate at the rear of the camera. As with an ARRI Alexa, the shoe is used to keep the camera from bouncing or vibrating. The shoe also serves as a support to keep the back of the camera off the ground when the camera is set down.

Accessory Power, Connectors, Record Button, Ethernet

  • 2x 12V 2-pin Lemo
  • 4x 24V 3-pin Fischer with R/S (Run/Stop)
  • 1x 4-pin Lemo: 12V, 24V, R/S

The 4pin “1B” Lemo connector is quickly becoming the standard for connecting and powering high-amp accessories. This connector provides 12v, 24v, Run & GND. This connector also serves as the mounting and power point for the new ONI lens lights.

Record Button

A record button has been added to the assistant side of the camera. The button has a green LED in it to indicate that the camera power is on. When pressed, it turns red to indicate the camera is rolling. Next to the button there is a lock switch to prevent the record button from being used. (For European readers–“assistant side” in the US is usually camera left side.)

Rear Ethernet connector:

By installing mini rods on the front of the camera, Otto Nemenz needed to find a new place for the F65’s RJ-­45 Ethernet connector. To save space, increase durability, help with cable management and maintain a consistent cable inventory, the RJ-45 connector was replaced with a 10-pin Lemo connector. This is the same 10-pin Lemo is used for Ethernet on the ARRI Alexa.


Main Power

 

New, user-removable, Power Management Box (PMB) can accommodate 3 different power sources for the F65. The PMB actively monitors each source. If any source falls below 12.1 volts, the PMB will automatically switch to the next highest source. If there’s an onboard battery, the PMB will not draw power or drain the onboard battery until both of the 8-pin Lemo inputs are below 12.1 volts or are unplugged. This is a true hot­-swap and backup system for the digital cinema market. The PMB also creates (inverts) 24V from a single 14.4 VDC Anton Bauer Dionic battery to power all the 24V accessories  on the F65 and RED Epic-X.

The PMB switches between all the incoming 12V and 24V power sources without disrupting power. The PMB will do this even when the cameras are recording and under extreme accessory power load.

LED indicators on the side of the PMB show what voltages are coming into the box from each source. In addition, the PMB confirms that 12V and 24V are leaving the box via two green LEDs. LED indicators also show what source is actively sending power to the camera. For example, if you’re on AC power and the AC cable gets kicked out of the wall during a shot, the PMB will automatically switch to the onboard “OB” battery. The “Source” LED will switch from the green “A/B” 8pin Lemo indicator to the amber “OB” indicator.

Electronic Viewfinder Port

The Sony electronic VF port has been moved from the front-­‐center of the camera to the rear operator’s side of the camera. The connector is slightly angled up and recessed so that it’s easy to get your fingers around and unplug. When plugged in, the VF connector does not touch the operator’s head. This position also aids in quick Studio-­‐to-­‐Steadicam changeovers.

Front Mini Rods

Mini rods have been added to the front of the camera above the lens mount. These mini rod mounts serve three purposes:

  1. To keep an Iris motor mounted to the camera full time.
  2. To aid in Steadicam changeover speed with FIZ motors.
  3. To aid in placement of lightweight and handheld accessories.

 New PL Lens Mount

The new PL lens mount has larger ears for easier handling.

New Lens Lights

Using the Lemo 1B connector for lens light mounting & power, the ONI lens lights offer Red, White & UV LED’s. All colors are fully dimmable and individually selectable.

Forward 3/8-­16 handle mounting point

The top cheese plate was extended over the lens mount to accommodate a handle that could be mounted closer to the center-­of-­gravity of the camera when using primes or very short zooms. By adding a 3/8-­16 mounting hole over the lens mount, and assistant can pick up the camera and not have it tip forward. This forward weight almost always requires the use of two hands to stabilize the camera when placing it on an operator’s shoulder or when taking it on and off a head.

Otto Nemenz Standard 4-­Axis Mount

The 4-­Axis mount is standard on all ONI cameras. It lets you position the Viewfinder vertically, in-­out from the body, forward-­backwards along the lens axis, and rotationally. These adjustments allow for easy left or right eye operation and for confortable placement of the VF when in the handheld configuration. A sturdy, lockable and efficient extension arm is part of every camera kit to attach to the 4-Axis mount for gear head operation and placing the VF in unusual angles and locations.

The 4-­Axis system is also designed to make it easy to switch the VF to the opposite side of the camera when you have two cameras next to each other.

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2 Responses:

  1. jerry skora says:

    Like the updates…

  2. Kenneth says:

    Bravo! Glad to see that Otto Nemenz is doing things right! Sony should learn from them.

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