When the Academy announced its list of nominees for the 2009 Oscars it became abundantly clear that congratulations are in order for many customers of Clairmont Camera.

In the Best Picture category, no less than three of the five nominees were filmed using equipment supplied by Clairmont. These included “Milk” (DP Harris Savides, ASC - full Clairmont camera package), “Frost/Nixon” (DP Salvatore Totino, ASC - full Clairmont camera package) and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (DP Claudio Miranda, ASC - Image Shaker). These three films also garnered Best Director nods for Gus Van Sant (Milk), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) and David Fincher (Button).

Oscar nominations for Cinematography went to Claudio Miranda, ASC, as well as Wally Pfister, ASC for “The Dark Knight” (Clairmont Image Shaker, Camera Shaker, HVX-200, Fire Housing and other accessories). Kudos to the crews involved with making these worthy nominees!

When Arriflex entered the digital market they did so with a camera that had a “feel” that cinematographers had come to embrace, like a swing-over reflex viewing system that has a greater field of view than the sensor (much appreciated by camera operators). The newly-refined D-21’s innards, of course, are all engineered to take full advantage of the digital work flow.

A large 35mm CMOS sensor captures HD images. The D-21 offers 4:4:4 and 4:2:2 sampling in both Log or Linier color space. The D-21 frame rate is adjustable from 1 to 30 fps in 4:4:4 and 1 to 60 fps in 4:2:2 when using the Arri Fiberoptic system in combination with the Sony SRW-1/SRPC-1 field recorder. Various solid state recording devices are also available when “on-board” recording is required.

Of course, the D-21 accommodates most 35mm PL mount lenses including primes, zooms and telephotos. Since it uses a single sensor that is the same size and aspect ratio as a 35mm 4-perforation motion picture camera full gate, the D-21 is the ideal digital camera to use when shooting with film-style Anamorphic lenses. Utilizing the D-21 “M-Scope” or “ARRIRAW” outputs, the Anamorphic image can be recorded to the included Sony SRW1 tape deck or a “third party” hard drive recorder such as the S-Two DFR or CODEX recorder. The D-21 uses a full lineup of popular Arri accessories.

There are still many projects for which film is the preferred and most economical medium. And to that extent, Clairmont Camera has a full compliment of 35mm and 16mm cameras available through its five offices.

At the top of the ladder are the Arricam Studio and Arricam Lite cameras. The Lite weighs only 23.5 lbs. in Steadicam mode (which includes a 400’ magazine of film, matte box, Steadicam optics and Zeiss 32mm lens). These are the quietest 35mm Motion Picture Sound Cameras in the world and you cannot get a better video assist!

The Studio model can also be set up for Steadicam work, as it only weighs 5-1/2 lbs. more than the Arricam Lite. This 35mm sound camera has an adjustable frame rate from 1-60 fps, and can be reversed.

For the budget-minded, both the Arricam Studio and Lite are available set up for 3-perf operation.

Jim Jannard and his engineering team have done a masterful job of creating the Red One camera. This innovative digital camera with exceptional HD performance has been the talk of the industry.

In 2008, Clairmont Camera added Red One cameras to our inventory. Initially, several television series (including “Supernatural” and “Reaper”) wanted to use these cameras to complement their “A” and “B” Arri D-21 cameras. Because demand in the industry is so great for the Red One cameras, we have added even more to our inventory to accommodate additional television projects as well as commercial and corporate productions.

Tech highlights of the Red One include a 12 megapixel Mysterium™sensor, 4K resolution, and PL mount to accommodate most popular motion picture lenses. It has the ability to record to flash or hard disk based digital storage, it can deliver in 1920x1080 or 1280x720 progressive, RGB or 4:2:2, at a rate of 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 fps.

It can also provide 3K images at up to 60 fps or 2K at up to 120 fps. Clairmont offers compatible DIT Engineering Stations and monitoring options. The Red One camera image outputs include HD-SDI and HDMI. On-camera monitors are also available. The Redcode RAW codec and workflow is accommodated by many Post houses. All of our Red cameras are updated with the most recent software improvements. In addition to the highlights already mentioned, Clairmont Camera has taken several steps to ensure compatibility with a vast majority of Arriflex accessories. Our technical staff is constantly re-educating themselves to provide you with the absolute best technical support.

The latest gem from Sony to join Clairmont Camera’s rental fleet is the F35, which offers state-of-the-art HD digital technology with film-like sensibilities. The F35 is equipped with a PL lens mount, which enables you to use the wide range of prime, zoom and special effects lenses from the film world.

A major feature of the F35 is its super 35mm-sized CCD sensor, which allows for full resolution 1920x1080 RGB images. The frame rate is fully selectable from 1 to 50 fps with 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 recording. The F35 is capable of in-camera speed ramps and “slow shutter” photography.

The F35 has an ergonomic design that allows direct docking with Sony’s SRW-1 portable HDCAM-SR recorder. It is a very durable camera that has an operating temperature range from 32° to 104° Fahrenheit (0° C to 40° C). The F35 also has the ability of Log and Linear output and has selectable gain up to 12 db. It is compatible with the same accessories you can use on the Arriflex cameras.

Clairmont also offers Sony’s F23 digital cameras, which are virtually identical to the F35, but have three 2/3” CCD sensors and utilize a B4 mount for HD lenses. It is common to see both the F23 and F35 employed on the same project.

One of the most useful accessories we have here at Clairmont is the Pure Reach Periscope lens, which lets you shoot straight-on or right angles and position the camera three feet away from the lens. This avoids many lighting problems that can occur when shooting product close-ups or miniatures. In fact, the Pure Reach Periscope was employed by Alex Funke, ASC, in winning two Visual FX Oscars for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The beauty of the Pure Reach is that it does not affect the focal length of the lens, as delivered to film or a digital sensor. You can use the very same prime lenses that you’ve been using all along and the tracking of the lenses that has been worked out will remain the same. Moreover, it delivers images as sharp as the prime lens would if it was mounted directly to the camera, and won’t vignette on any focal length. It’s extra sturdy, too.

By Bill Sturke

The fiber-optic cable link is great for passing multiple signals between the latest digital cameras, recording equipment and “DIT” stations. Digital transmission via fiber-optic cable is hard to beat, especially if your cable runs are long. To ensure flawless performance during a challenging production schedule take precautions and clean contacts at regular intervals.

Install protective covers whenever possible to keep dirt off exposed fiber contacts. Very small foreign particles can easily find their way onto the fiber contact anytime cables are disconnected. Avoid dropping unprotected connectors on the ground, as that would be an invitation for problems. Keep in mind that fiber equipment can function seemingly without flaw even if the contacts are dirty but not dirty enough to block significant light. Guarantee optimum performance, even if you have been making a diligent effort to prevent contamination, by cleaning contacts regularly.

Routine cleaning is easy, takes little time and translates to less down time. Cleaning can be done with good quality alcohol and appropriate cleaning swabs. (SMPTE 311 contact cleaning is easier after removing the alignment sleeve with a special tool). Use a swab slightly wet with alcohol to gently wipe the contact. Move the swab across the center of the contact or rotate over the contact, depending on the diameter of the swab. Use a dry swab to wipe alcohol off the contact to minimize residue. Ensuring flawless fiber-optic cable performance is this easy.

Clairmont Camera’s Albuquerque office has recently celebrated its first anniversary, with production continuing to ramp-up in “The Land of Enchantment.” Located in the Albuquerque Studios, the office provides motion picture, TV and commercial production crews with a vast assortment of film and digital cameras, lenses and support equipment. Clairmont Camera is fully licensed with the state of New Mexico and' the city of Albuquerque; by using us you can take advantage of New Mexico’s generous 25% cash rebate. For direct info call 505-227-2525.

Some of the productions that have used equipment from Clairmont’s New Mexico office include The Missing, Swing Vote, Breaking Bad, In Plain Sight, Sex And Lies In Sin City and Crash.