At IBC2009, Camera Corps will unveil a self-illuminating version of its Q-Ball all-weather robotic camera head. Designed primarily for commentator-camera applications, the new Q-Lite option is a multi-element LED ring luminaire that generates a powerful but non-glare soft light to illuminate a presenter.
Q-Ball is a full dual-mode robotic colour camera with high-precision pan and tilt, 10:1 zoom optics and infra-red night-vision capability, all housed in a 115mm-diameter sphere machined from solid aluminium. Pan and tilt can be operated at any speed, from four seconds to 20 minutes per revolution through an unlimited number of turns. Integral high-precision low-noise motors allow the camera to be repositioned smoothly during live shooting rather than merely between shots.
Designed to allow rapid exterior or interior rigging and de-rigging, Q-Ball weighs 1.3kg, including mounting shaft, and can be operated at any angle. It incorporates a 1/3in two-megapixel 16:9 CMOS sensor delivering 1080i/720p HD or 625/525 SD, both at 50Hz or 59.94Hz and in 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio. Signal-to-noise ratio is >50dB. Focus can be controlled manually or automatically.
