Lyon Video recently selected 101x lenses from FUJINON as an integral component of Lyon-12, the company's most sophisticated HD mobile unit to date.
Seeking to capitalize on the desire of sports broadcasters to gain a competitive edge through the use of technology, Bob Lyon, president of the Columbus, OH, based mobile facilities company, wanted to give his clients a way to get as close to that action as possible and put their viewers in the heart of game action. "It's especially important for covering football and baseball — a big part of our business," Lyon said. "So, we always try to buy the longest lens available."
Featuring the wide-angle capabilities and zoom range of FUJINON's XA101x8.9BESM super telephoto lens paired with Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite cameras, Lyon-12 is the flagship of the company's fleet of 16 mobile units.
Used by ESPN, CBS Sports, ABC and Fox Speed Channel, the state-of-the art, 53ft expanding side, walk-through trailer can accommodate up to 16 cameras and is 3-D-ready and wired for 3G. The truck is scheduled for everything from college football to mixed martial arts, as well as Cincinnati Reds baseball games. The company also provides production services for non-sports programming, including "Antiques Roadshow" and "Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction."
According to Lyon, FUJINON lenses were selected for the company's vehicles because of a combination of durability and image quality. "In our mobile trucks, lenses can take a lot of abuse from the travel and a different crew every night. But not only do FUJINON lenses hold up just as well as if they were in a studio, but the image quality is still fantastic," he said.
All Lyon Video mobile units carry a full complement of gear and cable with equipment and features similar to that of the new truck. In addition to the two XA101x8.9BESM Super telephoto lenses, the company has also recently added three FUJINON XA88x8.8BESM Telephoto HD field lenses. Rounding out Lyon's FUJINON lineup are five XA72.9×9.3BESM Telephoto HD field lenses, two ZA22x7.6BERM Telephoto ENG/handheld HD lenses with 2x extenders, two ZA12x4.5BERM Super wide-angle ENG/EFP HD lenses with 2x extenders, and two XA17x7.6BERM HD ENG lenses with 2x extenders, each paired with Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite cameras.
