The director used a variety of Canon lenses and a Sony HDCAM camera to capture high-definition images of Hawaii for the Nature series on PBS.
The Nature series episode “Violent Hawaii,” set to air on January 9, 2005, on PBS, was shot by director of photography Paul Atkins with a variety of Canon high-definition lenses and a Sony HDCAM camera. The HD images captured dramatic underwater footage of humpback whales, scenes of massive ocean waves and images of erupting volcanoes.
Now in its 23rd season, Nature is produced by Thirteen/WNET New York for PBS. Canon has been an underwriter of the series since 1990.
The show's executive producer Fred Kaufman said shooting in HD provides the quickness of video with a visual quality that’s equal to 35mm film, although he said it has a different look. He added that with the format gives the footage long-term usability.
For “Violent Hawaii,” Atkins used Canon's HJ40x10B IASD-V HD lens, which offers a focal length of up to 800mm with a 2X extender. The lens also features Canon’s Digital Drive controls and built-in Shift-IS optical stabilization system. The latter feature helped steady shots on location in heavy wind and vibration conditions. They also used image stabilization for a few slow-motion Super 16mm film segments of humpback whales.
Canon's HJ11ex4.7B IRSE/IASE wide-angle HD lens was also used for underwater photography of Loihi, a volcanic seamount south of Hawaii that may become a new island in the Hawaiian chain in several million years. Canon's 5mm prime lens was used on a camera mounted on the nose of an aircraft.
For more information, visit www.canonbroadcast.com.
