In the early 2010’s, camera assistants would frequently send lenses back from the checkout floor claiming that back focus was off and that the lenses needed to be re-shimmed. After analyzing the situation, Jesse Rosen, AbelCine's Director of Technical Development, realized that the issue wasn’t with the lenses but with the charts used on the checkout floor. According to Jesse, “the Siemans star-pattern charts we’d been using for years were acceptable when we were focusing through the optical viewfinder of a film camera, but the aliasing caused by the interaction of the pattern with the grid of pixels on a digital camera added a large degree of uncertainty to the process, to the point where three people would often focus a lens at three different distances.”
With the goal of solving the focus problem, as well as creating a resolution measurement tool appropriate for a world of digital cameras with a great variety of sensor sizes, Jesse created the CameoGear Resolution Analysis Chart. The methodically designed patterns of the chart allow an AC or technician to achieve fast and repeatable focus, and provide an easy method of determining resolution throughout the camera frame, as well as revealing common lens artifacts. Taking the idea a step further, AbelCine's engineers developed a motorized rail system for our rental facilities that incorporates the charts. The system allows ACs and operators to check multiple lenses at various distances quickly and efficiently.
AbelCine's NY Rental Manager, Alex Kurze says, "it has always been our goal to create a checkout experience for our customers that is as efficient as possible without sacrificing the quality of their work. With our automated charts, a camera assistant can shave off hours while comfortably mapping their lenses. In today's changing world with a constant demand for a faster turnaround, we consider this a big win for everyone."
CameoGear has installed rail systems at Canon, the ZEISS showroom in LA (pictured above), ARRI Brooklyn, and The Lighthouse Film Company in North Carolina. Offering three different systems—Manual Rail System, Manual Rail System with Digital Distance Readout, and Motorized System—CameoGear accommodates the various needs of any checkout. The motorized system includes an admin interface that allows rental floor staff to monitor all checkout bays from one computer or tablet and remotely reset chart positions and lights.
CameoGear's latest addition to the system is the Pedestal Workstation. This meticulously crafted base provides an attractive workspace for mounting a camera and monitor, with shelves and a drawer for accessories, batteries and chargers, and the tools needed for a camera checkout. Pedestal options include a high-hat for mounting a tripod head, a monitor mount, and wheels.
To see the chart system in action, watch the demo video on cameogear.com.
Charts
Rail System
- Manual Rail System
- Manual Rail System with Digital Distance Readout
- Motorized Rail System
Pedestal Workstation
- Pedestal Workstation
- Pedestal Workstation with wheels
- Optional accessories
- Mitchell Hi-Hat
- 100mm Ball Hi-Hat
- 150mm Ball Hi-Hat
- Monitor mounting kit
For more information about the CameoGear Analysis System or any other CameoGear products, please email info@cameo-gear.com.
