Monday, April 11, 2011

Band Pro to sell RED Epic with Leica Lenses

Band Pro to sell RED Epic with Leica Lenses


The latest mystery is revealed. Band Pro and RED hosted a press conference at Band Pro’s booth this morning, on opening day of NAB.
Band Pro–through their offices in Munich, Israel, New York and Burbank–will package a set of Leica Summilux-C Prime Lenses with a RED Epic camera. There will be 5 lenses in the set, and the package will provide savings. These will be the same prime Leica lenses being shown at NAB as ready for production models.
Amnon Band said, “This will combine superb, greater than 4K lenses with a superb, greater than 4K camera.” I imagine cigar smoke filled the room in mogul fashion after Amnon and Jim Jannard agreed on this cooperative effort and what could be, as Louis said to Rick in Casablanca, “the beginning of a new relationship.”

Band Pro Film & Digital and RED Digital Cinema Announce EPIC/Leica Summilux-C Marketing Agreement
Band Pro Film & Digital, renowned pioneers of digital cinematography equipment including the ultra-high resolution Leica Summilux-C PL mount lenses, and RED Digital Cinema, groundbreaking developers of RED cameras including the RED EPIC, announce a joint sales and marketing agreement that provides RED EPIC and Leica Summilux-C™ lens packages for sale.
Under the arrangement, Band Pro will sell the coveted 5K RED EPIC cameras bundled with the Leica Summilux-C lenses. The kit will include a set of 5 Leica primes in prespecified focal lengths.
“We will provide our customers with the ability to purchase a beyond-4K camera equipped with beyond-4K lenses,” said Amnon Band, President of Band Pro. “I take my hat off to Jim Jannard and his rebel crew at RED for putting this deal together with us. RED has never allowed anyone else to sell their cameras in the U.S. before, so that’s a first, and we feel honored and challenged. We bring traditional experience to the RED sales and marketing machine. RED brings us into the rebellion, into tomorrow.”
"RED is thrilled with Band Pro's commitment to true high resolution cinematography,” said Ted Schilowitz of RED Digital Cinema. “Band Pro’s bundled package of the RED EPIC camera and a special matched set of Leica Prime lenses will be the killer package for lensing big budget movies, 3D movies, high-end TV commercials, and everything else that is looking for the best possible image quality from the high rez sensor, to the lens and onto the screen.
“RED has used these new Leicas on EPICs and RED ONEs, and just like the rest of the top end of the movie and TV industry, we couldn't be more pleased with the quality, the resolution and coverage they are able to capture from our 5k sensor, and their look on the really big movie screen. Not to mention their light weight, all matched physical sizes through the set, and small form factor, they make the perfect combination to use in tandem with the EPIC,” he concluded.
The Leica Summilux-C™ lenses are PL mount primes designed to deliver ultra-high optical performance for film and digital capture. These T1.4 close focus primes employ a unique multi-aspheric design and high-precision cine lens mechanics to provide unmatched flat field illumination across the entire 35mm frame and suppression of color fringing in the farthest corners of the frame with no discernible breathing. “These lenses are superior to any lenses Band Pro’s team of experts has yet seen,” said Amnon Band.
The RED EPIC has been a much-anticipated addition to the RED family, the answer to many cinematographers wildest dreams. Hailed as the most sophisticated and capable camera ever built, it is one third the size of a RED ONE, features a 5K Mysterium-X™ sensor and a 27 layer advanced ASIC processor, enabling EPIC to capture up to 120 frames per second, each frame at full 14MP resolution.
EPIC is engineered to be a DSMC™ (Digital Still & Motion Camera), a camera that excels in both worlds ... by design. Providing native dynamic range of over 13 stops and resolution that exceeds 35 mm motion picture film, this is the camera of the epoch. Add to that RED's newly developed HDRx™ extended dynamic range technology and EPIC boasts an amazing dynamic range of up to 18 stops. Purpose-built for perfect multi-camera synchronization, EPIC comes to market at a time when 3D capture requires the sophistication of a new generation of innovative technology.
RED EPIC and Leica packages will be sold from all four Band Pro offices in Burbank, California; New York, NY; Munich, Germany; and Tel Aviv, Israel. The camera and lens packages from Band Pro will not interfere with deliveries of RED EPIC’s to those customers who have them on backorder.

No comments:

Post a Comment