By contributor Clinton Harn:
Chinese company PD Movie have a new all-in-one handheld rig for the Blackmagic Design BMCC and BMPC 4K. The BMD Armor has two handles with dual thumb wheel controls for motorised zoom and focus, along with a start/stop trigger and an integrated battery to bolster the otherwise short battery life of those cameras. It looks a bit like a brushless gimbal, but don’t get confused, it does not have any form of stabilisation.
Ikan is the US distributor for PD Movie and Kan Yeung was on hand at BIRTV to give us a run through of the new product.
The rig is a reasonable weight, but because it is designed to be held out in front of the operator it will require strong biceps, or a some additional support like an EasyRig.
The BMD Armor rig can also be reconfigured for use on a tripod, with the handles relocated to a position more suitable for traditional live events and outside broadcast.
The controls on the display model I played with were a little sensitive and I found it hard to get accurate focus. Hopefully this is something that will be fine tuned before the unit goes on sale.
Price is not yet confirmed but is expected to be around the $2500 US mark. Keep an eye on the Ikan website in the coming months for more details.
Shot by CY Xu.
