Camera Corps Expands Camera Lineup, Offices

Camera Corps has expanded into new premises and also undertook a major investment in new cameras, camera control equipment and video recorders. These developments looks set to sustain the company as a leading provider of support systems and full service facilities to broadcasters and independent programme-makers as well as an increasingly active equipment manufacturer.

“HD really is the new SD,” comments Laurie Frost, founder and managing director of Camera Corps. “We have experienced a strong increase in demand for 1080-line equipment both in studio-based projects and at outside broadcast events during the past year. Largest of these was the China Games in August where we fielded nearly 200 1080i cameras in a variety of roles across practically every venue. The signal quality these delivered proved well up to expectations. 625-line production equipment is still in demand and looks set to remain so for several years to come. We still have a large inventory of SD kit but the transition to HD is a one-way journey and we have to stay at the front.”

“The office relocation gives our staff a larger and more comfortable dual-floor working environment with much easier access to our entire equipment inventory. Most important of all, it provides us with additional space for production of the Q-Ball remote HD camera head which we will be introducing at NAB 2009 in Las Vegas. We made a firm decision to remain within the grounds of Shepperton Studios which has proved a very successful location over the past 12 years. Our new HQ is less than 500 metres from our former premises. Address and communication details remain unchanged.”

The enlarged Camera Corps equipment inventory includes 75 Camera Corps HD MiniZoom cameras, 60 Camera Corps VHR remote heads, tracking systems, underwater remote systems, plus 17 Hitachi HV-HD30 cameras, 20 Hitachi DK-H32 and 8 Toshiba IKHD-1. In addition, a total of 17 new Egripment remote-controlled camera heads have been purchased (7 HotShots and 10 MiniShots). The investment programme also includes five Fast Forward Video Mini DVR Pro ultra-compact solid state video recorders, purchased primarily for use with Camera Corps’ Body Cam as lighter and more robust file-based alternatives to body-mounted video tape recorders.