Fujinon Lenses Put New Mira Mobile Truck in Focus

When the latest HD mobile unit from Mira Mobile Television hit the streets earlier this year it had on board seven 2/3-inch HD field lenses from FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Optical Devices Division. The new M11HD carries one XA101x8.9BESM, three XA88x8.8ESMs, and three XA76x9.3ESM Fujinon lenses outfitted on Sony HDC-1450 portable cameras. Included among the Fujinon HD lenses added to the entire Mira Mobile complement this year are: five XA76X9.3ESMs, one XA88X8.8ESM, one XA101X8.9ESM, three ZA22X7.6ERMs ENG-Style zooms, and one HA14x4.5ERM wide angle ENG/EFP lens.

Mira Mobile Television has enjoyed a successful, long-term relationship with Fujifilm and Fujinon lenses. “We see this as an on-going partnership,” says Bill Duncan, Director of Engineering, Mira Mobile Television. “We come in with problems we encounter on the road, and they come up with solutions. It’s a relationship that continually proves its worth. We have excellent support, maintenance, parts replacement whenever and wherever we need it.”

Duncan also reported that the recent earthquake in Japan, where Fujifilm’s factory is located, had no affect on delivery of lenses or its ability to service the folks at Mira.

For a company headquartered just outside of Portland, OR, doing business throughout the western U.S. and western Canada, Mira Mobile Television has found the anti-fog capabilities and image stabilization of the Fujinon lenses to be invaluable for recent productions. “We encounter every kind of weather imaginable as we cover events for our clients from the Pacific Northwest to the beaches of southern California to the deserts of Arizona. Being able to stave off moisture, as well as dealing with high winds, heat and all of the unknowns when shooting live sports make top-notch anti-fog and image stabilization essential for us,” said Duncan. “We don’t have to wait hours and hours for our lenses to clear off.”

The truck completed its first live broadcast in mid-February for the CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.  In addition, M11HD covered several events for ESPN, including NBA, Major League Soccer, and college basketball (NIT and the NCAA Women’s Tournament).