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News roundup: ProAV, Core, Hedge and Leica

Written by Maari Innes | Mar 10, 2023 3:00:00 PM

Our news roundup this week looks at news from ProAV, Core, Hedge and Leica.

Proactive UK Ltd welcomes new management team

Proactive UK Ltd is thrilled to welcome its new management team, consisting of Kevin Eaton, Dale Makepeace, and Nick Millen who will take the roles of Managing Director, Operations Director, and Commercial Director respectively. 

Delivering the same exceptional customer service and quality that has been a hallmark of the company for over 25 years, the new management team is excited to continue this legacy. They want to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and heard and are looking forward to working with the company's staff and clients to drive growth, innovation, and cutting-edge solutions.

“We can’t wait to show you what the future holds, and we are committed to working with our customers, suppliers, and staff to ensure that Proactive UK Ltd remains a leader in its industry for years to come,” ProAV adds.

New higher capacity Helix Max batteries

Core's Helix Max 275 and 360 are both now equipped with a new 3-phase backlit LCD, strategically mounted on the side of the pack, providing the camera operator information about battery life and charge status. A LCD display shows the estimated runtime when the pack is not in use and the calculated runtime when it is in use by sampling the load every 3 seconds.

The new packs come with a polycarbonate housing that is built to withstand the demands of the toughest filming environments while also being lightweight and portable. This heat-resistant housing is critical when working with high-powered cinematic lighting and equipment that generates significant heat.

The Helix Max battery communicates essential information to the camera. By transmitting the same information displayed on the runtime LCD to the camera, operators can view important data such as voltage, battery runtime, and percentage directly on their camera display. This feature not only saves time by eliminating the need to check the battery’s status manually, but it also ensures that camera operators always have the most up-to-date information about the battery’s performance.

Find the Helix Max batteries here.

Hedge + ProGrade Digital partnership & integration

Hedge and ProGrade Digital have partnered up to fully optimize camera ingest. Recording media is important and there should be an offloading system in place where everything has better communication and more information can be shared between the card, card reader, and the software you are using to offload your material - this is what the partnership is about.

By partnering up with ProGrade ProGrade, Hedge can add useful information to its firmware, and integrate this into its offloading workflow - there’s no need for other apps or drivers. 

ProGrade cards and readers that display the ‘R’ are fully compatible with the Hedge app.

The secure erase function will also be included in an upcoming version, along with further integrations for ProGrade products that will help monitor the performance of each camera card over time. The new feature is included in Hedge 23.1, which is available today and is a free update for all current license holders.

Leica announces 100-400mm f/5-6.3 & 1.4x Teleconverter for SL cameras

Leica has announced a new 100-400mm f/5-6.3 and a 1.4x Teleconverter for SL Cameras. The Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400mm f/5-6.3 Lens claims to provide sharpness across all f-stops and focus distances. The zoom features built-in optical image stabilization for clear images. Featuring a relatively compact, lightweight form factor and utilizing Leica’s SL2 and SL2-S tracking abilities, this lens has an accurate, high-speed autofocus to produce accurate images. The Leica Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400mm f/5-6.3 Lens is available to pre-order for $2,195.

Features:
  • Full-Frame | f/5-6.3
  • Compact, Lightweight Telephoto Zoom
  • SL2/SL2-S Autofocus System
  • 4-Stop Optical Image Stabilization
  • Arca-Swiss Detachable Tripod Base
  • Weather-Sealed Design, AquaDura Coating

The teleconverter is designed for the Vario-Elmar-SL100-400mm f/5-6.3 zoom lens to increase the lens’ magnification by 1.4 times for a total zoom range of 140-560mm. The teleconverter comes with a weather-sealed design and AquaDura coating. You can pre-order this for $875.