Seminole Productions, the video production unit of Florida State University’s College of Communication and FSU Athletics partner, recently invested in Panasonic’s VariCam LT 4K camcorder to shoot cinematic features and opens for display on the state-of-the-art Panasonic large-format LED video boards that are installed throughout Doak Campbell Stadium.
The VariCam LT is also being used to shoot segments and interviews for The Jimbo Fisher Show and Seminole Sports Magazine, both half-hour weekly television shows currently airing on the Fox Sports Sun Network. (Fisher is head coach of FSU Football.) VariCam LT packages are likewise seen on FSU’s athletic site, www.seminoles.com.
The VariCam LT complements Seminole Productions prior purchase of eight Panasonic AK-HC5000 4X high-speed camera systems, as well as AG-DVX200 4K handheld camcorders and an AW-HE130 PTZ camera. Like the new HC5000 camera, the VariCam LT offers capture rates up to 240fps, ideal for fast-motion sports footage.
Mark Rodin, Executive Director of Seminole Productions, explained that while the video boards are 1080/60p models and the sports magazine shows air in HD, the VariCam LT affords him the opportunity to “shoot in 4K with HDR now.” “Shooting in the 4K space lets us move the image around to create beautiful video for a broad variety of uses,” he said.
“The fact that VariCam LT has 240 fps super slow-mo built into the cost of the camera is a key benefit,” Rodin continued. “We are utilizing the camcorder on the sidelines for every football game for game action and player reactions, and altogether the resulting segments have a real cinematic look.”
He noted that the VariCam LT’s dual native 800/5000 ISOs were another inherent asset of the camcorder. “Shooting in low lighting at ISO5000 is making for some very creative effects with the players and more dramatic opens and features for the fans in the stadium,” he said.
Seminole Productions will utilize the VariCam LT throughout its 17 varsity athletic programs. “With the LT, we have been able to access all the prized VariCam functionality we need at a price point we can afford,” Rodin said.
For more information about FSU Athletics, visit www.seminoles.com.
About the VariCam LT
The VariCam LT camcorder inherits the same super 35mm sensor and superb imaging capabili-ties that distinguish the award-winning VariCam 35, but with significant reductions in size, weight and price. Incorporating this identical imaging “DNA” in a more compact rendition, the VariCam LT delivers 14+ stops of dynamic range with V-Log, and the esteemed cinematic VariCam image quality and color science, as well as the VariCam 35's breakout innovation, dual native ISOs of 800/5000. Weighing just under six pounds and having superior capability to similar sized cameras, the VariCam LT is the ideal camera for handheld, SteadiCam, jib, crane, drone, gimbal and overall cinema verité work. The VariCam LT offers a host of new features including an EF lens
mount, hot swappable batteries, IR shooting capability, a 23.98 PsF output, cinema style file nam-ing, and image presets such as scene files.
For more information about Panasonic VariCam cinema and high-speed cameras, visit us.panasonic.com/varicam, or contact Panasonic at 877-803-8492.
