2004Cameras (Film/Video/HD) forum
Operating the Thomson Viper Filmstream camera on Steadicam rigs
22 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- The camera weighs approximately 6 pounds with a 3-pound lens, making it relatively light for a high-definition camera at that time.
- Early prototypes used a hard drive mounted in an external dock with approximately 4.5 minutes of recording capacity, though there was expectation this would extend to 10 minutes later.
- The Grass Valley FlashPak solid-state recording option provided dedicated recording storage designed for Steadicam use and held about 10 minutes of HD content.
- Camera balancing is unusual due to minimal tail weight, requiring careful rig adjustment.
- Power draw is approximately 5 to 9 amps, manageable with large battery packs like Dionic batteries.
- Tethered operation using dual SDI or SDI cables to an external video receiver was standard, requiring flexible BNC connectors for rig mobility.
- An L-plate adapter could be fabricated to improve weight distribution and steadicam compatibility.
- The camera produces no internal down-conversion, requiring external processing if needed.
- Operators reported that recording time limitations between takes were offset by the camera's light weight compared to other HD options available at the time.
Depends on
- This discussion took place in 2004-2005 when the technology was newly introduced and still evolving.
- Recording capacity limitations of 4.5 to 10 minutes were a significant constraint for long takes.
- Tethered operation added cable management complexity to rigs.
- One operator's experience was from the Netherlands where some recording options were not available.
- The camera's balance characteristics were described as unusual and required operator adjustment.
- Comparison to competing systems like Genesis suggests similar battery drain concerns, though not definitively stated.