NAB 2022: Our Favorite Cameras, Lights, and Gear from the Show
Jourdan Aldredge
Apr 29, 2022
For the first time since 2019, we can say that we’ve finally completed another NAB conference. Congrats to all of the thousands of people lucky enough to attend in person, as well as the millions more who kept tabs on the conference online.
It’s true NAB 2022 might not have had the same amount of earth-shattering camera announcements or news we’ve seen in years past. But there were still plenty of familiar brand booths to check out and plenty of updates, new releases, and exciting glimpses into the future to report back on.
So, for all of those who might not have been able to check out every conference hall and read every article, here’s our full breakdown of all the highlights from this year’s conference.
As we highlighted as part of our coverage on the floor, the biggest stories didn’t actually have to do with any physical pieces of tech gear this year. Instead some of the most exciting news came about the technology advancing in the clouds — as in digital cloud technology.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the highlights from big names like Blackmagic Design, Adobe and Frame.io, and more:
Let’s not bury any news here: Along with exciting announcements about their new cloud storage products, Blackmagic also unveiled a new major release to their popular editing app DaVinci Resolve with Resolve 18 (which is available right now).
However, the most enticing news for many is of course Blackmagic Cloud Store. These products, along with other news from the conference, are boldly pushing the realms of truly digital and connected production workflows forward.
With these new BMD Cloud Store devices, video editors can now sync media globally to Dropbox to allow fellow editors, producers, and creators to sync and even live edit with them in real time from anywhere across the globe.
The main offerings from BMD are set to be available here in Q2 2022 and will feature three sizes at launch, including 20TB, 80TB, and 320TB options which you can check out here.
Along with news from Blackmagic, we also got a first hands-on look at Frame.io’s innovative camera-to-cloud technology (guided by Frame.io’s Michael Cioni).
Similar to BMD, news of this tech was released just before NAB started. But it’s still exciting to see just how truly game-changing this technology truly is — and can be — for film and video professionals.
With Frame.io’s camera-to-cloud and all their new unlocked camera partners and manufacturers, filmmakers can now shoot footage on one continent and have it transferred, synced, and even edited on another. It’s global-filmmaking unlocked, and we’re very excited to see how this tech will develop even more in the years to come.
You can read more in-depth on the exciting possibilities of this C2C technology in our full report here.
We also got a chance to catch up with the team at Adobe who, along with their recent addition of Frame.io to their Creative Cloud technologies, continue to push some killer innovations in the world of smart video and color editing.
Thanks in part to a demo given by Adobe’s Karl Soule, we got a great tutorial into the updated Auto Color and Color Match features powered by their smart, AI-based Sensei program.
Combined with our own Soundstripe audio extension (which you can utilize directly within Premiere Pro), these new updates are huge for beginner and advanced video editors alike looking to speed up their workflows and better bring their projects to beautifully-colored life.
Compared to years past where it seemed like every brand had a new, world-shattering camera to introduce, this year was actually quite slow in terms of new camera unveils.
However, NAB 2022 did still provide a chance for interested buyers and creators alike to get some hands-on time with several exciting cameras that had been released recently and are starting to build up buzz based on early reviews.
Here are some of our favorite cameras and lenses that we checked out at this year’s conference, along with some new hands-on reviews which have begun to trickle out:
As usual, the Canon booth was a popular spot for all types of photographers and video content creators.
From high-end broadcast cameras to popular cinema options like the Canon C500 mk (which got some exciting new firmware updates), Canon had plenty of cameras and innovations to show off this year.
We personally got to try out some of the VR experiential content shot on the new Canon R5 C, which used the RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye Lens to create some beautiful virtual compositions which you truly have to experience to believe yourself.
For the sake of any loyal Sony camera fans who might have skipped past the Canon news, we also have to shout out some of the powerful new cameras that made their rounds at the Sony booth this year.
Another legacy brand in the camera world, Sony was on hand to let filmmakers and videographers check out their new Alpha 1, along with the highly anticipated Airspeak S1 drone which promises to help launch your 8K Alpha 1 high in the sky for next-level aerial cinematography.
We also got to try out the new Sony Venice 2 on some real-life sets and models to see why this top-of-the-line powerhouse is truly one of the several highest-end cinema cameras in use on the biggest blockbusters hitting theaters this year and for long into the future.
Not to be outdone, we also spent time at the Panasonic booth to try out some of our favorite Panasonic cameras of the past year. We also used the time to prepare our first hands-on thoughts of the Panasonic LUMIX GH6, as well as revisit older favorites like the S1 and S1H.
And, to be perfectly frank, the cameras we saw this year further reminded us that there are so many great cameras out there for all price points and video production needs. It’s really just about finding the right camera and brand combo right for you and your needs.
We also spent some time back at the Blackmagic Design booth not only to see the aforementioned Cloud Storage options, but also to check out some of their popular cameras.
In my opinion the Blackmagic URSA Mini 12K still reigns supreme as perhaps their top offering for those in the high-end video production world. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t shout out their uber-popular line of pocket cams, with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (which we gave one away in our Women’s History Film Content last month), as well as the BMPCC 6K.
No word from the BMD team members about any plans for a Pocket 8K, but we’ll keep hoping.
Moving on from cameras, we do have to admit that — along with cloud technology revelations — this year was solid in terms of lenses, lights and other cool gear innovations. We toured many booths and chatted with several brands to get some cool insights to share, including:
Of course, since we talked about cameras we have to also talk about lenses. And along with some great glass offered by Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Fujifilm, and more, we were particularly excited to check out one of the few surprise releases from this year’s conference: the Atlas Orion T2 2X anamorphic lens.
This new 21mm is part of the Atlas Orion series and is in fact the world’s widest front anamorphic cinema lens. It shoots absolutely stunning and beautiful images with its pristine level of distortion and character — all with a sleek and compact form factor.
We also were lucky enough to attend the secret Aputure party where they blew our eyes out with the bright and powerful capabilities of their new LS 600c Pro, the brand’s first-ever full-color point-source light fixture. This should wreak quite a bit of havoc in the industry as filmmakers and videographers alike will want to add it to sets across the globe.
It’s truly one of the brightest full-color point-source light fixtures out there, and can output 4,150+ lux at up to nine feet. Plus (as any Aputure light user can tell you) its complete array of weather resistance and professional level connectivity should make it easy to add to any gear truck.
Finally, one of our favorite booths from this year’s conference floor had to be the Kondor Blue space. It showcased some awesome, sturdy, and innovative rigs which range from your standard shoulder mounts to what appeared to be a helicopter rig you could use to circle your subject in 360 degrees.
Still, in our estimation, the Kondor Blue Shoulder Pad Air might have been our favorite piece of video gear we got our hands on as. It offers some solid rails, a high range of modular possibilities, and a surprisingly comfy air cushioned pad to keep your shoulders as comfy as possible for any long and grueling shoots.
Wrapping things up, this was truly a great first year back for NAB. It was exciting to see so many familiar faces and brands at this year’s conference. But it was even more exciting to see so many new innovations, both up in the “digital air” as well as in our hands for the first time.
Be sure to keep up with the Soundstripe YouTube channel because we have some fun video content on the way to further showcase all the gear, tech, and shenanigans we experienced on the floor at NAB 2022.
And, as always, stay tuned to the Soundstripe blog for all the latest news, tips, tricks, and tutorials to help you on your own film and video journey.
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