Technologies Making an Impact at NAB: SmallRig

As always, the scale of the NAB show didn’t disappoint this year!! The Connect2 team began with an amazing BEA (Broadcast Education Association) Convention before exploring the main show floor. BEA has been partnering with NAB for many years, so once finished it’s great to take some time to explore NAB too.

After talking with many BEA members, we learned there were a number of exhibitors on their lists that we prioritised for visiting. As an equipment booking system provider, it’s always useful to see which assets universities are looking to add to their inventories. Plus it certainly helps to have a shortlist when managing your time at NAB, after all it’s impossible to get around all 1000+ exhibitors!

We found something new and really interesting on the SmallRig stand: a new pre-release tripod called the Tribex, apparently named after the ibex mountain goat with its sure foothold! The Tribex was nominated for the best product in the show for NAB 2024 and should be available this summer.

You’re reading the latest media kit guide from Connect2 – supporting great equipment loaner services in Higher Education. Check out more on the Connect2 blog – including other NAB news from BlackMagic Design!

Self-Setting Tripod

The Tribex is a collaboration between Potato Jet and SmallRig, using a revolutionary hydraulic system. Instead of unlocking all the legs and having to shimmy each one out individually, it shoots them out. As a result, it takes much less time to deploy this tripod, probably saving at least 12 -15 seconds.

You simply hold the tripod where you want to set up and utilise the hydraulic system. Get your camera ready for the shot and with the press of a release handle, the tripod is immediately deployed and stable on the ground with 77lbs of holding capacity.

The tripod mechanism behaves like a suspension system so that you can move the camera and tripod around to change the shot angle with all the legs still engaged and balanced on the ground.

Collapsing the tripod is just as simple – pull together and hold the release handle and push straight down, then you are ready to go.

So you can see how this tripod will help students get set up quickly and enable swift adjustments for different camera shots, ensuring production focus stays on the action. No doubt, it will all lead to incredible results!

New V-Mount Battery – NAB Product of the year winner – Camera Support, Control and Accessories

Having to manage an ecosystem of multiple battery systems can be difficult. The option for most filmmakers used to be a single ginormous battery but you had to find a way to distribute the power and you were probably limited to one or two accessories.

SmallRig V mount batteries are rapidly gaining popularity. What makes SmallRig batteries different is they manufacture all the casing and fittings themselves. The only thing they do not manufacture is the fuel cell itself. USB C ports are on top for getting power in and out. So just a simple USB C cable makes it easy to charge and power from the battery. You don’t need a proprietary power adaptor here. You can also run other systems from the battery, for example use it to power a laptop.

Lighting – RC 60B COB LED Video Light

This is one of the best lighting solutions for students working on the go and needing a comprehensive lighting solution for content creation. With adjustable brightness, colour temperature control, and quick-release softboxes, it’s another product that supports a quick production setup.

Also of note, SmallRig manufactures all the lighting chip technology and have cleverly adapted their system to allow their 450-watt SmallRig lights to compete with a 600-watt light, maximising output for less electrical draw.

About the author

Danny Thomas, Business Development Manager for Connect2 equipment booking software, is a specialist in Higher Education equipment checkout and inventory management. Danny is also an amateur photographer and filmmaker, with endless enthusiasm for new tech! To get in touch, please contact Danny here.