Equipment
Our aim is to give you 24 hour advice about our products which will enable you to arrange all your production needs. Use the menu below to make your choice. We have a wide range of equipment to choose from.
Please select a category:
- Cameras
- VTRs
- Sound
- Lighting
- Lenses & HD Optics
- Monitors
- Shooting Kits
- Camera Accessories
- Tripods & Grips
- Engineering
- Cabling
- Multi Camera Systems
- P2/XDCAM-EX/Non-linear Storage
VMI HD Camera Rental
VMI carry the full range of HD Camcorder equipment available for rental in the UK. All major formats are stocked including HDCAM, Varicam, DVCPro HD (1080), P2, XDCAM HD and HDV. VMI also have large stocks of SD equipment as well.
In-house camera testing room, rushes viewing in our Soho HD cinema and HD Camera training with Paul Wheeler BSC are all part of the standard service. VMI make a premiere screening of your film in our cinema available to clients who hire Broadcast HD camera equipment from VMI as part of the production deal.
Which format and which camera?
There is such a bewildering array of options open to Producers today that it can be very difficult to decide on an appropriate format and frame rate for a given production. All the more confusing is that there seems little in the specifications of the various technologies to justify the vastly differing costs between them.
To help make this decision, VMI offer a free consultancy service to clients. Our staff are well versed in HD technology and VMI give free weekly 'HD for Producers' seminars. For some more immediate help, see the comprehensive help section.
ENG and Cine-style Configuration available
HD breaches the boundary of Digi Beta and film to produce pictures with very high production values. In order to achieve this, the lightweight video accessories required for documentary applications are simply not good enough for drama and feature shoots, so a new style of digital shooting has emerged with new equipment to cater for this.
A range of cine-style lenses permits far greater focus adjustment and minimised focus breathing - both critical in drama-style lighting conditions; Heavier Matte boxes permit more careful matting and larger size filters; follow focus and Microforce zoom drives permit finer adjustment of zoom and focus; extension eyepieces and wireless video assist are commonly used; A range of heavy O'Connor film tripod heads equipped with Moy or bowl are fitted with a range of tripod legs and ARRI bridge plates with 15mm and 19mm bar systems give more stable camera mounts; finally larger HD displays allow pictures to be carefully scrutinised. As a guide, 9" monitors are commonly used for documentaries and larger displays usually reserved for drama.
The choice of video and cine-style lenses dictate a differing specification of accessories and we distinguish these kits as ENG style for documentaries designed for lightness/portability and cine-style for promo, commercial, drama and feature film projects for superb production values.
Lighting and Grip-A One-stop Shop
VMI recognise that every production has lighting and grip needs and that it is easier to deal with one company than dealing with 3. As a result, VMI can now offer a seamless production rental solution including full film and TV lighting plus grip including all popular production dollies, track systems and accessories including transport.
HD Optics and filters
VMI stock only the best HD zoom and prime lenses made by Canon and Zeiss. Larger HD zoom lenses include a 15mm lens support bracket to avoid back-focus drift for discerning DoPs. HD lenses are fully compatible with broadcast standard definition camcorders to achieve better pictures in SD acquisition.
The world-standard ARRI MB19 two-stage matte box is VMI's standard matte box for cine-style kits. Filters sizes are PV size (5.65"x4") and larger grads and blenders in 5.65" square. VMI also maintain a comprehensive stock of filters.
Monitor and Displays
HD displays are critical to the production and VMI's range include 6", 7" and 8.5" HD LCD camera-top displays, 9" battery-powered monitors, 14" and 24" mains monitors plus 17" and 23" flat-screen LCD HD displays - some even have built-in waveform displays. All Sony HD displays are set up with a colour monitor scope on preparation and we guarantee the colours to be accurate on preparation. HD production monitors are supplied as standard with HD hoodman sun covers so that they can be used perfectly in bright daylight.
Ancillary Items
A range of ancillary accessories are available to make your shoot more enjoyable including:
- A full range of grip with various track options.
- DoP rack with a customised Multicore loom.
- Colour LCD viewfinder with Crosziel eyepiece.
- HD Amphibicam rigid underwater housings (as used on BBC Amazon Abyss).
- ARRI 3-axis wireless Lens Control System (LCS) which allows wireless control of zoom, focus and iris.
- DV Combo units for DV site video playback with optional Wireless Video Assist.
- HD digital scopes for location test measurement.
- Polar Bear-an insulated padded bag for HD camcorders for filming in cold conditions.
- Full Range of lights and grip available.
- HD VTRs for Digitising.