FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Optical Devices Division is announcing that the Seattle Mariners—a Major League Baseball American League team—ordered two new FUJINON XA77x9.5 HD telephoto field lenses and one FUJINON HA14x4.5 super wide angle HD ENG/EFP lens in January of this year.
The XA77x9.5 box lenses will be used on two new Grass Valley LDX 80 Premiere multi-format studio/field cameras. And the HA14x4.5 HD ENG/EFP lens will be used on a new Sony PMW500-HD02 XDCAM camcorder. According to Yezmin E. Blue, BSCS, CBTE, manager of broadcast engineering for the Seattle Mariners, the new acquisition gear will be put into service at Safeco Field—the home ballpark of the Mariners—in late March of this year.
“The new HD cameras and lenses are part of an ongoing capital upgrade to transition our in-house video production facilities from SD to HD,” Blue said. “This camera equipment, along with a new Panasonic Lighthouse HD LED video display, will enhance the game-day experience at our 81 home games per season as well as the 450 private events held at Safeco Field every year.”
The Mariners’ in-house video facilities include a production control room located behind home plate that is used to produce the live in-park game program on the HD video board during home games. When installed, the massive (11,425 square foot) Panasonic Lighthouse HD video board—controlled by ANC software—will be the largest such display at any Major League Baseball stadium. These facilities also meet video production needs for private and community events—such as corporate meetings, weddings, trade shows, parties and high school baseball games—held at Safeco Field on non-game days.
“We chose FUJINON HD lenses based on our experience with this brand of SD lenses over the years. Balls hit very hard during games often damage our cameras, but our FUJINON lenses have rarely had to go out for repair,” Blue said. “Our decision was also based upon the outstanding picture quality and performance of FUJINON lenses, as well as the excellent, personalized service we’ve received from our regional rep Josh Ewing.”
Ideal for large venues and sporting events, the FUJINON XA77x9.5BESM telephoto field lens offers optical stabilization, exclusive anti-fogging to reduce downtime due to moisture, EBC coating to reduce ghosts and flare and increase light transmission, as well as built-in system diagnostics. Designed for the 2/3-inch camera format, the lens has a 77x zoom range, 2x extender, and maximum relative aperture of 1:17 (9.5-335mm) and 1:34 (732mm), as well as a digital servo control system and Digital Quick Zoom to enhance the performance and ease of use of the zoom feature.
The FUJINON HA14x4.5BERD super wide-angle HD ENG/EFP lens for 2/3-inch cameras has a 2.2x extender, digital power servo, and 14x zoom range. It offers a focal length of 1x (4.5-63mm) and 2x (9.9-138mm), and a maximum relative aperture of 1:1.8 (4.5-41mm) and 1:2.8 (63mm).
According to Thom Calabro, director, Marketing and Product Development, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Optical Devices Division, “We’re pleased that the Seattle Mariners have chosen our field lenses and ENG HDTV lenses for games and events at Safeco, and we appreciate the trust they’ve placed in our brand over the years.”
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