Nikon has recently partnered with professional baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, to install a Robotic Pod camera system throughout the team’s famous Fenway Park stadium in order to capture still images and full HD video. The remote system, from Nikon group company MRMC, helps minimise risk during the ongoing pandemic and givers users, including photographers, a safe way to remotely control cameras to capture content.
The staff of Fenway Park worked with Nikon Professional Services (NPS) to install five Robotic Pods, a modular camera system housing that can be remotely controlled by an operator via software. With the system, the photographer/operator can capture high-quality photos and videos for broadcast, social media and marketing needs while reducing proximity to other staff and players and gain remote access to restricted areas. “In fact, a photographer can cover an entire game without ever leaving the booth,” says MRMC.
The system also offer more creative flexibility, enabling new camera angles where photographers simply could not access before. The cameras are positioned on the roof of the press box, on the third and first baselines, overlooking centre field and the bullpen, in addition to a low-angle immediately behind home plate.
Because the Pods allow for 360-degree movements and zooming capabilities, the system allows for shots that are not possible with a fixed remote camera. Additionally, the photographer has full remote operation of zoom, focus, exposure and more, while the automated system can save pre-set capture points to repeat shots with precise consistency.
The Pods also enable an FTP stream of images that can be delivered in real-time, ready for use by authorised photographers, press agencies and for social media usage and fan engagement. Inside the pods is the Nikon D5, attached to the Nikkor 80-400mm zoom lens. See here for more details.
