The Sunbelt Rentals Camera division has relocated to our London facility, located in Wembley. It has been designed with cinematographers, crew and camera departments in mind.
The space has been carefully crafted to meet the needs of both established and aspiring camera departments. The space consists of 180,000 sq. ft of equipment, with the widest range of digital and film cameras, lenses and support equipment for every creative vision.
The test rooms are spacious and can accommodate productions with multiple camera packages, allowing crews to prep efficiently in one single space. An invaluable resource is the pre-lit set, designed by Dan Betteridge providing cinematographers with a structured environment to test lenses and camera setups under realistic lighting conditions. Technicians are on hand throughout to discuss lens and lighting options and to offer technical advice where needed. The dressed set is available with an inventory of props, interchangeable backdrops with differing materials and textures along with an array of LEDs and other household lighting that a cinematographer may encounter whilst on location.
The set is available upon request for make-up tests, areas can be dressed, and wall panels covered with materials that the production intends to use. The set incorporates an LED volume backdrop which is supported with a
variety of extended reality production environments, or alternatively productions can supply their own to be pre-loaded into the system. Adjacent to the pre-lit set is a fifteen-seat viewing theatre fully equipped with a DaVinci Suite, 4K/8K projector and a cinema-grade sound system. Rushes acquired during testing are complemented by the theatre whereby cinematographers can utilise the suite to grade and view these on site. There is also a dedicated VFX Grid Test room.
Sunbelt Rentals’ Technical Director, Andy Mossman believes that having a facility constructed with the cinematographer and crew in mind is invaluable. He said, “The benefits of enabling cinematographers to make informed decisions on camera and lens combinations in a controlled, real-world testing environment is essential.
“Cinematographers will often approach us with a list of possible lens options based on a project’s intended aesthetics. We house an extensive catalogue of optics, spanning vintage through to modern lenses, with a varied selection of Full-Frame, Anamorphic, and 35mm options available.
“We build strong relationships with our customers. We take the time to truly understand their needs and due to the depth and diversity of our inventory, we’re not only able to deliver exactly what’s requested, we can also suggest additional options with the required characteristics that may not have been considered.
“Our extensive range of anamorphic lenses ensures that we’re able to supply multiple sets of Hawk, Atlas, Cooke and Scorpio lenses including vintage options, such as the Xtals, Kowas and Lomos. “We have a wide variety of rehoused lenses, supplied by respected re-housers and manufacturers: TLS, White Point Optics, Gecko-Cam, and Iron Glass. Options include Fujinon EBCs, Mamiya 645s, Canon Rangefinders, Nikon AIS, and High-Speed Zeiss Distagons.
“Some of these lenses are available with interchangeable elements, offering the choice between uncoated and single-coated glass for greater creative flexibility. In addition, cinematographers now have the option to remove speed boosters, enabling certain Full Frame lenses to cover a 65mm sensor. “Supported by our in-house skilled camera technicians, together, we’re looking forward to welcoming new and existing customers to our bespoke London camera facility.”
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This article is sponsored by Sunbelt Rentals.
