Iconix Video's Iconix HD-RH1 camera was employed in the making of the Warner Bros. feature, Ocean's Thirteen, the third and final installment in the blockbuster Ocean's series. Co-starring George Clooney as Danny Ocean, along with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, and Bernie Mac, Ocean's Thirteen is the new sequel to Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve, reuniting the ensemble cast with director Steven Soderbergh and producer Jerry Weintraub.
Joining the cast for the new adventure are Al Pacino, who plays casino mogul Willie Banks, and Ellen Barkin as his right-hand man. The original eleven return to Las Vegas bent on revenge. The Iconix HD-RH1 was used for several shots from inside a roulette wheel during one of the casino scenes, allowing viewers to see out into the blurred casino as the wheel spins. Featuring a camera head about the size of a golf ball, and weighing a mere two ounces, the remote head system of the Iconix HD-RH1 can keep pace with larger HD video cameras, yet is versatile enough to offer 35 different format and frame rate combinations.
According to Steven Meizler, first assistant cameraman for "Ocean's Thirteen," there was no way to complete the shot with a conventional camera, and the Iconix offered such high quality data that it was indiscernible from other footage shot on film. "The image quality for the Iconix was fabulous," said Meizler. "When I first saw it projected, it was comparable to a Sony HDW F900 image. It was amazing-it blew me away."
A first for a camera this size, the HD-RH1 system can capture and output video in both NTSC and PAL formats in all HD resolutions, including 720p, 1080i and 1080p while supporting frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames-per-second (fps). Outputs include HD-SDI (SMPTE 292M) as two single-link 4:2:2, or dual-link 4:4:4 RGB/YCbCr; DVI-I; and analog outputs, with genlocking capability to tri-level sync. Remote control protocols are available over RS-232 or 9-pin DSUB connectors. Power requirements are 30W at 12VDC.
The HD-RH1 incorporates an expansive array of features found only on top-of-the-line HD ENG and EFP camera systems while utilizing an innovative signal processing architecture. This POV camera system, which includes a very robust separate camera head and processing controller unit, is the smallest high performance HD camera in the industry. The lightweight HD-RH1 remote camera system is comprised of a 1.32" x 1.50" x 1.92" POV camera head weighing 2.5 oz.; a 3.5 lb. universal HDTV controller unit measuring 8.4" x 1.8" x 12"; power supply, and 3, 6 and 10 meter cables.