Sim Video modifies cameras based on feedback from its DOP clients, according to video camera guru Rob Sim, co-owner and president of Sim Group.

Most recently, Sim Video modified Thomson’s Grass Valley Viper FilmStream Camera system to create a fully loaded, cable-free kit that weighs in at 28 pounds, says Sim.

The original three-year-old Viper gained notoriety as director Michael Mann’s camera of choice in the feature films Miami Vice and Collateral. The Viper has also been used to shoot Peter Greenaway’s latest feature, Nightwatching, which premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival, followed by a special screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

The Viper is gaining ground with the 35mm film crowd. A digital cinematography camera, and not strictly speaking HD, the Viper offers 9.2-million pixel frame transfer CCDs, and an RGB 4:4:4 10-bit log output.

Sim Video has worked on the glitches. Its engineers designed six modifications for the Viper, including an interface device, manufactured by Toronto’s Precision Camera, to properly mount the Viper camera with the Venom Flashpak. ‘The Venom Flashpak is a recorder that allows you to use the camera on Steadicam, completely free of cable,’ Sim explains.

‘What’s been a big bone of contention with camera operators for years is that with video equipment, you always seem to have a lot of cables plugged into it. The system that Thomson supplied had a mounting for this Venom recorder on the camera that was poorly designed. So we designed our own mount that’s an interface between the Venom recorder and the Viper camera.’

Sim created a ‘quick release’ V-clip system to facilitate back-mount positioning of the Venom. It also modified the camera handle with a heavier duty and more functional one. It introduced an on-board battery ‘for obvious reasons’ (no cables make a significant difference when operating in Steadicam or handheld mode) and created a ‘dockable accessory power port’ equipped to power up to five camera accessories, offering a combination of connector options.

For situations that require long cable lengths to send HD signals from the Viper camera to the Sony SRW-1 HD portable field recorder, a fiber-optic cable option was created, so camera operators can easily switch recording from the Venom to the SRW-1 via either copper cable (BNC) or fiber-optic cable options.

And finally, the toe piece (front of the camera) has been adapted to facilitate a lightweight rod system, thereby eliminating the need for heavier lens mounting equipment for lens-related camera accessories and reducing camera weight overall.

Now that Sim has a Viper that rivals 16mm cameras in weight and mobility, he also suggests this hot new camera can rival 16mm film quality.

‘In the case of the Viper, I’d say it’s superior to 16mm,’ says Sim. But don’t take his word for it.

‘We say ‘don’t believe us, do a test,” Sim continues, noting his company has done ‘split screen’ tests ‘for free,’ comparing film and HD footage for producers who want proof of HD quality.