NEW CanaTrans Video Transmitter

[Iain Baird]

I've just finished my second week with the Canatrans on a four camera show. When I'm not on the Steadicam we are shooting four handheld cameras almost every setup, with the other three cameras using the modulus 3000. At least twice a day the other cameras are asked to hardwire, while I'm allowed to continue transmitting because my image is so good!!! As the other cameras have the assistants running around plugging in, and wrangling cables, I'm free to roam. What a treat!!

The other cameras have also had issues with weak video signals that have been split from the source. We've all seen the BNC T splitters in use and what they do to the signal strength . The Canatrans allows me to put a gain on the signal to compensate for this.

I remember when I first starting asking around about the Canatrans, all people could talk about was the price, not how good it was. But how much do we spend on all of our other toys that no one ever notices, or appreciates? The transmitted image is the only part of our gear that everyone outside of the camera dept. including the Director can evaluate and thus a good image makes me look better. I figured since I was spending so much on the rest of my new sled why cheap out on the last part of the system.

I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but other then benifiting from his excellent service, I have no connections to Emery or Lentequip. I'm just a happy customer who has found a great product that's been worth every penny.

 

 

Iain Baird

Toronto

[Matt Burton]

I remember when I first starting asking around about the Canatrans, all people could talk about was the price, not how good it was.

 

Iain Baird

Toronto

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

so how much does it cost ?

 

-matt

[Ramon Engle]

$4000.00 U.S. plus cables.

[Larry McConkey]

There are a number of fairly inexpensive DA's (Distribution Amplifiers) available these days that will do an excellent job of splitting a video signal with no loss. I use one made by Horita powered by a 9 volt battery when the situation arises. A google search should turn up the latest hardware available.

 

Larry

[Lawrence Karman]

I'm currently on a show with one Cantrans and one Modulus 3000. We are using the same receivers and CIT fin antennae for each. All I can say is that at times each image is equally as good or as crappy as the other. Sometimes one breaks up a little more than the other, sometimes one is better than the other. Not sure it's woth the extra $ or weight. I will say that I am a casual observer and have not fiddled with the different power settings on the Cantrans. Perhaps Larry could comment on the effect of various output wattages.

[Iain Baird]

As the owner of the Canatrans used on my set I take a special interest in the signal quality, it's almost a verification point with me. I feel the need to justify the expense to myself. And I must say there have been times when I've walked to video village and noticed that one of the 3000's is looking as good, if not better, I feel deflated, what's wrong with this unit, why did I spend the cash... etc. etc.

 

But that's just radio baby.

 

Who can explain why moving the antenae two inches to the left makes the world of difference, or why one channel excels over another when they both look empty. It's just the way all transmitters work. But when used properly, while taking advantage of all the extra features, the modulus 3000 doesn't even come close to the Canatrans.

 

Since I started using the unit I've heard nothing but good things from the whole crew about how good the signal is, most of them not knowing that it's a different type of transmitter, they are just amazed at how the signal comes in so clear for them as they sit in the corner of the Studio watching the take on their little Sony Watchmans.

 

My show is going to Morocco for a the last month of shooting and the DP is trying to convince production to buy three more units because he knows how spread out all of the camera's will be, on rooftops and beyond. He's been that impressed with the overall quality of the unit.

 

With any purchase I make, I always seem to judge the worth by it's cost to pleasure ratio. Does that car bring enough joy to reason the expense. Do I enjoy my 50 inch TV, etc. etc. It feels good to know that money has been well spent. The same as it feels shitty to think you've wasted good coin, (a feeling I know all too well) But after a month with the Canatrans I can truthfully say that I feel relieved, it has been money well spent.

 

The reward has been worth the risk.

 

 

Iain Baird

Toronto

[Larry McConkey]

Adjusting power either through a menu system as on the Canatrans or by placing attenuators inline with the antenna output as with a Modulus can have a tremendous effect on overall success - outdoors you often need as much as possible, but indoors too much will often cause lots of reflections. I normally wet the Canatrans to about 1/4 W inside and 3/4W outside as a starting point.

 

More important is to find a good channel, which can only be done reliably by actually testing range on what look like clear channels: you must actually test to find the best frequency and the difference can be very, very great.

 

Also more important is the location of the antennas: this is probably the single most important issue with these kind of Rf devices. For good signal the transmitter antenna should be at the top of the rig with no obstructions around it. I have a connector installed on top and bottom of my sled to make this easy in high and low modes. The receiving antenna must also be in good line of sight position as well.

 

As with most things Rf there is also magic involved and sometimes it is only luck or illogical experimentation that reaps the best results!

 

Larry

[Ramon Engle]

After a mere two hours of use I've noticed the quality in transmitted image with the canatrans. Lots of metal structure around me on the stage. I've dialed the Canatrans down to 1/16 of a watt and the image is consistently stable and clear.

I've recently upgraded to MK-V's LCD Hummingbird monitor. When using the Modulus 3000 the LCD image would darken from signal loss and the reds of the image would shift to an almost burnt orange hue. None of these issues exist with the Canatrans. What a delight to have such a well designed and well constructed piece of gear.

Big thanks to Emery and Lentequip for such a rock'n xmitter.

 

Ramon Engle

[Emery Soos]

Adjusting power either through a menu system as on the Canatrans or by placing attenuators inline with the antenna output as with a Modulus can have a tremendous effect on overall success - outdoors you often need as much as possible, but indoors too much will often cause lots of reflections.  I normally wet the Canatrans to about 1/4 W inside and 3/4W outside as a starting point.

 

More important is to find a good channel, which can only be done reliably by actually testing range on what look like clear channels:  you must actually test to find the best frequency and the difference can be very, very great.

 

Also more important is the location of the antennas:  this is probably the single most important issue with these kind of Rf devices.  For good signal the transmitter antenna should be at the top of the rig with no obstructions around it.  I have a connector installed on top and bottom of my sled to make this easy in high and low modes.  The receiving antenna must also be in good line of sight position as well. 

 

As with most things Rf there is also magic involved and sometimes it is only luck or illogical experimentation that reaps the best results!

 

Larry

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I could not have stated it any better than Larry in his message above - RF is magical, very magical in fact. Many engineers won't even touch the stuff. Making a little UHF "television station" (because that is what it really is) is a very difficult thing to do and I know because I walked the painful road!

 

The CanaTrans - no matter how well built - is only 50% of the transmission. Many poor results can and have often been attributed to poor reception: bad antennas, cables etc. It's easy to "blame" the source and neglect the receiver (position, sensitivity and so on).

 

I hope that everyone knows that whether owner or not of a CanaTrans, Lentequip will back you up with support and service.

 

Emery

Lentequip Inc.

[Chip Monk]

Also more important is the location of the antennas:  this is probably the single most important issue with these kind of Rf devices.  For good signal the transmitter antenna should be at the top of the rig with no obstructions around it.  I have a connector installed on top and bottom of my sled to make this easy in high and low modes.  The receiving antenna must also be in good line of sight position as well. 

Larry

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Just a quick question.

 

The connector at the top and bottom. Is that an antenna connector, or a power/video connector for the tx.

 

I was curious because I thought about making the TX part of the sled in the bottom, and just having the antenna on top.

 

Also, in the video / HD world, do you guys still run a TX next to the camera? On top of the camera? Any fear of RF hits on the tape?

[Edgar Colon]

Hi to all;

 

 

I've been hearing very good things about Canatrans from a friend but how about microwave traqnsmitters??

Transvideo for example.

 

I have a Modulus too but sometimes doesn't work as good, especially with poor taps

 

 

Edgar

[Kenn Ferro SOC]

I have just discovered this thread a few days ago so please forgive the lateness of the post. I am hoping contibute more info as it becomes availible. On set the other day, the modulus crapped out (first time in 13 years) No biggy, went to one of my three backups(single channel units)... nope, of them could cut it. Apparently, the hill we were on had so much rf hash that the only thing that would slice through it was the Moduluses (Moudulie?)on the other two cameras. The A camera 1st was kind enough to loan me his 2000 and it worked just fine.

Okay, so the stage is set: happy Modulus owner needs to get unit fixed so I ask members of the camera crew for options. The response is the same from four different crew members who all have dealt with CIT. Run away do not walk run! So here I am without a credible transmitter. I get on the Steadicamforum to see what is new in the world of video and lo the the name Canatrans comes up. I read Larry's review and others and the decision is made: I call CIT (hey I am cheap). I get a machine so I leave a meassage tp call me back right away I need to get this solved. 3 days go by....guess what nothing! So I call Lentequip, talk to Emery and buy one on the spot. I like this guy. He says all the right things; fast turnaround, he understands the urgency of a Steadicam operators situation, and so on. I am sold, I sent a check off that day. This morning I get an email from Emery the the transmitter is built and will be sent out as soon as the funds are recieved. He even included a photo of the unit with my name and number on the display. Very cool. The reviews are so positive that I doubt I can add much to the disccusion of the video quality. But I will update you all on the the first impressions, setup and so on. Till then...

 

 

 

Kenn Ferro

[Frederic Chamberland]

Hi all,

 

 

I guess I should get onto this thread too and share my experience with my 2 months old Canatrans, 35 days of shooting, the thing is on my different cameras beaming video signals 12 to 14 hours a day.

What you have read is true, and here is my review:

 

In September , after reading the few comments from other operators in the field testing the Canatrans, I decided to go ahead and buy one, until then , I had only used one channel senders and mostly the Modulus 3000.

I ordered the Canatrans with power cables to Arri 24 v, Arri IVs and PRO sled cable. I also bought a Sony Tuner from Emery at the same time, I already had the sharkfin antennas (from CIT!).

 

Let me start by confirming this sender is the new reference in the very small world of video senders.

I am presently using mine on my A camera , a 535, and the B (Arricam LT)has a Modulus 3000. We also hook it sometimes to our little 235 when going handheld and the 435 on car rigs.

I have used it in many different situations here in Montreal, Canada. Freezing rain by night on Steadicam, Car mount with Wescam XR running 150 fps chasing down some Hummers in the woods with mud everywhere, at the end of a Supertechno crane over a public pool indoors where humidity was driving us nuts, inside a bunker hospital with thick cement walls, inside abandonned steel warehouse. And I have spend the last 5 days in studio on a dolly and I still have 2 more weeks to go.

 

Here is the video village setup:

CIT sharfin antennas on c-stands always 50' from set or less, hooked to the Sony tuner (TU-1041) for A camera and the CIT DX400 tuner for B camera plugged in two Sony PVM 19" reference monitors side by side.

 

The image from the Canatrans has always been as good or superior to the Modulus in perfect conditions. In lot less perfect conditions, the loss of signal was significantly higher with the Modulus. To be able to do extensive testing, we also switched tuners to compare and also switched channels to see the differences in the signal transmission. We always got the same results, the Canatrans always came back with "as good" or "better" transmission in same setups.

 

The features on the beast:

For those of you affraid of push button menus, this one is as easy to understand as any Arri Camera status menu. it took me 2 days to breeze thru the menus and get my options right. And actually, the only two options I use now are the "power output" option and the "video gain" option. These are the key features of this new sender and , as Larry stated it in his post, I just quickly adjust the power requirements on the different sets. Takes 7 seconds , tops. And the video gain is a nice feature too, the video top in the 535 is less sensitive than the one in the Arricam and I quickly adjust the video gain higher so images are on par on the monitors. Our video assist technician , Karine, sometimes intentionnaly "forgets" to wire the A camera and goes wireless on the dolly with nobody noticing...

I really think the Sharkfin antennas are still the best antennas on the market right now and the Sony tuner is a marvel. I will repeat it too, the reception end is half of the whole magic going on. You get crappy antennas and cheap LCD TV's and the experience will be difficult to endure. It really should be a whole package. Even cables for me are an issue, I only use Canare cables and connectors, nothing comes cheap here.

Yes , the Canatrans is big and physicaly takes a lot of space compared to the Modulus , I really wished it to be smaller, but you won't get burned by handling it, it just becomes "hot", nothing serious compared to the Modulus "toaster wannabee" hot.

Yes , the thing is VERY expensive (with cables and Sony Tuner, I got around 5k). But when you see the images and the overall quality, you will think it twice before going back to your Modulus.

 

-The Canatrans has proven to me to be a reliable piece of equipment in harsh conditions. it is well designed and rugged.

-The service I have received from Emery is exceptional (I also got a email with my screenname to make sure I was happy with the "personnalisation" of my unit before shipping it) , I have always been able to talk directly to Emery and my emails were answered in the next hours, not days. I put him on the Jim Bartell (bartech), David Hable (Cramped Attic), Curt Shaller (Sachtler) short list of professionnal and dedicated businessmen that I know are ready to go the extra mile to make everything so smooth.

 

If you have questions, please don't hesitate has I am thrilled by my new toy. Just for the record, I have had no retribution or free stuff (not even a t-shirt) from Lentequip, I am just a happy customer.

 

Fly safe, beam me up Scotty.

[Erwin Landau]

I had the pleasure to meet Emery on his recent trip to LA.

 

He took the time to go over all the features; past, present and future on the Canatrans with me. I was very impressed. Still had no chance to use it in the field, but I'm looking forward to that.

 

The future for RF transmitting is looking promising again. (For the product as well as for the Costumer Service).

 

Thank you Emery for your time.

 

Erwin

 

www.landaucamera.com

Edited November 27, 2005 by Erwin Landau

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

I also bought a Canatrans after meeting Emery and seeing just how well designed the unit is. Truly the next stage in transmitters - the board layout is genius. As fate would have it, I've been on an HD show since I took delivery, remaining hard-wired the entire time! Still, the Canatrans has come out of its box a few times to provide the director with a hand held monitor, etc. It has performed very well on these rare occasions, but the impressive day was one in which we were in Times Square and they sent the other camera up to the 9th floor for a shot looking down on the Square. They asked if they could use one of my transmitters so I gave them my Canatrans. To keep video village (as well as my CIT shark fin antenna) out of the shot, everything was hidden below one of the giant TV screens. So, in short, we had the receiver and antenna below (9 stories) the transmitter and the receiving equipment hidden underneath a multi-story high TV in the RF capital of the world - not an ideal transmission set-up, to say the least. Did the image looked hard-wired? No, but the fact that they had any image (all the director wanted) was impressive. Also, since I was doing a Steadicam take as they set this up, I could not really lend them a hand with advice, etc. I don't know what they did for checking channels, etc. I do know they opted for 1 watt output off the bat, which is something I don't normally recommend, but it may have been the right idea for this location. Lastly, they did not use my diversity tuner, but my single channel Hermes.

 

Other times I've used the Canatrans on this job, I have always played with the video level function as this really is one of the best features. Just dial in the brightness level that offers your client a good picture and not worry about it messing up your monitor. One of many great Steadicam tools that I will now wonder how I lived without.