Maximilian Farley

The Mass Communications department acquired new equipment for students to rent out last week. 6 Panasonic AG-UX90s, 4K capable cameras, are now available for students to rent out, replacing the old Panasonic AG7 cameras. Tripods have also been updated with new legs that are a lot less costly than the old ones, and Production Coordinator Zak Kimball is hopeful that they are a lot more sturdy as well. SD card readers are also now available.

Panasonic AG7

The old AG7 cameras were very old and some of them had been in terrible condition, with the shoe mounts frequently breaking, along with other pieces of the cheap, plastic body that made for a very lightweight but fragile camera.

Tech Assistant Sean Riley said, “I’m glad we have the new cameras because the JVCs were not to the highest quality,” referring to the JVC GY-HM170Us, which can record in 4K as well, but the quality of the picture significantly suffers in anything outside of very bright conditions.

Mr. Kimball said, “The new cameras allow students who are interested in learning about how a camera works to have better control of the image that they want,” when asked about why the department needed new cameras.

As for the SD card readers, Mr. Kimball said, “As the freshman have been given new MacBook Pros, the new MacBook Pros are not fitted with an SD card slot, so the new SD card readers allow students to work where they want.”