Cartoni LAMBDA Heads
This year, the Society of Camera Operators (SOC) presented Cartoni with a Technical Achievement Award “for outstanding contributions to cinematography through the design and development of the Lambda Head.”
The first Cartoni Lambda was introduced in 2000 and gained acceptance almost overnight by DPs and Camera Operators. More than 1,000 Lambda Heads have been sold. It is an adjustable underslung (or overslung) head, sometimes called a nodal head because it can be adjusted for parallax-free pans and tilts. This makes it essential for FVX work. Underslung, the camera can foat weightlessly. You’ll see a Lambda head working on almost every tabletop, food and product shot.
Cartoni believes deeply in the Lambda concept. At IBC, they present two new smaller Lambda Heads for table top and nodal point shooting. e Lambda 25 is for payloads up to 25 kg (55 lb) and the Lambda 10 is for payloads up to 10 kg (22 lb). The classic Lambda 50 has also been revamped—for payloads up to 50 kg (110 lb).
For over 80 years, Cartoni has introduced well engineered, patented professional camera support systems that have become industry standards. The company continues that legacy today, and the only wide range professional camera support company that designs, engineers, manufactures and assembles in Europe (Rome), while exporting to 67 different countries.
The new Lambda 25 inherits all the classic Lambda 50 features, with the addition of pan and tilt hollow rotation axes to allow cable passage and unlimited 360° rotations. The head comes with a at Mitchell base or 150 mm bowl). The Cartoni fluid drag system is continuous in both axes.
The lightweight 6 kg (13 lb) Lambda 10 is the entry-level model Cartoni nodal head, replicating all the features of the classic Lambda 50. It balances a camera at any angle and can be mounted on any 100 mm bowl tripod or base. The Lambda 10 is ideal for underslung use on jib arms, cranes, as well as for table top work or documentaries. Two patented 3 step uid modules smoothly assist all pan and tilt movements.
Lambda heads are used in many shooting situations. With complete rotation and panning, it can put the camera in a zero gravity underslung position that goes to ground level or even below.
Another option is to mount the camera in a horizontal and vertical nodal position. You know you have achieved nodal nirvana when parallax disappears as you pan and tilt. Normal pan and tilt heads cannot do this. The nodal point is reached sliding the Lambda’s horizontal and vertical plates. The plates are operated by micrometric cranks for absolute precision. When the sliding limit is not enough you can still achieve additional balance with the help of sliding counterweights.
The Cartoni Lambda Nodal Heads enables various types of pan and tilt shots that traditionally would not be possible. The Lambdas allow the operator to e ortlessly tilt 360° degrees with large camera/lens con gurations. Another key feature that camera operators enjoy is how easy it is to set up and balance the Lambda.
Try them out at Cartoni’s IBC and Cinec booths.