CineD NAB 2023 Best of Show Awards go to DJI, frame.io, FUJIFILM, LumenArc and ZHIYUN

AwardNAB 2023

by Nino LeitnerApril 19^th, 2023

CineD is proud to announce this year’s recipients of the CineD Best of Show Awards for NAB 2023. The awards go to DJI for the Inspire 3 drone, to FUJIFILM and frame.io for their native integration of camera-to-cloud in cameras, to LumenArc for their universal active diffusion system, and to ZHIYUN for their MOLUS X100 super-portable punchy and flexible light. Let’s dive right into the details!

It’s the last day of NAB 2023 here in Las Vegas, and it’s time to announce the winners of our CineD NAB 2023 Best of Show Awards. We carefully looked at all the new technology we saw and decided based on the level of innovation, and the amount of impact a technology we think will have for the future of film and media production.

DJI for the Inspire 3 drone: CineD NAB 2023 Best of Show recipient

We spent a lot of time at the DJI booth at NAB 2023 to hear all about the Inspire 3 from Ferdinand Wolf, DJI’s European Creative Director and pro drone cinematographer. The extensive video we shot is not yet published, but believe us, it is long for a reason: DJI packed so much innovative technology in this drone, it’s incredible. It’s been almost seven years since the introduction of the Inspire 2, and its replacement was long overdue. While you are waiting for the video, you can head over to our news report about the new drone. The DJI Inspire 3 will dominate the higher-end drone space with its innovative features for the years to come. Congratulations to DJI!

frame.io & FUJIFILM for their implementation of Camera to Cloud directly in camera: CineD NAB 2023 Best of Show recipients

This really is a joint award for Adobe’s frame.io and FUJIFILM on the successful implementation of their camera-to-cloud technology in some of FUJIFILM’s latest cameras. Using the grip for the X-H2 and X-H2S, the cameras upload proxies to frame.io’s cloud while you’re still shooting. We used the system here at the NAB show floor for our show coverage, thanks to the support of FUJIFILM’s WiFi infrastructure that was specifically set up for this purpose. While there were hiccups due to WiFi congestion – a typical problem on a show floor of this size – the system itself worked perfectly. Stay tuned, as we are working on a mini-documentary about the process and how we worked here at NAB. In the meantime, we decided that the collaboration between FUJIFILM and frame.io and how this is implemented deserves an award. Congratulations to FUJIFILM and Adobe/frame.io!

LumenArc for their Active Diffusion system: CineD NAB 2023 Best of Show recipient

LumenArc introduced an active diffusion system in a 4×4 frame that works independently of any light. We have seen this technology implemented by Zylight and others before, however, it was always stuck directly to the light – which has two problems: firstly, diffusion shouldn’t be too close to a light source to be really effective. The further it is away from it, the softer the light can become when shooting through a diffusion. Secondly, built-in diffusion in a light simply means you cannot use it with any other light. LumenArc showed the first technology – which is already in production and available for purchase – that gives that same active diffusion in a large 4×4 frame, and the intensity can be operated through a hand unit. This will change the way diffusion is used in motion picture production, and it will allow for changing light softness within a shot. Congratulations to LumenArc!

ZHIYUN for the MOLUS X100 portable light: CineD NAB 2023 Best of Show recipient

ZHIYUN, mostly known for their gimbals, recently entered the lighting market by introducing two portable lights. One of them, called MOLUS X100, comes in a curious shape that looks somewhat like a mirrorless camera with a huge fan in the middle. We already covered a prototype of the light at CP+ in Japan in February, but now they are in production and shipping – we shot a new video here at NAB 2023 which will be published soon. The fan is almost entirely quiet but allows for the small and slim form factor, with a large COB array of bi-color LEDs in the middle. They also invented a new small light accessory mount that comes with its own new lighting accessories, and also a Bowens mount adapter that allows for using all kinds of existing light modifiers. It also comes with a battery that can power it for 30 minutes at maximum intensity. The MOLUS X100 is a smart, very powerful and very small light that will end up in many kit bags. Congratulations to ZHIYUN!

CineD congratulates all the deserving winners of this year’s CineD NAB 2023 Best of Show Awards! What caught your imagination at this year’s show? Let us know in the comments below!