MUTINY Ecosystem for Freefly Ember High-Speed Camera – First Look

by Mascha DeikovaJune 13^th, 2024

At Cine Gear 2024, CineD’s Graham Sheldon stopped by the MUTINY booth and got a thorough rundown of the whole MUTINY ecosystem, designed around the Freefly Ember high-speed camera. Let’s take a closer look at the POWER + IO box, special R/S trigger, and other accessories, addressing filmmakers’ needs!

If you’ve never heard of Freefly Ember, you can watch our NAB video with a first look at the S2.5K model, which can shoot up to 2277fps in full resolution. We also did an in-depth review of Freefly Ember S5K at last year’s Cine Gear, also in LA, featuring sample footage. Both compact box-style cameras are used in different scenarios, from scientific documentaries to dynamic FPV drone shots.

As a well-known plates and accessories manufacturer, MUTINY designed a specific ecosystem for these high-speed cameras. Michael Sutton from MUTINY explains that they talked to different Ember owners and integrated their feedback into the products.

MUTINY POWER + IO for Freefly Ember

The central product in the entire ecosystem is a power distribution and IO box. When Freefly Ember came out, there were no solutions for powering it, so MUTINY started with a pretty basic set and then expanded it so it would have everything you need inside. For starters, the box has a 1x 6pin 1B DC input jack. Developers also added some tapped holes on the side as additional mounting points in case you want to rig a little monitor or other accessories there.

Among other ports, you will find a Fischer 3 power + R/S 3pin port, the GPIO oddball connector, often used as a drone connector by Freefly users, and two power outputs (2x 2pin 0B). MUTINY also added a control port for future use with all wiring already built-in (in case, for instance, SmallHD decides to make a camera control for Freefly.)

The back part of the module is a core battery plate that includes two D-Tap power output ports. The plates are interchangeable, and users can choose between a Gold mount and a V-mount. The POWER + IO box works with both S2.5 and S5K Ember models. Please check the product page here to read the specifications and what the set includes.

A trigger system by MUTINY for Freefly Ember

Another product discussed in the video above is MUTINY’s Ember / WAVE R/S. Basically, it’s a compact trigger box that can be mounted directly to the camera. Because shooting high speed often means dangerous scenarios (like explosions), the company decided to develop a trigger system that could be placed, say, 100 feet away from the camera.

A further useful feature of this product is that the trigger is powered by the box, so you won’t need any additional powering.

Tailoring the system specifically for Ember

At first glance, everything in this new system strives to work in unison with Freefly Ember. For instance, developers left room at the back for the fan. According to Michael Sutton from MUTINY, they didn’t want to affect the camera’s airflow at all. That’s why they used Ember’s existing mounts to attach the POWER + IO box, which kept things simple and intact.

Other accessories

At the same time, MUTINY introduced a bunch of other accessories tailored to the needs of Ember owners. Among them are what developers call a “perfect” HDMI cable:

I tested, I don’t know, thirty of them, and we call this one the “perfect” HDMI cable, specifically because it’s the exact size that you need when monitoring in this type of setup.

Michael Sutton from MUTINY

The cable in question is 6″ short, angles upward, and fits any onboard monitor with HDMI ports on the bottom.

Price and availability

• The MUTINY POWER + IO box for Freefly Ember –  $800.00 (comes either in grey or black, with V-mount or Gold mount battery plate);
• Ember / WAVE R/S box – $175.00;
• Ember “Perfect” HDMI Cable –  $20.00.

All products are available for order on the manufacturer’s website. There, you will also find other Freefly Ember-related accessories.

What do you think about MUTINY’s IO box and the entire set? Do you own or frequently rent a Freefly Ember? What features was it missing that now can be covered by MUTINY’s ecosystem? Let us know in the comments below!