The Evolution of the Hyper 35 

Custom Camera Rigs & Cinematography Equipment built by Graeme Beck

Graeme Beck with his Hybrid 16mm Video camera
1992 - 16mm/Video Hybrid

Graeme Beck constructs a hybrid 16mm/Video camera with high-quality video assist and an electronic viewfinder.

Graeme Beck with Heavy Duty Dolly
1994 - Heavy-Duty Dolly

Constructs a heavy-duty aluminum folding dolly. Its heavy weight produces high inertia and superior moves compared to lightweight dollies. Extensively used, it performs flawlessly. Initially designed for 16 wheels; 4 were short on construction, which proved invaluable as an inbuilt braking system by placing weight on the center.

Equipment in Studio
1995 - Fluorescent Softlights

Constructs fluorescent softlights. Lightweight design with self-contained electronic ballasts compatible with different camera speeds. Features superior egg crates and sturdier construction than Kino Flo.

Old Format Camera
2000 - 5"x4" Digital Rig

Constructs a 5"x4" digital camera rig. A large format camera that produces exceptional images by re-photographing the rear of a 5"x4" camera. Experimented with an 8"x10" camera. Even better results. Tests show the standard lens for this camera is a 300mm!!

The Hyper 35 35mm ENG Rig
2009 - The Hyper 35

Graeme Beck constructs the world's first 35mm ENG Camera. A hybrid of a Sony Betacam and the Canon 5DMKII. A shoulder-mounted camera with a rotating electronic viewfinder and microphone preamps.

Next project is a curved sensor area similar to the eye. it hasn't been done before. One company tried, but they only curved the edges of the sensor just a little. This helped focus RGB onto the same spot as it is impossible to focus all colours onto the same spot of a flat surface. That what multi-element lenses try to do. A curved sensor area would help as it would also reduce the huge number of internal lenses required. But one of the biggest gains would be in perspective.