Olympics AFP Robotic (Making of) Video Featuring SFH-30

For 6 Months AFP worked with camera manufacturer – the default camera for most of the Agency’s photographers – and us, to adapt the devices to be used in London.
SFH-30 custom remote robotic pan, tilt, zoom and roll heads
The Heads are a variant of the MRMC standard SFH-30 Pan Tilt Head, but by working with AFP and Nikon have been custom upgraded to include remote robotic pan, tilt, zoom and roll (changing from landscape to portrait). These are now installed in 15 different positions in the Olympic venues and are currently in operation for the games. This is the first time this technology has been used to such an extent.

The Heads are mounted from holes in the ceiling of the Aquatics centre as due to Health and Safety concerns human photographers were not permitted.
The Heads can move a heavy payload at speed, with ease, to capture the action at the events. The Heads shown in the photos above carries 2 Nikon D4’s, one with a 200 – 400mm zoom for getting close up shots and the other one with a 70-200mm lens for slightly wider shots allowing photographers in the Aquatics Centre to get the exact shots they want from positions they wouldn’t normally be able to shoot from.

The Youtube Video of these heads being manufactured and tested was uploaded and has proved to be very popular. (Pool image showing holes where cameras are mounted to).
Please click the link here to the afp robotic video or the image below to see these remarkable heads being developed.

MRMC have also supplied remote heads with underwater housing for getting shots of the swimmers and divers underwater for award winning AFP photographer Francois Marit.