RENO, Nev.—As technical director for Minor League Baseball’s Reno Aces, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, I’m charged with overseeing, managing and maintaining our broadcast technology for nearly 75 home games. I support the direction and production of the baseball broadcast for the Bally Sports Live feed, local sports channel Nevada Sports Net (NSN) and the MiLB.TV feed, as well as the feed syndicated to the video board.
To achieve the look the Reno Aces wanted, we needed a durable, versatile and reliable camera that provided great images, offered lens flexibility, could be used by operators with all levels of experience and had a lower cost of operation.
HXC-FZ90 Deployment
We selected four of Sony’s HXC-FZ90 camera-system chains with the compatible camera control units (CCUs), which are used at center field, high home, low first and low third. I am familiar with Sony—we were replacing older Sony models—and the FZ90 offered us a good bang for our buck. With Sony’s cameras, if you treat the equipment right, it will last a long time.
The HXC-FZ90s are well-suited for the demands of live sports—they have a small footprint and are unobtrusive. They’re lightweight, easy to move and handle, and ergonomic enough for shoulder-mount use. Our camera operators range from novice to entry-level to experienced, and there was a short learning curve for everyone to get the most out of the camera. They are smooth, easy to use and have a nice layout. I even handled the integration of these units, and they were very plug-and-play, so setup was nice and simple out of the box.
Additionally, the camera’s ²⁄₃-inch type 4K CMOS image sensor has a dynamic range that enables us to effortlessly capture pretty sunsets over the Sierra Nevada mountain range, as well as springtime thunderstorms and majestic clouds that are full of rich, vibrant colors, with minimal painting.
Our games see their fair share of sun and shade, but the FZ90s allow us to adjust the iris and find a sweet spot that seamlessly handles shadows and bright light, especially when both are in frame simultaneously. The auto iris was a big selling point for us, especially when we don’t have a dedicated camera shader.
Full Control
On a minor league budget, we also valued the HXC-FZ90’s B4 lens-mount system, which supports the ²⁄₃-inch glass we already had in-house and allows us to swap out lenses. One of my favorite FZ90 functions is being able to maintain full ND (neutral density) control from the CCU and the ability to control different scene files. Additionally, the scene settings allow us to paint and repaint the cameras easily, without the need for a good scope. We go through the touch-panel menu settings to get into engineer mode to achieve everything quickly and simply.
Another notable feature is the XLR audio inputs which allow us to adjust the gain and run natural sound, from the crack of the bat to the coaches interacting, which adds more reality and engagement.
The cameras also offer 4K upgradability, which allows the cameras to grow as our needs do. Once MiLB or our RSN move over to 4K, we won’t be required to buy new cameras—we can just purchase an upgrade license to shoot in 4K, and the image is going to look even sharper. Finally, the compatibility with other Sony cameras is beneficial; they all match and offer integration, requiring only small tweaks, which makes our jobs easier.
For more information, visit https://pro.sony/ue_US/.
