You should see the lenses we are using in Nepal, Joe.

The cheapest one is about 26K, and the most expensive one is just about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
They go on the Arri Alexa cameras.

 

 

 

 

 

Cinema camera gear is on a whole other level. We occasionally rent equipment like that for special productions, but no way you'd ever have twenty of those in one place at the same time (unless you're at the factory).

In local TV, we have to be somewhat more frugal, as we have dozens of cameras and less generous budgets.

The exceptions are the big box lenses you see at sporting events. The ones where you can zoom from a wide-shot showing the whole field, down to a drop of sweat on the footballer's nose.

This one, for instance:




For you photography types, this is an 8.9 - 1800mm zoom lens, f1.7 below 340. MSRP is $233k. (We do not own any of these. They're owned by the company which owns the truck which we rent for Cubs / White Sox games.)

 

Detroit is weird.

 

 

 

 

This is what I get for taking weekends off.

I love the boys in the shop, but sometimes their judgement and laziness get the best of them.

1/2" keyway on a 2" shaft started to go round. The boys decided welding shaft to $6000 gearbox was the best solution. This was Saturday Sometime. Even though very little weld actually made it down, the shaft didn't like it and snapped at about 2am last night.






It did postpone my work trip out of town for a day though. That's nice.

 

those look like clown welds.

 

.

 

How much torque was going through that shaft?

 

That is a fantastic question and I wish I was smart enough to figure it out and give you an answer.

Gotta be a lot to snap a 2" shaft even if it was ruined by someone trying to weld it.


Here is the inside of the reducer. It's supposed to be oil filled. I guess 22 years of continuous use with no maintenance will turn oil to grease.

 

welders response " not that much, besides, look how big it is. its wayy over built."

 

Well, not very much went through it after the fix. It only took a little bit to break that "joint".

 

https://www.facebook.com/UNILADTech/videos/2259644104273684/

 

There is no "joint". It's a solid 2" shaft through a hollow reducer with a 1/2" keyway.

It's just for bridge movement on a 2 ton hoist.