the cameraman that can go anywhere

I suppose 'camerawomen' would be more appropriate, given that Athena is a woman's name. But what's in a name? Regardless of what you call it Gitzo's fully electronic, remote-controlled head was one of the sweetest gadgets on display at CP+ 2010 Focus on Imaging exhibition in Yohohama this past weekend.

Given that it can be controlled wirelessly from a distance, the Athena GH5130RC allows you to put a camera in places that might be inaccessible or dangerous for a human.

Gitzo presented this monster device as a possible solution for nature photographers, as it's movements are ultra quiet and won't scare away your subject. Event photographers might mount the Athena in hard-to-reach areas such as the top of a basketball backboard, a dangerous corner on a race track, or even at the top of a stage at a rock concert. The user still has complete control of the camera's position via dedicated software on a nearby computer (Mac OS or Windows).

The Athena can point in almost any direction, panning vertically, horizontally, or rolling over on a swivel, thus giving the user an enormous amount of camera control. Photographers will be pleased to see a live viewing option, as well as the capability to input saved camera positions.

There's no specific date set for release just yet, but as it's just been announced Gitzo should have some more information available on their website very soon.

http://www.gitzo.jp/

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."