Unlike last year-when CineGear took place at Universal Pictures studios in 104-degree heat-skies were cloudy and breezes were cool for this year’s exhibit, which took place on the Paramount backlot in Hollywood. But the technology on display remained much the same. Although it didn’t match last year’s Red frenzy, CineGear 2009 still focused on gear for the Red camera. And, in the wake of Up‘s boffo box office, 3D rigs were still in evidence.

New this year were more-sophisticated rigs for 3D and the Red, as well as a combination of the two. Also in evidence was a host of other new technologies, from OLED displays to iPhone apps.

Nettmann Systems International showed a stabilized 3D aerial-camera system with interocular distances of up to 32 inches. A company spokesperson reported that the Nettmann Stab-C Compact and a five axis, fully gyro-stabilized camera gimbal equipped with dual Red One cameras was field-tested in the U.K. by Helicopter Film Services, shooting 3D aerial views of London. The test determined that the 3D system is fully operational at speeds up to 60 knots. (www.camerasystems.com)

Camera operator Markus Davids, SOC, showed his own underwater housing for the Red One camera. Made by Gates, the underwater housing allows Davids control of all the camera functions. The housing weighs 70 pounds out of water but is “almost neutral” in the water, said Davids. It also features a 100-foot line with a surface feed for clients not in the water. More marine-related gear surfaced at Motion Picture Marine, which showed its camera stabilization head, Perfect Horizon, which mounts between the tripod and pan/tilt head to remove vehicle motion. It mounts to any boat or land vehicle as well as camera cars, dollies and cranes and aircraft. (markus@cinebags.com)

Van Nuys, CA’s Paradise FX, which was producing and posting 3D long before the current craze, took up residence in the MK-V booth, where they showed some interesting 3D rigs. First, for 4K acquisition, was a Red One 3D camera rig with real-time monitor. Also on display was a smaller 2K Silicon Imaging 3D rig that was used for My Bloody Valentine. A Paradise FX spokesperson noted that MK-V designed the Steadicam used with the 3D rigs. “We put our technology into the mounting device,” he said. “This way, the camera holds horizontal plane. It’s the most versatile 3D Steadicam.”(www.paradisefx.com)

One of my favorites at the show wasn’t a booth, but three British guys drawing attention by wearing black kilts. They were there to show Helios, an iPhone/iPod Touch application that graphically predicts the path of the sun from dusk to dawn on any given day, in any given place. Designed as an aid to cinematographers (and still photographers) working in natural light, Helios is designed as a very user-friendly way to plot sun and shadows throughout the day, It features an internal database of over 30,000 locations around the world, providing longitude, latitude, time-zone and daylight-saving-time information. Users can save favorite locations and add the current location from GPS data (where a signal is available), but the app’s core functionality does not rely on cell-phone reception. (www.chemicalwedding.tv)

Marshall Electronics showed a prototype of its first OLED (organic light-emitting diode) portable camera-top monitor. At 7.6 inches, the Marshall V-OL761-HAD uses a 800×480-pixel screen. The unit draws less power and offers higher contrast ratio and improved brightness. QC engineer Alfred Monterrubio noted the rather dramatic difference in the image between the new OLED monitor and a standard backlit monitor. “The panel is very crisp,” said Monterrubio. “It can be used for outdoor and indoor applications.” In addition, Marshall unveiled its new series of Super Transflective Outdoor monitors, designed for outdoor applications with high ambient light. The Super Transflective technology minimizes surface reflection and features a wider color reproduction range than typical transflective/reflective LCDs. (www.lcdracks.com)

California Sunbouncer showed a new Sun-Mover with PermaTense. The new oval-designed “permanent tension” reflector has two built-in handles and features steel made in Germany. “It’s a collapsible reflector, or pop-up,” noted a company spokesperson. “Our brand has German spring steel bought from BMW. It stays flat and straight like a drum skin, and doesn’t wobble.” The company also showed a wind-killer screen for Steadicam, proving its mettle by setting a blowing fan behind the screen. (www.sunbounce.com)

Rogue Element was at CineGear to make filmmakers aware of its digital film rental in the U.K. at Elstree Studios. Rogue Element Films Managing Director Dan Mulligan noted that the company rents the F35, among many other digital cameras, and features workflows for SR tape and DPX uncompressed data. With the new relationship with Elstree Studios, the company also boasts a permanent green-screen set-up, a full 4:4:4 link among the facilities located on the studio lot, and a 2K/4K screening room. (rogueelementfilms.com)

BandPro Digital‘s Michael Bravin pointed out his company’s new gear, which included the (as of yet unreleased) Sony SRW-9000 HD camcorder and the S.two OB-1 on-board recorder with removable FlashMag solid-state magazines. (www.bandpro.com)

Canon unveiled its HJ14ex4.3B wide-angle portable HDTV lens. Fujinon showed four new PL-mount zoom lenses. The first, slated to deliver in June of this year, is the 18-85mm T2.0. The additional three lenses will be released in December. Sachtler debuted its new FSB 4 fluid head, with a payload range of up to 8.8 lbs. The head is designed for compact cameras fully equipped with professional accessories. (www.canon.com; www.fujinon.com; www.sachtler.com)

Pictorvision showed the eclipse, with a patented XR Motion Management technology for advanced aerial camera systems. The eclipse offers a high level of stability, geo-steering, an absolute level horizon and faster start-ups and resets. Pictorvision also introduced PictorFX, a 3D modeling system that generates very high-resolution 3D digital images and maps, using sensor-integration and data-fusion techniques. (www.pictorvision.com)

Zora Japan demonstrated an ultra-light track and dolly system made of aluminum. The system features the ability to use a 50cm-wide or 62cm rail without any adjustment. It can also be used with a minimum-curve rail attached to the straight rail, with the width of the wheel adjusting automatically. (www.zora.co.jp)

Greene Productions showed off its new HDMC-1 HDTV mobile truck, which features two edit suites designed by Apple Computers and 24 TB in hard drive storage. It’s capable of switching up to 12 uncompressed HD camera feeds and can accept any HD format. The 45-foot-by-9-foot cabin also featured leather seats and couches, a full galley and a nifty-looking shower. (www.greenehdtv.com)