Canon PTZ cameras in the spotlight on a large-scale world tour

Video is a dynamic component of today's live music experience. No longer just a tool for magnifying a performance on the large LED walls either side of the stage, it's now integral to a show's creative design. It sets the visual tone, reinforces the artist's aesthetic and lives on through the audience's social feeds.

"The video director role on live concerts has changed out of all proportion in the last 15 years," confirms Steve Price, an award-winning multi-camera director specialising in concert tours and live streaming. His client list is hall-of-fame stuff, including tours with Queen + Adam Lambert, Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, The 1975 and countless more.

"These days, with the proliferation of digital technology, you'd be hard pushed to find a concert that isn't built from huge LED screens," he says. "As a result, the way we use cameras has changed. I often find myself having to engage in more than one mix at the same time. I might be doing one mix to the portrait side screens, a separate mix to a landscape header screen, and then a third mix to a series of screens that are upstage."

Discreetly positioned remote cameras are an important part of the camera plan for large-scale live shows. For Kylie Minogue's Tension Tour, Steve incorporated Canon PTZ cameras into his workflow for the first time. He deployed nine cameras in total: six operated positions, one lock-off, and two Canon CR-N700 PTZ cameras – one at the end of the thrust looking down the stage and another one overhead, upside-down in a lighting truss. The tour's dextrous PTZ camera operator, Harriet Woollam from Solotech UK, used a Canon RC-IP1000 controller to deliver the intricate, repeatable PTZ moves required for stadium- and arena-level production.

"PTZ cameras are really useful on a show like this, which is quite heavily choreographed," Steve explains. "You know where the action is heading most of the time on the stage, so you're ready for it – and the PTZ cameras allow you to shoot from angles that you could not otherwise shoot from with a human operator.

"The overheads that I've been getting make the gigs look so epic, it's wonderful. We're at a stage now with PTZ cameras where you'd be really pushed to tell the difference between the main cameras that we're using and the PTZ cameras. The quality of the CR-N700s is incredible in that respect."

"Over the course of my career, I've had mixed experiences with PTZ cameras," admits Steve. "We've seen the picture quality get better and better as the years have gone by, but the CR-N700 represents a whole new ball game for us. The way that you can program the colours to match your main cameras is quite remarkable. The controller itself feels natural, and some of the moves that you get look very fluid – they don’t look robotic at all."

The camera's high-quality sensor and output enabled the cinematic look Steve sought for Kylie Minogue's Tension Tour, even in dark arenas with complex lighting.

"I wanted it to look organic, almost analogue," he says. "I wanted the artist to look absolutely incredible on the screen. So we decided to shoot at a slower frame rate of 25fps as opposed to 50fps, to make it look more filmic."

Taking advantage of the Canon CR-N700's 4K 15x optical zoom opened up new creative possibilities for Steve on the world tour. "I used to shy away from using zooms on PTZ and leave them wide because there's so much bass vibration in a live gig environment, which is obviously magnified when you zoom in," he says. "But we get hardly any vibration at all off these cameras – in fact I haven't been troubled by vibration at all. So, I'm using the zoom a lot. There are parts in particular songs where I'm using what we're calling 'power zooms', and the speed at which Harriet can accelerate and decelerate on that zoom just by using the controller is really smooth."

Harriet is equally enthusiastic about the power zooms she's been able to pull off, "coming from very far out and taking full advantage of the excellent zooms on these cameras and getting right in close. They also give a lot of flexibility that we don't have from the traditional handheld cameras or from the long lenses. The ability to track the artist through the audience, providing cover shots has been really helpful."

Even with only two PTZ cameras, the team has been able to achieve wide coverage and close-up flexibility, enabling backup shots and creative angles across the arena.

Steve says he's been very happy with the images he's seeing in his mixer. "I'm able to throw directions at Harriet during the show which I will think of on the spot, and she in turn will be able to set up that shot for me and execute it within seconds. Part of that is the way the controller is laid out. I think the joystick is really responsive, much more so than some of the smaller controllers I've used.

"In the past I've only really used PTZ cameras for their presets – I've set a shot and then used the shot. This is the first time I've really used PTZ cameras for organic moves. They are being operated by a human, and it feels natural and fluid – and that's opened up a whole new range of shots."

Having PTZ cameras and controllers that are easy to set up, precise and responsive is a prerequisite for camera operators who need to adapt their shooting plan on the fly.

"The main challenge of being a PTZ operator in a live environment is definitely that no two shows are the same," Harriet says. "You have to be constantly paying attention. Your artist might choose to go left one day when they've been going right for the last 20 shows. So you have to make sure you're still following them, that you're paying attention and that you're quick to react when those small changes happen."

Harriet has found the Canon RC-IP1000 PTZ controller's tactile and intuitive operation really helped in this respect. "It's great for controlling multiple things at the same time, because it's so smooth and easy to use," she enthuses. "Canon has really thought about where it's put each element. I don't have to overreach, I don't have to stop what I'm doing, and I'm able to control the iris at the same time as I'm moving a shot that is live on screen while also using the zoom. That's something that's really valued in such a fast-moving environment."

As well as being equipped with a professional joystick and zoom rocker, the Canon RC-IP1000 is peppered with multiple physical buttons and dials, plus a 7-inch multi-function touchscreen for viewing feeds and adjusting settings such as AF and crops.

"My favourite features on this system are definitely the thumbnails that come with the presets," Harriet says. "It's a really good snapshot of what it is that you're aiming to shoot, and it lets me know that without having to read or remember the numbers. It lets me, as a very visual person, see which shot I need to recall."

Global tours can be punishing on gear, so robust and reliable cameras are crucial – especially for AV rental houses that need to guarantee performance for every client. Being a core element of the camera setup for the Kylie Minogue Tension Tour, the Canon CR-N700s would need to operate flawlessly across 70 shows in six months, spanning Australia, Asia, North America, Europe and South America.

As Canon Europe's Aron Randhawa explains, "This extensive world tour is an excellent example of Canon's innovation in PTZ design, demonstrating our PTZ range's ability to integrate seamlessly with traditional broadcasting equipment while delivering professional image quality, reliable performance, and precise control that elevates live multi-camera production and creativity."

When we caught up with Harriet midway through the tour at London's largest arena, she was equally enthusiastic about how the cameras had performed. "We've done 27 shows now, and I've had no issues using them at all," she says. "They've provided great backup shots because they are so reliable – we always know we can count on them when other elements of the show aren't behaving.

"It's great having a live picture view on the controller," she adds. "At one show, my multiview feed died mid-set, but I was still able to control the cameras seamlessly. With previous systems, we would have lost those two cameras for the duration of the show." That reliability mattered: at the time, the overhead PTZ was the only camera able to track the artist through the audience.

Steve echoes that confidence. "I can see myself using these cameras a lot more in the future, particularly when there's a lot happening on stage – like when I'm shooting orchestras. Being able to control up to 200 PTZ cameras from a single controller and recall presets at the press of a button is impressive."

For a world tour that demanded consistency across continents, that combination of durability, control, and image quality proved essential – and it's why Canon PTZ cameras are a trusted tool in today's touring workflows.