One of the most exciting additions to NAB will be the SuperMeet on Tuesday the 12th of April it will be the 10th Anniversary get together of the Final Cut Pro User Group Network in Las Vegas.

Larry Jordan…

“The ProVideo Coalition publishes a rumor that Apple is announcing the next version of Final Cut Pro at next week’s SuperMeet. Then, supplements it with lots of very interesting supporting quotes.

Frankly, I was stunned.

While all things are possible, there are many strange elements here. First, nothing is confirmed by anyone. I have sent emails to learn more, but there’s nothing official.

Second, as Rob Griffiths wrote on the IMUG mailing list: This seems “awfully heavy handed of Apple to kick all the other presenters out? Apple doesn’t have any trouble drawing a crowd. Why piss off so many vendors… that Apple has good relationships with… and put the SuperMeet folks in the awkward position of clearing the agenda a week before the show?”

Since I know the “Supermeet folks,” and understand what’s involved in putting together a show this massive, “awkward” does not begin to describe the position, and stress, they are in. This is a HUGE, last-minute, change in plans.

From my point of view, Apple has made a big deal of avoiding trade shows – especially NAB – because, as Rob points out, they can draw a crowd simply by standing on a street corner. I don’t see why they need to announce at the SuperMeet.

On the other hand, a lot of the folks they would like to reach will be there. And, as I’ve written before, whenever Apple announces the next version, what you see will be “jaw-dropping.”

Curiouser and curiouser…

I’m going to the SuperMeet next week – wouldn’t miss it, actually. And guaranteed that if anything is announced I’ll be covering it here in this blog, in my newsletter, and on our podcast – Digital Production Buzz.com. However, for now, I’m adopting a wait-and-see attitude.

UPDATE – 10 minutes later.

The SuperMeet Agenda has been changed to read: The Final Cut Pro User Group Network is excited to have a very special guest presentation at the 10th Annual Las Vegas FCPUG SuperMeet. Come to see a surprise sneak peek at something very special – you really do not want to miss this one !

Looks like that makes it official. Prepare to be stunned.”

So it looks like we will finally get to see Final Cut Pro 8 and all it’s 64bit glory this Tuesday, so what else is on offer..The new Super 35mm camcorder from Sony the FS100 will be shown for the first time, well worth a look and the Sony NX70 the professional spec MC50 will also be on the Sony stand.

Sony are also previewing a new 8K camcorder similar to the F35 which films in 4K mode a direct hit at RED, while I am on the subject RED will be showing their new EPIC camera which is being used to film Peter Jackson’s the Hobbit. The long awaited SCARLET will also be on show which will be a great crowd puller.

Zacuto will finally be showing their new range of Z-Finder EVF’s and will be the first time the public will have a chance to play with one first hand.

Canon will be showing off their new PL mount cinema zoom lenses…Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today introduced two advanced-design PL-mount lenses that address the emerging 4K production standards. Designated as the Canon FK14.5-60 wide-angle cine zoom and the Canon FK30-300 telephoto cine zoom, these precision-matched lenses incorporate breakthrough Canon optical designs that simultaneously optimize and enhance multiple imaging attributes while minimizing optical aberrations and distortions. Both lenses are also more compact and lightweight than contemporary PL-mount lenses and both feature a totally new Canon optical design that virtually eliminates focus breathing. As digital cinematography continues to accelerate for theatrical motion pictures, TV movies, episodic dramas, commercials, and other forms of digital high-resolution production, professionals will require the very best in performance and image quality. By already performing in accordance with emerging 4K production image format standards, both of the new Canon PL-mount cine zoom lenses inherently ensure the very highest performance in contemporary 2K and HD digital motion imaging.

Carl Zeiss will introduce a bundled lens set offer for its SLR lenses. The set contains these lenses with F (ZF.2) or EF bayonet (ZE): the Distagon T* 2,8/21, T* 2/28, the T* 2/35, Planar T* 1,4/50 and T* 1,4/85. These five lenses come in a special waterproof case and a special inlay ensures that each lens fits perfectly inside the suitcase and protects the lenses from shock and vibration. The SLR lens set will be offered at a recommended retail price of $6063 (€4562), excluding VAT, and will be available starting May…

NAB rumours…As usual we have some NAB rumours one of them being an update to the Panasonic AF101 which I would find very surprising as we have only had the AF101 since January this year and is selling like hot cakes. There might be a firmware upgrade or even some new features with a payable firmware upgrade.