Middle Things APC-R

Middle Things APC-R

Turn your favorite gimbal into a high quality PTZ head! 

Bring your live video production setup to the next level! With the Middle Things APC-R, you can control one or more DJI gimbals remotely from a single laptop, using any USB gaming joystick. With the Middle Control desktop software, you can map any of the joystick axis and buttons to gimbal actions such as Pan / Tilt / Roll / Speed or Zoom motor. This allows you to turn your existing camera setup into a high quality PTZ head, at an affordable price.

If  you use Blackmagic cameras you can also remotely control  Shutter / Iris / WB / Gain / Focus in addition to the previous actions. And if you also have an ATEM switcher, you can connect the ATEM to our Middle Control desktop software to control more advanced camera settings such as Luma / Gamma / Lift / Contrast / Saturation and Sharpening.  The APC-R and Middle Control are designed to blend seamlessly in your live production environment.

Simple Setup

With the APC-R, you just need one cable (included) between the APC-R and the gimbal, that’s it! The power consumption is very low and the gimbal will provide more than enough power to the APC-R.  If you want to improve the reliability in and use a wired connexion, you can add an ethernet cable that goes from the APC-R to your computer or network router. The connexion from the APC-R to the camera is made using Bluetooth.

Save Position Presets

When using the APC-R with the DJI RS2, you can save custom camera position presets and recall them later. And if you use Blackmagic cameras, you can even store a custom White Balance / ISO / Iris / Shutter / Tint preset in addition to the Pan / Tilt / Roll / Zoom  status of the gimbal. If you use an MFT lens, you can also save the lens Focus distance.

Fully Wireless Capability

In addition to the built-in Ethernet port that offers a wired control solution, you can use the built-in Wi-Fi receiver to control the gimbal and camera completely wirelessly. For instance, you can bring a Wi-Fi repeater very close to the stage, and have a steadicam operator moving around freely while controlling the camera remotely, using our Middle Control software or the Blackmagic ATEM Software Control. When the ethernet cable is disconnected, the APC-R will automatically switch to Wi-Fi within a few seconds. The wireless range will depend on your ATEM router. Better router, better range. 

Two Great Softwares

The APC-R ships with two apps :

1. The Middle Setup  iOS app that allows you to adjust your APC-R settings easily (bluetooth camera pairing, wi-fi & network settings, camera number…)
2. The Middle Control MacOs / Windows desktop app that allows you to control all your cameras and gimbals remotely from one laptop in your control room. You can connect up to 4 USB Joysticks controllers and map camera & gimbal settings to any joystick button or axis.

Recall your presets with Companion!

The APC-R will soon be compatible with the Companion ecosystem, so if you have a StreamDeck running Companion you will be able to recall your custom position presets easily.

Multiple Gimbals Support

You can control up to 8 different gimbals / cameras using our system. You can control all of the gimbals & cameras using the same joystick, but you need to attach one APC-R to each camera you want to control. 

Compatibility

NOTE: Compatibility can change over time as new products get released. Please visit middlethings.co/support for up-to-date compatibility information.

The APC-R can control the following gimbals:

• DJI Ronin RS2*
• DJI Ronin-S
• DJI Ronin-SC
• DJI Ronin-2

*The only gimbal that supports Position Presets and DJI Focus Motor Control.

The small additional DJI R Focus Wheel is required for Ronin-S / SC / RS2 since the APC connects to the Focus Wheel Data Port.

The APC-R can control the following cameras:

• Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K*
• Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
• Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
• Blackmagic Ursa Broadcast
• Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro
• Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro G2
• Blackmagic Micro Studio 4K* (Has to has its SDI IN connected to an ATEM PGM output, and ATEM connected to Middle Control)

*These are the only cameras that support Focus distance recording when used with position presets. When you make position presets with other cameras, the focus state will not be saved due to the relative nature of the EF mount.

The APC-R is compatible with the majority of Blackmagic Design ATEM Switchers. These are:

• ATEM Mini / Mini Pro / Mini Pro ISO
• ATEM Mini Extreme / Extreme ISO
• ATEM Television Studio HD
• ATEM Television Studio Pro HD
• ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K
• ATEM Production Studio 4K
• ATEM 1M/E & 2M/E Production Studio 4K
• ATEM 4M/E Broadcast Studio 4K
• ATEM Constellation 8K

When connected to an ATEM Switcher over Wi-Fi, the APC-R grabs all the ATEM Software Control camera controls and forwards them to the Blackmagic camera using Bluetooth. Pair that with a video transmission system, and there you have a fully wireless remote controlled camera setup!