We previously covered the MIMIC at NAB, but when we received our beta kit, we were eager to set it up and have an in-depth look. The MIMIC ships with the sensor package mounted on MōVI crossbars, and includes a 5v USB battery and a MōVI Controller Receiver. If you already own the MōVI Controller, your existing receiver can be used with both your MōVI Controller as well as the MIMIC, although you'll have to re-bind when you switch between the two.
What's not included with the MIMIC is a monitor and wireless video receiver, so we paired the SmallHD DP7 with the new Amimon CONNEX wireless transmitter. The entire system is powered via an Anton Bauer matrix plate, with a P-Tap splitter feeding the monitor, receiver, and the MIMIC. The MIMIC requires 5v USB power, so we used a P-Tap to USB regulator; although you could also use the included USB battery. We used several of the standard MoVI accessory mounts to attach everything to the crossbars, and we mounted the battery to the front to provide counter-balance for the monitor and receiver. The whole setup is very neutral in the hand, and will actually sit upright in a MōVI stand.
There are several MIMIC modes, but we had ours set to Direct mode, which means the M10 will react to pan, tilt, and roll from the MIMIC. You can also isolate the roll axis, so only pan and tilt commands are sent through. The MIMIC can also have Majestic Roll or Majestic Roll and Tilt enabled, similar to the standard Majestic Modes. There is also a very useful pan hold button, which momentarily freezes pan commands so you can re-orient yourself to the MōVI operator. Once you release the button, the MIMIC will resume transmitting pan commands.
We used the Canon C100 Mark II for our demo MIMIC, since we thought the Dual Pixel AF was ideal for a mobility rig like this. With the very intuitive MōVI operation and smooth autofocus, we felt the two were a perfect pairing.
If you want to learn more about the MIMIC and the entire MōVI system, make sure to check out our MōVI Intensive workshops, along with our special MōVI Crash Course in LA on Friday, June 26!
