Thomson Viper FilmStream Camera

The Thomson Viper FilmStream Camera is a digital movie camera produced by Thomson Multimedia (now Technicolor SA) that was first introduced in the early 2000s, during the rise in popularity of digital cinematography in feature films. The subsequent developments in HD, UHD, and HDR cameras were influenced by the Viper and its contemporaries.
History.
The Viper FilmStream was announced in 2002 by Thomson after being developed by its Grass Valley subsidiary which it had purchased earlier that year. It followed on the tails of the early Sony CineAlta cameras and preceded the Panavision Genesis by less than a year. One feature of the Viper was that it could replay takes immediately after they were shot, which certain cameras of the era (such as early versions of the Genesis) could not.
Films shot on the Viper include Michael Mann's "Collateral", "Miami Vice", and "Public Enemies" and David Fincher's "Zodiac" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Cinematographer Dion Beebe described the Viper as the "primary camera" on "Collateral"; on both "Zodiac" and "Collateral" 35mm film was used only for overcranking. "Zodiac" was the first digital feature film made by a major studio without using videotape or compression in its capture or editing. Fincher became interested in using the camera on a feature film after shooting commercials for Nike and Xelibri with it.
In 2017, Grass Valley received a Scientific and Technical Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its Viper.