News from Here & There

Sony NEX-VG10 Preview
People are already getting their hands on sample NEX-VG10 units [Sony, don't you have my number?] Luminous-landscape is the latest to publish a preview, and it mostly confirms what's already been heard:
  • The 18-200mm lens will be sold separately (for NEX-3 & 5 owners) for about $900
  • The lens is rather slow, though the camera itself does well because of the chip's performance
  • Audio is auto gain, with no meters, though the mic itself is of pretty good quality
  • The Active Stablization gets a lot of praise
But the zoom lens may not live up to everyone's expectations:
The lens is mechanically very smooth, with fly-by-wire focusing and mechanical zooming. The zoom is reasonably smooth, but can't really compare with a motorized zoom, and thus the lens should really be regarded as variable focal length rather than one to be used for zooming while filming. No big loss.
One interesting issue is that what few manual controls there are, aren't available while the LCD is closed (say you close it while shooting with the EVF)
Luminous-landscape:  Sony NEX VG10 HD Camcorder / 14MP Stills Camera Field Report



A Loupe You Can Look Down On
Tying to focus an HD DSLR using the LCD screen can be really difficult; but a loupe can make things a lot easier. There's one problem with that; most current loupe's sit in a straight line behind the LCD screen, making it difficult to use if the camera is low to the ground, or pointing up. But here's a loupe that appears to let you turn the image 90 degrees using a small mirror:


Interestingly, Zacuto hinted that they were working on a loupe that would let you work at different angles a few months back, but there's been no reports since then.
Varavon.net: Varavon Profinder



New Apple TV coming?
Kevin Rose, found of Digg, revisits the rumors of a new lower-priced, iOS equipped Apple TV. Expected date is sometime in September, and supposedly you'll be able to use the iPad as a remote for it. The idea of using the iOS for it is hardly surprising, though I don't really think I want to play games on my TV; but that's just me.

More importantly; what happens to the old Apple TV? Does it die a slow, neglected death, do they release a software update that makes it impersonate it's much cheaper replacement?
kevinrose blog: Why Apple's iTV Will Change Everything



Marshall Monitors website
Marshall Monitors has created a new website to promote their products. Still no word on when the new 5 inch monitor will be shipping...
Marshall Monitors



Thinking of Entering a Film Festival?
indieWire has an interesting article with tips for submitting to festivals: 20 Tips for Strategizing Festivals & Distribution Today

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