Notes On Video

Panasonic AG-AF100 Philip Bloom has updated his blog about his experiences with the prototype Panasonic AG-AF100/101 . He likes the video camera characteristics it offers; very little moire, ND filters, things like that, though noted that there was still a little rolling shutter and he didn't like the viewfinder: Coming from the EX3 with it’s awesome viewfinder and using a Zacuto Z-Finder on my Canons, looking in the EVF was like looking at a small screen at the end of tunnel. There was no way I could get focus with it. Too damn hard. I have no idea what the resolution is of it but if it was magnified it would be a lot easier to use. He still plans to get one... PhilipBloom : 3 days in Japan with the Panasonic AF100/101 Noise Reduction El Skid takes a look at Magic Bullet's De-Noiser plug-in: ...You can clearly see how the noise reduction creates a more caramel like image and if you watch the Nissan video you can see the footage has a very peculiar shiny plastic f...

The next meeting of the Massachusetts Production Coalition will be held on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at WGBH Studios . NEW TOPIC AND SPECIAL GUESTS!!!! The Making of " The Fighter " A behind the scenes look at producing and casting a local major feature. Speakers: Dorothy Aufiero , Silent Partner Entertainment - Producer, "The Fighter" Angela Peri , CSA, Owner/Founder of Boston Casting - Local casting for "The Fighter" Massprodcoalition : Events

The cinémon.mp4 Workflow Accelerator for Final Cut Pro enables: Native Playback of XDCAM EX profiles in Apple Final Cut Pro Ability to playback XDCAM EX files directly from SxS cards Ability to playback XDCAM EX files in QuickTime (still requires FCP to be installed on machine) Drag and Drop or File Import of XDCAM EX files directly to Final Cut Pro Support for Quicklook viewing of XDCAM EX files in finder Render output for MOV using Final Cut Pro render engine MXF rendering using XDCAM Transfer tool It lists at $99, but: This product is available to US customers only. US customers may download the 60-day trial version. Purchase details will be coming soon. If you are outside the United States contact your Sony account manager for availability. Sony Pro: cinémon.mp4 Workflow Accelerator for Final Cut Pro

It's been available for a while as part of a public beta, but Singular Software has now officially released PluralEyes for Premiere Pro Mac OS X. It is compatible with OS X 10.5 and later, is available to purchase via the Singular Software website for an introductory price of $119 USD until Dec. 11, 2010 . The regular price is $149 USD.

This looks cool; an iPad app that controls the color differential and masters in the Primary In, Secondaries and Primary Out rooms of Color . And it's free (this version) though the company promises a full version: The full version of vWave will be available soon and this will give you full access to all the controls in Color - just like you can do with our physical panels: Wave and CP200 series. There is no need to have access to the internet from your iPad or the Mac running Color for vWave-Lite to work, but you will need to have the iPad and the Mac connected to the same network. iTunes: vWave-Lite

A product that a lot of editors rave about is PluralEyes ; it's a plug-in that works with various editing environments to analyze the audio tracks of media files and figure out where the audio tracks sync up. It's ideal for anyone doing dual sound (capturing video with a video camera, and audio using a separate recording deck like a Zoom H4n .) Typically, if you record dual sound you want to use some form of time code - which means using expensive gear - or use a clapper board to create a "mark" that you can use to sync the tracks. If your camera records sound as well as pictures a "mark" doesn't have to be made by a clapboard; you can simply clap your hands, but the reality is that there are situations where clapping your hands can interrupt the process; and what happens if you forget to do it? PluralEyes does away with all that... mostly . It just looks at the two audio tracks and figures out where they match. And now Singular Software has come u...

While Sony hasn't officially announced US prices, Peter Crithary , Marketing Manager for Production at Sony Electronics tweeted yesterday: There is a lot of chatter on line about PMW-F3 Super35mm camera. Price of PMW-F3, $16K. With lens kit, $23K . This pricing is for USA. MSRP

Panasonic AG-AF100/101 Philip Bloom has been in Japan checking out a 95% complete version of the upcoming large sensor camera from Panasonic. He's posted some pictures and a video shot with the camera: Full blog on the trip to Japan and my review on this almost complete camera coming very soon. I just need to write it. In meantime enjoy the footage I shot in Kyoto with it and the photos from the trip. 30 Second Film Challenge Here’s the challenge: Must be a parody/recreation of a movie released in the last 18 months from beginning to end. Must be 30 seconds or shorter. Can be shot on any camera. Not limited to Canon. Use whatever you can get your hands on from an iPhone to an Arri Alexa. The camera is just a tool. Entries must be received by 12 p.m. Wednesday, November 17th 2010. Prize: $100 gift card from B & H Canonfilmmakers: 30 Second Film Festival: Challenge #1 Sony Guide to Sensor Sizes Why does a 2/3" sensor camera not have a 2/3" sensor? P...

The announcement of a new camera definitely seems to spike the web traffic. This blog had literally double the normal amount of traffic on Monday; the day of the announcement of the Sony PMW-F3 . Clearly there's a lot of interest in the PMW-F3; but then that was true when they announced the HDR-AX2000/HXR-NX5U, and Canon announced their XF300/XF305, and sundry new SLRs. If only camera manufacturers would announce a new camera every Monday.....we'd all go mad!

Get a chance to see the PMW-F3 - and footage shot with it - at an event at the University of Southern California on November 17th . You have to RSVP. Location: University of Southern California/ School of Cinematic Arts Ray Stark Family Theatre George Lucas Building SCA 108 900 West 34th Street Los Angeles, CA Date/Time: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 5:30pm and 7:30pm Sony: Redefining Indie Filmmaking, PMW-F3

More on the Sony PMW-F3 EOSHD.com has an interesting article about the chip in the forthcoming PMW-F3 , and how it might differ significantly from the one in the Panasonic AG-AF100 . Having fewer pixels should mean better low-light performance and less problems with moire and aliasing. But the proof of the pudding and all that...we really have to wait and see what the actual images look like. EOSHD.com: Lowdown on the Sony F3's 2K cinema sensor And if you're thinking of getting the Panasonic AG-AF100 , now that you know you can't afford Sony's offering, you might want to check out Matthew Duclow's intro to Micro Four Thirds lenses: Diving Into Micro Four Thirds Final Cut update early next year? Dustyn Gobler emailed Steve Jobs about Final Cut Pro and got the following reply: A great release of Final Cut is coming early next year. Interestingly, this was a month ago, but it only just now seems to be bouncing around the interwebs. DustynGobler : My...

Tuesday, November 16 · 12:00pm - 1:00pm PST Adobe Connect Room: my.adobe.acrobat.com/askcspro Join Richard Harrington , author of From Still to Motion : A photographer's guide to creating video with your DSLR (Voices That Matter) , as he shows you why he uses Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 for editing HDSLR footage. Rich will share his post-production techniques and editing strategies in Adobe Premiere Pro for HDSLR color correction, audio syncing, and camera calibration. You'll discover how to harness the professional-quality tools in CS5 Production Premium to natively edit, color correct, mix audio, and publish to the web and Blu-ray Disc. Facebook : Ask a CS Pro:HDSLR editing in Adobe Premiere Pro with Richard Harrington

Following on from their  Final Cut , Premiere and Sony Vegas versions, Singular Software now has a beta program for their audio synchronization tool PluralEyes for Media Composer . The PluralEyes for Media Composer public beta is available for both Windows® and Mac® OS X® users. To download the PluralEyes for Avid Media Composer public beta, visit: http://www.singularsoftware.com/downloads.html .

Jared Abrams at Cinema 5D has a video up with a short interview with Wayne Schulman from Manfrotto talking about the Manfrotto 504 HD head which they say was designed for "large-sensor cameras." They will be adding to this product line with a 509 HD in February, which will handle about 25-35 lbs, and next September the 502 HD which will be for smaller cameras and have a target price of $500 for the head and legs. (The 504HD is ~$730 for head, legs and bag.) B & H : 504HD Fluid Video Head [$399.90 and conditional rebates available thru 01/15/11 ] B & H: 504HD Head w/546B 2-Stage Aluminum Tripod System [$704.90 after $25 Maill-in rebate  thru 01/15/11 ] B & H: 504HD Head w/535 2-Stage Carbon Fiber Tripod Syste m [$939.90 after $50 mail-in rebate thru  01/15/11 ] Cinema5D : Bogen Manfrotto At Createasphere Expo 2010

Adobe Labs has released a public beta of Adobe Audition : Adobe Audition for Mac brings modern audio post-production to the Mac platform. Familiar tools for audio editing, multitrack mixing and recording meet improved performance, greater workflow flexibility, and new features such as native 5.1 surround support and new effects. Plus, the best-of-breed audio sweetening and restoration tools in Audition make it easy to clean up production audio. With essential tools you can rely on for quick-completion projects, Audition for the Mac brings a fresh face to audio post-production. Adobe Audition for Mac offers: Fast start-up, high performance multi-threaded processing, and parallel workflows Powerful audio editing and multitrack mixing views Superior noise reduction capabilities Native 5.1 Surround support and multi-channel effects, plus other new effects Optimized audio post-production workflows Adobe Labs: Audition

In reading various forums about the Sony PMW-F3 yesterday, I came across someone who wrote that the arrival of large-sensor video cameras " will be the end of lens adapters. " Except that clearly it isn't, because in my mailbox this very morning was an announcement from Redrock about the upcoming M3 Cinema Lens Adapter , which is supposed to start shipping on December 1st: The M3 is as close as you will get to perfection in a lens adapter, delivering razor sharp images with a beautiful look, wrapped in a rugged professional body and support system. The many technical achievements and enhancements of the M3 include: Monster oversized optics delivery approximately ¼ stop: nearly transparent operation High rpm spinning ground glass enables stopping the lens down to f16 or more without showing grain State of the art power system with locking lemo-style connectors, auxiliary power ports, rechargeable batteries, and power status indicators Precision factory lens col...

VFX Supervisor and friend-of-the-blog Dermot Shane was invited to one of the special events Sony held yesterday to unveil the PMW-F3 , and sends along his thoughts. He notes that Sony would not talk on or off the record about final pricing (though Studio Daily claims Sony said at a presentation that it would be $16,000 for the body and $23,000 for the kit.) At 20K it's in a class of one once it has dual link output, until then - the question is why bother? My wish list for a 20K camera would be DCI2K (2048x1080) + RAW + PL mount.. everything I am doing currently is finishing DCI, HD is so last year [rolls eyes like a valley girl].... What they offer is HD + 709 -or- S-Log + PL mount + Dual Link...so part way there; S-Log is wide gammut, fits into DCI colorspace, that's good... PL is good, resoultion capped at HD not so much, no RAW seems , well so very 2006.... I think they may have given Panicsonic an open playing field for the Indie filmakers though, they seem p...

Sony has started a Sony CineAlta "blog" on their Sony Production Community website. The Sony CineAlta Production User Group is also holding it's FIRST meeting in NYC TONIGHT, November 9th, and will be talking about (maybe showing) Sony’s new Super35MM PL mount hand held camera i.e the PMW-F3. Time & Location: 630pm to 800pm, Sony Wonderlabs HD Theater, Ground Floor (SONY BUILDING) 550 Madison Avenue, New York, NY Sony CineAlta Production User Group

Paul Joy at PaulJoy.com takes apart all the pictures of the F3 and notes the individual buttons dials and jacks [ Not the rocker switch - should work well with those fixed lenses they're selling with the camera package! ] Dan Chung at DSLR News Shooter points out that the camera is actually an F3 mount with a PL Adapter (something I hadn't noticed.) David Fox at the UrbanFoxTV blog writes: ...for anyone who just wants the 35mm shallow depth of field look, then the price of Panasonic's AF100/AF101 at €4,900 (list) makes it more appealing (especially given the high cost of SxS media compared to SD cards). However, the Sony has a bigger sensor (exact dimensions haven't been released, but it is probably about 30% larger), so it will give even shallower depth of field – similar to a much cheaper, but feature-limited APS-C sensor HD DSLR. For all practical purposes, the more efficient AVCHD codec of the AF101 at 24Mbps will at least match the older MPEG-2 compre...

Wow! Just saw the new 11 inch Apple MacBook Air [ Amazon ] at the Apple Store. What a small sexy beast that is; when closed up it's surprisingly similar in size and shape to the iPad ; though definitely a bit thicker on one side. I spent a little time playing with  iMovie on it, and was seriously impressed. If I didn't already have an iPad , I'd be mighty tempted to get one! But I already have a 15" MacBook and an iPad , and adding a MacBook Air to that collection doesn't make sense. One would have to go. The 15" MacBook I use for video editing, and while it was okay to use the Air for a bit of fun with iMovie , I don't want to use something that small for day-to-day use. And while the iPad can't do everything the Air can, I do like it for taking notes at meetings. I like the fact it doesn't open out into something double it's size, and it doesn't cost almost $1,000. On the other hand, if I seriously wanted to type long passag...

Having me comment on the PMW-F3 is a bit like having me review the latest Lamborghini - " nice car; I'm never going to buy one. " If it comes in at around $16,000 US - and who know's what it will be, but at 20,000 Euro's there's little chance it will be much less than that -  the PMW-F3 will be well outside my budget. Clearly this is no DSLR killer; though maybe it's intended to kill DSLR sales and for use only in Hollywood. And at that price, it's almost not worth commenting on the specs, because I can't even begin to consider this camera. It doesn't really matter if it outputs 4:2:2 10 bit via the HD-SDI link, or records to SxS cards, or has a PL-mount, or two XLR inputs. I must admit, I'm somewhat disappointed. With the Panasonic AG-AF100 about to hit the stores, I thought that Sony might have been going after the same market. I imagined they might come out with something that cost about $6,000. More than the Panasonic, but the...

PMW-F3K   Sony has announced the PMW-F3, a 24p video camera with a 35mm sensor, which will be available in January 2011. As had been earlier suggested, this camera appears to be aimed more at the RED camera market than at the Panasonic AG-AF100 market with it’s approximate price of $20,000 US (they have announced the European price only.) The sensor size is Super 35mm, the standard size for motion picture films and the same size as the Sony F-35. There are two models; the PMW-F3K with three lenses (35, 50, 85mm F2.0) - Euros 20,700 (~$29,000 US), and PMW-F3L body only model - Euros 14500 (~$20,000 US). The PMW-F3 has a PL mount, and Sony will be producing specific zoom lenses for this camcorder, which they intend to show in prototype at NAB 2011. The camera records to SxS cards. Worldwide press release is today 8th November, and on the 17th they will show the product at Interbee in Japan. They are “closely working” with some DoP's and their ICE team (Independant Certif...

On Monday, November 7th, Sony UK is going to have a Q & A session on their 35mm sensored camera on Facebook at 10am UK time or 2 am pacific time (only a few short hours from now). They are now calling their creation the PMW-F3. Source dvinfo: Sony UK to Announce PMW-F3 at 10am UTC on Facebook [ I've also heard that Sony is holding some sort of demo in LA tomorrow too. ]