Notes On Video

The firmware update for the Sony NEX-VG10 is now available on Sony's U.S. website. There's versions for Mac and PC: Firmware Update (version 02) NEX-VG10V2_Update1011a.dmg Firmware Update (version 02) NEX-VG10V2_Update1011a.exe Sony's support site goes to different pages for different OS's (i.e. 10.6 Mac is here ) but I think there are only two installers. One Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6) user at the dpreview forum encountered a problem when he tried to run the installer: I followed the instructions for Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and proceeded to update the firmware. During the update (Sony runs a small installer program that has an interface that shows the update being applied) the Mac Mini (new 2010 version) suffered a Kernel Panic and drew a grey screen and froze still! The Mac was able to restart but the VG10 was dead- nothing I could do would cause the VG10 to operate (removed battery and restarted, removed SD card etc....camera was dead!) dpre...

Fresh off the Asia Red Epic Tour, Ted Schilowitz "Leader of the Rebellion" of RED Digital Cinema and Tonaci Tran get together in Vietnam to talk about the Red Epic camera. Here's a quick summary of the questions/answers, though watch the video for the full details. When will it ship? - When it's ready How much does it weigh? - Body only about 5lbs. Typical configuration about 9lbs. How do you take stills and motion at the same time? - Not sure I followed the answer...press a preset button? What accessories from the Red One will work with Epic? - Short answer is almost everything Does HDRX work in camera - There's an easy HDRX mode that works in-camera. - HDRX mode extends the usable range from a little over 13 stops to 18 stops.  Talk about the redesign and cooling he does Can you have two on-board LCDs at the same time? - Yes Is there a 5.5K mode coming? - Never say never. What happens if you put a non-Canon lens in? - It goes to a default...

V.I.O has a new HD POV camera coming that will capture 1080. Priced at $599, it should be shipping just before Christmas. The recording unit features a 2-inch LCD screen to view footage in the field, edit video and make exposure control adjustments. A simple set of controls allows the user to easily “tag” the best footage in the field, so final editing is finished quickly back in the studio. The 2-oz wearable camera head captures 142 degree FOV, at 1080p 30fps—the widest point-of-view camera angle available on the market. The camera head also features video capture at 720p 60fps, a high-quality 6-element glass lens and a native 1080p CMOS sensor designed specifically to produce optimal-quality, Full HD video. VIDEO - 1080p HD Video Resolution/Frame Rates: 1080p/30fps, 720p/60fps, 1080p25fps, 1080p/24fps Video Codec: H.264 Video Container: MPEG-4 Records to SDHC cards Exposure control: Automatic Exposure Control and White Balance There are other POV cameras out there which...

Zoom H4n Firmware Update Zoom has kicked out a firmware update for the Zoom H4n recorder. System Version 1.7 now let's you set the recording level of INPUT1 and 2 individually. The inability to set individual levels was one of the reasons why several professionals were preferring the Tascam DR-100 . Zoom : H4n Software Download Amazon : Zoom H4n Handy Portable Digital Recorder [ $299 ] Amazon : Tascam DR100 Portable Digital Recorder  [ $294 ] Google TV Gets Criticism David Pogue and Walt Mossberg take a look at Google TV - as implemented by Sony and Logitech - and they think it's too complicated: But no matter how many times the industry tries to cram Web+TV down our throats, the masses just don’t swallow. That’s probably because when we sit down at the TV, we want to be passive, with brains turned off, and when we surf the Web, we’re in a different mind-set: more active, more directed  - Pogue The quest to bring the full range of Internet video to your TV in ...

You can't even pre-order it (just ask to be notified when it's in stock) but B & H has a page up for the PMW-F3L : Sony PMW-F3L Super 35mm Full-HD Compact Camcorder

WARNING: This is on the New Zealand Sony site. It's unknown if this update supports U.S. cameras, and the software is not yet on the Sony U.S. site. Sony promised an update to the NEX-VG10 that would add support for auto-focus with A-mount lenses, and they seem to now be making the firmware update available. The update does not appear to add any other functionality. Note that there are different Mac and PC versions, and you must also update the firmware in the LA-EA1 Mount Adaptor (link to that update is on the page.) Sony NZ - Mac: NEX-VG10 Firmware Upgrade Ver.02 (Apple Macintosh) Sony NZ - Windows: NEX-VG10 Firmware Upgrade Ver.02 (Microsoft Windows)

Sony Electronics U.S . says that at this time they cannot confirm if the NXCAM 35mm camera they announced a couple of days ago will use the same sensor as the PMW-F3 that was announced last week. Meanwhile, at Film And Digital Times , Seth Emmons reports on Sony’s recent Super 35mm event at the George Lucas Building at the University of Southern California. While this meeting was ostensibly about the PMW-F3, the NXCAM 35mm camera was also touched on. Although there were those who questioned the choice of a 35 Mbs codec [ in the PMW-F3 ], Crithary answered with what we thought was the biggest surprise of the night. SR Memory is closer than you think, and more affordable. Although he declined to put a price tag or delivery date on the SR Memory recorder, called SR-R1, he did expect it to be within reach of many cinematographers. The ability to record up to 440 Mbs (and higher) onto solid state, RAID-5 protected cards of up to 1Tb should meet the needs of any of any high-budget, ...

Sony PMW-F3 Camera Test Another video shot with the Sony PMW-F3. This camera test was produced by Stargate Studios : Sony PMW F3 Camera Test from Stargate Studios on Vimeo . People watching more web video ads? A report on video ad monetization quoted in Adweek claims that people are watching more ads, and watching more of them: "Much early reporting on the issue focused on short clips of user-generated content and showed extremely low completion rates for pre-roll ads," the report states. "Clearly behavior is different with professional content, especially long form." Adweek : More Videos Ads, More User Acceptance ARRI Alexa A Hit The ARRI Alexa is proving popular in Hollywood and worldwide with almost 1,000 orders and 400 already delivered, including 200 in North America. “It’s a no brainer. The workflow to go with the camera is there and in place, and it works,” cinematographer David Stump, co-chair of the ASC Technology Committee’s camera su...

Philip Bloom got to see - and touch - the PMW-F3 at a London event. He also reports that the NXCAM 35mm camera will have "exactly the same sensor" as the PMW-F3, which is a bit of a surprise ( it's certainly the same size as the PMW-F3 camera, but it was unclear if it's the same physical sensor. ) Launch of Sony F3 and NXCAM in London [UPDATE 11:01PM] - CreativeVideo says it's not the same sensor as the PMW-F3: Sony HXR-NX35 NXCAM HD camcorder with s35mm sensor and AVCHD...

....we get to watch. " The first short film in the world shot on the new Sony PMW-F3 " is now on Vimeo. Martin Scalan and Steve Lawes got to play with the camera and have posted this video. Check out the video, and then go to read the blog about it: Hands on review of the new Sony PMW-F3 I think that Sony have something very interesting here, I think the camera will be a success. There are things that I would like to see different on the camera, but I could say that about an Alexa, Red or DSLR. I feel the image quality that you will be able to get out the back of this camera is it’s main attribute. If Sony, or somebody else for that matter such as AJA come up with a compact, possibly solid state off board recorder that can take advantage of this, you have a very interesting prospect. Convergence - Short Film shot on Sony PMW-F3 from Martin Scanlan on Vimeo .

Amazon has started " Amazon Studios " and is offering money for scripts and movies through a series of "contests." The first contest runs through January 31, and there's a $100,000 award for Best Movie, and two $20,000 awards for Best Script. The Best Movie part is a little confusing, as they are asking for a movie that's not necessarily finished, and yet... An Amazon Studios test movie should be an inexpensive , full-length movie that tells the whole story of the script in a compelling way, has very good acting and sound , but that doesn't necessarily have polished production values . So unless your crane shot is essential to telling the story, skip it or do it in storyboard. The purpose of the movies at Amazon Studios is to show how scripts are working up on their feet. Inexpensive, but with good acting and sound? Production values don't have to be polished, but the sound has to be good? Seems a bit oxymoronish to me! Note too that by upload...

There doesn't seem to be a name for this camera yet, so for the moment, I'm going to use the name NXCAM 35mm as it's the hash-tag that Peter Crithary of Sony is using for it. Alistair Chapman is at InterBEE ns Japan, where a camera prototype is being shown, and on dvinfo.com he reports : It is of a modular design with removable microphone holder, hand grip and many other parts. I don't think this will use the same sensor as the F3. The F3 is from the Atsugi factory and this is from the Shinagawa factory and they rarely share sensors. I suspect it will use an Alpha/NEX sensor but with an optical low pass filter specifically for video applications as opposed to the VG10's OLPF which has to work for both video and stills. On the rear of the camera body there is a huge opening that looks too big to be just a battery compartment so I suspect that some kind of media or recording section will dock into the rear of the camera. No genlock apparently, but other sync m...

Announced several months ago, Blue's Mikey for iPhone is finally available: The all-new Mikey is the perfect tool for mobile recording. Featuring two custom-tuned Blue capsules for stereo recording, a line-input, USB pass through and a stylish updated 230-degree rotating design. Mikey's three gain settings allow for a versatile recording experience for everything from a loud concert to a whisper. Record lectures, voice notes, live music, interviews, and more. Mikey also comes with its own soft carrying pouch for convenient storage and protection while on the go. Mikey turns your iPod into the coolest mobile recording device around! It's $79.99 at Amazon : Blue Microphones Mikey 2.0 iPod Recording Microphone Another alternative for those looking for small, portable recording is the $99 Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder . There's something about the idea of using one device - your iPhone - to do everything, that is very appealing. On the other hand, if...

Well that didn't take long... just a week and a bit after announcing the PMW-F3 , Sony is now semi-announcing an NXCAM large sensor camcorder (think of it as the professional version of the NEX-VG10 perhaps?!) It's probable that this camera will compete with the Panasonic AG-AF100 . NXCAM is Sony's designation for professional cameras using the AVCHD compression format, and at the moment consists of one other camera, the Sony HXR-NX5u . This new addition to Sony's professional NXCAM line will be available in the middle of 2011 and will have the same E-mount as the NEX cameras and support A-mount lenses. The recording format of the camera will be AVCHD, and they plan to implement 1080p (60p / 30p / 24p*2 or 50p / 25p) recording modes. (MPEG4-AVC/H.264 compression will be used for these modes.) *2: 59.94p / 29.97p / 23.98p respectively. [UPDATE] Sony's Press Release: Sony to expand 35mm large format sensor camcorder li...

Dear Valued Sony HDV Tape Customer: We have discovered a quality issue on a very limited quantity of consumer HDV DVM63HD products in North, Central and South America. In some cases, video and audio content may not be recorded during initial use. Users may not recognize this problem during shooting, but may discover it when attempting to playback the content. This condition is not recoverable. If the camcorder/VTR is found to have head clogging after using an affected tape, it can be easily corrected by using a cleaning cassette.  However, if the cassette functioned normally the first time, the head clogging problem will not occur. In order to ensure customer satisfaction, Sony has decided to replace the affected cassette production lots, which can be identified by the Production Lot Numbers listed below The affected cassettes are: Model Numbers: DVM63HDR, DVM63HDR/2, 3DM63HDR Production Lot Numbers : xxxxxxx5L, xxxxxxx6L, xxxxxxx7L, xxxxxxx8L The Production Lot...

Mocha Pro Released Imagineer Systems has announced the availability of its newest 64-bit VFX software, mocha Pro . Imagineer Systems also announced  it has made significant enhancements and added capabilities to mocha for After Effect s, the Company's stand alone tracking and roto tool for the After Effects community. Now re-named mocha AE , this award-winning VFX tool now extends its support to both the After Effects and Final Cut Pro communities. Broadcast Newsroom: Imagineer Systems Releases mocha Pro; Powerful New Planar Tracking, Roto, Compositing, Removal Tool Set ImagineerSystems Interview with documentary filmmaker Leslie Iwerks Leslie made a one hour documentary for Encore about the history of Industrial Light & Magic . In this interview for Animation Magazine she talks about how the project started, how it was made, and what she learned from making the movie. Interestingly, Iwerks is the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks, the animator who helped bring Mickey M...

But I like the band... “I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes,” said Ringo Starr.

Video Director/Editor Chris Fenwick took a carving knife and plunged it into the heart of Final Cut  yesterday as he spent an hour explaining why he's switched to Premiere Pro  in one of Adobe's "Ask A CS Pro" webcasts. Sounding at times defensive " I'm an Apple fanboy, I own Apple shares, "and at other times combative " QuickTime 10 is like QuickTime for my Mom " he did a reasonable job of outlining what features attracted him to Premiere Pro ; Getting away from QuickTime Pro color issues Premiere Pro uses all your machines processors The Mercury Playback engine plays content without having to recompress Randy Ubillos is working on iMovie For the most part he made sense while covering ground that others have already explored. Most Final Cut Pr o users are only too aware that Premiere Pro has leapfrogged Final Cut with it's true 64-bit multi-processor and graphics processor support, enabling real-time processing of more complex ...

MORE 3D: Menu Options + Capabilities for the AG-3DA1 3D Camera/Recorder Join Rule's Tom Talbot and Mike Sutton as they dig deeper into menu options and capabilities for Panasonic's AG-3DA1 3D camera/recorder along with their recommendations for creating smart 3D compositions. November 17, 2010, 10am - 12noon Rule : Events NEXT MONDAY, November 22nd 10am to 12 noon Panasonic's Brand-New AG-AF100 A special event: Product Manager, Jan Crittenden-Livingston and Consultant Bernie Mitchell will be on-hand with the Panasonic AG-AF100 camera (1 of only 2 in the entire country) which is scheduled for release in December. RSVP to save a seat by sending an email to Rule to: events@rule.com

Join Chris Fenwick, as he explains his personal frustrations with Final Cut and why he decided to make the switch to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 . Chris will showcase Adobe Premiere Pro’s more advanced features and how the 64-bit, GPU accelerated Adobe Mercury Playback Engine speeds his entire editing workflow while solving a variety editing challenges Monday, November 15 · 12:00pm - 1:00pm   Facebook: Ask a CS Pro: Advanced Features & Mercury Playback Engine in Premiere Pro Adobe Connect room http://my.adobe.acrobat.com/askcspro

Amazon has a special promotion that takes $100 off the price of the Canon 60D , bringing it down to $899: Canon EOS 60D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) Save an Additional $100 Instantly For a limited time, purchase the Canon EOS 60D digital SLR body from Amazon.com and save an additional $100 instantly. Simply add the 60D body to your Shopping Cart, enter promotional code BF8JNEEK, and we'll automatically apply the discount at checkout. One discount per customer; savings applies only to purchases of products sold by Amazon.com, and does not apply to products sold by third-party merchants and other sellers through the Amazon.com site. Amazon.com reserves the right to terminate or modify this promotion at any time. See terms and conditions. Stu Maschwitz at ProLost explains why you should buy a 60D if you are primarily interested in video, though he does add:  ...it is worth noting that the 7D does have one advantage over the 60D: The 7D outputs...

Sony PMW-F3 The U.S. Sony Professional Services division has invited people interested in the upcoming PMW-F3 to write to them explaining what they would do with the PMW-F3 if they had it for a week: What would you shoot with PMW-F3 if you had the camcorder for one week? Let us know, you may get the chance. E-mail production@am.sony.com And if you're interested in the camera, Jon Fauer at Film & Digital Times gives a good summary of what's known about the camera so far: Sony PMW-F3 The Business "Dennis" at Filmmakeriq has written an article on why being an indepedent filmmaker is like opening a restaurant : There are countless books, websites, forums, etc., filled with “advice” on how to break into filmmaking. They talk about who you need to know, what you need to write, how to talk, walk and shit. But while (some) information is always a good thing, they don’t really tell you what’s truly needed. Yes you need some talent, but the true filtering proce...