News From Here & There

NAB Video Roundup
FilmmakerIQ.com has collected together a pretty exhaustive collection of video clips taken by different people at NAB: NAB 2011 Video Round-up



RED vs Alexa
Jim Jannard offers his comparison of the ARRI Alexa and RED Epic:
  • EPIC has 6 times the resolution of Alexa.
  • Alexa has a stop more native dynamic range than EPIC. Good on them.
  • EPIC has 3 stops more DR than Alexa using HDRx. Good on us.
  • EPIC is ownable.
  • Alexa is rentable.
REDUser: Alexa vs. EPIC... 



Cheap Motor for a Kessler Dolly
Chris Duke shows how to use a variable speed drill as a motor control for your dolly:
The "elektraDRIVE BUNDLE PACKAGE with ORACLE Controller" is a $1,314.95 add-on to their $649 slider making it a $2k package, and a whole lot of extra parts.

What if you could pull off the same motor slide effect with something you already have in your garage, using a variable speed drill--and saving $1,300!!
Vimeo: Kessler Pocket Dolly v2.0 Cheap Motor Trick



Slide Kamera Dolly
Cinescopophilia has a link to a video of the Slide Kamera from Poland. They think it will cost less than $200.
OR, you could build your own skateboard dolly...
Cinescopophilia: Slide Kamera HSO-2 Skater Dolly
NotesOnVideo: DIY Slider Dolly



Sony NEX-FS100 Test Video
Doug Jensen got to spend some time with the NEX-FS100 the week before NAB and has posted a very nice demo video. He notes the importance of setting the picture profile for the camera:
I set it up on my DSC test chart and created a custom Picture Profile that looked good to me. Please keep in mind that you should never judge a Sony camera right out of the box. You MUST create (or get) a Picture Profile or Scene File with a Sony camera if you expect the camera to perform at its best. That's the way Sony designs them, and it is the right way to do it.
He also thinks that the lack of an internal ND filter isn't such a bad thing.

Personally, I think that for creative work, he's probably right, but for the run and gun - ENG shooter, an internal ND filter would have been really useful:
I used a $150 Genus Variable ND Polarizer filter to control the amount of light entering the lens. ALL shots, except for the indoor fruit basket were shot with the ND filter on the lens. I found that this filter actually allowed me much finer control over my exposure than if the camera had only a couple of built-in filters. What at first seemed like a big shortcoming of the camera, was quickly forgotten. I can use cheap step-down rings to use the same ND Polarizer on all of my lenses regardless of their native filter size.
Vimeo: Vortex Media's Sony NEX-FS100 Demo Footage



What does the NEX-FS100 HDMI output?
There's been several questions about the NEX-FS100 HDMI; is it 8 or 10-bit? Does it output 4:2:2 or 4:4:4.

In a video from NAB, Doug Jensen of Sony said that the NEX-FS100 HDMI was 4:4:4.This raised questions as people had heard it was 4:2:2 8bit. Cinema5D went back to Doug for clarification, and he confirmed it was 4:4:4 - if the recorder supports it.
Cinema5D:  Doug Jensen says FS100 hdmi is 4:4:4

In this video from the ProVideoCoalition, Juan Martinez from Sony says:
The Sony NEX-FS100 video is analog component 4:2:2 or RGB 4:4:4, 8-bit
Great!  But what does that mean?
Vimeo: Sony FS100 with Juan Martinez from Sony



A Little More Final Cut Pro X
"Those that know, can't say. Those that don't know, are just guessing and enjoy making you nervous."
-@bosfcpug

Chris Kenny at the Nice Dissolve Blog asks what the relationship is between iMovie and Final Cut Pro X, and wonders if iMovie is really the child of Final Cut Pro X, rather than the other way around.
Nice Dissolve Blog: What is FCP X’s relationship to iMovie?

Scott Simmons at ProVideoCoalition has some more thoughts about the reaction to Final Cut Pro X, wonders about 3rd Party support, and compares iMovie and Final Cut Pro user interface elements.
ProVideoCoalition: Here we are nearly a week after the Final Cut Pro X sneak preview

Over at the DVInfo forum, Bill Davis offers his own perspective on the release:
Apple, does seem to generate an almost cult-like following. Why? Is it truly because Mac-heads are merely the "some of the time" people that PT Barnum argued can be fooled over and over and over again? Or is there something else in play here.
My answer is that with Apple, it's NEVER as simple as just the product.
DVInfo: Thoughts on new FCP X Sneak Peek #72

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