News From Here & There

Sony PMW-F3 Firmware Update Coming
New PMW-F3 firmware, free update to be released very soon will include HD-SDI & HDMI same time outputs & utilize S/Q knob for menu nav
-@CineAltaNews


ARRI Alexa Q &A
Jon Faur at Film & Digital Times interviewed Martin Prillmann, Managing Director of ARRI about the ALEXA. They talked about it's development, acceptance, and the transition from film to digital, which is "taking place right now." He also asked if the ARRI was going to be upgradeable to 4K:
No, the camera is not designed to be a 4K camera. Our goal, and I think we are pretty well on track on that, is to get most out of 2K, and not to have 4K simply to have 4K. We don’t believe in the pixel race. We believe that a digital camera is a system which is the sum of more elements than only the pixels.
Film&DigitalTimes: Interview with Martin Prillmann of ARRI



Zacuto Zgrop Gloves Official
Though they were shown at NAB, Zacuto has now officially announced the Zgrip Gloves:
Zgrip Gloves are soft, cushy and comfortable grip covers made from non-slip textured FDA grade high-temperature silicone. Simply stretch and slide the Zgrip Gloves over any already existing Zacuto handgrip. Zgrip Gloves are textured and designed not to slip out of your hands. They can easily slide on and off your grips so they can be used at the shooter's discretion. Zgrip Gloves are priced at $49 and come in pairs.
Zacuto: Introducing Zacuto's New Zgrip Gloves



Zacuto NAB Wrap-up & Single Chip Camera Evaluation Response
Zacuto has a short blog post on the results of their NAB experience, and also mentions the response to their screening of the camera evaluation tests they ran:
The Single Chip Camera Evaluations (SCCE) screenings were way more popular than we expected.  We went from 14 to 24 screenings and still had a huge waiting list.  We apologize to anyone that couldn’t get a seat but don’t worry, we are planning screenings in New York and Los Angeles so keep your eyes on the Zacuto website for details.  You can also see the final version of the tests in the Great Camera Shootout 2011 scheduled to hit the web in June. 
Zacuto: NAB 2011 Wrap Up
NotesOnVideo: The Great Camera Shoot Out 2011



Adobe Price Increase Coming?
The Digital-Picture.com reports that the price of Adobe Creative Suite could be rising; though there's only one source for this report.
Digital-Picture.com: Adobe Price Increase Coming

Adobe Free Upgrades?
The report also talks about buying the current version of the Adobe Creative Suite by April 27th and getting a free upgrade to CS5.5. According to the ProDesignTools website, Adobe in the past has offered free or reduced price upgrades, and Adobe's site itself says so, though there's no hard or fast declaration, only a "you may qualify." So you will probably have to contact Adobe first to determine what the details are.

Otherwise, you have to pay $399 to upgrade to CS 5.5 from CS 5:
Adobe: Upgrade eligibility after new product announcement
ProDesignTools: Grace Period for Free Upgrades to Adobe Creative Suite 5.5
Amazon: Adobe Creative Suite 5 Production Premium [Mac][OLD VERSION]$1,387.00
Amazon: Adobe Creative Suite 5 Production Premium[OLD VERSION]$1,449.00
[CS5.5 is listed at 1,699.00 for both versions]



Give Canon Your Opinion
James Drake at the Denver Video Production blog notes that Chuck Westfall, Canon’s media spokesman in a recent interview invited customers to tell Canon what they want, and James encourages us all to let Canon know what we want in the Canon 5D Mark III.

It's always a good idea to let manufacturers know what you think of their products, but I suspect it might be a bit late in the cycle to really have any influence on the design of the 5D Mark III (assuming the current rumors of release sometime around August are correct.)
Denver Video Production: How YOU can change the Canon 5D Mark III right now!



Are you a Mac or a PC? The Hunch Blog finds that there might be more to the Mac vs. PC ads than anyone thought: Mac vs. PC: A Hunch Rematch

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