News From Here & There

Sony Drops Price On F65
While Sony had their "low- priced" cinema Super 35mm cameras, the $6K NEX-FS100 and the $14K PMW-F3, don't think they are giving up on the high end. They unveiled the F65, high-end cinema camera at NAB, and though they haven't yet confirmed a price, they have announced that they have lowered it. At Cine Gear Sony reveiled that the price had been lowered from $???K to $??K.

I'm guessing that it's still closer to $???K thant $?K.
YouTube: Sony F65 Pricing Release - Cine Gear 2011



PluralEyes available for Grass Valley's EDIUS
PluralEyes, the workflow automation tool for analyzing media content and synchronizing audio and video clips is now available for EDIUS at an introductory price of $119 USD until July 15, 2011 via the Singular Software's website. The regular price is $149 USD.
Singular Software


This should be great news for some of you: iOS 5 on iPad 2 will play back H.264 MOVs recorded with EOS 5DII, 60D & 600D
Clayton Lai on Twitter


The 3D Thing
Is 3D dead, dying, or waiting to make a resurgence? Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks has been one of the biggest proponents of 3D movies, and he talks to The Hollywood Reporter about the current downturn in audience numbers at 3D screenings. He blames the bad movies that were released:
It's really heartbreaking to see what has been the single greatest opportunity that has happened to the film business in over a decade being harmed. The audience has spoken, and they have spoken really loudly.
TheHollywoodReporter: Jeffrey Katzenberg on the 'Heartbreaking' Decline of 3D (Exclusive Q&A)

Meanwhile, at Wired, Erik Malinowski looks at ESPN 3D as it battles to survive the growing pains of the 3D marketplace:
Some analysts estimate that global 3-D TV penetration could top 23 million units this year, an increase of more than 500 percent over 2010. However, U.S. customers only bought 1.1 million units last year — only half of the estimated 2.1 million that were expected to be sold — and sales figures for 2011 will likely end up around just short of 2 million, still a healthy year-on-year increase.
Wired: Why 3-D Sports Could Be the Future of Television



Somy PMW-F3
Rudy Wilms posts an unboxing video for the PMW-F3 on Vimeo: Unboxing Sony PMW-F3

Philip Bloom posts a video shot during a DSLR workshop with the F3: New F3 Short Film “Insipiens” Shot in Mallorca, Spain. With Colorista II blemish removal tutorial



Budget Follow-Focus
EOSHD has a write-up on an aluminim follow-focus that's available on ebay for $142 and features:
  • Support for industry standard 15mm rails
  • Gear driven for accuracy
  • Aluminium construction, no plastic, rubber grip on focus wheel
  • Locking system and adjustable plate
  • 52mm to 82mm lens barrel compliance
EOSHD: Quality follow focus just became affordable



Sony HX9
It's "just" a little point-and-shoot camera, but the previous model, the HX5 got some very favorable reviews, and now the HX9 is coming. It shoots 60p for Americans, or 50p for our European neighbors.
Jeen de Vos Producties has posted to Vimeo a short video that's pretty nice!
Vimeo: The Harbour (Sony HX9 test)
Amazon: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Still Camera with 16x Optical Zoom G Lens, and Full HD 1080/60p Video
HDWarrior: Micro Review of the Sony HX5V Cyber shot camera with AVCHD

Andrew Reid at EOSHD also tried out the HX9 and thinks it performs better than a Canon  600D - though it doesn't have the same shallow depth-of-field capabilities due to the small sensor:
The HX9v splits the GH2 and Canon DSLR 1080p on the starting grid, producing more detail than the 600D with less moire and aliasing. The HX9 comes close to matching the GH2 for resolution, and 1080/60p is a huge benefit over 24p since you can choose to give footage a dreamy slow-motion look or convert it to cinematic 24p or 25p. You have the choice!
EOSHD: Sony HX9v vs Canon 600D – DSLR gets beat by compact in video mode



Is The DSLR Dead?
Scott Macaulay at FilmMaker writes up my piece on the Death of DSLR's, adding his own conclusion (which really matches what I was trying to say; he just manages to do it in 1/6 the number of words!)
Indeed, what may be dead now that everyone has shot with a DSLR is not the DSLR camera but the idea of the camera as a revolutionary device — and its potential to rally a community that believes it’s a revolutionary device. Pro’s are moving between the RED and Alexa and the large format sensor cameras that David Leitner wrote about in our piece, “Does Size Matter.”
Filmmaker: IS THE DSLR DEAD?

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