News From Here & There

CreativeLive Edit Contest: Win Vincent Laforet's Redrock Kit
CreativeLive is running a competition; edit together a scene from footage shot during a recent Vincent Laforet workshop and you could win a Redrock Micro rig valued at $3,000.

You have to join Vimeo to be able to download the footage, and upload your entry. Also, the contest is only open to US and Canada residents, although "EVERYONE is welcome to edit their own version of the short film."

The contest deadline is August 12, 2011.
CreativeLive: Complete the Edit - Win Vincent Laforet's Redrock Kit



Sony NEX-FDS100 Loupe Modification
Not particularly happy with the Sony loupe, one NEX-FS100 owner did some re-engineering to make it shorter and more like a Zacuto Z-Finder.
mmfilm: LCD Viewfinder Modification

A nice visual piece shot with the NEX-FS100 by TMDFilms: Vimeo: Soleil's Spring

Update to Sony NEX lens roadmap
For all those Sony NEX-FS100 owners out there, SonyAlphaRumors reports changes to Sony's lens roadmap, including a 24mm pancake lens and the addition of Optical Image Stabilization to the 40mm and 55-210mm lenses.
SonyAlphaRumors: (SR4) New Sony NEX lens roadmap with surprise! The Zeiss becomes a pancake!



Apple to launch upgrade Mac Pro's in August?
Updates have been expected to the MacPro line for a while, and I think the smart money would be that new hardware will come out either at the same time or just after Lion [which is expected in July, right? -Ed]

9to5Mac now says they've heard of a report that includes a 16 cored Mac, though MacRumors is skeptical, noting:
A 16-core configuration would almost certainly come as a pair of 8-core processors, and 8-core Sandy Bridge processors of the server class used in the Mac Pro line aren't scheduled to appear until the fourth quarter of this year as Intel's Xeon E5 line.
Is anyone else concerned by the "final note" in the 9to5Mac article:
a certain Apple executive has reportedly said the following in an email we’ve seen:
“Apple is investing heavily into Mac Pro”
Isn't that what they said about Final Cut Pro?!
9to5Mac: Apple gearing up to launch upgraded Mac Pro with 16 cores
Macrumors: New Mac Pros With Up to 16 Cores Coming in Late July/Early August?



Thunderbolt drives: Good News, Bad News
AppleInsider has a report on a demo of LaCie's upcoming Solid-State "little Big Disk" Thunderbolt drive, which is expected to be released this summer.

They also note that manufacturers are finding that implementing Thunderbolt is proving more expensive than many had originally thought, and this may delay the release - and adoption - of such devices:
the price of the components required to add a Thunderbolt port to an external hard drive "is roughly equal to the cost of a low-end hard drive itself,"
AppleInsider: LaCie demos "Little Big Disk" Thunderbolt SSD drive coming this summer
AppleInsider: High costs limiting adoption of Apple's AirPlay and Thunderbolt technologies



New Firmware


Changing the Mount on the Zeiss CP.2 Lens
One of the interesting features about the Zeiss CP.2 lenses is that you can switch mounts on them, and it's a relatively easy process. This video at WideOpenCamera demonstrates.

My understanding is that the first time this is done, it should be performed by a professional who has equipment that can check the alignment and work out which shims to use. But once it's been done the first time, then it is relatively quick and easy to switch lens mounts.
WideOpenCamera: Zeiss CP.2 Lens Mount Change From PL To Canon EF.



Interested in Animation?
I just came across this yesterday, Focal Press has an animation website, BestAnimationBooks, where they have been doing weekly short reviews of animation shorts on the internet.
BestAnimationBooks





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