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Nikon D5200 review | Andrew Reid | EOSHD
Hmmm...Andrew seems to think this Nikon is a better video camera than most of the Canon DSLRs, and the Panasonic GH3 as well...and it's only $800.
UPDATE: The HDMI output on this camera is uncompressed 4:2:2, for a leap in image quality over the internal 24Mbit codec! Check the forum for my ProRes noise grain sample shots
The Nikon D5200 is the best mid-range Nikon yet for video. What is more of a surprise is the relish in which it takes on the much more expensive 5D Mark III, Panasonic GH3 and Nikon’s own flagship the D800 and D4.


RED Sues Sony and Other News | Michael Murie | Filmmaker Magazine
Some Canon and Sony firmware news too...
In case you are living in a cave and missed it, the big news of last week was that RED is suing Sony. RED claims that Sony’s F65, F55 and F5 infringe on patents RED holds, specifically relating to REDCODE RAW. It appears that the issue may turn on the compression of a RAW video stream in the camera.


NATHAN MAUGER’S NEW DOC ASKS WHAT LOVE MEANS IN CHINA? AND FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE CANON C300 (PART ONE) | Nathan Mauger | DSLR News Shooter
In retrospect, shooting C300 was absolutely the right choice. I like the size of 5D, and I like full-frame much more than APS-C sensors. For me though, the sharp image and professional features, like peaking and zebras, make C300 worth the high price tag.


First Impressions (crafting a winning trailer) | Stephen Garrett
| Filmmaker Magazine
Above all, and without exception, trailer editing is about rhythm. If you don’t have an innate sense of it, then your trailer will not sing. A trailer, cut well, will have a flowing motion to it, a sense that everything plays off everything else, and will propel the viewer through the experience of the film. Trailers build up excitement and anticipation, and a keen sense of rhythm heightens those sensations.


Lenses: Balancing Cost With Features | CRAIG JOHNSTON | TVTechnology
“As the sensors get smaller, people expect to pay less,” said Thom Calabro, director, marketing and product development at Fujifilm’s Optical Devices Division in Wayne, N.J. “It’s the actual opposite for lenses. The smaller the sensor, the harder it is to make the lens, or the more exacting we have to be to make an acceptable lens.”



Samyang 24mm F3.5 TILT SHIFT for Canon Nikon & Sony | B & H PhotoVideo
I've wanted a tilt-shift lens for a long time, but couldn't justify the price. Canon's TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II Tilt-Shift Manual Focus Lens costs $2,100....ouch! So here comes Samyang with a 24mm f3.5 tilt-shift that will cost $999. B & H is taking preorders.
I'm not sure I'd get one until someone else has reviewed it, but it's probably a pretty good lens. If it's like Samyang's other lenses, the Canon's will still be better, but not by much!



FCP X: Easy Animation of Stills (Video) | Larry Jordan | Blog
Worth watching as you could easily use the same technique in any other NLE...
This is a very cool technique to bring depth and animation to a photograph by using Photoshop layers and Final Cut Pro X. All it takes is a still image with a clearly defined subject, a little bit of time, and some imagination.I first used this technique decades ago using an animation stand and a video camera, it’s also  used a lot in high-end documetaries. Now, we can create this effect totally within our computer – no camera needed.


March Deadlines, just added | no entry fee festivals
ABOUT THIS BLOG: noentryfeefestivals.com was created, and is maintained, by tracy miller-robbins, an artist and animator. It is at once a guide to no fee festivals and opportunities, a directory of festival organizations throughout the world and a resource for current artistic work in the mediums of animation, film and video


Five Inspirational Filmmaking Lessons From Charlie Chaplin | Zeke Iddon
| Dare Dreamer
Pacing is one of the many things they teach at nyfa.edu and countless other film schools up and down the country, and dreadful pacing can kill an otherwise good film stone dead. Since this isn’t exactly a secret, why do I bring it up here? Because Chaplin’s pacing was beyond masterful. And it had to be – only someone with clinically precise control could mix extremely silly comedy with deep moments of profound tragedy in one film without a clinically precise pace?


$2,000 off the Canon C300 | B & H Photo Video
It seems that the Canon 300 is now being offered with a $2,000 price drop (and you can still get the 0%, 24 month financing through Canon as well.) I wonder if this heralds a permanent price reduction, or a new model at NAB....

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