The Snowpocalypse Edition

It's Friday, February 8 2013, and everyone in the Northeast is battened down and waiting for the biggest snow storm of the season. And while I still have power - and the internet! - here's the news of the day.

Canon C100 stuff
It's been an interesting week for Canon C100 news. I'd just put up a report on Filmmaker (Canon C100 or C300: Which One to Get?) about the Canon C300 vs the C100 image, speculating whether the Atomos Ninja would really make a big difference in image quality when Paul Antico emails me to say he just got one and tried it with his C100 and felt it was making a big difference in image. Exciting. (Canon C100 Does 4:2:2 with the Ninja Video Recorder)

I must admit that if I had the money, I'd buy a C100. Yes, it doesn't do 4K or overcranking, but for 99.999% of what I'll be doing over the next few years, it will be more than sufficient. The only problem is that it's outside my camera budget.



The Canon C300: Field Tested by MediaStorm DP Rick Gershon | Rick Gershon | MediaStorm
The C300 is a great camera too:
In my opinion, it takes a very special kind of camera to work well in a documentary setting. In the kind of documentary style that we work in everything starts and stops with the photographer. There is no assistant to pull focus, no sound guy, no director or producer. You don’t have four bodies that you can rig up to various degrees and swap out when needed. It is only you and your camera. 


Canon C300 tops list of most popular rental cameras | Jake Bickerton | Televisual
Interesting that the Sony F65 is in at number 10. I would have guessed it might be lower:
The survey analyses an assortment of data from camera hire firms to calculate the cameras that have most been in demand over the last 12 months in the UK. The results of the survey show a continued move to large-sensor models in all areas of production with many of the most popular models being large-sensor cameras that have only been on the market for the last year or so.


First RED Dragon stills – jaw dropping @ 6K, 86fps | Cinema5D
One of the major drawbacks of the current RED MX sensor was its weak lowlight capabilities in comparison to other current cameras like the Alexa, Canon's C-cameras or Sony's new F line. Clearly the Dragon sensor overcomes these problems and produces very powerful and unprecedented images in terms of resolution, framerate, dynamic range as well as the usual very filmic look RED shooters have gotten used to.


Blackmagic Cinema Camera tips – ‘overexpose’ it for best results – and interview with John Brawley | Andrew Reid | EOSHD
The Blackmagic Cinema Camera is shipping again, right?
John recommends setting the zebra function to 100% and not worrying too much about compressed looking skin-tones and banding towards the top of the curve / latitude. Most cameras (even the Alexa) have more tonality in the middle of the curve than at the very top, where the gradation between shades (essential for skin tones and faces) isn’t as smooth.


Digital Cinematography vs Film: Tides are Turning | Shane Hurlut | Hurlblog
First part of a series on camera testing. Shane was testing: Sony F65, Sony F5, Arri Alexa, Red Epic, Canon 1DC, Canon C500, Black Magic, GoPro Hero 3, 35mm Film



{Loop} | Alex Serban
A short that was shot on the Panasonic GH3. Alex offers his thoughts on using the camera in the attached post:
The GH3 handled the cold bravely (-2 to -10 degrees C) - we managed to film the whole day with just one battery (partially charged during he lunch break). It did a great job in the 2 square meters shed, it got nice, clear images at low ISO and good light, but quite noisy in the shadows, in the underexposed images and at ISO over 500.


Procam spends £500K on 4K Sony cameras | TVB Europe
The PMW-F5 and PMW-F55 should be shipping shortly....maybe the week after next?
UK broadcast hire facility Procam TV has invested £500,000 in Sony’s new 4K cameras, the CineAlta 4K Sony PMW-F5 (pictured) and PMW-F55. Procam claims the single transaction is the largest of its kind in the broadcast hire industry.



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