Notes On Video

Canon EOS C300 Price Drop Already? [CR1] | Canonrumors When Canon announced the C300 they gave an approximate price of $20,000, though some reporters have said that it seemed like Canon hadn't really finalized the price. Canon still hasn't confirmed a price, but now there's reports that the price will be closer to $16,000, though there had been speculation that the street price would be about $16,000 when it was announced... A hands on look at the Canon C300 | Philip Bloom | Blog Philip Bloom got to spend some time with Canon reps discussing the C300 and reports: Honestly the Scarlet and the C300 seem like two different cameras for two different markets to me. The Scarlet is aimed squarely at the lower budget narrative crowd (though not the micro budget as it still costs a lot) whereas the C300 feels to me like a great large sensor broadcast camera. The specs meet the minimum broadcast standard for the majority of big HD broadcasters. 422 50mb/s in camera which t...

Since I bought a Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 4 I can't very well look down on the mobislyder ...can I? And unlike the Smoothee , this will work with any phone, and some small camcorders too. I mean, it might be kind of fun and useful in some situations, particularly if you have a phone that does 1080p video!? It's supposed to start shipping December 12th, and will cost about $135. Mobislyder: The New Star of Video Production in the Mobile Age MOVE OVER Spielberg and Tarantino, the cinematic style of big movie making has gone viral with the launch of mobislyder - the world's first portable dolly designed specifically for smartphones and compact cameras. The mobislyder, a new innovation from Glidetrack, the world's leading camera slider company, is set to revolutionise mobile device video production. Stylish and ultraportable, the mobislyder has been designed from the ground up to suit a broad range of small video-enabled devices - including iPhone, Android sm...

I've found my iPad quite useful for recordings meetings, and the idea of using a better microphone with the iPad (or iPhone ) is intriguing. However, while the iPhone might be useable in an emergency, I'm not sure I want to use it regularly as a recording device; for one thing, you have to remember to put it into Airplane mode so you don't get calls while recording! Anyway, Tascam announced this intriguing little add-on: MONTEBELLO, CA (November 21, 2011) – TASCAM, a well known veteran for creating home recording devices, today introduced a pocket sized iM2 stereo mic for iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch. TASCAM’s iM2 turns the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into a high-quality stereo recorder. A pair of condenser microphones – same high quality as TASCAM’s best-selling DR-series recorders – plugs into the dock connector of your Apple device. The microphones are adjustable over 180 degrees for optimal sound placement. The iM2 contains its own microphone preamp and analog-to-di...

I'm usually wary of Black Friday sales, as I get enticed into buying something that's old or discontinued, and that I don't really need. That said, several online retailers are offering Canon's M400 , M40 and M41 camcorders at substantial discounts through November 26th. These camcorders were released just this year, and have received pretty positive reviews. Features include: 2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Slots 2.37MP 1/3" CMOS Sensor 10x HD Video Lens Dynamic SuperRange Optical IS Canon DIGIC DV III Image Processor Microphone and Headphone Connections The M4x range is Canon's mid-level consumer camcorders, but with the $250 rebate, the M40 now costs as much as Canon R21 , which is in their budget line! Differentiating between them? The VIXIA HF M400 [$329] is the base model. It has only the dual SD SD/SDHC/SDXC slots for recording. The VIXIA HF M40 [$349] adds 16GB of internal memory, and built in HD-to-SD down conversion. The VIXIA HF M41...

Extra Ordinary | Sony Sony UK has Philip Bloom making some movies, and there's a chance to win an NEX-FS100 (though it seems to be limited to people living in Europe): Sony Professional has teamed up with director Philip Bloom to create the 'Extra.Ordinary' series of short films, looking at how to create amazing footage from everyday events. Click here to access our Extra.Ordinary Facebook hub to see the videos as they go live, and discover the techniques Bloom used to shoot these remarkable films. Also, enter your own film idea to be in with a chance to win a Sony NEX-FS100EK, and have Philip Bloom make your idea into film reality! To buy a Scarlet EPIC or not to buy, that is the question… | RedUser There's been some Philip Bloom bashing on the RED forum after his comments about the EPIC . Jim Jannard comes to the rescue: Anyone who suggests that Philip is being paid by another company to write negatively about his own camera is nuts... and the inference...

Paul Antico passed along this link to a post from Mark Forman listing the expected firmware additions to the Sony NEX-FS100 and HXR-NX70U cameras. For the NEX-FS100 : Added 50Hz recording system (PAL): 1920x1080 50p, 50i, 25p and 1280x720 50p. Camera Profile (camera settings can be saved to and loaded from a memory card). Additional 4x and 8x Expanded Focus magnification: (with user selectable focus area). Selectable ISO or GAIN sensitivity display. Selectable Focus indication in FEET or METERS (E-mount lens only). Selectable Shutter indication as EXPOSURE TIME or SHUTTER ANGLE. Added the following Aspect-Ratio markers: 2.35:1, 1.85:1 and 1.66:1. Display ON/OFF button enables Zebra and/or Histogram overlay onto video output. Compatible with the new A-Mount to E-Mount adaptor, model LA-EA2. One push Auto-IRIS and Continuous 15-point, Phase-Detection Auto-Focus operation with most Alpha A-Mount lenses is available. Lens metadata is displayed onscreen and stored real time t...

Red Scarlet, Canon C300, and the Paradox of Choice | Stu Maschwitz | Prolost A very long, thoughtful post that looks at not just the Scarlet and C300 , but the Sony PMW-F3 , NEX-FS100 , Panasonic AG-AF100 and DSLRs as well. It may be better described as a Super35 roundup: But perhaps the most shocking capability of the C300 is its latitude. It’s here that the comparison with the Alexa is most surprisingly appropriate. The C300 simply has a jaw-dropping ability to hold shadow and highlight detail in the same frame. Check out this frame from Mobius, shot in near-noontime sun, with only natural light. Den Lennie Reviews the Cineroid LED | Den & James | Vimeo A video review of the Cineroid.com LED light. The output is super bright and has a CRI of over 90 making it very colour stable and consistent. It has a built in fan also to keep the heat-sink cool and further maintain colour accuracy. You have the option to switch the fan to off/on or auto if you are recording sync sound...

After the great success of the LockPort5 and LockPort7 , LockCircle is announcing the professional LockPort Universal.  The LockPort  Universal  is a new product developed to help avoid damaging your 5D and 7D mini HDMI camera port. The LockPort  Universal  protects definitely the fragile output on your camera from tough production abuse with a rock solid universal clamp and a smart mini to full-size HDMI adapter. The LockPort  Universal  plate is designed to fit easily every head, baseplate, sliding plate, support out there using the original camera screws already there. Ready in 10 seconds! The LockPort  Universal  safely secures a 90° FRONT/REAR mini HDMI to full-size HDMI adapter, protecting forever the “expensive to repair” mini HDMI port on your expensive HDSLR camera. The Adapter has gold plated contacts and the full-size female output allows you to use stronger standard HDMI cables, you can purchas...

Okii has now formally announced the USB Mini Controller for Canon cameras. It's listed on their website at $230, and "ships in 1 to 2 Business Days." Here's the press release: Apex, NC, November 21, 2011 – Okii Systems is pleased to announce the new MC1 USB Mini Controller. The MC1 is a wired USB remote designed for Canon EOS Digital SLR cameras with video capability. Similar to the EOS Utility on a computer, the MC1 uses Canon's USB protocol to allow control of a wide range of abilities, but without the limitations and bulk of being tethered to a computer. When mounted near a rig handle, it provides easy access to camera functions such as video start/stop, digital zoom, and settings changes. The use of USB rather than infrared insures reliable operation regardless of the remote or cable orientation, and makes it possible to use the MC1 at longer distances (e.g., on a crane or boom) with non-powered USB extension cables. An optional automatic recording restar...

Red Scarlet X Footage #001 - Botanical Garden (30 Seconds) | Tonaci Tran | Vimeo Footage shot on the Red Scarlet X using Zeiss Super Speed and Color graded in Redcine X Pro (Alchemy). There's also links to full frame grabs and the R3d files. SuperMacro - Sony FS100 - Zeiss ZF.2 | Tommy Soulier | Vimeo A supermacro video created with a "back to front lens in front of the first one" using a Zeiss ZF.2 85mm 1.4 and 35mm 2 on a Sony NEX-FS100 . Kicking the Tires on Avid Media Composer 6 | Scott Simmons | ProVideoCoalition Scott offers his initial thoughts after spending a few days with the new release of Avid Media Composer : So Avid did what was a smart, cautious move. With MC6 they’ve ported the application to 64bit which provides a modern foundation to move MC into the future as we’ve discussed before. They’ve also freshened up the interface with a more modern look. Stereoscopic editing has been enhanced to make Media Composer the only real choice for serio...

To buy a Scarlet or not to buy, that is the question… | Philip Bloom | Blog Philip offers his thoughts on the Scarlet : First off, and this is the biggie. Buying a Scarlet is NOT going to make you a better filmmaker. It is NOT going to make your camerawork any better. It WILL cost you more than many of you think financially. So I just want to put down the facts on paper so you can make a better informed choice and also my opinions…less important than facts but may be worth listening to! These facts are gathered from my own experience as a RED Epic owner for the past 5 months… Here’s how to make a fantastic, professional music video for under £50 ($80) | Mike S | WireFresh An intriguing story of how a music video was shot for practically no money by someone without any formal video background: We were intrigued enough to write to them to ask them how it was done, and were amazed by what they told us: the whole thing was done on a budget of less than £50 and filmed and produced e...

SEO Tips - Film Riot's Ryan Connolly Weighs In On The Canon C300 Vs. RED Scarlet (11/19) | $4.95 Trials Summation of Ryan Connolly's view of the two cameras: Connolly chooses the Scarlet because: It can shoot 4K with better resolution. It's "future-proof," with the ability to upgrade the sensor later. Re: Reasons to go for C300 over RED Scarlet X? | Tim Le | DVInfo So if you ignore image resolution and total cost, lots of reasons to like the C300 : Media - Scarlet exclusively uses RED SSD. The least expensive 64 GB drive is $950 and gets you about 25 minutes of run time. - C300 uses off the shelf CF cards (but must meet minimum speeds). You can buy a 2 pack of 32 GB CF cards for $145. If you don't make a backup, 64 GB will get you 160 min of run time. - Conclusion: C300 media is almost an order of magnitude more economical. If you consider cost per minute of run time, it's almost 40X more economical. RED's high performance certainly comes...

Award winning editor Steve Audette [ Frontline, Nova ], speaking at last nights Pub Night at Rule Boston Camera : A big problem that happens all the time with documentaries, is that you think you know what your story is when you go to make the documentary. You frequently find out, I would say 99% of the time, that the story is in the footage. It’s not necessarily the pre-conceived idea that you went in with. And the truth of the story is in that footage, if you just let it be told.

First Look: Canon EOS C300 Cinema Camera | Barry Braverman | Studio Daily Cinematographer Barry Braverman offers his take on the Canon C300 : More problematic for some folks may be the Canon 8-bit recording and HD-SDI output. To be fair, Canon extracts a remarkable 12-bits worth of data for each pixel, a very high level of performance that the company describes as “the best 1080p 4:2:2 implementation in the business.” Still, for most of us operating in the higher end of the industry, a ten-bit recording system like Sony’s HDCAM SR, Apple’s ProRes and Panasonic’s AVC-Intra are pretty much the norm now... The Simplest, Fastest Interview Lighting Setup—Ever | Art Adams | ProVideoCoalition One light, a couple of pieces of foam core, and you're done? Lighting doesn't get much simpler than this! Yes, it looks simple. Deceptively simple. Believe it or not, it takes a long time to learn to light so simply. There was a time when I used every light on the truck (or the van) on ...

Everyone knows what a Neutral Density filter does [ Makes it darker - Ed], and what a UV filter does [ Keeps dust off the lens -Ed], but what does a Haze filter  do? Today on " What Does That Filter Do? " we look at Tiffen's Glimmerglass . Reading the specs, the first few seem pretty straight forward... Softens Fine Details Like Blemishes Adds Slight Glow to Highlights Reduces Contrast Minimal Highlight Flare It's the next one that catches your attention: Generates a Silver Sparkle in the Glass A sparkle in the glass?! Well that'll look good for those "Director with the camera" shots!  But then... Brings a Psychological Edge to the Shot Makes Subject Feel More Confident I'm sorry, what?!! A filter that brings a psychological edge to the shot by making the subject feel more confident?! They offer a few more details: The main feature of Glimmerglass is that it produces a silver sparkle in the front of the filter that makes your su...

Final Cut Pro X: Version 10.0.2 release notes | Support | Apple Bug fixes for Final Cut Pro X : Fixes an issue in which a title may revert to the default font after restarting Final Cut Pro X Resolves an issue that could cause files recorded with certain third-party mobile devices to play back incorrectly Addresses a stability issue caused by changing the start time on a Compound Clip Blackmagic Design adds Avid DNxHD Recording and Playback to HyperDeck Studio | Blackmagic An update to the inexpensive solid state recorder, the HyperDeck Shuttle , will be available at the end of November: DNxHD is a broadcast industry standard for media files and adding native support for this compressed video format into HyperDeck Studio will allow dramatically longer recording times, lower media storage costs, and full file format compatibility with Avid Media Composer® systems. All media is recorded in MXF format, so it’s immediately available in Media Composer without any time consuming ...

Sony F3 with S-LOG Shoots Ghost of Goodnight Lane | Jonny Revolt | Creative COW Magazine An insider's report on the first feature film to be shot on the Sony PMW-F3 The S-LOG option for the F3 also means that you can now use the dual-link 3G SDI ports on the back of the F3 to output 4:4:4 signals that capture the entire tonal range of that 35mm chip. The S-LOG option also adds a stop to the F3's standard range, for a total of 13.5 stops, about the same as the RED Epic, and very nearly as much range as Alexa, for much less money. Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve Lite now Includes Unlimited Color Correction Nodes! | Blackmagic This is pretty amazing. The free version of DaVinci Resolve now supports more than two color correction nodes (think of a node as an effect) per clip. Reportedly, only the first 10 are real time (possibly due to the one GPU limitation?) but this change is pretty huge; the two nodes limitation was the one big limitation of the lite versio...

Though I bought Final Cut Pro X on the day of release, I have to admit that I haven't really done much with it since. I spent a little time experimenting with the new features (particularly editing DSLR footage without first transcoding) when I first installed it, and while it was interesting, I found it a bit disorienting. After that initial playing, each time a project came up I ended up editing it in Final Cut Pro 7 or Premiere Pro . Mostly it's an issue of familiarity and comfort; I know I can get it done in FCP 7 , and how long it will take. Why risk using something else when you have a deadline? But yesterday I wanted to edit together a demo reel, and I wasn't in a hurry. And I thought it would be a great experiment to actually edit a real project in  Final Cut Pro X because there was a mix of formats, and the editing was very simple. And after spending the afternoon playing with Final Cut Pro X I've come to the following conclusion: it might be okay on th...

Rough Guide to DSLR Video ( Beginner / Intermediate ) | Ben Edwards | IContactVideo A very good overview and introduction to shooting video with DSLR for those new to the topic: The main reasons people like DSLRs are: The footage they produce looks great. I have a Sony Z1 (£2000) and the stuff I have shot on a Canon 550D (£500) looks as good if not better. The colours are vivid and the depth of field is nice and shallow (see Depth of Field section). Sale: Red Giant Quick Looks 90% Off - Only $11! Celebrate 11/11/11 | Tollfarm Sale ends today on Red Giant Quick Looks : Quick Looks sets the mood for your footage in seconds, whether it’s a urban grunge, a desert sunrise, or the film stocks used in classic movies. Quick Looks is a lite version of Magic Bullet Looks, giving you the same speed and creative options but at a lower price. You can easily define the style of your video or film by choosing from 100+ look presets that add color and light to every scene, from a wedding...