News From Here & There

Removable LCD for the GoPro
One of the problems with some of the small wearable cameras is that it's hard to frame them - or know if you actually recorded what you wanted to shoot - because there's no LCD display. Now GoPro is introducing the LCD BacPac, a $79.99 removable LCD screen for their HD HERO cameras.

• Attaches to 1080p HD HERO cameras featuring the rear HERO Port
• Simple one button design allows for easy on/off and playback control
• Normal speed, fast forward, and fast reverse video and photo playback
• Integrated speaker with volume control 

Included with the new LCD BacPac are four new housing backdoors that can be attached to both the existing HD HERO waterproof housing as well as the HD Wrist housing which enables the HD HERO to be worn on the wrist. The new backdoors allow both housings to fully enclose the HD HERO camera plus LCD BacPac within the respective housings. Furthermore, the LCD BacPac is compatible with all existing GoPro mounts, when attached to the HD HERO camera.
GoPro: LCDBacPac



Budget Matte Box coming soon
David Aldrich, maker of the D|Focus, a budget priced follow-focus device, is now working on a budget matte box, the D|Matte. Features promised include:

• Two 4x4 filter tray-less filter holders (one rotating.) No filter trays here, just slide the filter into the slot.
• Wide angle lens compatible. Will work with lenses as wide as 20-24mm (depending on the lens) on a full frame camera.
• Clip on design will fit pretty much any lens with filter threads up to 82mm. This includes all Canon L series lenses (except for the super telephoto) and Zeiss primes.
• Each D|Matte will come with an 82mm attachment ring. Use step-up rings to fit smaller lenses.
• Included top french flag.
• Made of injection molded plastic (probably ABS and polycarbonate, not 100% sure yet and won't be until the tools are finished.)

Price is expected to be about $299,and it will be available in mid-February (Jag35, a distributor for the D|Focus just tweeted that this "is coming")
D|Focus: Info On The D|Matte



IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs
The Labs says that it "supports first-time feature directors in post-production to complete, market and distribute their films," by providing technical, creative and strategic tools necessary to launch their films – and their careers.
They have specific requirements - you have to provide a rough cut of at least 40 minutes, and it costs $50 to submit - so it may not be right for everyone.
www.ifp.org/labs



Panasonic AG-AF100 Review
Benjamin Eckstein has written up his impressions of the AG-AF100, and he generally likes it, particularly the fact that because it's a video camera the audio, monitoring and operability is much simpler and easier; "the AF-100 allows me to be lazier because I feel more confident with it as a tool."

There are some minor niggles like a miss-match between the color of the LCD and the viewfinder, but the only real negative is that you can't get the extreme shallow depth-of-field that you can get on the 5D Mark II, and he doesn't even miss that; he feels that the AG-AF100 does more than enough for what he needs.

The picture is sharp and reminds me of my EX-1 with shallower depth of field.  I find the skin tones to be quite rich, and the picture overall to be much more colorful.  There are a lot of settings to the picture, and they make a huge difference, and I am still figuring out what works best in what circumstances.  I did find that out of the box, the image is a bit noisy, but there are a few settings (particularly the Matrix/Detail settings) which make the image much cleaner.  I don’t expect ever having to have someone change their wardrobe due to moire, which has happened on a few occasions with the 7D, as Panasonic has done a good job solving that problem on the AF-100. 

benjamineckstein: Welcoming the AF-100