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Movie debut: How Canon's C300 camera was created | Olivier Laurent
| British Journal of Photography
Olivier Laurent interviews Peter Yabsley, Canon Europe’s manager of the business development professional, video division, about the C300's features and evolution:

The C300 doesn’t offer 4k resolution, an increasingly popular format in Hollywood, but Yabsley says Canon is getting there. “The basic gist of it is that we felt it was the most appropriate way to go to start with. This is a camera that is going to be used for a lot of different purposes – especially in broadcast. For that broad market, it made sense to have an HD product [as opposed to one offering a resolution of 4096 × 3112 pixels].” Even so, he adds, the Cinema EOS system is here to stay. “As we explained in Hollywood, this is not a one-shot deal. The C300 is just the start and, while we’re launching with this camera, we’re already looking at what will be the next step and how we’re going to go forward.”

The Latest (8) Bits on the Canon EOS C300 | No Film School
Ryan Koo has already placed his order for a Scarlet-X because he thinks it's best for narrative film making, but here he posts some more thoughts on the C300, the 8-bit controversy, as well as what others have said about the camera:

Thorpe says (paraphrasing), “this was the codec we had to use, but future cameras will not be 8-bit.” Regardless of the C300′s merits, I’ve never heard of a manufacturer being so upfront about the planned obsolescence of a product.

Scarlet-X – RIG madness all over again – C300 wins | Cinema5D
Yet another comparison of the two cameras, this time looking at lens mount position, weight, and what this means for using the cameras on shoulder rigs:

The weight of an HDSLR is light enough to be tolerated in front of our faces, but the Scarlet-X (over 2.5kg / 6lbs) really needs to rest on the shoulder thus creating the need for a different than HDSLR shoulder setup and an EVF.

In comparison the Canon C300 (3lbs / 1.25kg) will allow for a much simpler, more backwards compatible and much more affordable setup.

Canon C300 selects for commercial | Nigel Akam | Vimeo
Short segments shot using the C300:

We used Canon 16 -35L 2.8, 24-70L 2.8, 70-200L 2.8, and a Zeiss 85mm ZF 1.4 with a Nikon to EF adapter for one of the interviews. Mostly at iso 850, with one at iso 1000, in Canon log 4:2:2 50mb to CF cards.

Canon C 300 The Cake Test | Nigel Akam | Vimeo
Low light test shot with the C300:

I wanted to see some low light with a single candle, as well as flashes, and finally a very aggressive whip pan to see any rolling shutter.
All shot with the Canon C 300 in Canon log at 4:2:2 50 mb/s. Using a 24-70L 2.8 and 100mmL 2.8 macro lenes

Sony F3 S-Log test | Wiegaetner | YouTube
A low-light test shot with and without the S-Log upgrade for the Sony PMW-F3. Pretty impressive difference in sensitivity.

Just a short test, showing the performance of the S-Log upgrade for the Sony F3. Shot with a Carl Zeiss 35mm lens at 1.4 and 18db. Also used a KiPro Mini recorder. The room was totally dark!

Sony Professional: Philip Bloom 'Evening Waltz' in HD | Sony Professional | Vimeo
I previously linked to an article about how Sony hired Philip Bloom to shoot a video with the NEX-FS100. They have now posted it in HD on Vimeo.

Following your feedback, we have uploaded 'Evening Waltz' - a short film shot by Philip Bloom as part of Sony Professional's 'Extra.Ordinary' project - in full and in HD.

To find out how Philip shot this footage, go to bit.ly/tBmYcY. You can also enter a competition to win a Sony NEX-FS100EK and have your idea made into film reality by Philip Bloom!

Just remember, when you publish to YouTube or Vimeo you are broadcasting to the World | FCP.Co
I'm not sure I agree with this complaint about people saying things on camera and then removing the clips from YouTube. Mainly because it's blaming the people that say those things, rather than the people that posted the videos (probably) without getting permission in the first place.

We do have a problem with people appearing on a panel discussion that is clearly being filmed, giving out previously unheard information rumour based or not and then complaining when people watch it online.
2) Don't say anything on camera that you haven't first hand knowledge of being true. We are not lawyers here, but a date stamped video of somebody saying something they shoudn't have is pretty damming evidence.

Zacuto customer service | Bill Pryor | DVFreelancer
This customer support story was originally brought to my attention by Zacuto's Twitter account, but it's a good story:

Over the years I've done quite a number of customer service training programs (both video and workbooks). In my experience to date Zacuto is the poster child for great customer service. People say they are expensive, and they are (though not significantly more than similar quality competitors) but their products are excellent, and the way they deal with their customers is first class. I don't mind paying a little more when I get that.

THE SOFTWARE CAMERA | Michael Murie | FilmMaker
An article I wrote for Filmmaker's website about cameras and software/firmware updates:

It used to be that when a camera was released its features were set in stone, and only the arrival of a new model – or a very rare recall – saw any changes in the capabilities of the camera. That has changed as the computer-like functionality of video cameras has expanded.

SplitScreen X Lite [Free effect for Final Cut Pro X] | CrumplePop
CrumplePop has released SplitScreen X Lite, a free version of their SplitScreen X effect for FCP X. SplitScreen X Lite contains three complete split-screen styles. According to the developer, "it is a completely usable product, and does not expire or nag you or anything like that."
SplitScreen X Lite is for FCP X only.



Free Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) Transition: Fade with Freeze Frame | fxmah
| YouTube
A video demonstrating this  transtiion for Final Cut Pro X:

More simple than retiming a Hold frame from the storyline, plus audio progresses normally into and out of the transition. You can Freeze going into the transition, or coming out of it on the other side (Fade In to "action").

Christmas Slideshow Template | NocoDave | FCP.Co
A Christmas scene with an insert for video clips, along with a simple transition between clips.

I've made a Christmas Slideshow Template for FCPX. It's simple, traditional looking and can be used with any number of photo's. It can be found on my site where I'll be adding free templates every so often.

Dr. Strangelove in Sony 4K: or How I learned to Start Worrying that My Standard 2K Cinema Pictures Don’t Cut the Mustard | On Benny's Desk
Reaction to seeing 4K projection vs 2K:

The first was scanned at the current digital standard of 2K, (2048 x 1080 pixels) and the second at 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels). It was a close up of Peter O’Toole’s face, covered in a desert head covering, full of texture and grain, and the two images were switched between. As Crisp himself said, “the detail literally goes away when you look at the 2K version.”
...It was quite literally an eye-opener as while I would have tended to think of 2K as pretty impressive, the 2K version looked relatively blurry by comparison. I think I actually feel short-changed by mere 2K now – I want all my movies in 4K.

Pro Audio To Go | RevUp Transmedia
This app promises 48 kHz recording on your iPhone. It's $29.99. XLR (!) cables are sold separately: Books, eLearning Courses & Cables

Pro Audio To Go turns your iPhone into a 48 kHz professional audio recorder for use on location by news reporters, journalists, documentarians, musicians, DSLR videographers, filmmakers, producers and editors. With a single tap on your phone, you can record an AIFF audio file in 48 kHz. Upload the file directly to an FTP server or email it, then download and instantly begin using it in your editing system's Timeline. No conversion necessary!