Sony A7s Unveiled with a 12MP Sensor and 4K Video

by Eric Reagan 

in Sony

Sony’s press conference was all about 4K, as expected. We got our first look at the Sony A7s and, again, Sony has stepped up the game.
The camera is virtually identical to the

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic URSA

Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic URSA, a new high end digital film camera designed to revolutionize workflow on set. Built to handle the ergonomics of large film crews as well as single person use, URSA has multiple accessories built in, including a massive 10 inch fold out on set monitor, large user upgradable Super 35 global shutter 4K image sensor and internal dual RAW and Apple ProRes recorders.
Because the sensor and lens mount assembly can be changed, customers can choose EF or PL lens mounts, or even a

AJA Debuts CION: 4K/UHD/2K/HD Professional Camera

AJA Video Systems today announced CION, an entirely new professional camera. CION features an ergonomic design and is capable of shooting at 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD resolutions. AJA pioneered lens-to-post Apple ProRes workflows with the introduction of the Ki Pro product line in 2009; CION builds on this achievement by offering in-camera recording directly to the Apple ProRes family of codecs – including 12-bit 444 – for pristine image capture. ProRes codecs are well established in many post-production environments and offer wide compatibility with editing, color correction and finishing applications. CION enables today’s growing demand for high frame rate support and offers the ability to output 4K raw data at up to 120 fps via 4x 3G-SDI outputs. CION can record directly to AJA Pak SSD media at up to 60 frames per second.

CION embraces a familiar and tested camera form

Watch wondrous macro time lapse coral-life

               
Daniel Stoupin's focus stacked, three-minute film of coral life is a wonder to behold and was a beast to make. Stoupin put together 150,000 22-megapixel images to create it; it took his laptop three weeks just to process the images.
Explains Creators Project, "Why so many images, you may ask? Because each frame of the video consists of 3-12 focused-stacked stills. And when focus stacking that many 22-megapixel RAW files, every single frame can take as long as ten minutes to process."

Andrew Reid and Frank Sauer shoot with the Panasonic GH4 – Production Diary Day 1

Sunday, 30 March, 2014 19:08

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Myself, Andrew Reid (above right) and Frank Sauer (be sure to check out his work here) are currently shooting with the Panasonic GH4!
So the big question has arrived – is the GH4 worth kicking your girlfriend out of bed for at 5am to catch the magic hour light? The answer is yes and we are putting our new girlfriend through her paces with a week of action packed shooting, featuring free-runners, drones, gimbals, abandoned theme parks and apocalyptic Berlin factories.
Here’s day 1 of our GH4 production diary -

Andrew Reid and Frank Sauer shoot with the Panasonic GH4

An introduction to Frank Sauer Director Frank Sauer is a professional filmmaker now based in Berlin, whose clients include Red Bull, Universal and the BBC.

High Performance, Even Higher Resolution: Blackmagic's Production Camera Points the Way to 4K

By: 

Ned Soltz

Blackmagic Design announced the 4K (UHD) Blackmagic Production Camera at an unheard-of price of $3,995, including a full version of Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve software (worth $1,000). The camera shipped in January 2014 but at the reduced price of $2,995, still including DaVinci Resolve.

Blackmagic Production Camera 4K

In the almost nine months between the camera’s announcement and its initial shipments, the demand for 4K production and delivery has dramatically increased. The Blackmagic Production Camera (BMPC) is well situated within a growing market segment and represents a high-quality, low-cost entrée into the world of 4K acquisition.
The Production Camera shares the form factor of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera—the only visible difference is the 4K branding on the lower left of the BMPC’s face. As we shall see,

Getting into 4K -Entry Level Model

Getting into 4K - the Sony FDR-AX100

I just got the Sony FDR-AX100, which I think can be accurately described a being their "most inexpensive (currently) available" 4K camera. I thought it was time to at least dabble in 4K, but I didn't really have the budget to buy anything really good - no Sony F5 or Canon C500 in my budget!

But if you're not looking to spend more than $4k on 4K, there are some other choices. Why didn't I get one of those?

Pronto4K-HFR from Rohde & Schwarz DVS – the fastest member of the Pronto family

With the launch of Pronto4K-HFR at NAB 2014, Rohde & Schwarz DVS presents a further development of its renowned Pronto family line.

 The new Pronto4K-HFR combines the spatial resolution of 4K images with

Litepanels Launches New Hilio Series at 2014 NAB

Litepanels will premiere its new Hilio D12 (daylight balanced) and Hilio T12 (tungsten balanced) high light output panels at NAB 2014. The innovative panels provide the light quality, versatility and intensity of an open source fixture, while offering all of the benefits of Litepanels’ proprietary LED fixture design.
The Hilio D12/T12 fixtures were designed by Litepanels to augment the lighting requirements of broadcast studios, as well as motion picture, episodic television, and commercial location shoots. The versatile panels emit a raw, narrow beam that provides high intensity for long throws. This intensity can also be harnessed and shaped with an array of available accessories to light an exterior, wash a set with soft light, or illuminate a cyc wall or green screen.

Eliminating the need for external dimmers, the fixtures feature Litepanels’ smooth dimming, from

GoPro Array Attached to Drones Captures Unique 360-Degree Music Video

Ryan Staake directs the music video for Booka Shades "Crossing Borders," which used an array of 7 GoPro cameras attached to Octofilms' helicopter drones to capture its unique, trippy 360-degree imagery.
Says Staake in a behind-the-scenes video (found below), "I think we're looking for highly repetitive and unique locations, things with a lot of vertical shapes coming out. We're looking for textures and patterns and geometry and similarities between the built human landscape and the natural landscape."

High-Speed Macro-Cinematography Captures the Breathtakingly Complex Pollination Process

In the below TED Talk, high-speed cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg introduces some clips from his gorgeous macro-cinematography, which gives a rarely seen close-up view of how birds, insects, and bats assist in the pollination process of plants.
He says, "Rarely seen by the naked eye, this intersection between the animal world and the plant world is truly a magic moment. It's the mystical moment where life regenerates itself over and over again."
Watch below. (via Huffington Post)

Panasonic VariCam 35: 4K RAW Cinema Camera, Shoots 120fps

by Eric Reagan in Panasonic

Panasonic is on a roll lately in the 4K department. Back at CES 2014, we saw the Lumix GH4 Micro Four Thirds 4K camera and the 4K action camera. We saw a 4K VariCam concept camera teased as far back as NAB 2012. Now, we are finally seeing some details on a 4K VariCam model as the camera approaches an official launch.
The initial impressions from the 4K concept a couple years ago suggested that it

LaCie Ships Thunderbolt 2 Portable Drive For 4K Video Editing

Cupertino, Calif. — Seagate Technologies has expanded its premium LaCie line of portable storage products for use with Apple computers with Thunderbolt ports.

The new LaCie Little Big Disk, featuring two Thunderbolt 2 ports, delivers read/write speeds up to 1,375MBps and is being marketed specifically to professionals who edit 4K video in the field.
The portable drive has twin 500GB PCIe Gen 2 solid-state drives for 1TB of storage.
In addition,

Nikon D4S Completely Unveiled

by Eric Reagan 

After a tease at CES 2014 earlier this year, the Nikon D4S is now completely unmasked. Not a whole lot of surprises based on what we thought the D4S would have. As expected, it gets the Expeed 4 processor and captures 11fps still images and 1080/60p video. It also offers max sensitivity up to ISO 409,600 and features a 2.7x crop mode in video capture for extended reach while maintaining full HD resolution.

Nikon D4S New Features

AJA Io 4K Gains 50/60 fps 4K/UHD High Frame Rate Support with v10.5.1 Software

AJA Video Systems released the free v10.5.1 Mac software driver package adding 4K/UHD high frame rate support to AJA’s Io 4K, its popular device for professional video I/O, updated and customized for Thunderbolt™ 2 technology and the latest 4K workflows.

The new software upgrade adds Io 4K support for 50,59.94 and 60 fps capability at 4K (4096 x 2160) and UltraHD (3840 x 2160) resolutions. This high frame rate support is critical

Panasonic has shown the world a new amazing product. The GH4.

Panasonic has shown the world a new amazing product. The GH4. 

This camera is the first mirrorless stills hybrid that seems to be able to do it all. This one is amazing

Blackmagic Design announced the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K is now shipping and with a new low price

Blackmagic Design announced the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K is now shipping and with a new low price of US$2,995. This new low price will be available for all customers, including existing pre-orders. Blackmagic Production Camera 4K is available now from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for only US$2,995.

DOLBY TO INTRODUCE NEW VIDEO STANDARD

Dolby Laboratories, world famous from pioneering sound quality, has announced it is to move into

GoPro Wins Emmy Award

GoPro  announced that the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has recognized the company with a 2013 Technology and Engineering Emmy® Award in the category of Inexpensive Small Rugged HD Camcorders. GoPro was selected for its groundbreaking HERO3 camera technology, which has enabled television production professionals to capture engaging perspectives that were never before possible.

Wildlife Videographer Captures Serengeti with Drone Helicopter

The beautiful aerial video of the Serengeti was captured with a BeetleCopter drone and a GoPro HERO3+ by wildlife filmmaker Will Burrard-Lucas.

He writes, "To get this footage I was sometimes a kilometre away from the copter, operating it via a live video feed. These devices have incredible potential in wildlife filmmaking and photography; they are quieter and more manoeuvrable than a normal helicopter so they can get closer to animals with minimal disturbance."

Watch below and read more here.

Panasonic Shows Prototype High-Speed SDXC Card for Use with 4K Lumix Camera

by ERIC REAGAN on JANUARY 9, 2014

in PANASONIC

In yesterday’s post about the Panasonic 4K Lumix camera, I noted that the camera had a SDXC card slot, which suggested highly compressed 4K footage. However, today I found out that Panasonic is planning to use a new SDXC standard with

Sony launches the world’s smallest and lightest 4K camcorder

It’s the first 4K Handycam® that features a large back-illuminated 1.0-type Exmor R™ CMOS sensor. Far larger than the sensor in normal consumer camcorders, this captures flawless 4K Ultra HD images (3840 x 2160 pixels) with four times the detail of Full HD while also allowing beautiful bokeh background blur effects.

The 4K sensor is paired with Sony’s ultra-powerful BIONZ X processor that employs area-specific noise reduction and detail reproduction technology for incredibly vivid, lifelike footage that’s closer than ever to reality. Together with the camcorder’s advanced Cinematone Gamma/Colour function, progressive 25p recording gives a sumptuously warm, rich look to your footage.

The Handycam® AX100E uses a newly-developed ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* lens with

Sony’s New HXR-NX3 Professional Handheld HD Camcorder Adds Wi-Fi Connectivity, Remote Control and Easy Video Sharing Capabilities

Sony’s new HXR-NX3 professional handheld HD camcorder enhances Sony’s proven imager technology and performance with features like Wi-Fi capability and MP4 recording for seamless connectivity with computers, smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

The latest addition to Sony’s NXCAM line, the compact HXR-NX3 model combines Sony’s leading lens and sensor technology with a new large-scale integration (LSI) chip. The result is

Matrox Maevex™ Series Any Video, Anytime, Anywhere

The Matrox Maevex video over IP solution consists of the Maevex 5100 Series encoder/decoder pair that extends 1080p60 video and audio over a standard IP network. Matrox PowerStream software is used to remotely discover and manage the Maevex network, allowing administrators to adjust multiple stream parameters. Based on a dedicated H.264 encode/decode platform, Maevex Series enables excellent-quality, cost-effective video extension and playback over standard LAN connectivity at user-defined low bit rates for minimal network bandwidth consumption.



Video and audio over IP

What Gravity’s Box Office Triumph Means for the Future of 3-D Film

• By Jennifer M. Wood

Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) hurtles into space in Gravity. Image: Warner Bros

It happens every two years. After months of debating the financial viability of 3-D in the movie marketplace, a film comes along that silences the naysayers who describe the technology as nothing more than a money-grubbing gimmick. In 2009 it was James Cameron’s

Sony RX10 Hands-On

by Eric Reagan on October 24, 2013

in Sony

The Sony Cyber-shot RX10 is essentially a RX100 with a massive 24-200mm f/2.8 lens. And it looks like this is going to be a great combination.

I was surprise at how light the body is when I picked it up. I was expecting it to have more of a mirrorless or DSLR feel to it; however, it’s really just plastic housing holding the guts of a RX100. (Update: Apparently, the housing is magnesium alloy with some weather sealing; however, it just doesn’t have a very

Raw Canon DSLR vs. Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera vs. Panasonic GH3

Andrew Reid of EOSHD performs an in-depth camera test pitting the raw Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 7D against the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and Panasonic GH3.
He writes, "The 5D Mark III raw (from Magic Lantern), if it were a film stock, would be Fuji. Warm vivid colours which may need taming a bit in post. The Blackmagic is more Kodak, cooler and more muted, it often requires the opposite treatment in post to the Canon cameras. The 7D is totally back from the dead – with Magic Lantern raw and the Mosaic Engineering VAF-7D tested here, it offers lovely image quality from a Super 35mm sized sensor, at a similar price to the Pocket Cinema Camera. The Panasonic GH3 – best of the standard system cameras out of the box without modifications does a good job keeping up with them."
Read the full story here.

Introducing the All New Mac Pro

Apple redefined pro computing with the launch of the all-new Mac Pro®. Designed around an innovative unified thermal core, the Mac Pro features the latest Intel Xeon processors with up to 12 cores, dual workstation-class GPUs, six Thunderbolt 2 ports, PCIe-based flash storage and ultra-fast ECC memory. Packing amazing performance in a stunning new design, the all-new Mac Pro starts at $2,999 (US) and will be available in December.

3 New LED Lights from Fotodiox are Lightweight with Barn Doors

by Eric Reagan on October 17, 2013

in Lighting

Fotodiox has announced three new high-intensity LED lights: the Fotodiox LED-312D, LED-312DS, and LED-1024AL.
The LEDs are upgrades to its past best sellers, and come complete with all-metal barn doors that lock on and stay in place no matter how it’s mounted, to shape and control lighting.