At NAB, Panasonic has unveiled its third-generation VariCam HD production camera, and a new 31" LCD production monitor with native 4K resolution for 4K/2K/HD cinema production.
Sony has announced its new PMW-400 shoulder-mount camcorder, the latest addition to its XDCAM HD 4:2:2 line. Created for live production or ENG, the new camcorder uses a 2/3-inch Exmor Full HD 3CMOS sensor to capture images with high sensitivity and low noise.
Capable of MPEG HD422 50Mbps recording, the PMW-400 is unique among the field of 2/3-type camcorders with its noise reduction capabilities and diverse selection of formats. Its 3 Dimensional Noise Reducer (3DNR) technology accurately detects and processes images to reduce noise, achieving a Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio of 60dB.
Other features include an improved viewfinder compared to previous models, an internal Flash Band reducer and two SDI connections. A wireless adapter for easy transmission over 3G/4G/LTE/Wi-Fi is under development.
Tony Reale of NextWaveDV writes: We’ve mentioned that Sony’s path to 4K on the FS700 won’t be cheap and the only other 4K recorder currently on the market is $4000. So when a recorder is announced for $1295 that promises 4K capabilities, it catches a lot of attention.
Fstoppers writes: NAB (National Association of Broadcasters tradeshow) is this week and Tiffen just announced their new Steadicam Fawcett Exovest for the show. It is a semi-rigid exoskeletal vest that transfers the weight and torque of supporting a Steadicam system into anatomically appropriate areas, without interfering with natural movement.
RED writes: Most are familiar with how ISO controls a camera’s sensitivity to light and susceptibility to film grain. However, ISO has other consequences with digital, and its implementation often varies. This article explores how ISO is evolving and influencing camera technique in the digital era.
BACKGROUND
With film, one had to select and load a specific magazine in advance, so the ISO speed had to remain constant. If the exposure needed tweaking afterwards, the film could be “pushed” or “pulled” during development. However, doing so was only practical within a limited range of effective sensitivities—otherwise colors, contrast, grain and other qualities would suffer.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Phil Rhodes of RedShark News talks about the future of sensor technology, writing, "Recently I've been expressing the view that all cameras are pretty much the same, because they all use the similar technology (give or take) for their sensors. I don't mean to be unnecessarily cruel about the work of camera manufacturers – taking an electronic component such as an imaging sensor and making it into a usable tool is far from trivial. Still, the absolute performance of cameras is determined by what you can get off the lump of silicon behind the lens. According to some people, though, creating sensors with ever larger numbers of pixels – is also becoming somewhat commoditised."
Read his full article here.
Photographer Babak Tafreshi captures the comet PanSTARRS as it streaks across the Norwegian sky followed by the always magnificent Aurora Borealis. Watch below.
Photojojo explains how to shoot a 360-degree timelapse with just your iPhone, a tripod, a rotating attachment and a tripod mount. They write, "Time-lapse videos aren't just for pros. With the right accessories and apps, you can shoot, edit, and publish a 360-degree time lapse with just your phone. Let Photojojo guide you through the setup."
Read the full post here on CNET.
Canon has added a 13mm and a 125mm lens to its Cinema EOS prime lens lineup, bringing the total up to 5 (it also includes a 24mm, a 50mm and an 85 mm). Says AbelCine, "All five lenses have proper cine gearing and precision reference marks, EF mounts and Full Frame 35mm coverage (enough to cover the sensors of the 5DM3 and the 1D C). The 14mm is highly rectilinear, so straight horizontal and vertical lines remain undistorted even on the very edge of frame. The 135mm is a great portrait lens, flattening features by virtue of its field of view but with a rounded Bokeh to lend an attractive sense of depth."
Watch AbelCine's video on the lenses below and read more here.
Directors Ian & Cooper's black and white music video for Joel Compass' "Back to Me" is a series of gorgeously composed cinemagraphs (the artsy version of GIFs) that tell a mystical story of death and resurrection. Watch below.
Inspired by George R.R. Martin's novel Dying of the Light, filmmaker Richard Bentley decided to bring a sci-fi bend to his timelapses with new short film "Darkdawn City."
He explains, "After my previous timelapses of Dubai (1,2 and 3), I felt it was time to take the next timelapse into a new area - and ‘sci-fi-lapse’ was born! Many people had commented on how Dubai 2.0 and 3.0 were Blade Runner like, or Tron like in some way - a huge compliment indeed, so this was a natural progression. I have no experience of 3D modelling, so I turned to my good friend Sam Morgan."
Watch "Darkdawn City" below and read more here on Bentley's blog.
Rule Boston Camera is hosting an event with news shooter Matthew Allard on April 17 from 6-8 PM. Allard will share his 23+ years of experience covering breaking news stories around the world with large sensor cameras, most currently the Sony F3, FS700 and F55.
Read more about the event here on DSLR News Shooter.
Hani Arab from Digital Logic and Mick Jones from Litup Digital go through the Sony F55's workflow, user interface and more in the 20-minute video found below.
This video from DigInfo TV explains how Panasonic's recently developed micro color splitter sensor works and why it would produce better images than traditional Bayer sensors. Watch below. (via Engadget)
Check out Samuel Orr's beautiful timelapse of New York City, fittingly set to a fast-paced jig. Orr created the 4-minute video out of 100,000 photographs. He has recently started a Kickstarter campaign for his 25-minute short timelapse film, "New York Year," which will depict the city throughout the four seasons. (via FStoppers)
Philip Bloom reviews the new Micro Four Thirds version of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. He writes, "Micro Four Thirds always made more sense to me as the BMD sensor is just a bit smaller than the Gh2/ 3 so they would be a great match. Blackmagic thought so too, so just after I put out my epic review on the first day of IBC last year, they announced an MFT (Micro Four Thirds) version...personally, I think this is a better camera than the EF version."
Watch the review below. (via Philip Bloom)
Zeiss' high-end Distagon T* 1.4/55 SLR lens will be released at the end of this year, and, this time, the company specifically focused on form and function.
Says head of marketing Martin Dominicus, "Zeiss lenses are known for their technical precision, excellent image performance and ergonomics. That will always be the case because we know photographers’ needs and user circumstances. But our new lenses should also fulfill the highest aesthetic expectations of our customers to become design objects in their own right."
Read more here on the Zeiss blog.
