Monthly Archives: April 2011
Canon 3D Upgrades
Canon lifted its pre-NAB veil of silence with news of upgrades to their XF305 and XF300 Camcorders. This information did not make it into our April NAB issue–so here’s the rundown. New firmware for the XF300-series camcorders includes Canon’s 3D Assist Function (to simplify 3D set up), updated Scan Reverse function, Double Slot Recording for instantant backup, and the option to… read more…
Tags: Canon
Fujifilm – Fujinon Optics Factory Tour (PDF)
In March 2011, we visited the factory where Fujinon lenses are crafted. This 14-page report is an overview of the company’s history, shows the breadth of product design and developement, and then takes us where cinematographers want to go: to see lenses being ground, lens meisters measuring to incredibly fine tolerances, and one of the most advanced MTF testers being… read more…
Canon PL Zooms
Canon will show two new PL-mount lenses at NAB: 14.5-60 mm T2.6 zoom lens and 30-300 mm T2.9 – 3.7 zoom. 27.5 mm image diagonal (16:9 format). Perform to 4K specs — more on this in breaking news on page 38 of FDTimes NAB Edition, to be released April 11.
Tags: Canon
RED and Band Pro
RED and Band Pro are up to something. They just announced a 10:30 am press conference on Monday, April 11 at the Red Digital Cinema Booth (SL6220). I can only guess what these enfants terribles are planning: perhaps something to do with famous lenses.
Cloud Cover
I have a new least-favorite NAB buzzword. Cloud. Worse than workflow, leveraged assets, platform content solutions or scalable enterprise mobility. The heavens have opened and clouded companies everywhere are deluging us with hailstorms of cloudy cloud solutions. I mean, after all, it’s just a bunch of servers. Here’s the press release that sent us diving for cover: “Cloudy Cloud Company… read more…
CODEX ARRIRAW Recorder
The new CODEX ARRIRAW recorder attaches directly to ALEXA with brackets, and is fully ARRIRAW T-Link certified. Currently recording RAW in New York on Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Bros./Paramount; dir: Stephen Daldry; DP: Chris Menges, ASC, BSC). The recorder, datapacks and transfer stations will be available directly from Codex, ARRI and their dealers.
Fauer and friends speak at NAB
Here’s a partial listing of the cast of characters appearing live on the Vitec NAB Stage, C6030: Monday, April 11 at 11 am: Jon Fauer, ASC talks about Art and Tools. “Technique and Technology” — how the tools we use influence style — and vice versa. Jon will take us on a whirlwind 5-minute history of art, photography and cinematography to… read more…
Nikon D5100
The new Nikon D5100 HDSLR camera is aggressively priced several hundred dollars less than the recent and well-reviewed D7000. Both cameras use the same 16.2 megapixel DX (APS-C) size sensor (23.6 x 15.6 mm). The D5100 has a 3″ swiveling LCD monitor. The camera is 4.6 ounces lighter than the D7000. The D5100 body may not be as rugged, but most of… read more…
Tags: Nikon
“Oceans” article in Russian
Cinematographer Ivan Alferov has kindly translated our Oceans article (April 2010 Issue 31) into Russian. Read it here.
Tags: Film and Digital Times
Another Camera Leak: Sony >4K
More Film and Digital Leaks. I’ll see your viewfinder and raise you…er…lower the duvetyne drapery a bit more. Sony has authorized a more revealing look, if in outline only, at their next CineAlta Super35 >4K camera. Pre-NAB NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements) are serious matters. Promises not to divulge new product information have been scary enough that we considered delivering the… read more…
Tags: Sony
ARRI ALEXA Optical Viewfinder?
Here’s an intriguing pre-NAB tease we’ve been cleared to sneek-peak from pages 24-25 of our upcoming Film and Digital Times April 2011 NAB Edition. Could it be the third Alexa Sibling? The wicked leaked picture sure looks like an optical viewfinder, an ALEXA handle, and an ALEXA wireless control antenna. The rest of the camera will be revealed on April 11,… read more…
Tags: ARRI
