Articles
Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro & 4.6K Guide
As a preview to FDTimes’ April-June Double Issue 81-82, download our 22-page PDF FDTimes Introduction to Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro and Quick Start Guide to URSA Mini 4.6K. The new URSA Mini Pro has built-in ND filters, interchangeable lens mounts, camera left-side outside LCD display and control panel, thoughtful ergonomic switches and dials for faster and easier operating. The body is the same size as URSA Mini 4.6K, so all the existing accessories will fit and work. URSA Mini 4.6K has the same Super35 (25.34 x 14.25 mm) CMOS sensor that can record files internally onto inexpensive CFast 2.0 Cards—from HD through 4.6K CinemaDNG RAW or UHD ProRes. read more…
LEICA Portugal Factory Tour (PDF)
This is the story of a city, a river, a region, wine, craftsmanship, transportation, lenses and cameras. They are all connected. Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, a 3-hour drive north of Lisbon. Seventy miles upstream by boat or car, vineyards cling to the terraced hills of the Douro Valley. For centuries, boats called barcos rabelos carried the wine……
SIGMA Cine Lens Factory Tour (PDF)
Aizu is 300 km north of Tokyo: two hours by high speed Shinkansen and then a scenic hour on a local railway. The train winds through high mountain passes and follows the foot of 5,968’ high Mt. Bandai. Skiing in winter is superb, as are the soba noodles and sake from the many Aizu breweries that benefit from the pristine mountain……
Tags: Aizu, SIGMA, Sigma Cine Lenses
ARRI SkyPanel Software Update
At NAB, ARRI showed the latest software update to the LED SkyPanels. There are 10 new features. The control panel now shows a gel filter library. You can select a color with a familiar Rosco or Lee filter name or number. The library is organized into familiar categories: color corrections, Storaro selection, Rosco Calcolor, Cinelux, Lee Color Correct, Lee Cosmetic Series, etc. The SkyPanel color “engine” generates the colors, but instead of having to define RGBW values, you can now pick colors by their popular and familiar names. This is much easier. Watch the video in this post. read more…
Tags: ARRI SkyPanel
Wooden Camera’s New Unified Baseplate System
NAB Video for FDTimes by George Leon
Tags: Wooden Camera
Cannot Destroy a Rosco LitePad Vector
Frank Lambrechts, Visual Content Manager at Rosco and his crew in Belgium attempt to destroy a Rosco LitePad Vector in this terrific equipment video: Terminator meets Good, Bad and the Ugly meets Next Level. read more…
Tags: Rosco LitePad Vector
Easyrig Vario 5 Strong
Johan Hellsten demonstrates his new Easyrig Vario 5 Strong for camera payloads of 30 – 55 lb. A year ago at NAB, Johan presented Vario 5, an adjustable version of his wildly popular Easyrig. For the past year, he and his crew in Northern Sweden have been busy working on a new, heavier payload model. At NAB 2016, they introduced the Vario…… continue reading
ARRI Artemis Trinity Stabilizer/Gimbal Video
Video of ARRI Artemis Trinity: a rig combining Maxima gimbal and body stabilizer. Curt Schaller, BVK, camera operator turned inventor-designer of artemis has taken the product line to its new home at ARRI. read more…
Visiting Vitec’s OConnor Factory in Costa Rica (PDF)
“How would you like to build an OConnor 2575D?” Steve Turner asked. Being the consummate geek, I immediately accepted. “Meet your professors,” John Hill said as he introduced me to the grinning OConnor assembly group. Were they smiling because this was a crazy idea? Would I manage to emerge unscathed, with all fingers and toes intact? Could I actually help build a finished fluid head from the 635 parts arranged in bins to our left—with names like Sector Drag Assembly and Upper Wiffletree Bearing? Download our 22-page PDF Report of the Factory Visit to Vitec Videocom Costa Rica. read more…
Camerimage 2015
Article by Jan Grobliński. EXT. BYDGOSZCZ – EVENING Chilly. Dark figures in the background of the illuminated entrance to the Opera Nova. Evening fog and steam. Lively conversations in different languages, accidental meetings of old acquaintances, world-famous cinematographers passing by, a group of students hurrying to watch a film in the Main Competition… That could be a scene from a…… continue reading
Tags: Camerimage, Camerimage 2015
ZEISS Factory Tour 2015 (PDF)
ZEISS Factory Tour 2015, Museum of Optics, Interviews, Lenses. 7 MB PDF Free Download. Newly updated September 2015. This is a free online PDF reprint from FDTimes September 2015 Edition along with back issues. 50 pages. read more…
Tags: FDTimes ZEISS Factory Tour, ZEISS
ARRI Alexa Mini Factory Visit
I visited ARRI in Munich this May to get a first-hand look at assembly of the Alexa Mini. This is a reprint from the report in FDTimes Issue 70 — June 2015. read more…
Tags: Alexa Mini, ARRI, FDTimes
Canon HDR Monitors
At NAB, Canon showed a prototype HDR 4K monitor. That led to some questions for Mr. Shinichi Yamato, head of the Display Product Business Unit of Canon Inc, Japan, and Mr. Hitoshi Doi, Future Product & Solution Group at Canon U.S.A. read more…
Steadicam M-1, Steadicam 40th Anniversary, Cartoni 80th Anniversary
Tiffen introduced the new Steadicam M-1. Its modular, ultra-rigid design and innovative features make it the most hotly anticipated “big rig” in decades. AT NAB, Steadicam celebrated their 40th Anniversary and Cartoni celebrated their 80th Anniversary. read more…
Dan May, BMD Pres, on URSA Mini and more
It’s always good to spend time with Dan May at NAB for an interesting guided tour. He puts things in perspective and explains not only the what and how of new equipment, but why. read more…
Tags: Blackmagic, Blackmagic URSA, FDTimes, Micro Cinema Camera, NAB
Hawk65 from Vantage Film
On February 9, 2015, Vantage Film announced three new sets of lenses for 65mm format. Since then, other products and pieces of the puzzle have come together. RED introduced the RED Weapon 8K camera, with its 21.60 x 40.96 mm sensor at NAB. ARRI announced an alliance of Alexa 65 with IMAX. I met with Peter Martin in Los Angeles. Peter is CEO of Vantage Film and leads technical development along with CEO Wolfgang Baumler.
Tags: FDTimes, Hawk, Hawk65, Vantage Film
Cooke 65 mm Macro Anamorphic /i 2x Prime
Here’s the lens that many cinematographers have been waiting for from Cooke. Cooke introduces their new 65 mm Macro Anamorphic /i 2x Prime lens at Cine Gear. It has a close-up magnification ratio of 4.1:1. read more…
Canon’s Mr. Maeda alludes to future technology
“Lunch with the FT” is a weekly column in the Financial Times. Their weekly interview with a leading cultural or business luminary was something we have been doing—but to paraphrase Virginia Woolf, “It’s dinner one wants, not lunch.” It was therefore a pleasant surprise to receive an email from Mr. Hitoshi Doi, head of the Future Product & Solution Group at Canon U.S.A. “Jon,” he wrote, “Can you slip away for a couple of hours during NAB to have lunch with Mr. Maeda and me?” Mr. Masaya Maeda is Managing Director and Chief Executive of Image Communication Products Operations at Canon. read more…
Tags: Canon, FDTimes, HDR, Lenses, Masaya Maeda
All About Dolly Track
Dolly track is a long story. When you go back far enough in history there’s a classic division between European and American track dimensions. Most of the European track was 1¼ inch diameter, and most of the American manufactured track was 1½ inch diameter. At some point during the mid ’70s and early ’80s, there was a realization that this really had to be standardized. We’ve all kind of moved to the 1½ inch diameter for the rails. Along with this, we started having all sorts of problems with rails bending, which plainly and simply was a function of moving from simply using dollies to using small manned cranes, to using larger manned cranes, to using very large manned cranes and enormous unmanned cranes. And then there’s the question of aluminum or steel. read more…
Tags: Dolly Track, FDTimes, Wick Hempleman
Gavin Finney BSC, “Wolf Hall,” candlelit, Leica Summilux-C T1.4, Alexa, Handheld
“Wolf Hall” is a series on BBC and PBS Masterpiece Theatre about Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance), a blacksmith’s son who rose to power as chief minister to King Henry VIII. Gavin Finney, BSC was the cinematographer. read more…
