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ALEXA 35 Camera Report – 96 pages
June 2022: Issue 115
FDT SUP June 6. Some typos fixed.
The new ALEXA 35 is like a film lab inside a digital camera. A film lab is an alchemy of permutations: chemicals, water, temperature, light and human temperament. ALEXA 35 offers many hitherto unobtainable digital possibilities that are reminiscent of an analog film process: textures, contrast, grain, sharpness. The digital camera is no longer just a lens onto which you put all kinds of different lenses to achieve unique looks. Now this Super35 camera itself returns as an instigator of looks, along with your good looks created by lighting, lenses, composition, art, planning and happy accidents.
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”About FDTimes
Jon Fauer’s Film and Digital Times is published on paper, online and on iPad roughly every two months. Depending on events, introductions and technological breakthroughs, we sometimes combine issues into larger editions. Join us for the adventure and subscribe online. We talk about products and procedures in practical production—here’s the job at hand: how do we use tools and techniques to get the results we want?
Film and Digital Times is an inside-the-industry look at the nuts and bolts of high-end prodcution: how-to and how not to, technique and technology, style and strategies, tips and trends for Cinematographers, Directors, Producers, Rental Houses, Manufacturers, Camera Assistants, Camera Operators, Photographers, Videographers, Gaffers, Grips, Students, and Faculty.
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About Jon Fauer
Jon Fauer, ASC is an award-winning cinematographer and director who has written 12 bestselling books, famous for their user-friendly way of explaining things as if you’re right there on location with him.
Over 120,000 of his books on cameras, cinematography, film and digital video have been printed. Think of this bimonthly Journal as Fauer’s next book — arriving a year early, with up-to-the minute information brought to you in episodic format.
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News
- Four SmallHD Monitors for Focus Pullers
- Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC receives Angénieux Cinematography Tribute at Cannes
Angénieux hosts the “Pierre Angénieux Tribute” every year at the Cannes Film Festival to celebrate an exceptional cinematographer’s career. Darius Khondji ASC, AFC receives the ninth Pierre Angénieux Cinematography Tribute this year at Cannes on May 27, 2022.
- FDTimes June Issue #115 Goes Online May 31 @ 12:05pm EDT; 9:05 am PDT; 6:05 pm CET
You may ask, why was FDTimes serially missing from BSC Expo and AFC Micro Salon and NAB? Some of you mischievously bestowed virtual awards for the most minimalistic, unoccupied booth at NAB. A new ARRI camera is the reason why.
The 96-page camera report goes online here, top left of the home page on Tuesday, May 31, at 12:05 pm EDT; 9:05 am PDT; 6:05 pm CET. read more... - ZEISS SP15: Rectilinear in Grand Central Terminal
The new ZEISS Supreme Prime 15mm T1.8 is faster, lighter, narrower and shorter than many wide lenses. And so, what better place to try it than the 35,000-square-foot Main Concourse of Grand Central? The SP 15 is rectilinear, meaning that straight lines stay straight, not curvilinear. Walls, buildings and architectural details do not curve inward. Geometric, barrel or pincushion distortion is minimized. April 5, 2022. ZEISS adds a 15 mm T1.8 lens their series of Full Frame ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses. ZEISS Supreme Primes were introduced in June 2018. In the beginning there were 5 focal lengths and the initial roadmap showed 13. New focal lengths were added like clockwork. Now the set consist of 14 ZEISS Supreme Primes. read more... - Designing Angénieux Optimo Ultra Compacts
Clément Mondésert is the Project Manager for Angénieux Optimo Ultra Compact Zooms. He started at Thales LAS France in Saint-Héand three years ago, first as project manager for head-up displays and small zooms for helicopters and drones. Clément joined the glamour and excitement of the cine team about a year ago. We discussed the new Angénieux Optimo Ultra Compact 37-102 Full Frame Zoom. read more... - John Brawley, ACS, URSA 12K, “Desperate Hour”
"The Desperate Hour" is one of the first features where a Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K was the “A” camera. Actually, there were four URSA 12K cameras on the film. Cinematographer John Brawley, ACS discusses cameras, Supreme Prime and Angénieux lenses, lighting, equipment and more. "The Desperate Hour" was directed by Phillip Noyce and stars Naomi Watts. read more... - Si Bell on “A Very British Scandal”
Happy Boxing Day, Sunday Dec 26, 2021. "A Very British Scandal" premieres today on BBC One in the UK.
Si Bell’s previous appearance in FDTimes was February 2020 in which he talked about his work on Peaky Blinders.
Si Bell discusses the film: "A Very British Scandal stars Claire Foy and Paul Bettany. It’s about the Duchess and Duke of Argyll in the 1960s. Quite dramatic, it was about their very messy divorce and it was one of the first times a woman was really shamed by the mass media because she was a celebrity..." read more... - Estelle McGechie, ATOMOS CEO
A Business of the Business conversation with Estelle McGechie, Chief Executive Officer of ATOMOS. Among many topics, Estelle talked about democratization: "ATOMOS makes high quality, professional, cost-effective products to democratize filmmaking, game streaming, and all other forms of content creation. ATOMOS has evolved the core product line to develop next-generation, adaptable, multi-function devices. Our products help our creative customers access the same high-quality options that are required by Hollywood blockbuster productions. That we can make that technology affordable and put it in the hands of every filmmaker is very important to our vision of democratization." read more... - Angenieux Ultra Compact Zoom Ships
This contradicts FDTimes’ axiom of 9 months from first product sighting to first delivery. Announced at Cannes in July, presented in New York by Band Pro in September, Angénieux begins shipping the first 37-102 Full Frame Optimo Ultra Compact Zoom lenses from their factory in Saint-Héand. The 37-102 will be followed by a 21-56 mm Ultra Compact Zoom. So, the... read more...
View All NewsPreviously, Darius appeared on the cover of the February 2012 edition and in an interview about Midnight in Paris; in a February 2013 article about Philippe Parreno’s Marilyn; an ALEXA 65 article in June 2017; and an article by Chris Silano and Olga Abramson about focusing for Darius on Uncut Gems in July 2020.
We spoke a few weeks ago. read more...Factory Tours
- Cooke Tour 2020
This was my 4th tour of Cooke Optics in Leicester, England. The factory has come a long way since previous visits in 2006, 2009 and 2013. It is now a state-of-the-art, modern facility with clean rooms, the latest machines, and many more technicians. As Les Zellan described it, “The glass manufacturing area is cleaner and neater and there are many... read more... - ZEISS Supreme Primes Special Report
FDTimes Factory Tour and Special Report about the new ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses. Download 44-page 11MB (high rez) PDF. ZEISS Supreme Primes cover a FULL FORMAT image area up to 46.3 mm diagonal. They are incredibly small, lightweight and fast. The focus barrel has a unique, advanced square helical thread that is as smooth as cams and even more rugged. There are 13 lenses planned so far. read more...
View All Factory ToursNew Products
- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2
- SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Zoom
SIGMA's optical prowess continues to impress. Their new 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Wide-Angle Zoom Lens (at left) is almost the same size and weight as its companion 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Zoom (at right). If the best lens is the one that's light and small enough to put in your jacket pocket, and has exceptional imaging quality, then the 16-28 is the wide zoom you'll want to join the 28-70 that was released in March 2021.
Both lenses are for Full Frame mirrorless cameras and come in Sony E-mount or Leica/ SIGMA/Panasonic L-Mount.
Wide and fast zoom lenses are usually not this petite. The 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary maintains sharpness to the edges, with no shading (darkening of the edges). A few weeks ago I was gushing over the rectilinear, unbending lines of SIGMA's 20mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary prime. Now, here's a lens that's wider, is almost as small, and is a zoom. read more... - AbelCine Spring Tech Showcase NY
The AbelCine Spring Tech Showcase, at their Industry City, Brooklyn location took place on Saturday, May 21. It was an enjoyable, focused, not-massive, local event — a full day of exhibits by the major camera, lens and lighting manufacturers, panel discussions and tech sessions. It was the premiere of the new BLACKWING7 amber skin lens variant from TRIBE7. Jay Holben was there, signing his definitive and encyclopedic The Cine Lens Manual. Canon showed their new T2.4 Flex Full Frame zooms. Tim Smith showed how seamless and simple it was to customize Angenieux Optimo Primes with their swappable internal element, swappable irises, front and rear filters. Motion Impossible's remote controlled, modular, motorized Agito dolly glided through the halls, navigated by Ben Dair, Chief Product Officer. read more... - Koerner PNW Lens Summit 2022
Koerner Camera Systems hosted the 4th 2022 Pacific Northwest Lens (PNW) Summit on May 13-14 in their large Portland, Oregon rental headquarters. Michael Koerner, the company owner, called it "A celebration of cinema-lens technology and education." Cooke's Danny Haikin, who flew in from London called it "A wonderful, massive lens geek-out."
Around 30 exhibitors displayed their products, mostly lenses. More than 300 industry visitors arrived from as far away as New Zealand.
A day before the main event, lens technicians attended hands-on lens training classes taught by lens maestros. Instructors donated their time, so the technicians attended the training for free. read more... - SmallHD Cine 18 Monitor
These are the shots that try focus-pullers souls.
ECU, 4K, Full Frame, 135mm prime wide open at T1.4. Which eyelash do you focus on?
Your 7-inch monitor is great, but seeing such fine detail requires the eyesight of an eagle. What you may want is a larger 4K monitor of size and resolution to guide you in the realm of eyelash-thin, millimeter depth of focus.
As depth gets smaller, focus-pullers get larger monitors.
The new SmallHD Cine 18 4K High-Bright Monitor addresses the sweet spot between your favorite Cine 13 on a stand and the Cine 24 that sits on an Inovativ cart. read more... - Phantom Droll Booth – FDTimes at NAB
FDTimes will be at NAB 2022. Pick up copies of the April 2022 edition in the publication bin at the entrance to Central Hall.
Make yourself at home in our unoccupied FDTimes booth # C6244. But, unfortunately I will not be there nor will it be staffed. Too busy preparing the June 2022 edition. See you soon! read more... - Canon 20-50 & 45-135 T2.4 FF Zooms
- DJI Ronin 4D 6K Updates
Here are additions and changes to the FDTimes November 2021 report on DJI’s Ronin 4D. New firmware, when the camera ships soon, will let you: Use the Remote Monitor to view and control the main monitor interface with “Mirror Control Mode.” Stream a clean video feed via HDMI and SDI ports on the Remote Monitor Expansion Plate with no overlaid... read more... - Otto Nemenz gets 37-102 Ultra Compact
Faster than you can say, "Otto Nemenz," this photo just arrived. Band Pro delivered one of the first Angénieux Optimo Ultra Compact 37-102 Full Frame Zoom lenses in the Americas to Otto Nemenz International yesterday. Above, left right: Amnon Band, Alex Wengert, Otto Nemenz with 37-102, Dan Lopez, Fritz Heinzle. read more... - Canon EOS R5 C
You spot it right away. On the front, it says EOS C. C as in Cinema. On the left side, there's a big red shutter/start-stop button. The Canon EOS R5 C Full-Frame hybrid video and stills, mirrorless, RF-mount 8K camera is here.
From the front, the R5 C looks very similar to the R5, which launched on July 9, 2020. If you said that the R5 was essentially a remarkable 45 megapixel still camera that also did 8K video, well, the new R5 C is a remarkable 45 megapixel camera equally adept at both stills and video. read more...
View All New ProductsCanon announces "the launch of a new series of lenses for the company’s EF Cinema Lens lineup — the Flex Zoom Lens series." Watch what they say: "The first lenses in the series are the CN-E20-50mm T2.4 L F/FP wide-angle zoom lens and the CN-E45-135mm T2.4 L F/FP telephoto zoom lens." Does "first lenses in the series" mean that more Full-Frame Zooms are on the way? I would guess yes. You won't have to flex your muscles to work with these new Canon Flex Zoom Lenses. They are very light (less than 7.5 lb / 3.4 kg). They are very compact: shorter than 9.7" / 246.4 mm. And they are amazingly fast for compact Full-Frame zooms: T2.4 maximum aperture for both, without ramping. The Flex zooms come in EF or PL mount, designated by the product name of F for EF, and FP for PL. The EF mount provides electronic shading and chromatic aberration correction when used on Canon's EOS R5 C with an EOS RF-to-EF mount adapter. The PL mount has the latest /i3 Technology.
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