Film and Digital Times

Film and Digital Times
Art, Technique and Technology in Motion Picture Production Worldwide

International Editions:
Japanese
Portuguese
French
Spanish
Chinese Korean
Get Email Alert When We Post

Never Miss Out

sign up to receive an email whenever we post a new story

WE RESPECT YOUR PRIVACY AND NEVER SELL OR SHARE YOUR INFORMATION

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm you have signed up.

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Issues
  • Collection
  • Blog
    • News
    • Products
    • Events
    • Jobs
    • Search FDTimes
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • Factory Tours
    • How To’s
    • Video
  • Books
  • About
    • About Jon Fauer
    • About FDTimes
    • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe Online
    • Subscribe by Phone/Email
  • My Account
    • Manage my Account
    • Renew Online
    • Log Out
  • Log-In
    • Log-in to FDTimes
    • Manage my Account
    • Renew my Subscription

    April 2025 UPDATED – NAB Edition

    April 2025: Issue 130
    View Issue Details

    64 pages of news and new products from BSC Expo London, CP+ Japan, SIGMA BF camera launch in Kawasaki, Sony RIALTO Mini in Yokohama, NAB 2025 and lots more.

    Get free print copies at NAB and the FDTimes Booth, North Hall N 1372.

    Print editions for subscribers and partners are in the mail.

    Subscribers: Download and Print-it-yourself 33 MB PDF via login.

    Click the Free Access button (below) for the 13 MB PDF Complimentary Edition.
    Set Adobe Acrobat Reader to 2-page view, show cover page.  Set Apple Preview to View>2 pages.

    • Sigma BF Camera—Worldwide Launch
    • Kazuto Yamaki on the Sigma BF
    • DJI RS 4 Mini
    • Sony VENICE Extension System Mini
    • (aka Sony RIALTO)
    • Sony OCELLUS Camera Tracking System
    • Preston Cinema for RED Camera Control
    • Nanlux Evoke 5000B – 5,000 Watt LED
    • ARRI ALEXA 265 – 65mm Format Camera
    • ALEXA 265 Filter Cartridge
    • DJI SDR Transmission System
    • Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 Updates
    • URSA Cine 17K 65 — Formats, etc.
    • Cooke Panchro /i 65
    • 65mm Format Lenses
    • TILTA Nucleus-M II Wireless Lens Control
    • FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA Open Gate
    • FUJIFILM GFX100RF 46
    • ZEISS Cine Team Stories
    • RED V-RAPTOR [X] & KOMODO-X Z Mount
    • Panasonic LUMIX S1RII
    • Cartoni 90th Anniversary and E-Heads
    • Cartoni, E-Heads, Professional Show, Qubit
    • AJA BRIDGE LIVE 3G-8
    • AJA KUMO 6464-12G
    • AJA DANTE-12GAM

     read more…

    Subscriber DownloadSubscribe Now
    Free Download

    Download & Order Back Issues


      Issue 129

      Issue 128

      Issue 127

      Issue 126

      Issue 125

      Issue 124
    View All Issues

    Readers’ Comments

    • “

      Required reading for everyone in our company, shop, and rental departments

      ”
      —Otto Nemenz
    • “

      Just read your latest issue and I found it so facinating and well written. It was some of the best cinematography writing in recent history. Thank you.

      ”
      —Peter Lyons Collister, ASC
    • “

      The only thing to read for professional information

      ”
      —Alexander Bscheidl, Vantage Film
    • “

      I don’t know how I managed before without all the info of FDTimes

      ”
      —Philippe Ros, AFC, Member Imago Tech Committee
    View All Readers’ Comments

    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 production: 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.

    More About FDTimes

    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.

    Jon Fauer ASCCannes 2016

     
    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.

    More About Jon Fauer

    News

    • FDTimes April 2025 & NAB Editions
      Film and Digital Times will be at NAB Show 2025. Get a free copy of the FDTimes NAB Edition at our booth N1372 in the North Hall, or in the FDTimes Publication Bin near the North Hall entrance, or at many booths throughout NAB Show 2025 in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Meanwhile, download a free online PDF edition. Subscribers, your high-res printable PDF is also here. And worldwide print editions will be in the mail. (They are the same as the NAB Edition.) See you soon! read more...
    • CP+ 2025 Imaging Show JapanCP+ 2025 (International Camera and Photo Imaging Show) ran from Feb 27 - March 2 on Yokohama's waterfront in the  beautiful Pacifico convention center.  It is described as "the world's largest photo, camera and imaging equipment show." Organized by the Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) of Japan, 125 companies exhibited and more than 50,000 visitors attended. New product launches and announcements included SIGMA, Panasonic LUMIX, Fujifilm, Petzval, RED, ZEISS, Cosina, and many more. read more...
    • SIGMA BF Beautiful FunBF stands for Beautiful Foolishness. The new SIGMA BF is also Beautifully Fun, Beneficially Fast, Bellissima Fashionista, Bravely Functional. But in Italy, I am also called a BF. Buona Forchetta. The Good Fork. Someone who likes to wield a big fork over a fine meal. So named by Jacques Lipkau Goyard and Elisabetta Cartoni. Here in Japan, Masako Misako calls me Film and Delicious Times. And so, BF the person takes BF the camera for a day of street and restaurant photography in Tokyo. read more...
    • BSC Expo 2025 SlideshowBSC Expo 2025 was the location for the latest working pre-release Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 and a FUJIFLM ETERNA 65 under glass. Dominick Aiello got measurements and had Wooden Camera accessories ready for the yet-unreleased camera. So did Vocas. Cooke showed a prototype Panchro/i 65 prime. Leitz rebranded THALIA to THALIA 65 and had a super wide 20mm prime. Geck0-Cam also had a hot-off the assembly bench 65mm Ayana prime. RED DIGITAL CINEMA showed V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X cameras with Nikon Z Mount and the new cinematized Z Mount NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ. Nanlux premiered their incredibly bright new EVOKE 5000B (5K COB LED). And lots more... read more...
    • FDT at BSCFilm and Digital Times February 2025 Worldwide Edition goes online at 9am EST February 12. Print editions are in the mail. A Special BSC Expo Print Edition will be distributed at BSC Expo London. See you there -- at BSC Expo 2025 in Battersea Evolution, London. Lots to see. Register now. Friday 14 Feb 10am to 7pm. Saturday 15 Feb 10am to 5pm. Many new products to see. More than 160 exhibitors.  Bigger Picture cameras and lenses. Panel discussions and demos. As always, this is one of the best shows of the year. read more...
    • Johanna Coelho, Cinematographer of THE PITTTHE PITT is a 15-episode series about a 15-hour shift in a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room. It is airing now on MAX. They call it “a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital.” THE PITT comes from ER and West Wing executive producer John Wells, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh. It may remind you of ER with West Wing brilliant dialog. Johanna Coelho is the cinematographer of THE PITT. They were still filming in January when we discussed her work on the series. read more...
    • Leica SL3-S with Leitz ELSIE 15mmA DP walks into a museum. What could possibly go wrong? The DP is trying out the new Leica SL3-S camera and new Leitz ELSIE 15mm prime cine lens. In fact, nothing goes wrong in the Parrish Art Museum. hat better place to illustrate the prowess of the wonderfully wide angle 15mm ELSIE than the large and high-ceilinged indoor space of the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill? The DP stumbles upon an interesting exhibit: Ralph Gibson—Nature : Object. He films and photographs the photographs, testing  6K Open Gate SL3-S and ELSIE’s angles of view. https://fdtimes.us/elsie15mm read more...
    • Serra on SENNAThe 6-hour Netflix series SENNA follows the life of legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna with white knuckle racing scenes, action, drama and stunning cinematography by Azul Serra, ABC and Kauê Zilli, ABC (Association of Brazilian Cinematographers). It was a huge production in Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina—including six ALEXA 35 cameras, four RED cameras, 266 cases of cameras, lenses and equipment – 2500 kgs of gear.” Here's an interview with Azul Serra, thanks to Michael Keegan at Netflix and Ernesto Musitelli, Managing Director of Musitelli Film and Digital. read more...
    • P. Scott Sakamoto on A COMPLETE UNKNOWNP. Scott Sakamoto, SOC talked about operating on A COMPLETE UNKNOWN: “I’ve worked on two movies with director Jim Mangold and he loves having the Steadicam. Often, when we rehearse a scene and he sees me setting up a dance floor for the dolly, he says, ‘I don’t want you to be on the dolly. I want you to be on the Steadicam.’ Because he often improvises the shot and doesn’t want camera moves to be restricted, he just prefers the freedom of a Steadicam. Jim and Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC have made several exceptional movies together and have a good rapport with each other. They know how to dance and tell a compelling cinematic story. It is a pleasure to come up with shots to advance that narrative at the right time with the right equipment." read more...
    • Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, GCA on “A Complete Unknown”Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, GCA and Sony’s Tanya Lyon were in New York for a pre-release screening of A Complete Unknown.  (It opened on Christmas day.)  We meet at a favorite restaurant—Sistina, across from the Met Museum. Storaro likes the table in the back corner of the back room where the light is always beautiful. Skylights above make it just... read more...
    View All News
    CineGear Atlanta 2024

    New Products

    • Sony RIALTO Mini
      Sony shrunk RIALTO by 70%. The new VENICE Extension System Mini (aka RIALTO Mini) is a wonderful new tethered sensor/lens mount block that is shorter than an iPhone. The VENICE Extension System Mini (CBK-3621XS) is Sony’s latest addition to the CineAlta line. It attaches directly to the VENICE 2 cinema camera. RIALTO Mini has a VENICE 2 8K sensor. It is about  70% smaller than the original RIALTO, is significantly lighter and fits in the palm of your hand. It has a Sony E-mount with a PL Mount Attachment. Picture these setups: mounted in places you wouldn’t have dreamed of or made much easier, handheld, stunts, skiing, sailing, rigged. To paraphrase Peter O’Toole in The Stunt Man, “If you could have done the tricks this camera can do, you’d be a happy person.” read more...
    • GFX ETERNA 65mm Open GateFujifilm's 65mm format GFX ETERNA evolves. The latest working prototype appeared under glass at CP+ Expo in Yokohama from February 27 to March 2. There are major updates and innovations. Above all, it records Open Gate (full width and full height) — the entire sensor (43.8mm wide x 32.9mm high). This is  the tallest sensor in the 65mm format family. With an image diagonal of 54.78 mm Ø), it is approximately 1.7 times larger than Full Frame (36 x 24 mm, 43.3 mm Ø). read more...
    • SIGMA BF CameraBF. Beautifully Fun. Best Friend. Brilliantly Fast Camera from SIGMA. SIGMA Corporation CEO Kazuto Yamaki explained that the name BF stands for Beautiful Foolishness. It comes from The Book of Tea, A Japanese Harmony of Art, Culture, and the Simple Life, written by Okakura Kakuzō in 1906. The context of “foolishness” here is not negative. In juxtaposing Beautiful with Foolishness, both Kakuzo and Kazuto are elevating something that is normally functional to a level that is artistic, stylish, interesting and perhaps seeking perfection in imperfection. This is not your father's mirrorless camera. The SIGMA BF has 4 buttons and a dial. You operate these with your thumb to control the five things that matter the most: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation and look. The shutter release / record start-stop is on top. February 24, 2025. 9 AM. The new SIGMA BF camera premiered at SIGMA Corporation's worldwide headquarters in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. It's an hour ride from Roppongi Hills—west, direction Mt. Fuji. read more...
    • ALEXA 35 Base Model with Flexible LicensesThe ALEXA 35 is now available from ARRI as one of two models. The existing ALEXA 35 (with the black jogwheel) has been renamed “ALEXA 35 with Premium License” and the new model  (identified by a blue jogwheel) is called “ALEXA 35 with Base License.” The new, lower-cost ALEXA 35 Base model has the same hardware and sensor as the Premium model, but has a reduced feature set that can be upgraded with several licenses. read more...
    • Leica SL3-S for Cine & Stills CameraCinematographers everywhere will appreciate the new Leica SL3-S. The SL3-3 takes amazing stills for location scouting or for personal use, works not only as a Directors Finder or for pre-viz, but also records full-height (Open Gate) full-frame (Leica Format) moving images. In a landscape where many cameras crop the sensor to 16:9 or less than full height, the SL3-3 covers the entire 24MP, 3:2 Open Gate sensor area (approx 35.64 x 23.76 mm) to record up to 6K internally and 6K RAW externally. read more...
    • Kinefinity HDMI e-ViewfinderKinefinity continues to impress with great Electronic Viewfinders.They introduced their EAGLE SDI e-Viewfinder last July. Now there’s a wonderful HDMI version. It works with most cinema cameras, DSLRs and mirrorless cameras that have HDMI video outputs. As with the SDI model, the new HDMI e-Viewfinder has a Micro OLED 1080P display. This is one of the most compact and lightweight EVFs on the market. It starts up quickly, has low power consumption and almost zero latency. It connects to video via a full-size HDMI port and is powered via a USB-C. read more...
    • Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive CameraJust when we thought Blackmagic was busy enough with their new 12K LF and 17K 65 URSA Cine Cameras, along comes this 2x 8K Stereo 3D camera for Apple Vision Pro. Blackmagic Design announced their new Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive Camera today. Designed to shoot Apple Immersive Video for the Apple Vision Pro — it's expected to ship in 2025. read more...
    • ARRI ALEXA 265 Camera ReportDownload the Film and Digital Times 32-page ARRI ALEXA 265 Camera Report. Free 10 MB PDF. ARRI ALEXA 265 is lighter and smaller than predecessors ALEXA 65 and 765. The 265 camera has a 65mm format sensor measuring a familiar 54.12 x 25.58 mm (59.86 mm Ø diagonal. 6560 x 3100 photosites.) The camera body is about the same size as an ALEXA 35--slightly wider to accommodate the bigger sensor, so most ALEA 35 accessories fit. Data wrangling is streamlined. fdtimes.us/alexa265 read more...
    • Cooke Panchro 65/i Lens SeriesWho said there aren’t enough lenses for 65mm format? November 12, 2024. Cooke Optics announced their Panchro 65/i Lens Series—designed specifically for 65mm Larger Format digital cinema cameras. The Panchro 65/i series will include six focal lengths: 30mm T2.8, 40mm T2.8, 55mm T2.5, 75mm T2.5, 100mm T2.5, and 152mm T2.9. They all stop down to T22 and are equipped with Cooke’s latest intelligent /i technology. The Panchro 65/i series is lightweight across the range (1.8 kg to 2.3 kg). read more...
    View All New Products

THE JOURNAL OF ART, TECHNIQUE AND TECHNOLOGY IN MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION WORLDWIDE

Never Miss a Post

ClICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL ALERT WHENEVER WE POST

  • Home
  • Issues
  • Collection
  • Blog
    • News
    • Products
    • Events
    • Jobs
    • Search FDTimes
    • Back
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • Factory Tours
    • How To’s
    • Video
    • Back
  • Books
  • About
    • About Jon Fauer
    • About FDTimes
    • Contact Us
    • Back
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe Online
    • Subscribe by Phone/Email
    • Back
  • LOG IN
  • MY ACCOUNT
  • RENEWALS
  • LOGOUT

INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS:
French   Spanish   Portuguese  Chinese  Japanese  Korean

 

 

Loading Comments...
 

    Film and Digital Times is made possible through the generous support of subscribers like you, and with grants from the following companies.
    Content is in no way linked to sponsorship. We write about the things we use.

    Titans of the Industry
    SonyARRICanonDJI ProBlackmagicSIGMAAngenieuxCreative SolutionsCooke Optics
    Moguls
    Band ProZEISSAJAPanasonicTiltaNanlux NanliteTeradekVidendum Production SolutionsLeitz CineFujifilmFUJINONLeicaAnton/BauerPreston Cinema SystemsTiffenSmallHDOConnorThe Studio-B&HCVPRED Digital Cinema
    Executive Producers
    HasselbladPanavisionWooden CameraLitepanelsEmitNikonSteadicamLowel LightSachtlerAbel Cine
    Producers
    Atlas Lens Co.TokinaPhotoCineShopDenz – Praezisions-Entwicklung DENZIB-E OpticsCartoniChroszielOtto NemenzCamaras & LucesTransvideo
    Co-Producers
    Orca BagsCinematography ElectronicsManfrottoMole-RichardsonMatthews Studio Equipment
    Assoc. Producers
    iodyneBrompton TechnologyVocasLee FiltersPrêt-à-Tourner AccessoriesMYT WorksInovativCheng SengRAIDFilmToolsRoscoWhitepoint OpticsEasyrigDMG LumièreLouma SystemsNAC Image TechnologyBright TangerineJ. L. FisherShapeCinetech ItalianaRonford-BakerKino Flo16×9cmotion
    Media Partners
    Euro Cine ExpoImagoInterBEESOCAirstarCine GearIBCBSC ShowAFC Micro SalonCinecNAB ShowCamerimage
    Rental Houses
    CamaluxOvideLensworksBECINEAdorama Rental Co.KO Film RentalMovie People D-VisionOtto NemenzRVZLVRKoerner Camera SystemsLjud & Bildmedia ABHD Systems RentalsBertone VisualsSanwa GroupLITESPhotoCineRentCamaras & LucesCamTec Motion Picture CamerasMusitelli Film & DigitalService VisionCamalotPanalightArri RentalAbel CineLemac
    Skip to content
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    ©2025 Film and Digital Times Inc. Reprint Information