Author Archives: FDTimes Special

Cartoni MASTER CINE 30

During dailies of The Immortal Story, Orson Welles turned to his cinematographer Willy Kurant, ASC, AIC, and said, “A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.” This was Welles’ first color film and last completed feature. It’s now on DVD from Criterion, described as a “jewel-like film, dreamily shot by Willy Kurant and suffused with the music of Erik Satie, a brooding, evocative distillation of Welles’s artistic interests—a story about the nature of storytelling and the fine line between illusion and reality.” Thinking of poets, cameras and heads, Welles and Kurant might have relished a camera perched upon the new Cartoni Master Cine 30 Head. read more…

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Sony RX100 Mark V

It’s been said the best camera is one that’s always with you. I’ve had a Sony RX100 dangling from my belt in a small Lowepro pouch since the original one was introduced in 2012. I’ve upgraded to every subsequent model. The latest one is the Cybershot DSC-RX100 Mark V, and there are compelling reasons to order one. The main reason… read more…

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ARRI Alexa SXT Updates

ARRI has been upgrading Alexa XT cameras to Alexa SXT since IBC (early September 2016). There are two different upgrade paths for those who have received XT cameras in 2015 or 2016 (Keep & Buy and SXT Upgrade 15/16) and one upgrade for XT cameras shipped in 2013 or 2014 (SXT Upgrade 13/14). Existing XT owners should check with ARRI. The… read more…

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DMG Lumière LED Lights

From Lyon, land of the Lumière brothers, come another band of brothers: Nils, Mathieu and Jean de Montgrand. Along with gaffer Nicolas Goerg, their company is DMG Lumière and they make extremely light, incredibly thin and innovative LED lighting fixtures. read more…

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Teradek Bolt 1000 & 3000 Wireless Video

Here is an example of using a Teradek Bolt Wireless Video Transmitter and Receiver pair. You’re shooting handheld with a gimbal. Attach the lightweight Bolt TX (transmitter) to the camera. Connect a cable from the camera’s accessory DC output to the Bolt’s 2-pin Lemo power connector. Each transmitter works with up to four Bolt Receivers (RX). The receivers attach easily to… read more…

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New 85mm f/2.4 ZEISS Loxia

The ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 is the latest lens in the ZEISS family for mirrorless Sony full-frame E-mount cameras (a7 series). The ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 joins the Loxia 2.8/21, Loxia 2/35 and Loxia 2/50. The new Loxia 2.4/85 is based on an optimized ZEISS Sonnar design, with seven lens elements in seven groups. Minimum object distance is 0.80 meters. The manual focus ring has a rotation angle… read more…

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Panasonic Firmware Update for VariCam LT

Panasonic has a new firmware update for the VariCam LT that adds RAW output via two 3G-SDI terminals to an external RAW recorder at 4K or UHD 60p. RAW recording will be compatible with Convergent Design’s Odyssey 7Q and 7Q+ and the Atomos Shogun Inferno monitor/recorder. The RAW CinemaDNG file is compatible with DaVinci Resolve 12.5.1, Drastic Media Reactor 5.04 and upcoming… read more…

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DaVinci for DPs: Lens Correction

Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 12.5.1 Studio has a terrific tool to correct lens distortion. Let’s say you’re intercutting fisheye, wide-angle, action shots with pristine, undistorted landscapes. You love the GoPro’s 170 degree field of view curving horizon. But the art director, client, producer— whoever has final cut and final say— doesn’t share your enthusiasm. There are two options. Reassemble the crew,… read more…

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OppCam Universal Monitor Mount System

  OppCam Universal Monitor Mount System (UMMS) is not a yoke, nor is it a typical VESA Mount. It is a new, secure way to mount a monitor onto a stand. Nearly all HD monitors today support VESA mounting. The full mouthful of the name is VESA FDMI—Video Electronics Standards Association Flat Display Mounting Interface. It’s a consumer electronics standard… read more…

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Leica Cine MacroLux and Summicron-C

Here’s an interesting use for Macro close-up attachments to reduce depth of field. Most of the time, Macros (Proxars) are used for extreme close-ups at minimum distance. Here’s a user story about working with Leica Summicron-C lenses and Leica Cine Macrolux. read more…

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Sony SEL PZ 18-110mm F4 G OSS

Sony’s newest E-Mount lens is a Super 35mm lens with power servo-zoom capability specifically designed for motion picture taking. The new lens, the E PZ 18-110mm F4 G OSS, covers both Super 35mm & APSC sensors. For a 6x zoom lens (18 to 110 focal range) it is surprisingly compact and lightweight coming in at only 2.4 lb (1.1 kg) –with a… read more…

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Leica M 0.8 Full Frame Lenses

From Leica: another decisive moment. Leica Summilux-C and Summicron-C lenses were the result of repeated requests from cinematographers for legendary Leica optics in dedicated Super35 format cine lenses. Now CW Sonderoptic, sister company to Leica Camera, is bringing the iconic characteristics of Leica M Full Frame lenses back to the cinema world with new Leica M 0.8 lenses. read more…

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Canon Professional HDR 4K/UHD Displays

Canon U.S.A. has announced two new 4K/UHD displays  – the DP-V2420, a 24-inch high-luminance 4K reference display and the DP-V1710, a 17-inch 3840 x 2160 4K reference display, for use on set, in broadcasting vans, and in studios. read more…

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Optic Service Technician – AbelCine NY

Location: New York, NY Department: Service – NY Type: Full Time Min. Experience: Mid Level   AbelCine is a supplier to the motion picture, broadcast and new media industries. They offer sales, training, rental, repair and finance services to the professional production community with offices in NY, CHI and LA. The NYC headquarters is currently seeking a Service Technician to join our… read more…

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Sigma Full Frame and S35 Cine Lenses

The rumors are confirmed. The big booth at IBC makes sense: Sigma is jumping into the cinema industry with a new line of CINE LENSES. The big news is that most of them are Full Frame, High Speed, ridiculously small and incredibly light. At IBC, Sigma introduces a new line of Sigma Cine Lenses. The initial set will consist of five Full Frame Primes: 20, 24, 35, 50 and 85 mm, all T1.5 — and a Full Frame Zoom 24-35mm T2. For Super35, Sigma offers two fast zooms: 18-35mm T2 and 50-100mm T2. read more…

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Angénieux Type EZ Zooms: FF and S35

Here are two new, convertible, compact zooms from Thales Angénieux. They cover both Super35 and Full Frame/VistaVision. This is a new paradigm for Angénieux: an affordable zoom lens filling the gap between the DSLR and Cinema lenses for the growing corporate, documentary and owner-operator markets. At IBC, Angénieux debuts two models. Type EZ-1 is a standard 3x zoom. Type EZ-2 is a wide-angle 2.7x zoom. Both lenses have exchangeable rear lens groups and hence the ability to be swapped between Super35mm format and Full Frame/VistaVision. read more…

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Panasonic+Codex VariCam Pure

At IBC 2016, Panasonic introduces the VariCam Pure. It  is a “co-production” between Panasonic and Codex. VariCam Pure is a new S35 4K/2K camera system with high-quality imaging, 14+ stops of dynamic range,  dual ISO 800/5000,   and built-in, uncompressed RAW to 120 fps. The new VariCam Pure camera records pure, uncompressed RAW up to 120 fps onto familiar, industry-standard Codex Capture Drive 2.0 media already widely used by many camera systems, post facilities and studios. read more…

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ZEISS LWZ.3 21-100mm T2.9-3.9

ZEISS launches a new Super 35 format Lightweight Zoom: LWZ.3 21-100mm/T2.9-3.9 T*. It is light (2 kilos), compact, very affordable and has interchangeable mounts (PL, EF, F, E, MFT). What sets the new 21-100 zoom lens apart is a combination of attractive features: range, light weight, optical and mechanical quality, and astonishingly affordable price. Here’s a new Super 35 zoom lens from ZEISS for many types of productions that will fit digital and film cameras. read more…

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Canon Cinema EOS C700

This is the camera that many have dreamed Canon would build. They have. Canon presents Cinema EOS C700 at IBC 2016. It’s a Super35 format studio and shoulder-resting “A” camera with internal 4K ProRes and XF-AVC as well as integrated Codex uncompressed RAW recording. There is a choice of two lens mounts, PL or EF mount—and a choice of Global Shutter or Standard CMOS sensor. Pixel size is 6.4 x 6.4 μm. Depending on model and mode, effective image area is 26.2 x 13.8mm (29.6 mm diagonal) when shooting 4K and 28.9 x 15.2 (32.6mm diagonal) in RAW 4.5K. Download the 12-page PDF special report. read more…

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New Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Canon USA announced the highly anticipated successor in the EOS 5D series of DSLRs, the EOS 5D Mark IV. From a still photography standpoint, Canon has improved upon the already impressive 5D line by upgrading to a 30.4 megapixel 35mm Full Frame Canon CMOS sensor, and with the help of their new processor, the DIGIC 6+, 7 fps for up… read more…

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