News
Canon EOS C300 Mark III Report Reprint
Here is a standalone reprint of the Canon EOS C300 Mark III and CINE-SERVO 25-250 Special Report from FDTimes April 2020.
This is a free, printable 10 MB PDF download. read more…
FDTimes April 2020 Issue 101
Film and Digital Times April 2020 Issue 101 is now online.
FREE Download of Film and Digital Times April 2020 – Issue 101.
132 pages of new products and productions.
For the duration of this crisis, the current copy and the past year’s PDF editions of FDTimes can be download for free. Just click on any FDT FREE ACCESS button.
Subscribers: your login gives you access to the high rez print-at-home edition. Paper copies will ship when it’s safe and sensible and the supply chain for PPEs is assured. Until then, your subscription duration is extended. read more…
FDTimes April 2020 goes online 4/20/20
Film and Digital Times April 2020 Issue 101 goes online here, top left of home page, at 8:05 pm EDT on Monday April 20. This is the Stay at Home NAB Edition. 128 pages of new products and productions. Free PDF Download for all. Subscribers: your login gives you access to a high rez print-at-home edition. Paper copies will shipped when it makes sense. Until then, your subscription duration is extended. read more…
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…
Tags: Cooke Optics, Factory Tour
Andy Shipsides, Pres. ARRI Rental N.A. Camera
Andy Shipsides, shown above in lens distortion mapping test pattern shirt, has been appointed President of ARRI Rental North America Camera effective May 1, 2020. He will be based at ARRI Rental’s headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey. read more…
HUNTERS, Rexer, SIGMA, RED
“HUNTERS, Rexer, SIGMA, RED” almost sounds like the incantation from Fellini’s 8 ½: “Asa, Nisi, Masa.” If you are binge-watching at home, here is a background interview with William Rexer, one of the cinematographers on HUNTERS. There is technical information on his use of SIGMA Full Frame High Speed Primes — one of the first shows on which they were used. The episodes were shot with RED MONSTRO 8K VV cameras. read more…
Camera & Lens Cleaning in the time of Covid-19 by Roger Cicala
Here is advice on cameras and lenses in the time of Covid-19 by Dr. Roger Cicala, MD. Roger Cicala is the founder of Lensrentals. Before that, he was a physician whose hobby was photography. That passionate hobby became his profession “when he grew up.” He is a self-described optical nerd and has enough advanced collimators and MTF testing machines to make many manufacturers envious. read more…
Eliott Peck, Canon EVP & GM, Retiring
Eliott Peck is retiring from his position as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Imaging Technologies & Communications Group of Canon U.S.A., effective March 31, 2020. He will stay on as a consultant to Canon for a while.
Eliott played important roles in Canon’s notable achievements, including the AE-1 camera, the first PowerShot ELPH and EOS Rebel Digital cameras, the EOS 5D Mark II camera as well as the launch of Cinema EOS. He was the consummate product launch spokesman and gave thousands of presentations in his 45-year career. read more…
Tags: Canon EVP & GM, Canon USA, Eliott Peck, Retiring
SIGMA Full Frame Cine Art Primes with /i Data
SIGMA’s Art Prime version of their FF High Speed Prime Series have PL mounts that are equipped with /i Technology lens metadata communication protocol and electronic contacts. SIGMA is considering a conversion service for customers who already purchased SIGMA PL mount lenses and would like to add /i Technology to their lenses. read more…
FDTimes in these Times
Recent cancellations of NAB, Micro Salon Italy, the Louvre, Met, Boston Marathon and many other gatherings means serious social distancing. Lone walks, bike rides or runs amid early blossoming of cherry trees is a good idea.
Film and Digital Times will continue to publish on time, online and on paper.
- Here are some of the things to look for:
- There will be expanded, free, online coverage as new products destined for now-cancelled NAB are introduced. Watch this space—in the NEWS and PRODUCTS columns.
- The pre-no-go-NAB FDTimes edition will come out mid to late April. Deadline for articles is April 2.
- There will be a second edition in early to mid May with all the things coming in after April 2.
- These April and May editions will be available in print and online as PDFs—free for all in a non-printable version, and a higher rez printable version for subscribers.
Timm Stemann, New Managing Director at Chrosziel GmbH
Timm Stemann is the new Managing Director at Chrosziel GmbH, near Munich. Previously, he was the company’s CTO, product marketing and sales director. Chrosziel GmbH was founded in 1973 by Alfred and Gertrud Chrosziel. They sold the company in 2006 to Harm Abrahams and Jürgen Nussbaum. Harm was a sound recordist and camera assistant who moved into a successful career as an investment banker. He grew the Chrosziel company into a global enterprise. And now, 14 years later, Harm Abrahams and Timm Stemann called FDTimes with news of the latest episode in the company’s story. read more…
Si Bell on “Peaky Blinders” and Monstro Math
“Peaky Blinders” is a BBC television crime drama series set in Birmingham, England after World War I. Cinematographer Si Bell worked with RED DSMC2 MONSTRO 8K VV cameras and Cooke 2x squeeze Anamorphic/i lenses. He talks about look, lenses, cameras: “We used the MONSTRO instead of the HELIUM because it had a cleaner look in low light scenes. But the most important reason was because we shot in 4K 2:1 aspect ratio with Cooke Anamorphic 2x squeeze S35 lenses. This allowed us to take advantage of the MONSTRO 8K VV sensor’s full 21.60 mm height. And, FDTimes talks about the math behind this.” read more…
Claire Mathon AFC wins César 2020 Best Cinematography
Claire Mathon AFC won the Best Cinematography award at the Césars last night. The Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma (like the French Oscars) honored her for her work on “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” FDTimes article about the film here. Tags: Claire Mathon AFC, Large Format, RED MONSTRO 8K VV, Leitz Thalia primes, Preston LR2 Light Ranger… read more…
Kazuto Yamaki, SIGMA CEO
Here is a discussion with SIGMA CEO Kazuto Yamaki from last September.
He referred to the new SIGMA fp as “deconstructing a digital camera: “I’m always monitoring how professionals and enthusiasts use cameras. And, I became aware that they often use several different cameras depending on the occasion. For example, still photographers sometimes use a cinema camera, professional people use a smartphone or action cam, etc. Then, I thought it would be nice if we deconstructed the essence of each type of digital camera.” read more…
Silence of the Tides
Pieter-Rim de Kroon is an award-winning director, cinematographer and producer. He just completed Silence of the Tides, an epic feature documentary on which he was director, co-writer and second cameraman. The film is scheduled for release in mid 2020.
Pieter-Rim describes Silence of the Tides as “a cinematic portrait of the largest tidal wetlands in the world, the Wadden Sea. It’s a hypnotizing large screen look into the cycles and contrasts of the seasons: life and death, storm and silence, the masses and the individual. All this is set against a larger than life backdrop of sky, water, wind, mist and constantly changing light.” read more…
Paul Cameron ASC on “21 Bridges”
21 Bridges is a story about a New York Police Detective in pursuit of two suspected cop killers as all 21 bridges of Manhattan are closed to traffic. The film takes place over the course of about 14 hours. Paul Cameron ASC used Sony VENICE and Scorpio FFA 2x — Full Frame Anamorphics. read more…
AFC Micro Salon Paris 2020
Paris is always a good idea. Despite strikes by train workers, pickets closing the Louvre, 2-hour taxi rides from the airport — the automated, driver-less, seemingly strike-proof Metro connected Château-de-Vincennes to central Paris. This was the second year for AFC Micro Salon in the spacious Parc Floral event space. read more…
ARRI Burbank Lens Tech Wanted
ARRI Inc. is looking for an experienced Lens Service Technician at their new, state-of-the-art service center in Burbank, California. This is a full-time position: responsible for repairs of ARRI, ZEISS and other professional cine lenses. Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following: Performing repairs Evaluating the performance, condition and quality control of new and used cine lenses Troubleshooting and identifying… read more…
FDTimes Micro Salon 2020 Edition
A complimentary print edition of Film and Digital Times issue 99-F will be at the AFC Micro Salon in Paris on January 16-17.
This is an abridged 28-page version of the complete worldwide online edition (February 2020, issue 99)– available as a free download for a limited time.
(Shown at left.) read more…
Band Pro Open House 2019
Band Pro’s annual Open House was open on Thursday, December 12, 2019 from 1 to 8 pm at their Burbank Headquarters. A magnificent, storm-proof, waterproof tent was erected. It had a raised floor to protect against the rising flood waters of previous years. Of course, the weather was sunny and beautiful. Dean Semler, ASC, ACS was the guest of honor…. read more…
Tags: Band Pro Open House 2019
