Mounting Questions: Please Reply
At high noon on September 22, representatives of many of the world’s prominent lens companies convened in Sigma’s meeting room at Photokina. The idea was to discuss what might happen for the next generation of full frame (24×36 mm) cine cameras and lenses. Could there be a common lens mount. Please read this discussion and let us know your opinions. read more…
Tags: Cine Lens Meeting, Cine Lens Mounts, E-Mount, EF Mount, FDTimes, Full Frame, FZ, Lens Mounts, PL, PV Mount
RED 8K HELIUM Super35mm Cameras
RED Digital Cinema starts shipping two new Super35 8K HELIUM Sensor Cameras today. RED WEAPON 8K S35 is the top-of-the line model featuring the new HELIUM sensor. The body is carbon fiber, in a shade close to dark end of a Technicolor gray scale. It shoots 8K (8192×4320) up to 60 fps, with data rates to 300 MB/s and 5:1 REDCODE RAW at full 8K 24 fps. This model offers a sensor upgrade path to RED DRAGON 8K VV sensor when available. RED EPIC-W 8K S35 comes in a black magnesium and aluminum alloy body. It has the same HELIUM sensor as the WEAPON 8K S35, shoots 8K (8192×4320) up to 30 fps, with data rates to 275 MB/s and 6:1 REDCODE RAW at full 8K 24 fps. Both models let you grab 35.4 megapixel stills from the 8K video. read more…
Tags: 8K S35 Camera, FDTimes, Helium, Red, Red Digital Cinema
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…
Tags: Alexa XT, ARRI, ARRI ALEXA SXT, ARRIRAW, high dynamic range
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…
Tags: dmg lumiere, led lights, lumiere, sl1 light, sl1 switch
Behind a Kiss in Cinema
Camera and lens designers, cinematographers, directors, rental managers, producers–plan a trip to the French Cinematheque in Paris. This is the most important, historical exhibition about the technique and technology of cinema from October 6 – Jan 29, 2017. Any questions about format, ergonomics, shape, pristine vs distressed images are revealed here. Larger formats? Two years after the birth of 35mm cinema, we… read more…
Art Criste, Rental Manager at Clairmont
Art Criste has joined Clairmont Camera Hollywood as the new Rental Manager. Art has worked for more than 25 years in the motion picture industry. He was a freelance 1st AC and then camera operator. He filmed Superbowls XXXI to present for NFL Films and Ultimate Pictures. Art also was an Associate Producer, Production Manager and Rental Manager — in other words, he has lots of industry experience. At Clairmont, Art will handle equipment scheduling and coordination between clients and additional offices, take care of client services, and more. read more…
Tags: Art Criste, Clairmont Camera
AbelCine Chicago Fall Expo
10/8/16
AbelCine Chicago Fall Expo: Gear, Demos, Hands-on time, Lectures
AbelCine’s Fall Tech Expo returns on October 8. It is a free, all-day event. Like last year, the Fall Tech Expo at AbelCine provides hands-on, ECU time with all the latest gear that was announced at NAB, Cinegear, and IBC — and more. The day’s activities will include: Gear Manufacturers will set up in AbelCine’s Chicago Learning Point area, with the latest gear from Canon, Panasonic, Teradek, IDX, ARRI,… read more…
Tags: AbelCine, AbelCine Chicago
The Machines of Cinema
10/5/16 – 1/29/17
The Machines of Cinema Exhibition: At the French Cinematheque in Paris
La Cinémathèque française in Paris exhibition “From Méliès to 3D: the Machines of Cinema” runs from Oct 5, 2016 – Jan 29, 2017. LA CINÉMATHÈQUE FRANÇAISE 51 rue de Bercy 75012 Paris
Leica Portugal
Leica Portugal is an easy half-hour drive north of the beautiful city of Porto. A whimsical Leica M-like gatehouse greets the visitor. Beyond is the modern factory, the size of several football fields, where many of Leica’s cameras, lenses and sport optics are made. It’s one of the most high-tech, impeccable places in the industry, with a highly skilled, enthusiastic workforce. Some… read more…
Tags: Leica Portugal, Porto
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…
Tags: bolt rx 3000, bolt tx 3000, teredek, transmitters
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…
Tags: ZEISS, zeiss loxia, zeiss loxia 2.4/85
Lello in Porto: Harry Potter Bookstore
JK Rowling roamed here. The Harry Potter author frequented Livraria Lello when she taught English in Porto, Portugal. It is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world and certainly inspired not only Rowling but also set designers and the hundreds of tourists who swarm the fantastic spiral staircase and aisles. There’s a book trolley on tracks that looks like a Gringotts cart… read more…
Medium Format the New 35mm?
Medium Format for Still Photography cropped up as a major theme at Photokina 2016 in Cologne. This is the world’s largest photo trade fair in the world. It’s helpful for cineastes to watch what’s happening in the still world. After all, as Godard said, “The cinema is truth 24 frames-per-second,” and the original RED concept was the recognition that a digital motion picture… read more…
Tags: Medium Format, photokina
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…
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…
Leica Noctilux 50mm F/0.95 M 0.8
Leica M 0.8 Leica Format (Full Frame 24x36mm) 50mm Noctilux pre-production model shown at Cinec. Iris scale is now nicely beveled.
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…
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…
Full Frame & S35 Lenses at IBC
Full Frame was careening inexorably down the corridors of IBC like the stagecoach in the opening of The Hateful Eight. But a curious thing was afoot. IBC was packed with a plethora of Full Frame cine lenses. But there was a perplexing paucity of Full Frame cine cameras. What’s going on here? Why was the cart before the horse? read more…
Tags: FDTimes, FFDTimes, Film and Digital Times, Formats, Full Frame, Large Format, S35
Canon C700 Possible to Expand to Full Frame, 18×24, S35 and other Formats
Update. It seems that the new Canon Cinema EOS C700 camera has been designed from the outset with additional sensors in mind. This may include Full Height S35 18×24 mm, Full Frame 24×36, VistaVision, and possibly other formats. It will most likely depend on feedback from users, rental houses, cinematographers and camera crews. This is not an official announcement from Canon. But… read more…
Tags: C700, Canon Cinema EOS C700, FDTimes
