nofilmschool » abelcine

NAB Video: AbelCine Lens Doublers and the 4K Future

Micah Van Hove — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:13:50 +0000

FreshDV gets the scoop as Mitch Gross shows off these new optical adapters, including adapters for B4 Mount lenses utilizing the new Universal Mount System. Watch the video below for details, and listen to discussion about the future of 4K imagery: (more…)

NAB Video: AbelCine Phantom Flex 4K

Ryan Koo — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:25:28 +0000

The Phantom Flex4K is the upgraded version of Vision Research’s Flex high-speed monster, designed to be production-ready with form factor improvements, audio options, and the ability to record to compressed formats. Check out the pyromaniac-friendly debut short and our interview, co-presented with FreshDV: (more…)

AbleCine EXPO: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About On-Board Monitors

Robert Hardy — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:21:01 +0000

On-board monitors might not be among the sexiest pieces of gear on set, but they are definitely among the most useful. Whether they’re used as a reference for a camera assistant or a dolly grip, the camera operator isn’t able to use the eyepiece, or you’ve got a director who likes to hover behind the camera, on-board monitors have become essential to the filmmaking process in the digital age. But with so many different monitoring technologies, and with just as many options for these monitors in the marketplace, deciding which on-board monitor is right for your next production can be a downright daunting task. Luckily for us, AbelCine has our back. (more…)

Tutorials Galore: Dailies in DaVinci Resolve, CinemaDNG to ACES Conversion, Plus What's a LUT?

Dave Kendricken — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:29:11 +0000

Ever asked yourself, “What in the f#$% is a LUT?!” Or what a LUT’s relationship is with color space? Or what a color space is? If “yes,” not to worry — these concepts can be fairly confusing. Fortunately, engineering can and will work for you as an artist, so long as your understanding of it covers the fundamentals. And even if you answered “no” to all the above, you should still check out some of outstanding basic-breakdowns of these concepts below — including how to convert CinemaDNG footage into the Academy Color Encoding Spec color space (ACES) in Davinci Resolve, plus how to use that very program to generate dailies (like a boss). (more…)

AbelCine Combines Professional and Consumer Tech for Its Wireless Video Solution

Joe Marine — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 03:23:51 +0000

Wireless monitoring is often a very expensive proposition, but in the last few years it really has been consumer technology that has brought down the price significantly. While there have been many new interesting wireless solutions over the past few years (like some of those from Teradek), many people still want a simple plug and play wireless device that is completely self-contained. Over at AbelCine, they are utilizing consumer technology and adding in some professional tools to make a wireless video solution fit into literally any workflow. Check out the video below as Mitch Gross takes us through the AbelCine Wireless Video Solution. (more…)

Creating Arri Alexa Dailies with the Sound Devices PIX 240

Joe Marine — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:04:23 +0000

While many productions choose the Arri Alexa for its superior dynamic range, sensitivity, and color rendition, having the ability to record to high quality ProRes can mean faster turnaround times with a workflow that is already a standard. Any production that will rely on color correction will usually choose a log profile, but this also means that unless you do some sort of correction, the files will be very flat. Since the Alexa can output both log and standard gamma profiles, you can use an external recorder like the Sound Devices PIX 240 to record proxy files with a standrad gamma profile. The new 2.01 firmware for the 240 gives it the ability receive timecode and have identical file names to the internally recorded files from the Alexa, so those can be matched up perfectly when you want to re-link files later for color grading. Andy Shipsides from AbelCine gives a walk-through of that process in this video: (more…)

Sony Adds Free S-Log to All F3 Cameras in New Firmware Update

Joe Marine — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 01:37:14 +0000

Sony, in a move that will either please or anger some F3 owners, is releasing S-Log for free in a new firmware update. While they had decided to make it free with all new F3 cameras back in March, it still cost money for those who hadn’t purchased it yet. Now it’s going to be free to anyone that wants it. Before you send angry emails to Sony, they’ve limited the free S-Log to 4:2:2, so you’ll still need to purchase it if you want the full 4:4:4. If you’ve been thinking about an F3 purchase, there has never been a better time than the present. Here is AbelCine’s Andy Shipsides with a video discussing the new update and how it affects the overall camera system: (more…)

Want a Specific Look with Your FS100? Try These New Scene Files from AbelCine

Joe Marine — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00:26 +0000

The Sony FS100 is a fantastic large sensor video camera for the money, but one of the chief criticisms is that its highlight roll-off is less than pleasant. If you’re trying to squeeze as much dynamic range out of that camera as possible, your options are limited, as it does not provide any sort of log mode like its big brother the Sony F3. By utilizing scene files, we can make the most of the limited color space and dynamic range. Andy Shipsides, who is an essential resource for all things color profiles and crop factors, recently updated his custom scene files for the FS100. (more…)

The Numbers Are In: the Sony F3 S-Log Firmware Upgrades its Dynamic Range to 13.5 Stops

Ryan Koo — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:40:39 +0000

Sony’s paid S-Log upgrade for its F3 camcorder has been out in the wild for a while now, but to date no one has released a scientific test of how much extra dynamic range the $3,600 upgrade adds to the camera. Abel Cine has just done so, and they find the firmware takes the camcorder from from 12 to 13.5 stops (which is awfully close to ARRI ALEXA territory — and that camera costs $75k). Here’s the test: (more…)

A Look at the Sony FS100's Dynamic Range

Ryan Koo — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:01:21 +0000

Abel Cine continues their helpful camera tests on their blog with an insightful look at the dynamic range of the post-HDSLR Sony FS100 camcorder. They find the camera gets a respectable 11.5 stops, which according to similar tests is the same as the Sony F3 and Canon DSLRs like the 5D Mark II. They also look at the different CinemaTone settings, which are the customizable knee settings in the FS100. Along with pro audio inputs and interchangeable lens mounts, these settings help separate it from its cheaper HDSLR brethren: (more…)

The Sony FS100 Goes Up to 16,000 ISO

Ryan Koo — Tue, 31 May 2011 04:05:18 +0000

The folks at AbelCine have put the prosumer Sony FS100 through the same tests to which they subjected its professional cousin, the Sony F3, and have discovered some interesting things. First of all, it seems the FS100 gets about 10 stops of dynamic range as opposed to the F3′s 12 stops. But the FS100 has higher sensitivity settings, which let it reach the equivalent of an astounding 16,000 ISO. Here’s the chart that AbelCine came up with, to translate Sony’s video-centric “db gain” settings to the filmic ISO rating to which many are more accustomed: (more…)

AbelCine Releases Ten Custom Sony F3 Scene Files

Ryan Koo — Tue, 24 May 2011 02:00:12 +0000

The Sony F3 has a wealth of image adjustment options, befitting its pro price tag. Users can create custom scene files and upload them via SxS card, and while I’m sure we’ll be seeing hundreds of custom styles released in the coming months (none of which have any effect should you shoot in the upgradeable S-Log mode), AbelCine is the first to my knowledge to release ten styles of their own: (more…)