» Posts Tagged ‘gear’
Shane Hurlbut used a helmet cam extensively in his new film Act of Valor, but the advantage of being a Hollywood Director of Photography is that other people can build these sorts of gadgets for you. In the independent world, we’ve got to work a little harder, and a little cheaper, so thankfully we’ve got the people at DakaKin to give us a tutorial on making your very own helmet cam that will work with any DSLR-sized camera or smaller. More »
Atomos Unveils the Ninja 2 External Recorder with 800 X 480 Resolution Screen and HDMI Pass-through
At the recent NAB show, Atomos, the popular external recorder company who made a splash with the Ninja, introduced an updated version called the Ninja 2. Along with the new 3.0 version of their operating system, Atomos has made metadata a priority, much like the new Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Tagging clips is an essential part of the new OS, and I had a chance to talk with Matt Ivey from Atomos about the Ninja 2 as well as other products, including the very handy Connect HD-SDI and HDMI pass-through converters. More »
The new 6K Dragon Sensor isn’t the only thing RED is announcing at NAB — far from it. While the Dragon upgrade is aptly-named after a mythical creature — and will remain so until its spec sheet becomes a reality — some of these other RED announcements are actual products. Others, like their 4K Laser Projector, continue their wildly ambitious streak of announcements long preceding actual availability. More »
Geared what? In case you don’t know, a geared head is a tripod head that lets you perform precision, fluid pans and tilts. It’s the big brother to your more common friction and fluid heads, the kind of head bigger budgeted films will use to achieve their camera moves. Now, these things are usually pretty expensive — they are designed for much heavier cameras. But CPM Camera Rigs has recently started offering a smaller, relatively cheaper, geared head aimed at HDSLR filmmakers — the CPMhead. Want to see one in action? Check this out: More »
I saw some nifty rigs from edelkrone at last year’s NAB, and while I haven’t done any real-world shooting with their products, their latest rig caught my eye: the aptly-named Pocket Rig claims to be the “World’s Most Compact and Light DSLR Rig.” Here’s the release video: More »
A quick roundup of some of the latest video tools — last one before the new year. More »
There are a couple of USB follow focus controllers out there — the Okii FC1 and Helmsman come to mind — but not all controllers are follow focuses. Instead, some simply let you start/stop recording, adjust exposure, and change settings. Here’s a preview from HD Cam Team of the Okii MC1 USB controller (though at the time of the video the brand had yet to be revealed): More »
Catching up all the latest video software and hardware news (here’s part one): More »
“Need” is perhaps a strong word, but a matte box serves two purposes: one, to cut down on unwanted lens flares; two, to allow for easily changeable filters in front of your lens. You may not need one; it depends on how you feel about lens flares, whether you’re planning on using filtration, and how high-profile you can afford to be if you’re on a guerrilla production (a matte box screams “real film” more than perhaps any other accessory, which I suspect is why a large portion of filmmakers run around with one attached: to look legit). Here with a nice, brief video of real-world examples of these issues is accessory manufacturer Cinevate: More »
I missed a lot of new DSLR and video gear over the last few weeks, so let’s do a roundup: More »
Director’s viewfinders are the lens-looking things you often see hanging around the neck of big-time directors. What are they? Essentially they are small, lightweight optics that allows the director to frame a shot using the correct focal length, film size, and aspect ratio — without having to maneuver the whole (heavy, expensive) camera rig into place. Most kinds of VFs won’t give you an accurate simulation of the depth-of-field of the image, but you can walk around and find the framing of the shot-to-be. Here’s a look from FreshDV’s Matt Jeppsen at the benefits of using one: More »
I was supposed to post this a week ago, but you know how Real Life can be. So here, better late than never, is my second (and final) roundup of all the filmmaking gadgetry shown at Cine Gear 2011 (part one is here). This time, let’s check out a whole bunch of stuff from Cinevate, D | Focus, Sekonic, and more. More »
One of the main differences between cameras costing >$10k and cheaper HD/DSLR camcorders is the recording codec. Out of necessity (or simply because manufacturers want to differentiate their lineups), the cheaper cameras generally ship with a lossy compression scheme that doesn’t hold up as well to color correction. The solution is an external recorder (provided your camera has a good HDMI or HD-SDI output), and the Aja Ki Pro Mini is a nicely-sized $2k recorder that uses Apple ProRes (pictured next to its bigger brother, the Ki Pro). The Ki Pro Mini has been out for a few months but it’s been fairly hard to find in terms of availability, and now it’s in stock at B&H Photo. For anyone who’s been thinking of upgrading their current rig with an external recorder, the Mini is a top candidate; here’s a review at ProVideo Coalition, and here’s a video overview from AbelCine: More »
I’ve been keen on Redrock Micro’s microRemote powered follow focus system since it was first announced at least year’s NAB. Redrock makes all manner of DSLR accessories, but their suite of follow focus products could be a breakthrough both feature- and price-wise when they make it to the market later this summer. When I visited the Redrock booth the futuristic iPhone controller was on its way down, but it wasn’t the fancy remote I was interested in: it was the $95 wired finger control that I wanted to get my hands on. Here’s a look at the complete device in action from HDSLR Shooter: More »
NAB Roundup: Monitor/Field Recorders from Atomos, Sound Devices, Convergent Design, and Blackmagic
As large-sensor cameras at all price points become more prevalent, one of the most limiting factors to the image quality is the native video codec used for compression. Many of us are used to DSLR codecs that may hold up initially, only to fall apart during color correction (some codecs don’t even hold up very well initially, except for viewing on the web). One way to overcome this limitation is to buy a much more expensive camera with superior recording options, like a RED or ARRI ALEXA. Another way to overcome the same codec issue is to pair an external recorder with a cheaper camera. Here’s a roundup of the field recorders I saw on display at NAB. More »
ikan had one of the more visible booths at NAB thanks to the extremely bright yellow shirts worn by all of their reps, in conjunction with the plethora of LED lights lining the booth. I knew about their DSLR support systems, but I didn’t know that they’ve been expanding into all areas of production equipment, as they were showing off on-camera lights, table-top dollies, bags, and monitors — both of the on-camera variety (their $1k 1024×600 VX7e monitor won a Videomaker best in show award) and the studio kind, with their acquisition of the ultra high-end Cinemáge monitor line. More »
I was a bit overwhelmed by all the gear on display at Cinevate’s well-trafficked NAB booth, especially given I don’t have the faintest clue about camera sliders. Better, then, to let the guys at FreshDV walk you through the Simplis DSLR rig, Atlas DSLR slider, new LED lights, and the Cyclops Viewfinder that will, packaged with a Sony monitor, soon join the other EVFs I saw at the show. If you don’t feel a need to keep one eye free, the Cyclops has a unique (and very clear) viewport that immerses you more along the lines of that dude from Star Trek than a traditional one-eye viewfinder. Here’s what they were showing at their booth: More »
I’ve mentioned the AJA Ki Pro Mini ($2,000) and Nanoflash ($3,000) in the past as the new kids on the block when it comes to compact field recorders. However, there’s a startup by the name of Atomos who is now shipping a $995 field recorder. The Atomos Ninja records an HDMI output direct to ProRes (HQ, 422, or LT), and despite its lower price, it also offers a touch LCD screen. Here’s a look at the announcement of the Atomos a few months ago from UrbanFox.tv: More »
Most shooters don’t put together a camera package all from one source, but for anyone who shoots with a DSLR or video camera, which store have you bought the most equipment from?
(poll closed)
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