» Posts Tagged ‘hdslr’
On the right: the just-announced Canon Cinema EOS C300. But this shot from the Engadget live blog very clearly shows a DSLR on the left — with the “C” logo that indicates it’s a Cinema EOS camera. But the new EOS-1D X that we’ve seen (so far at least) doesn’t have that logo. So what is it, a 5D Mark III? Will the production 1D X have the logo, and if so what exactly delineates “Cinema”? UPDATE: turns out it’s a new full frame DSLR “under development” that offers “4K video,” which I’m interpreting to mean the same kind of “4K” as the C300 — right? I mean, why would they let a presumably cheaper DSLR upstage their historic movie camera? Either way, here’s a better picture and the press release: More »
Dan Chung sat down with Canon’s Mike Burnhill to get a look at the video features of the Canon EOS-1D X. Compared to earlier hands-on looks at the camera, this one is much mor focused on the video features we’re all wondering about: aliasing, rolling shutter, codec, time code, audio, and HDMI out. Despite the fact that Canon isn’t letting footage out of its grasp yet, Dan asks all the pertinent questions, as you’d expect given he’s one of the forefathers of HDSLR video. Here’s his 15-minute look at the 1D X: More »
It’s one thing to create a giant, body-ensconcing DSLR costume for halloween. It’s another matter entirely, however, to make a human-sized DSLR — a Nikon D3, in this case — that actually works. Tyler Card did just that, as his DSLR costume comes with a working shutter release, flash, and LCD monitor. Yes, despite being made out of cardboard, a bucket, and a lot of black paint, it actually takes pictures and displays them on the (sizable) rear LCD screen. Good luck shooting without permits with this puppy! Here it is in action: More »
Since Canon announced their new flagship DSLR, the EOS-1D X, I haven’t had much luck finding video samples from the camera. Thanks to Engadget there’s a hands-on video below, which demonstrates the size of the camera (like all 1D cameras, it’s much larger than the 5D form factor). But as far as sample videos go I’ve only seen one to date — please share in the comments if you’ve seen others! The sample video is embedded below, and there is a 960×540 version at the Canon Japan site as well. As far as promo videos go, this is a strange one: More »
Canon today announced their new top-of-the-line DSLR, the EOS 1D X. Merging their various 1D models into “one D to rule them all,” the full frame, 18 megapixel, 14FPS still shooter brings a lot of new features to the table as a still camera (gigabit Ethernet, dual CF cards, increased ISO range) and the first significant video updates to Canon’s HDSLR line since the 5D and 7D era. The 1D X records at the same 1080p frame rates as previous Canon HDSLRs, but offers new compression options including an intraframe codec, reduced moire, timecode embedding, longer single take time of 30 minutes, and adjustable (during a take) manual audio levels. This is all thanks to Dual DIGIC 5+ image and data processors (all HDSLRs since the Canon 5D Mark II have been based on the DIGIC 4). The 1D X will ship in March for $6,800, after which we can assume (and hope) that the DIGIC 5 features will migrate down to lower-end HDSLRs. First, let’s take a look at the video part of the 1D X press release: More »
Pomfort makes a number of interesting Mac tools for DSLR and indie filmmakers. I went to their site to check out DSLR Log2Video Plugin, a $29 plugin for working with DSLR footage shot with Canon’s CineStyle picture profile. The plugin is a part of the $129 Silverstack LT H.264, which I found myself evaluating as a tool for offloading and backing up DSLR-originated projects. Silverstack LT is, in turn, the limited version of the $825 data wrangling workflow aid Silverstack SET, which adds advanced features and support for the ARRI ALEXA and RED cameras. Then I found myself checking out their MamboFrame, which turns an iPad into real, physical clapper sticks — it’s not just an app: More »
An Hour of Free Video Training on DSLR Post-Production in Adobe's Creative Suite
You’d think with my fundraising campaign going down to the wire that I’d be too busy to find and post helpful content here on NoFilmSchool. But no! I want to help you and I hope you’ll help me in return! Here’s a five-part tutorial from Richard Harrington on a DSLR-based workflow in Adobe Creative Suite. This is not super advanced, nor is it riveting stuff, but hey — it’s a screencast. And if you’re new to the Adobe’s Creative Suite or if you’re switching from another NLE — perhaps because CS5.5 is still 50% off for Final Cut Pro or Avid editors? — this is a nice “getting started” overview of working with DSLR footage in Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, and Audition: More »
I love the smell of fresh aliasing in the morning! Video/DSLR maven (and Man-child backer!) Philip Bloom first broke the news of the VAF-5D2 optical anti-aliasing filter for the Canon 5D Mark II, a $375 filter that promises to fix pesky moire issues on the venerable Canon DSLR. Now he’s got a full review of the filter (I have one on order, as I think it could extend the life of my 5D), which causes a negligible 1/8 stop of light loss: More »
In addition to the free official Technicolor CineStyle picture style, there is now a paid picture style for trying to get a narrative film look with Canon DSLRs. The CINEMA picture style is priced at $19 and promises to retain highlight detail while providing a more “analog” aesthetic than the default settings. Here are its selling points: More »
In addition to the A77, A65, NEX-7 and NEX-VG20, Sony will also soon be shipping the $600 NEX-5N, a diminutive, low-cost hybrid camera with an APS-C sensor. Despite the lack of a mirror (thus making the NEX-5N not a DSLR, technically), this camera should be capable of the same shallow depth-of-field images that have popularized HDSLRs, and a few sites have gotten their hands on it for testing purposes. Note that some of these videos follow the standard tradeshow practice of camera manufacturers: bring in female models to a predominantly male world in order to show “skin tones.” I’m not judging, just saying. To the tests: More »
Ever since those iPod Nano watches raised almost a million dollars on Kickstarter, it’s been clear that crowdfunding campaigns like helping an indie filmmaker make his first feature film pale in comparison to efforts where backers are simply pre-buying a cool gizmo. An alarmingly small percentage of the population is buying or renting movies, and it follows that it’s harder to persuade folks to back a project if the only reward is a DVD — thus my effort to also send the unique frames of Man-child to backers, so they’ll receive a more personalized reward for helping make it a reality. Okay, back to the gizmos, as this one’s very cool: CineSkates are a set of custom-designed rollerblade wheels paired with a Joby Gorillapod Focus tripod that allow for some very cool low-angle shots with an HDSLR. Check out the Kickstarter campaign, which reached its funding goal in a single day and still has over a month to go: More »
As part of a guy’s night out I saw the new Conan: the Barbarian the other night and it was honestly the first time I found myself thinking in a theater, “this is soft — I could really do with a 4K image.” It was also the first time I thought, “I bet my five year-old nephew could write this.” But then I read an honest and insightful post by screenwriter Sean Hood on Quora, and the behind-the-scenes answer (especially with three credited screenwriters) is never as simple as “it was badly written.” Getting back to the first thought about 4K, however, internet TV show Film Riot asks the question: once compressed for the web, how different are the RED EPIC and Canon 5D Mark II? Of course there’s a big difference in the theater, but how about on your laptop? More »
Sony has announced several new hybrid still/video cameras, and they’ve got a number of innovative features to go with impressive specs. The flagship camera, the $1,399 A77, might just be the first significant new camera in the HDSLR market in quite some time — if it delivers on its numbers. First off, the 24MP camera goes from 1080p/24p all the way up to 1080p/60p (NTSC models; PAL cameras go up to 50p) and is based around the newer AVCHD 2.0 standard (which ranges from 17Mbps up to 28Mbps). The A65 and NEX7 use the same APS-C sized sensor and retain these same specs. Sony’s bringing a number of intriguing new features to the table as well. More »
Yesterday Philip Bloom dropped a bombshell on the HDSLR world, announcing that he’d found a filter that claims to fix most aliasing problems on his 5d Mark II — and that actually works. Earlier solutions have caused a loss of sharpness or didn’t work at all, whereas this $385 optical filter seems to genuinely eliminate moire on most lenses. Check it out: More »
I won’t be surprised if you’ve already seen these, given the first short here has 3.3 million views at the time of this posting. Not bad for a couple of short commercials sponsored by STA Australia and shot on the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D. This triumvirate of travel videos covers 3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, and a terabyte of footage, and are based on concepts of “movement, learning and food.” Here they are: More »
The internets seem to believe this rumor’s real, so here we go: reports are that Sony will make an official announcement on August 24th about their next lineup of DSLRs and large-chip camcorders, which will come with a laundry list of much-requested features. With a lack of significant new HDSLR features from Canon and Nikon in quite some time, Sony’s new features are even more welcome: namely, full 1080p at 60/50/25/24p with full manual controls. More »
Captain America: The First Avenger, which is getting somewhat favorable reviews, is the latest blockbuster to utilize HDSLRs in “many” of its action shots. Similarly to Iron Man 2, the Canon 5D Mark II was employed for use in POV shots during action sequences — in Captain America’s case, a car chase and high-speed motorcycle pursuit. More »
Remember that DSLR-shot feature that won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and was aquired by Paramount for $4 million? Like Crazy, shot on a Hot Rod PL-mount Canon 7D, opens October 28th. Here’s the newly released trailer, starring Star Trek’s Anton Yelchin and Sundance Special Jury Prize winner Felicity Jones: More »
The trailer for Lucasfilm’s WWII fighter pilot drama Red Tails has been released, and the big budget, Sony F35-shot picture looks… well, not that enthralling, in my opinion. But there’s something of interest for low-budget DSLR shooters: at least five shots in the trailer were shot on a DSLR, according Philip Bloom, who was a second unit DSLR DP and camera operator on the film. Watch the trailer in HD and see if you can tell which shots were shot on DSLRs (specifically, the Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 7D, and Canon 1D Mark IV): More »
Vincent Laforet has been up to great things lately with his blog, from shooting with RED EPIC to covering roundtrip editing between FCP 7 and Premiere. Along with Richard Harrington, Vincent has posted an hour-long tutorial on his complete RED and HDSLR workflow in Premiere Pro: More »
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Abersouth: Wow. Meant Raising Arizona. Not sure how I let Fargo slip into that. 'Incident on Marmont Ave,' One of the First Canon 5D Mark III Shorts