» Posts Tagged ‘zacuto’
Lighting does more than just expose your image. It’s one of the very basic tools that filmmakers have at their disposal to create an atmosphere for their story. While you need a certain quantity of light to give your movie the proper exposure, it’s actually the quality of the light that creates the look for your film. If you’re looking for a basic lesson in the differences between hard light and soft light, and what they can do for your image, look no further than the tutorial below. More »
At NAB this year, Zacuto introduced their PlaZma 1×1, which is brighter and softer than equivalent 1×1 LEDs. The new light uses relatively new charged microplasma technology, which is also being used in products from companies like Hive lighting. They were originally set to release the light by the summer, but production has been held up so that color rendition and reliability could be improved, and it looks like the light will begin shipping early next year. Here is a video interview with Steve Weiss from Zacuto about the light — the PlaZma light portion is at the end (click forward to around 7:40): More »
A lot has been said about Zacuto’s Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 — on this site as well as on many others. Almost everyone who could weigh in has weighed in, and the positives and negatives of such a subjective/objective test have really been argued ad nauseam. Now that all three parts of the shootout are available to download in full 1080p rather than just streaming, you can watch the test in the best quality possible (besides being in a theater, of course). We’d like to put forward to NoFilmSchool readers, if you’ve already seen the original test, what is your favorite scene now that you’ve had some time to think about it — and maybe even watch it a few more times (in full quality)? Is your favorite scene affected by what you know about the lighting circumstances or the objective test in the third part? Would you choose a camera solely on the subjective test or the objective test? More »
Zacuto has been getting quite a bit of coverage lately thanks to their controversial (or not, depends on who you ask) Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012. That particular shootout saw relatively inexpensive cameras go up against the best in the business in both a creative and empirical test. Besides being a rental house, Zacuto also makes a ton of rigs and support gear for cameras, and they’ve come up with some interesting designs for the much-anticipated Blackmagic Cinema Camera (which is hopefully less than two weeks away). Check out the video below featuring Steve Weiss and Jens Bogehegn. More »
Part 3 of the Zacuto Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 is finally here after parts 1 and 2 were released in June and July. In those two parts, there was a very strong emphasis on the creative choices for each camera and the way each scene was lit. Since the directors of photography and the colorists were all given equal time to do what they needed to do, the final product relied just as much on the the shooters as it did on the cameras. The original lighting setup, however, was kept consistent in order to achieve an empirical test that would show off the true capabilities of each camera. We already know who you picked in the subjective test, but who will be the winner in the objective test? More »
Every single Zacuto shootout — and really all camera shootouts for that matter — seem to cause quite a debate. Feelings tend to be hurt if someone’s personal favorite isn’t near the top of the pack, and often more than one individual is unhappy with the way the test is being conducted or shown to the public. I was lucky enough to see the 2012 shootout in person, and while web video will never replicate the theater experience, my favorite scenes weren’t too far off from the majority of viewers — except in regards to the GH2 scene. That scene, to the surprise of many, just so happened to win a blind poll on NoFilmSchool right before part 2 was released. While the first two parts dealt with subjective choices, part 3 should finally reveal the empirical test where each camera is compared objectively. Check out the trailer below. More »
The Zaucto Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 has, like most Zacuto shootouts, caused quite a stir among professionals and amateurs alike. Many chose specific cameras in Part 1 that were finally revealed in Part 2, and we actually conducted our own poll before Part 2 was released that showed what the audience felt was the best scene. While surprising to some (and not to many others), the Panasonic GH2 was selected as the top scene followed by the Arri Alexa and Sony F65. The fact that a camera under $1,000 is even in the same league as two cameras well over $50,000 speaks to how far digital technology has come in the last 5 years. If you haven’t seen Part 2, it’s finally embeddable (below) and downloadable, and if you go to Vimeo, you can get the full 3.2GB 1080p file. More »
Now that part two of Zacuto’s Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout is out, we know which camera was which in our poll. Several hundred voters ranked their top choices among the Apple iPhone 4S, Panasonic GH2 (Hacked), Canon 7D, Canon C300, Sony FS100, Sony F3, Sony F65, RED Epic, and Arri Alexa. One response got over twice as many votes as the 2nd place finisher — see which here: More »
There’s no question that any material Zacuto releases about cameras is going to create a stir. Actually, anytime anyone releases anything about cameras people usually get very defensive if their favorite camera isn’t at the top of the list. We already ran a poll about which cameras were the favorite for NoFilmSchool readers, and if you happened to be at the shootout in person at one of the screenings, the results are pretty interesting. I’ve already given my thoughts on the shootout, and today with the release of Part Two, you’ll be able to finally match up your favorite scenes with what cameras they were shot on. Check out a trailer below: More »
A couple weeks ago Zacuto released their Revenge of The Great Camera Shootout, which pitted the Apple iPhone 4S, Panasonic GH2 (Hacked), Canon 7D, Canon C300, Sony FS100, Sony F3, Sony F65, RED Epic, and Arri Alexa against each other. This year, however, there was a twist — they didn’t tell you which was which. I ran a poll asking folks which camera they liked the most, and with over 600 responses here are the results, by camera letter: More »
Following a series of in-person screenings around the world, this year’s installment of Zacuto’s Emmy-winning series The Great Camera Shootout is finally available online. The shootout puts the Apple iPhone 4S, Panasonic GH2 (Hacked), Canon 7D, Canon C300, Sony FS100, Sony F3, Sony F65, RED Epic, and Arri Alexa through their paces in a slightly different format than previous years — this time, each camera’s respective DP was allowed to change the lighting to simulate optimal conditions for that particular camera, but they’re providing a “blind” test for the first episode. UPDATE: I’ve added a poll for those who have watched the test. Choose which ones you like the most and we’ll find out which is which in episode two! More »
A tremendous amount of time is spent perfecting the Zacuto shootouts, and if you haven’t seen what went into the Revenge of the Great Camera Shooutout 2012, you should watch the behind-the-scenes immediately. The documentary is going to be split into three parts, with part one being released tomorrow, June 15th. I didn’t have a chance to see the RGCSO (as Zacuto calls it in acronym form) at NAB because the showings were cancelled, but thankfully they’ve been showing them around the country and I was finally able to attend. More »
While I was excited to see the Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout at NAB, it was not to be, as there were some technical issues, and the screenings were cancelled for the entire week. As many of you know, Zacuto has done a number of camera shootouts in the last couple of years, and many of them have been strictly technical discussions. Their goal this time, however, is to go beyond the tech specs, and really get the most artistically out of each camera. I’ll be seeing the shootout very soon — and will share my thoughts just before it goes live on June 15th — but if you want to see the massive amount of work that goes into producing these things, check out the behind-the-scenes production log videos below. More »
How often do you take a location’s audio characteristics into account when choosing where to shoot? What kind of mic is better suited for a shooting range vs an indoor dialogue scene? In an on-going series of informative sound tutorials courtesy of Zacuto, Clinton Harn delves into the importance of these questions while aiming to provide filmmakers with a basic introduction to sound recording for film. Not only does he cover the tools of the trade, but he delves into many of the choices we as filmmakers have to make when deciding how to capture a given sound. For example, how would one record an interior car scene? More »
We all know that LEDs are the next big movement in lighting technology — or are they? Zacuto is introducing a one-of-a-kind light panel that uses a patented micro-plasma technology not unlike what is found in a plasma television — which has phosphors that glow when energy is introduced. Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but the bottom line is that this panel is softer, and has a greater lumen rating than any other 1-foot-by-1-foot panel on the market today. In the embedded video below, Steve Weiss from Zacuto gives us an introduction of the panel, as well as a walk-through of their Recoil rig, Tornado Follow Focus, and FS100 rig. More »
Welcome to the world of public camera testing, Jim. The wild west camera shootout that Jim and Co. were planning to have at RED Studios Hollywood on June 4th has been cancelled. It seems all of the “grief” that he’s been getting over the situation isn’t worth the trouble, and he and RED “have better things to do.” Surprisingly, Steve Weiss entered REDUser forum territory to explain the choices that had been made for the Zacuto camera test, and the fact that RED had been offered many times to come to the shootout, manage their own RED Epic, and control the post-production method used for that camera. More »
Pay-Per-View…Or not. It seems that Mr. Jannard has a bone to pick with the people at Zacuto, and he wants the world to see in 4K. He’s unhappy with the tests (I couldn’t see the newest test at NAB thanks to technical difficulties) since the final output for all of the camera shootouts thus far has been 2K, and it levels the playing field for those cameras that can’t shoot above 1080p. With more and more theaters moving to 4K projectors, it is important to at least consider if 4K should start to be included in the near future. Unsatisfied with anyone else who does camera testing, Jim has decided to do his own camera test in 2K and 4K and is inviting other camera manufacturers to RED Studios in Hollywood on June 4th. More »
UPDATE: all NAB screenings are canceled on account of a technical problem discovered by Bruce Logan, ASC. Which means signing up here will be the first chance to see the screening…
I’m not at NAB this year, and one of the things I’m most bummed about missing is Zacuto‘s annual camera shootout. This year’s installment features an impressive lineup: the Sony F65, ARRI Alexa, RED Epic, Sony FS100, Sony F3 w/ S-log, Canon C300, Canon 7D w/ Technicolor, and a hacked Panasonic GH2. They’re screening the shootout 35 times at NAB, so don’t miss it if you’re there. The rest of us will just have to wait until it is released online on June 15th — or register below if it’s coming to your city: More »
With all of the new cameras announced in the past few months, wouldn’t it be great to have a scientific comparison of them all side-by-side? Specifications matter less than the images they produce, after all, and Zacuto‘s Great Camera Shootout has always been the go-to source for this. However, for last year’s shootout there were a number of cameras not yet ready: the RED EPIC, RED SCARLET-X, Sony F3 S-Log, Sony F65, Canon C300, and Canon 1D-X. If you haven’t already seen the 2011 shootout, it’s a must-watch, and it’s included in full below. Plus, here’s an exclusive first word on the next shootout — which will have some interesting twists — straight from Zacuto‘s Steve Weiss: More »
Catching up all the latest video software and hardware news (here’s part one): More »
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