Get a Great Deal on the Spyder5PRO Display Calibration System Today Only

 Gear  Comments Off on Get a Great Deal on the Spyder5PRO Display Calibration System Today Only
Apr 162018
 

One of the best ways to ensure your photos come out as well as possible is to use a display calibrator to make sure your monitor is both the correct brightness and is displaying accurate colors. Today only, you can take almost half off a Spyder5PRO Display Calibration System.

The Spyder5PRO Display Calibration System is a popular choice and great way to keep your displays calibrated. Not only does this ensure consistency across multiple displays, it helps to make sure you’re seeing the colors and brightness you think you’re seeing, so your edits and prints come out the way you envisioned.

Read More:

fstoppers

~

Transform Your DJI Drone in a Handheld Gimbal With This Accessory by PolarPro

 Cinematography, Gear  Comments Off on Transform Your DJI Drone in a Handheld Gimbal With This Accessory by PolarPro
Apr 122018
 

Everyone I know who shoots video dreams to own a gimbal if they don’t already. But did you know that if you have a drone, you actually already own a gimbal that you can use to shoot anything?

The role of the gimbal is to keep something horizontal no matter what. When flying a drone, it’s quite essential to maintain the camera stable and avoid any movement due to external elements or when flying it aggressively. However, a drone can also record videos and take pictures while on the ground. This means you can use it as a camera and take advantage of its gimbal to make super steady shots even if you don’t own a stabilizer for your bigger DSLR.

Read More:

fstoppers

~

This Adapter Lets You Mount Any Giant Lens On Your Tiny Smartphone

 Gear  Comments Off on This Adapter Lets You Mount Any Giant Lens On Your Tiny Smartphone
Apr 122018
 

Want to mount a giant camera lens onto your smartphone? The Chinese company Cinematic International Company Limited has created a single universal adapter just for you. It lets you mount most lenses out there to pretty much any smartphone. You can see a glimpse of it in action in the 2-minute video above by No Film School.

Cinematics International Company Limited is a Shenzhen, China-based company that has been manufacturing photography equipment out of its own factory for over a decade now. It was showing off its new lens-to-smartphone adapter at NAB 2018 in Las Vegas, which is where No Film School came across it.

Read More:

petapixel

~

 

Fujifilm Unveils 250mm f/4 Lens and 1.4x Teleconverter for GFX System

 Gear  Comments Off on Fujifilm Unveils 250mm f/4 Lens and 1.4x Teleconverter for GFX System
Apr 122018
 

Fujifilm today announced a new 250mm f/4 telephoto prime lens and a 1.4x teleconverter for its GFX medium format system (which currently consists of the Fujifilm GFX 50S camera).

Fujinon 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Lens

The Fujinon GF 250mm f/4 has a rugged, lightweight magnesium alloy barrel that resists dust and weather, and it is capable of functioning in temperatures as low as 14°F/-10°C. On the front of the lens is a fluorine coating that resists water and dirt.

Read More:

petapixel

~

Sony Interview: FS5 II, What’s REALLY New?

 Cinematography, Gear  Comments Off on Sony Interview: FS5 II, What’s REALLY New?
Apr 092018
 

I spoke with Claus Pfeifer from Sony about the newly announced FS5 II and the other new cameras. And I asked the tough question: What’s REALLY new about the FS5 II?

A few hours ago Sony announced the FS5 II, an update to Sony’s little FS7 brother (see our report here). Some of our readers were asking: What’s REALLY new about it though? It seems to use the same sensor and have the same exact body as the original FS5. And while the FS7 II at least got the Vari ND feature that the FS7 was missing, the original FS5 already had that.

 

RAW for “free”, Better Color Science & “Instant HDR”

Sony is teasing the integrated RAW output functionality in the FS5 II, which was a payable firmware upgrade in the original FS5 – a welcome addition of a feature becoming standard, especially with the newly announced ProRes RAW (article here) and the upgrade of the Atomos Shogun Inferno and Sumo19 recorders to support ProRes RAW recording (article here). Now also the formerly payable high frame rate output and internal high frame rate recording capabilities are included with the FS5 II.

Read More:

cinema5D

~

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K Camera Hands on with CEO Grant Petty

 Cinematography, Gear  Comments Off on Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K Camera Hands on with CEO Grant Petty
Apr 092018
 

No longer only a mysterious billboard outside NAB 2018, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K camera is here and it shoots 12-bit RAW cinema 4K 60fps and full HD at up to 120fps — all at an impressive price point. The specs, pricing and more are below including an interview with Blackmagic Design CEO, Grant Petty: 

 

Unlike its HD-only predecessor, the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera, the new 4K version shoots full cinema 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) at up-to 60fps with a newly designed M4/3 (21.60 x 17.30mm) sensor. You’ll also be able to capture full HD 120 fps cropped (no info on how much of a crop) slow motion in both 12-bit CinemaDNG RAW and 10-bit Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) varieties. Unfortunately you won’t be able to shoot in the newly announced Pro Res RAW — at least not yet.

Read More:

cinema5D

Pre-Order Now:

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Body Only with Active Micro Four Thirds Lens Mount

$1295 with Free Expedited Shipping.

Moment Introduces an Anamorphic Lens For Premium Smartphones

 Apple, Gear  Comments Off on Moment Introduces an Anamorphic Lens For Premium Smartphones
Apr 022018
 

Moment presents their new Kickstarter campaign: The Filmmaker Collection for smartphones which includes some goodies to transform your phone into a “filmmaking machine”. We all know that a real anamorphic lens costs a fortune and as the pursuit for flares never stops, maybe now we can afford it – at least for our smartphone – as the crown jewel of their kit is the anamorphic lens. 

The Filmmaker Collection

The Filmmaker Collection by Moment, which is now on Kickstarter, includes an iPhoneX battery case, universal gimbal counterweight, filter mount and an anamorphic lens. I must admit that every product in the collection looks solid and when combined it looks rather cool, but of course the highlight of this kit is the supplied anamorphic lens. 

Read More:

cinema5D

~

Aputure Amaran MX & F7 LED Lights Announced & Reviewed

 Gear  Comments Off on Aputure Amaran MX & F7 LED Lights Announced & Reviewed
Apr 022018
 

Aputure just announced their new small and super powerful MX and F7 LED lights, and our man Eric van Vuuren already reviewed them in detail in this video.

Aputure Amaran MX – small with big output

The new Amaran MX light by Aputure is the successor of the popular M9 light, but this time it’s very sturdily built using aircraft aluminium, on the footprint of a credit card. It features 128 LEDs and is supposed to be 3 times as bright as the M9 – when using the “booster” function, it can temporarily output even 4 times as much light as the M9 (for up to 60 seconds).

Read More:

cinema5D

~

Google Built a Rotating Arc of 16 GoPro Cameras to Shoot Light Fields

 Gear  Comments Off on Google Built a Rotating Arc of 16 GoPro Cameras to Shoot Light Fields
Mar 152018
 

It seems Lytro has a new formidable competitor in the area of light field cameras. Google revealed today that it has created a rotating arc of 16 GoPro cameras arranged vertically to experiment with light fields.

While a 360-degree camera allows you to look in different directions in virtual reality, a light field camera gives you a much more realistic sense of presence because you can move your head around in 3D space while looking in the same direction. The motion parallax and change in light experienced is much closer to what the world looks like to us in real life.

To create its light field capture camera, which captures all the different rays of light entering a volume of space, Google modified a GoPro Odyssey Jump 360-degree camera rig and bent it into a vertical arc of 16 outward-facing cameras, which was then mounted to a rotating platform.

Read More:

petapixel

~

Tilta Introduces New Gravity G2 and G2X Handheld Gimbals

 Gear  Comments Off on Tilta Introduces New Gravity G2 and G2X Handheld Gimbals
Mar 142018
 

Tilta has updated their popular line of handheld gimbals. The new Gravity G2 and G2X gimbals feature updated specs, ergnomics and features.

The two models are almost identically when digging through the specs but there’s one significant differene: The G2X model sports an angled roll axis which can be configured to sit either in front of, or behind your given camera, resulting in an unobstructed view of the LCD screen.

Tilta Gravity G2 & G2X Gimbal

Both models offer a payload of up to 8 lbs (3.6 kg). The pan and tilt axes feature full 360° of rotation while the roll axis can be rotated 60° to the left or right. In order get you up to speed, watch the introduction video below:

Read More:

cinema5D

~

Canon M50 Hands-On Review – The Best Vlogging Camera?

 Gear  Comments Off on Canon M50 Hands-On Review – The Best Vlogging Camera?
Mar 142018
 

The Canon M50 was recently announced, and now I had a chance to review a pre-production version of it. Is Canon’s first attempt at a 4K mirrorless camera also the best vlogging camera out there? Let’s have a look.

A Beginner’s Camera

I can’t stress this point enough before diving deep into the camera’s functions: This is a beginner’s camera and its price point (below $800 or €600) make it a great deal compared to its competition. So whenever I lament about a missing function, this should be kept in mind. It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison with the more expensive entry-level camera from Sony, the A6500, which is almost twice as expensive.

Tiny Footprint

The Canon M50 has a tiny footprint, and is sturdily built around Canon’s EOS M lens mount. A smaller version of the EOS lens mount – which is also backwards-compatible, but an adapter is needed. The camera feels very sturdy despite its entry-level status and it feels like it can take a beating. It seems like Canon designed this as a “family camera” that can be in anyone’s hand from time to time. The flip-out screen makes it very convenient to use from every angle. It gives a lot of  nice flexibility that their higher-end DSLR offerings are missing – lightness and the flexible screen, plus a decent viewfinder which can of course also be used for video. “Of course” because this is a mirrorless camera – on their DSLRs, the optical viewfinder becomes useless when you switch to the video modes, because the mirror blocks your view.

Read More:

cinema5D

~

 

The CEO of Sigma Explains the Challenges of Curved Sensor Technology

 Cinematography, Gear  Comments Off on The CEO of Sigma Explains the Challenges of Curved Sensor Technology
Mar 132018
 

The French website Mizuwari published a series of captivating interviews with the CEO of Sigma, Kazuto Yamaki. Among other things, the Japanese executive mentions the challenges of implementing curved sensor technology in digital cameras.

Simply put, camera lenses are round and project different rays of light on a flat sensor, which is not an ideal solution. This explains, for instance, the softness issue encountered on the corners of the image, especially when shooting wide open. In a perfect world, the shape of the sensor would match the light beam created by the lens. Several manufacturers, such as Sony, have been working for years to develop curved sensors where each pixel could be placed at the perfect distance in relation of the light beam. Easier said than done.

Read More:

fstoppers

~

Seven More of the Best Nikon Tricks

 Gear  Comments Off on Seven More of the Best Nikon Tricks
Mar 132018
 

Although it is popular to talk about mirrorless cameras these days, DSLR cameras are still alive, and with the help of some useful tricks, you can make the most of your DSLR. Especially if you own a Nikon camera, you might be surprised with these features that most photographers skip using.

Well-known nature photographer Steve Perry has published a video previously about Nikon tricks, and in this second video of the series, he shares seven new tricks about Nikon cameras, with in-depth explanations.

Read More:

fstoppers

~

The $2,000 Sony a7 III vs. the $3,200 Sony a7R III: Here’s the Difference

 Gear  Comments Off on The $2,000 Sony a7 III vs. the $3,200 Sony a7R III: Here’s the Difference
Mar 122018
 

 

Portrait photographer Manny Ortiz recently got his hands on the newly-announced Sony a7 III full-frame mirrorless camera, allowing him to compare the $2,000 camera to his $3,200 Sony a7R III. Here’s a 6-minute video in which he compares the cameras and discusses the strengths of each one.

“The experience of shooting in the real world, there was no difference than when I was shooting with my Sony a7R III, in autofocus performance, in everything,” Ortiz says.

Here are the pros of each system mentioned by Ortiz in the video:

Reasons for a7 III over a7R III

#1. Price. You save $1,200.

#2. Workflow. If you don’t need the extra resolution, the 24MP files will be faster to work with and cheaper to store.

#3. Low Light. Ortiz concluded that the a7 III performs slightly better in low light, with less noise in the photos.

#4. Autofocus. The a7 III features 693 AF points with 93% viewfinder coverage compared to the 399 points and 68% coverage of the a7R III. But “in the real world, I didn’t notice any difference,” Ortiz notes.

Read More:

petapixel

~

Read more Canon C200 vs Panasonic EVA1 – Zacuto Camera Shootout 2018

 Gear  Comments Off on Read more Canon C200 vs Panasonic EVA1 – Zacuto Camera Shootout 2018
Mar 122018
 

The Zacuto camera shootout is back! If you were wondering which was the better camera, then tune in to this smart and scrupulous battle going LIVE on March 14th at 11am CST.

The “Camera Shootout 2018 – Canon C200 vs Panasonic EVA1” hosted by Zacuto has a challenging mission: to put the Panasonic EVA1 and Canon C200 through a series of tests, and try and declare a “winner”. 

“Our shootouts are back!! Side by side, Bruce Logan, ASC put the Panasonic EVA1 and Canon C200 through a series of tests” as stated on the Facebook event page. 

I remember the fascinating “Great Camera Shootout 2011”, which I watched a couple times! The 2011 Zacuto camera shootout demonstrated side by side comparisons of the ARRI Alexa, Sony F35, Sony F3, Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 7D, Canon 1D Mark IV, Nikon D7000, Weisscam HS-2, Phantom Flex, Panasonic AG-AF100, RED ONE M-X and 35mm Kodak 5213 and 5219 film.

Yes, you heard right! The Canon 7D was compared to the ALEXA, and film against digital, all by carefully testing essential parameters like sharpness, low-light sensitivity, exposure, latitude, highlight detail, shadow detail, color quality, skin tone reproduction, compression losses and shutter artefacts.

Conducted by consultants, specialists and technicians from various areas of the motion picture industry, these on-set challenges were designed to push these cameras to the limit.

The 2011 battle was extremely educational and, in my opinion, must be watched by film educators, as the whole project is on Vimeo.

Take a look at the full sessions of the “Great Camera Shootout 2011”:

Read More:

cinema5D

~

SIGMA Unveils New Art Lenses for Sony E-Mount

 Gear  Comments Off on SIGMA Unveils New Art Lenses for Sony E-Mount
Mar 112018
 

Hot on the heels of this year’s CP+, which took place in Japan, our own Johnnie Behiri had the opportunity to chat with SIGMA’s Yamaki-san about the brand-new lineup of native Art lenses for Sony E-mount.

SIGMA’s lineup of Art labled lenses is extremely popular due to excellent optical performance and build quality. But although these lenses are available for a range of mounts including Canon, Nikon, Sony A and SIGMA, you couldn’t get a native SIGMA Art lens for Sony E-mount. Until now.

Read More:

cinema5D

~

How Good Are Adapted Lenses for Mirrorless Cameras in 2018?

 Gear  Comments Off on How Good Are Adapted Lenses for Mirrorless Cameras in 2018?
Mar 112018
 

Sony is growing by leaps and bounds, but one of the biggest advantages Canon and Nikon continue to hold is the deep investment a lot of their users have made in native lenses. This great video examines the current state of affairs for adapters and if they can work for you.

Coming to you from The Camera Store TV, this helpful video will show you just what you can expect from trying to use adapted lenses on mirrorless cameras in 2018. I’m personally shooting mostly with a Sony a7R III these days, and I’ve found that that in combination with a Metabones V adapter actually works better for my Canon 85mm f/1.2L II lens than a native body, as the adapter still works about as quickly as a Canon body, but there are no AFMA errors as one encounters with DSLR bodies (even after years of AFMA adjustments, this lens is still finicky for me). Combine that with Eye AF and my keeper rate went up substantially when I switched to a Sony body, so much so that I now trust the Sony enough to make it my main body for a lot of work. If you’re curious about their system but married to a lot of Canon or Nikon glass, now is a good time to watch the video above.

Read More:

fstoppers

~

Fujinon MKX – Unique X Series Features

 Gear  Comments Off on Fujinon MKX – Unique X Series Features
Mar 062018
 

The recently announced Fujinon MKX T2.9 cine lenses come with unique features for Fujifilm camera owners. We looked into them more closely …

The E-mount versions of these MK lenses have been a big hit with cinematographers. But this is about more than just a simple mount change. When pairing these new cine lenses with Fujifilm X Series cameras, such as the new X-H1, the electrical contacts on the lens pass data to the camera. This allows the the camera to correct lens distortion as well as colour and brightness shading.

Lens Data

The lens data passed to the camera includes iris (T-stop) data, as well as focus distance and zoom information. As well as the obvious benefit on seeing this information displayed on the cameras LCD monitor, it also apparently allows for improved white balancing. We will be reviewing these two new lenses soon, so it will be interesting to see how this innovative feature works.

The Fujinon MKX 18-55mm will retail for $3999. The Fujinon MKX 50-135mm will retail for $4299. As a recap, here are the main features of these two lenses:

Fujinon MKX 18-55mm T2.9 & Fujinon MKX 50-135mm T2.9

  • Use an optical construction comprising 22 glass elements in 17 groups, with six super ED lens elements and two ED lens elements (two super ED lens elements and two ED lens elements for the 50-135mm).
  • T2.9 aperture across the entire zoom range which facilitates the increasingly popular style of bokeh effect with shallow depth-of-field. This also eliminates the need to re-adjust lighting, contributing to shortening shooting time.
  • The MKX lens achieves advanced optical performance despite its compact and lightweight body by incorporating the benefits of short flange focal distance of X Mount into optical design to the maximum extent. This accommodates shooting with a limited number of people.

Read More:

cinema5D

~

Ikan Introduces the PIVOT Handheld 3-Axis Gimbal with up to 8lb Payload

 Gear  Comments Off on Ikan Introduces the PIVOT Handheld 3-Axis Gimbal with up to 8lb Payload
Mar 062018
 

The PIVOT handheld 3-Axis gimbal stabilizer supports a wide range of DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and even cinema cameras weighing up to 8 pounds.

 

It’s gimbal time – or should we say: another day, another gimbal. In January, we covered two new gimbals: the Filmpower Nebula 4100 Slant and the DJI Ronin-S. Both of them share a lot of similarities. So, what’s new about the Ikan PIVOT? In one word: Payload!

Max 8 lbs Payload for Cinema Cameras

The PIVOT can hold a maximum combined payload of 8 lbs – truly impressive compared to other gimbals. This not only allows you to use a wider range of camera and lens combinations and accessories, but also opens up the possibility to handle heavier cameras, even compact cinema cameras (RED, anyone?). 

Read More:

cinema5D

~

Tokina FiRIN 20mm F/2 FE – A New Autofocus Lens For Sony E-Mount Cameras

 Gear  Comments Off on Tokina FiRIN 20mm F/2 FE – A New Autofocus Lens For Sony E-Mount Cameras
Feb 242018
 

Tokina continue to grow their E-mount lens lineup with the FiRIN 20mm F/2 FE Autofocus lens, compatible with Sony IBIS and Fast Hybrid AF.

FiRIN 20mm Autofocus lens on the left, Vs. FiRIN 20mm Manual lens on the right

Back in 2016 Tokina announced the FiRIN line of dedicated E-mount lenses, starting off the range with the manual focus 20mm F/2 lens. Possibly compared to the ZEISS Loxia prime lenses, the native E-mount and manual focus FiRIN seemed geared towards Sony alpha video shooters. Since then, Sony released the a7RIII with lightning fast auto focus, so it seems like a smart move for Tokina to release an AF version of the lens, which has the same optical design as the MF version.

In terms of its wide angle optical performance, the FiRIN 20mm F/2 FE AF has 2 aspherical elements and 3 super-low dispersion elements which will reduce distortion and chromatic aberration, that can be inherent in wide angle filming and photography. Tokina suggests that even at F/2, the FiRIN lens will perform with high resolution results and minimal distortion.

Read More:

cinema5D

~

 Older Entries