Has Shakycam Finally Run Its Course?

GREAT review of the new movie “Battle: Los Angeles” by Matt Zoller Seitz at Salon.com, taking the filmmakers to task for the evil combination of long zoom, short depth of field, and lack of shot stability that equates to nausea for the viewers.  Huzzah!  Huzzah!  Something that has needed to be said for over a decade!

Will it make a difference?  Doubtful.  You see as many faux-Steadicams as decent tripods at NAB, a travesty I expect to continue next month.  Anybody want to lay odds?

And no, I haven’t yet seen “Battle: Los Angeles,” but once it hits the Roku I promise to pop a few Dramamine and give it a go.

New Sony Cameras

In the past couple of weeks, Sony took industry journalists on a junket to Japan, to get an advance peek at some new cameras (I was invited, but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts). Jon Fauer and David Williams have written up what they’ve seen.

Canon jumps on Thunderbolt

So, when Apple recently announced support for Thunderbolt the biggest question after the release by many in the video community was: “Who else is going to support this?”

The answer has come from a major player: Canon. This is a natural partner who can obviously utilize Thunderbolt’s 10Gbps port.

Something To Check Out At NAB 2011

DollyCrane Demo from Andrzej Dybowski on Vimeo.

It’s just about time to start making a list of what I really want to see at NAB 2011, so when a Facebook post from GearHeads came across linked to this video for the FloatCam, let’s just say I was…intrigued. (And nostalgic for my long-since-sold VW Bug Convertible.)

Got any stuff you want me to check out for you in Vegas next month?  Let’s hear it!

Confirmation on Sony F3 native sensitivity

A couple weeks ago FreshDV linked to a C47 video where Jem Schofield discussed seeing the PMW-F3 in use in a high-ISO test. At that time, Jem indicated he thought the native sensitivity rating of the camera was 800 ISO and that it offered a 6400 ISO equivalent with 18dB of gain engaged. He also talked about how clean the image was, even at 18dB of gain…which piqued my interest greatly. Well it’s all been confirmed now by Andy Shipsides from AbelCine, as he posted these figures over on a DVinfo forum thread...

LOG rolling with the Sony F3

The S-LOG Gamma curve of the Sony PMW-F3 (blue) maintains camera highlights up to 800% of nominal peak white.  This is far beyond the capability of conventional Rec.709 gamma encoding (red). 

As the much-talked-about PMW-F3 handheld Super 35mm camcorder hits the streets this month, it comes with the promise of S-LOG Gamma, which will be available as an extra-cost upgrade later this year.  S-LOG will join the F3’s built-in HyperGamma curves as creative tools for managing high scene contrast.  So what can S-LOG Gamma do for your images?  How does it differ from HyperGamma?  And what are the basic requirements for handling S-LOG Gamma in post?  I’m glad you asked. 

HPA Tech Retreat 2011 Day 4

On this fourth and final day of the 2011 Tech Retreat, we learned about standards activities, 3D ghosts, camera arrays, automated audio “recognition”, a new method for making film protection masters, how bending a cable affects its performance, and a whirlwind tour through TV Tech history. Also: the death of tape… for real this time?

iPhone Apps: The Short List for the Average Cinematographer

It seems everyone and their sister’s friend’s cousin has made a list of indispensable cinematography iPhone apps. Now it’s my turn. Let’s see how original I am.

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