Sony XDCAM EX and SxS making industry inroads

An interesting announcement that emerged from IBC this year is the news that JVC will be supporting Sony’s XDCAM EX long-GOP MPEG format as well as SxS solid-state media cards. Initially the format and media will be implemented in JVC’s KA-MR100G docking recorder accessory for ProHD GY-HD200 and HD250 camcorders. Read on for details…

Red’s Rolling Shutter and Flash Strobes

The Red Digital Cinema camera uses a CMOS sensor with a rolling shutter. One of the criticisms of the camera is the fact it is subject to rolling shutter artifacts in some situations. Now, I should note that I am not bashing Red…to be clear, every camera has limitations. Even film cameras can exhibit shutter-related artifacts. The important thing is to arm yourself with knowledge, so you know how to avoid situations which will stress the equipment you are using.

To that end, here is a little background info on Red’s rolling shutter: Understanding Rolling Shutter Artifacts.
That link talks about the design of the shutter and how it operates. It also offers a few suggestions for minimizing the effect. And if you’ve never seen the effect, here’s a video that shows the split-screen-strobe issue pretty clearly. More discussion at Reduser.

Calibrating a Light meter for Digital Video

A light meter can prove to be an invaluable tool on any set, allowing you to quickly and efficiently set lights and know the correct exposure values of those lights. Light meters were initially designed for still photographers and cinematographers can easily calibrate them to a given film stock speed for shooting film. But what about today’s digital cinematographer? I’m glad you asked. With a light meter in hand, today’s digital DP can more efficiently set lights and spot check problem areas on a set without pulling up a camera frame. An experienced Gaffer can use a meter to dial in contrast ratios in advance sans camera/monitor, so when the DP or Director arrives at a location, most of the lighting plan is already in place.

In this tutorial I’ll show you how you can use a light meter to quickly and efficiently light a scene, and gain better control over your camcorder’s exposure.

Shutter Speed vs. Shutter Angle

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the way a video camera calculates shutter (fractions of a second) and the way a film camera calculates shutter (in degrees)? If so, then this article is just for you. Here’s what you need to know…

Nikon lens tests with the SGPro 35mm adapter and HVX200

Matt Garrett and Bruce Allen recently conducted a series of Nikon lens tests with a SGPro 35mm adapter mounted to a Panasonic HVX-200. They tested the 17-35mm f/2.8, 35mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 105mm f/2.0, 135mm f/2.0, and 180mm f/2.8 Nikon lenses. That’s quite a lineup of glass!

My first impression is that the footage is quite sharp, and exhibits a minimal amount of vignetting, both which are potential problem areas for 35mm adapter systems. We’ve arranged with Bruce and Matt to host the files here so all you video-hungry FreshDV hordes don’t drive up their bandwidth bill.

You can view the test results for yourself below, using either the 640x360 22MB small version, or the full-res 1280x720 version which weighs in at 367MB. Thanks guys, for taking the time to do the lens testing and sharing your results with the community.

35mm Adapter Shootout - Redrock Micro M2, Cinevate Brevis 35 and SGPRO

Accomplished shooter Phillip Bloom has shared a lengthy shootout review comparing three popular 35mm adapters; the Cinevate Brevis, SG PRO, and Redrock M2.

Note that shootout isn’t entirely definitive, as time constraints limited tweaking each adapter’s configuration. Phillip is careful to note this, and he appears to have approached the whole test as objectively as possible. Consider the shootout a comparative analysis to be taken with a grain of salt and some common sense. So which adapter won? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Each has strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few highlights…

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