There’s nothing like the experience of our Rental department to build the most complete, battle-tested camera kits for our camera owner and rental house sales clients. In the first of our series “AbelCine Rental Kits,” we look at our RED EPIC camera packages. This same kitting can be applied to the RED Scarlet camera.

Watch the video for a detailed explanation of the components that go into the AbelCine RED EPIC/Scarlet Accessory Kit. For your convenience, we have created an accessory package (available in Anton/Bauer and V-Mount options) that includes all the items in a typical rental setup.

Blackmagic Design has just released the successor to the HyperDeck Shuttle, the aptly named HyperDeck Shuttle 2. Identical in almost every way, the big news is that in addition to uncompressed recording, the HyperDeck Shuttle 2 can now also record DNxHD 220x (220Mbit/s, 10-bit). You will need to use a computer with the Blackmagic HyperDeck Utility to switch between uncompressed recording and DNxHD, but at $345, the Hyperdeck Shuttle 2 is certainly the least expensive external recorder on the market today. If you own a Shuttle 2, you can download the firmware to unlock DNxHD recording capabilities for Mac OSX or for Windows. Sadly, the update will not unlock DNxHD recording on the original HyperDeck Shuttle.

In the third part of my S-Log series, I took the Sony F3 outside on a nice bright day to show what S-Log can do. Jeff Lee and I headed up to the roof of AbelCine and found some shade to stand in; this allowed us to show the most contrast possible. I shot the blog in S-Log, as well as in the standard video modes with the AbelRange profile that I created earlier this year. This way I could show just what S-Log enables in the camera. All the clips in the video, except the last one, were recorded to the Gemini 4:4:4 recorder, which records in uncompressed DPX stacks so nothing was lost along the way. The last shot was S-Log out to a PIX240 recorder in ProRes422 HQ, which was enabled with the new F3 1.31 firmware from Sony.

I graded all of the shots in DaVinci Resolve Lite. The difference between S-Log and my range profile can be slight at times, but pay close attention to highlight areas, especially the skin highlights. Thanks to Isaac Kiener from Sales for helping out. Stay tuned for the last part of the series on look up tables in the camera.

To learn more about the F3, S-Log and LUTs make sure to check out our F3 Training Class in NY and LA.

Slider systems are getting more and more popular these days, and there are currently a huge variety available. The CamTram came well before the rush of other systems, but still holds its own as a versatile tool, both as a slider and dolly. I put together a series of videos going over the many features and options of the system. Check out the these hands-on videos to learn more about the CamTram and the new accessories that expand the system even further.

Then read our client testimonials to hear what others are saying about their experiences with the CamTram and the creative uses they’ve found for it.

Canon’s much anticipated EOS C300 and C300 PL mark the beginning of a new series of cinema cameras from the company. While the small form factor, large sensor revolution can be credited to Canon HDSLRs, up until recently Canon has been mostly silent while we’ve seen cameras from Panasonic and Sony that really capture the momentum of the industry. While Canon told us that they would be designing a new cinema camera, we were pleasantly surprised at the results when they previewed the camera for us. Because of the rather unique form factor, we put together a lens and accessories guide you can check out here.

Soon after the announcement of the EOS Cinema C300, Canon brought the camera by and let us check it out. I put together this video with my first impressions of the camera. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by both the quality and functionality of the C300. The quality of the image, skin tone rendition and overall resolution make a good impression. Also the form factor, which seemed strange at first, allows the camera to fit nicely in your hand and is fun to operate. Check out my video above to learn more.

We carry a huge variety of equipment here at AbelCine, and it is a constant challenge to stay on top of what is changing. For our clients this can be even more of a struggle, so we put together these firmware blogs to let you know what’s out and what’s coming soon for your gear. On our last Firmware Friday blog we mentioned new firmware for the Sony PVM series OLED displays and we have a new update for that. In addition, the Panasonic AF100 and Atomos Samuri have new firmware out, and we have some more details on the Sony F3 1.31 firmware on the way.

…continue reading Keeping Up with the Firmware: Friday Edition