I’ve always been a big fan of Tiffen optical filters, and many of our clients have a large selection of them in their kits. They offer a wide variety of effects, many of which have become very essential. It came as a surprise to me that they have taken their wide variety of filters and made a full digital effects library as well. This was particularly interesting to me because I’m accustomed to certain optical filters and gels and I can now apply them digitally. I’m not suggesting anyone give up an optical filter set, but there are so many options in this software that I wouldn’t normally try on camera. Also, they have some very cool effects that go far beyond the filter world. Tiffen makes a stand-alone version of the software as well as plugins for many applications including Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, and many more. I’ve been playing with the FCP plugin and have had good results.

…continue reading Tiffen DFX Plug-In for Final Cut Pro

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Earlier, I posted about the new write back features of the PDW-U1. Now, watch the video below to see it in action. In this video, I show how to set up the U1 for write back, copy clips, and export from Final Cut Pro.

Mitch recently posted an article on the HPX300 with the JVC HZ-CA13 Super16 adapter. Many people have asked to see some footage, so I put the two back together again and did some shooting. I used a 25mm Zeiss (T 1.3) lens for all the shooting and had some really nice results. Thanks to Kerry, from our Service department, and Adam, from rental, for being in the video.

…continue reading HPX300 with Super16 Adapter Footage

There are lots of little LED lights on the market these days, and Switronix’s new TorchLEDs are a great combination of size, strength and value. They’re about the size of a fist, weigh mere ounces, are solidly built, and include a dimmer and diffusers. Check out the video to see the different models and even more features.

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Steve Romano shot some cool footage with a Phantom V12.1 last weekend. Here’s a shot of a flash bulb going off at 6,900fps.

Here’s a rifle bullet taken from a clip shot at 59,000fps with a 1µs exposure.

We’ve had the Wide Angle Ex3 Lens – Fujinon XS8x4 – for awhile now, and a client asked me to send him some snap shots of what it can do. Well I thought I would share it with all of you as well. It’s a nice lens – very well built and has all the functions of the standard EX lens. I did some quick testing on our sales floor at the widest end of both the standard lens and the wide end. Check out the images and I think you’ll be able to spot which is the wide one.

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Philip Bloom has put together a nice review of the new JVC HM700 on his site. I had a chance to see the camera the other day and was impressed by the build quality, huge LCD, and functionality. This really is a nice camera and it records to SD cards in the XDCAM EX codec. These clips are recorded directly in MOV files, so you can start editing right away. You can also get a SxS adapter for it, which attaches to the back. This adapter allows for SxS recording in MP4 files. Come see the camera in our booth at NAB.

Click here to see Philip Bloom’s Video Review of the GY-HM700

Also, here is a very short clip shot with the camera to check out. This was shot in 720P in slow motion – 60 FPS. It’s Matt from our Sales Department doing some ninja moves.  You’ll need the latest version of FCP installed (including updates) to play it. Download it here (right click to save).