When the Phantom HD camera was released, word quickly spread that it was the new benchmark for high-speed Digital Cinema quality imaging. Producers learned to say, “Get me a Phantom!” But wait…Vision Research makes an entire line of cameras that all start with the name “Phantom.” So what actually differentiates them?

Let me first point out that Vision Research began as a company producing industrial cameras for science, manufacturing and military use. It was only with the start of their Digital Cinema program that cameras appropriate for the production community became available. Currently, the three cameras of the greatest interest to our industry are the Phantom 65, the Phantom HD and the Phantom v12.1. The Phantom 65 is a unique camera in that it is the only 4K Uncompressed RAW camera in the world. At its fullest resolution (4096×2440), it can shoot 145fps. It also has a sensor the size of 65mm motion picture film, so large format lenses are required. Everyone always seems to start out wanting the Phantom 65 thinking, “It’s 4K so it has to be the best!” But when they realize that it needs the special glass and can only get to moderately high speed, they often change their mind. So far, the Phantom 65 has been a camera of great interest to the effects community, where a high resolution plate can be used to scan within to extract elements.

…continue reading Differences Between Phantom 65, HD & V12.1

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Our friends at Flashpoint Academy in Chicago sent us this demo they shot using the CamTram 2500. It showcases some of the unique moves you can accomplish with the CamTram, and just how quick and easy it is to set up.

Flashpoint is a unique Digital Arts college that teaches both the art and science of digital media—audio recording, VFX and animation, gaming and film—they cover it all. Check out their website and blog to see what the school’s all about.

With the recent acquisition of Phantom HD cameras by Panavision for their rental houses worldwide, I was fortunate enough to teach a Phantom Training class last month at the Panavision office in warm and sunny Sydney, Australia!

After a 22 hour flight from NY across the Pacific to Sydney airport, and then a taxi ride over the Harbour Bridge, which overlooks the Opera House and beautiful Sydney Harbour, I finally arrived at the offices of Sydney Panavision. I was warmly welcomed by John Virtue and Peter Lorz who gave me a tour of their impressive rental facility. They shared Panavision’s long history in Australia, which includes film credits like Star Wars Episode: 2, Wolverine, The Matrix, Crocodile Dundee, Mission Impossible 2, and, of course, the recent movie simply titled Australia.

…continue reading Phantom Training Class at Panavision Australia

The hard drive is quickly becoming the most common deliverable for tapeless productions. This comes as both a convenience to some and a pain to others. Regardless of how you feel about P2, SxS, and other tapeless acquisition methods, they all eventually require transfer onto a hard drive. In the P2 world, you can download data with a laptop or with P2 devices such as the P2 Mobile (HPM110), P2 Gear (HPG10), or the new P2 Portable (HPG20). These devices offer the ability to transfer data from a P2 card directly onto an attached external hard drive. They call the transfer mode “Host” mode, because a hard drive is hosted by the device. Additionally in “USB Host” mode, the P2 devices will power a portable hard drive, which makes the whole setup very portable. This seems great on paper, but many of our clients found that their portable hard drives just wouldn’t power off their P2 device. So I did some testing and came to some simple conclusions that should help when buying a portable hard drive for a P2 Device.

…continue reading USB Portable Hard Drives for P2 Devices