Sony was nice enough to bring over the PDW-F800 the other day and let us get our hands on it. The XDCAM line has really been improving and the F800 is a great example of that. The camera comes packed full of new features which I’ll outline, but first I’d like to talk about the improvements that it will share with the PDW-700. The 700 will be getting another firmware update around the same time that the F800 will first hit the market.

…continue reading XDCAM Camera Updates

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Setting the correct depth on the lens mount of Digital Cinema cameras is a critical and precise task. The new Red Null tool makes the process quick and easy. Everybody should have one in their kit. Watch the video to see how it works and how simple it is to use.

For more information, visit ibe-optics.com.

For pretty much any film or video project you might work on these days, you’ll spend at least part of the time dealing with compressed material. In order to decide which codec to use, you need to keep in mind what purpose you are using it for and how a particular codec fulfills that purpose. In this entry, I’ll explain some of the techniques I use for evaluating codecs. In later entries I’ll cover some more specific results.

…continue reading Image Evaluation Series: Compression (Pt. 1)

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Recently Pierre Michoud, Aaton’s Director of Service and an old friend, came all the way from Grenoble, France to train us on their new 2-Perf / 3-Perf 35mm Penelope camera. The three-day training included a camera overview, converting the camera between formats, service techniques and future upgrades. Jeff Marzigliano, Jordan Napolitano and myself participated in the 3-day training session. It was an honor to be one of the first to witness some of the advances Aaton has made since their last 35mm camera.

The first thing everyone comments on is the camera’s quiet movement. You almost can’t believe it’s pulling film. The video tap image and viewfinder are significantly better than previous models… and, that’s just the beginning.

…continue reading Service Training on the Aaton Penelope

NAB ‘09 was another strong showing for Abel. Our booth was the only destination to see camera technology from all disciplines—film, Digital Cinema, broadcast and compact HD—under one roof. And of course, our technology specialists were on-hand to answer questions and share their insights.

Check out this gallery to see images from our booth.

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