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I recently had the opportunity to spend some time on the set of Step Up 3D, the latest in the popular Disney dance film franchise. The picture, scheduled for release in August 2010, is being shot entirely in 3D, with some of the footage originating on twin Phantom HD GOLD high-speed digital cameras.

I spent much of the last two weeks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and at 25 Broadway in Manhattan working with Jeff Rios from PACE, suppliers of the Fusion 3D rigs for all the cameras used in the production. The PACE Fusion 3D rig mounts one camera vertically looking down at the reflected image off a partial mirror, with the other camera mounted horizontally looking through the partial mirror. Convergence is controlled with a motorized sled, which is very convenient.

Perfect synchronization is critical to successful 3D at high-speed. Each of the Phantom HD GOLD cameras was synchronized using IRIG military grade timecode, which is built into every Phantom HD and guarantees frame accuracy at any frame rate. Operating the two cameras in sync was relatively simple using the multiple camera control software from Vision Research.

…continue reading World’s 1st Phantom 3D Rig Used on Dance Film

The Hot Rod PL Mount Adapter for the Panasonic Lumix GH1 has generated a lot of interest, and I thought I would throw a little more fuel on the fire. First take a look at the teaser trailer and behind the scenes for the movie REJOUER, which was shot entirely on the GH1 with the HotRod Adapter. Then stop by DV.com to view their article on this little camera – The DSLR Cam Rises. And finally, stop by our HDSLR Specialty Shop to see the HotRod PL, the Lumix GH1, and a bunch of other accessories for HDSLR cameras.

The NULL Lens has begun shipping. We are fulfilling pre-orders first and expect to be caught up before the end of August.

The NULL Lens is an optical collimating tool for the RED One camera. Attach the NULL Lens to the PL lens mount, loosen the clamp screws on the side of the camera’s mount, point at something far away (150’ / 50m) and adjust until the image becomes sharp. It really is that simple. Properly adjusted, the NULL Lens can set the RED One’s mount accurately to within five microns. To see how easy the NULL Lens is to use, please check out our new online instructional video.

…continue reading NULL Lens Now Shipping

Apple has just released a new version of Final Cut Pro and updates to several other programs in Final Cut Studio including Compressor, Color, Motion, and Soundtrack. There are so many updates that you’ll need to go over to Apples site to read about them. Visit their What’s New page for the details. Here are some of the big updates in FCP 7 that make me happy…

…continue reading Final Cut Pro 7 Released

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The Lumix GH1 is a new digital camera from Panasonic that can not only shoot excellent still photos, but 1080 24P & 720 60P video too. In the video, I show off this little camera and how you can put a PL mount lens on it with the new Hot Rod PL Mount Lens adapter. And to make this combination even cooler, I put a brand new Zeiss Compact Prime on the setup. Check out the video, and come by our office to get your hands on it. Also check out our new HDSLR Specialty Shop, which is growing by the minute.

Sony has released a new version of their XDCAM Transfer Software for Final Cut Pro. The new version is XDCAM Transfer 2.10.0 and is available right now at the Sony UK Site but it should show up on the Sony US site in the next couple of days. It’s a fairly minor update but worth the download. The new functions include: Support for mix recording mode (Mixed Rec) of XDCAM devices, ability to change subclip names, and the ability to edit ASCII Title(Title 1) and write back the metadata to discs. The support for mix format discs is important for 700 & F800 users with the latest firmware on the horizon. For F800 owners (or soon to be owners), slow motion clips are recorded in a slightly different codec, which is not currently supported by Final Cut. So, for now, all slow motion clips will appear with the words “NO CODEC” on them. Final Cut will release an update soon to resolve this. Finally, check out our Sony F900/F800/700 comparison chart, which we created to position the XDCAM cameras.

(Photo credit: Evin Grant)

Did you ever wonder what creates permanently lit, or what we often refer to as “blown”, pixels in your CCD camera’s imager? Here’s the reason:

Charged-Coupled Devices (CCD’s) are made up of an array of millions of photodiodes, which turn light into voltage. Photodiodes have two leads coming from the bottom, a cathode and an anode. When a photon of energy strikes the diode, it excites an electron, creating a mobile electron and a positively charged electron hole. Holes move toward the anode, and electrons toward the cathode, producing a photocurrent. Because photodiodes use voltage to convey information, they can be susceptible to high-energy particles such as cosmic rays.

…continue reading Lit Pixels: Why Do They Happen?