In this exclusive 3-part online series, indie filmmaker Noah Kadner takes a first look at Panasonic’s revolutionary AF100, the first prosumer camera to combine the interchangeable lenses of a digital SLR still camera with the ergonomics of a camcorder.

Part 1 – Introduction and Pre-Production

If you’re an indie filmmaker type like me, you’ve probably long been chasing the ‘film look’ for your projects. Unless you happen to be independently wealthy, this is a nebulous and elusive way to describe the image-quality divide between most indie projects shot on video cameras and the 35mm-originated films created with Hollywood-sized budgets. Putting aside production design, actors, make-up visual effects and other important creative qualities of big-budget features, there are other purely technical differences that contribute to this gap.

…continue reading Noah Kadner’s First Look at the AF100: Part 1

Lenses designed for 2/3” video have certain desirable characteristics. They are available in high zoom ratios, have wide apertures and are relatively compact. As more large sensor cameras hit the market, many of our clients are looking for a way to use their favorite B4-mount 2/3” lenses on these cameras. Our HDx2 B4/PL Optical Adapter will do the trick for a number of these cameras. Designed and built by IB/E Optics exclusively for Abel Cine Tech, the HDx2 mounts behind a B4-mount 2/3″ lens, expands the projected light to cover an image circle greater than 22mm, and then attaches to a PL mount camera. The HDx2 turns the B4 lens into a longer focal length lens, so that the relative depth of field expected for the larger sensor is achieved, while the usual field of view when the lens is mounted to a 2/3” camera is maintained. The HDx2 also optically corrects for the different spectral alignments between the three-chip prism block sensors for which the B4-mount lenses were designed and the single sensor of the PL mount large sensor cameras.

On the Phantom Flex and v640, the HDx2 will allow B4 lenses to cover the 1920×1080 image area, at which they can shoot up to 2500fps and 2700fps, respectively. On the RED One, B4 lenses will cover all 3K formats, at which that camera can shoot up to 60p. On the Panasonic AF100, the full sensor will be covered with the use of an appropriate PL adapter such as the Hot Rod Cameras AF100 Tuner.

The HDx2 B4/PL Optical Adapter is available for sale exclusively from Abel Cine Tech, and is also available to rent from Abel.

Canon’s new XF305 compact camcorder features a unibody design, incorporating an 18X zoom lens. The focus function button on the lens barrel can activate full manual focus or auto focus. There is also a digital zoom function that can be triggered by the two magnification buttons built into the camera body. Additionally, the auto focus function on this camera is one of the best I have seen – it is center-weighted, meaning that the camera looks to the center of the frame to determine focus.

The XF305 also boasts some pretty impressive stats: its highest recording resolution is 1920×1080 at 50Mbps, and footage is captured in MPEG-2 codec in LongGOP format with 4:2:2 color sampling. HD-SDI, SD-SDI and composite outputs are available as well. Watch my video to learn more about this versatile new camera.

The new Panasonic AF100 is designed to be a versatile tool that fits many different production needs. Its large 4/3-type sensor gives you shallow depth of field, and the on board controls and interfaces make the AF100 function like a traditional video camera. This versatility can also be seen in how it works with a large variety of professional accessories. In my AF100 Lenses and Accessories article, I review all the available accessory options. The article details some of the most popular lens choices, such as the ZF.2 and CP.2 lenses from Zeiss, as well as their compatible adapters. I’ve also received many questions about how best to rig the AF100 for accessories, so I discuss seven different setups that I’ve tested with the camera, including kits from ARRI, OConnor and Chrosziel. Read the entire article over on the Abel website.

We recently held an AF100 event at Abel Chicago, where many of these accessories were on display. Check out our gallery of images from our Chicago event on Flickr.

At Abel, we’re always trying to find new uses for existing products. One recent example of this has been the Juicebox 400, which was originally designed by Abel for our Phantom HD/65 Breakout Box. Now, we’re seeing this unit power a whole range of broadcast and digital cinema cameras, including the ARRI ALEXA, RED One, Panasonic VariCam 2700/3700 and Sony SRW-9000.

When we designed the Juicebox 400, we knew that it would have to be capable of supplying plenty of watts for the camera, as well as all the accessories that clients might wish to pile on. Another key requirement was a “stiff supply,” which means that the power to the camera could not rise or fall as the accessories were switched on and off. To build this heavy-duty power supply, we turned to our friends at Frezzi, and they built the Juicebox 400 for us.

The Juicebox 400 can output a whopping 400 watts of 15vdc power. To put this in perspective, a standard 12v camera power supply is usually around 70 watts. With this much power, the Juicebox can power a large camera along with a host of accessories, including large Litepanels. We’ve powered 3D Phantom rigs off of a single Juicebox 400 and had complete engineering stations run off one unit. Sometimes cameras go out with so many accessories piled on it’s difficult to see the camera body underneath, but the whole thing can still run off a single Juicebox 400. Blasting out 400w at 15v, the Juicebox 400 could answer the needs for many rental houses, multi-camera truck operators and other facilities.

The small, lightweight Juicebox 400 is the first of a series of innovative power solutions planned by Abel Cine Tech.

The Phantom Flex has been surpassing expectations since its release in September. To explain some of the features that make the Flex the most versatile digital high-speed camera available today, we put together a short video featuring our Phantom specialists.

Besides its technical capabilities, such as frame rates, sensitivity and ease of use, Flex is distinguished by the stunning imagery it produces. No Phantom video would be complete without high-speed photography, and we’ve included teaser shots from an upcoming short by award-winning filmmaker Brendan Bellomo and cinematographer Greg Wilson, as well as footage of galloping horses from Phantom pioneer and DP Steve Romano.

Check out our Introduction to the Phantom Flex on abelcine.com and on Vimeo and YouTube in HD.

The nanoFlash recorder can record video at up to 280 Mb/s, which requires a card with a lot of speed, but it can also record very high quality footage at lower bit rates. Some jobs may require the highest speed cards, which are also the most expensive, while others may not. This can lead to a lot of confusion about which card to get, so Convergent Design put together a chart that lists the many different cards and what write speeds they can handle on the nanoFlash. On the highest level, the Delkin 625x and SanDisk Extreme made the list. For those who require less speed (<120 Mb/s), the Transcend 400x and Delkin 300x could make for some major cost savings. You can check out the original version of this chart on Convergent Design’s site. Click the image above for a larger version.