The Sony PMW-F3 is a camera that begs to be accessorized. It can shoot with 35PL lenses, which means a follow focus and mattebox. If a large zoom is used, support is called for as well. Since the F3 can output very high quality HD-SDI, a camera-mounted recorder is desirable. An on-board monitor or accessory viewfinder needs accessory power, so an extra battery mount would be nice. Additional provision for handheld operation is also helpful.

AbelCine worked directly with Element Technica to develop the F3 Riser & Shoulder Pad Kit. This complete solution, which accepts lightweight 15mm support rods, includes ARRI rosettes for mounting handgrips and an adjustable shoulder pad. It also acts as a spacer for use with Element Technica Hybrid Bridgeplate or ARRI standard 15mm or 19mm studio bridgeplates, such as the ARRI BP-8 or BP-9. An optional Universal 15mm Lightweight Rod Bracket allows rods to extend behind the camera for mounting additional accessories. The unique design of the riser means that proper balance can be achieved both for tripod as well as shoulder-mounted use.

Other accessories shown in the video that are not part of the kit include Zacuto 15mm Rods, Vocas Handgrip Kit, AJA KiPro Mini, Zacuto Zwiss Plate, Anton Bauer QRC-Dual PT Battery Mount, and the Berkey F3 Top Mount Cheese Plate and F3 Extension Plate.

ARRI has just completed extensive testing on the new ALEXA Firmware 4.0, due to be released in early July. It includes so many new features that ARRI has decided to release a Beta version to all ALEXA owners a few weeks in advance of the official release date. This will allow ARRI to receive valuable feedback on the performance of the 4.0 upgrade from its growing ALEXA install base prior to the firmware’s official release.

Here are the key features of the ALEXA 4.0 Beta firmware.

For ALEXA and ALEXA Plus:

- Custom looks through ARRI Look Files

- Audio playback from SxS PRO cards

- SxS recording can be turned off

- Auto white balance

- Peaking focus check in EVF-1 and MON OUT

- False color exposure check for Log C images

- EVF ZOOM position centered or in top part of image

- EVF ZOOM and EXP buttons are now toggles

- HD-SDI Rec start/stop flag recording (without requiring SxS card to be inserted)

- Quieter “Rec Low” fan operation at higher ambient temperatures

- RETURN IN video enabled

- Compare stored image from SD card with live image

…continue reading ARRI ALEXA Firmware 4.0 Beta Release

The new Sony NEX-FS100 is a compact Super-35 camera that shares many image qualities with the PMW-F3. However, the unique size and shape of the camera, coupled with the relatively new lens mount can make outfitting the FS100 confusing. In my Sony FS100 Lens & Accessory article, I detail some of the available options for accessorizing the camera – from lenses to support systems and rigs. I discuss the Sony Alpha and E Mount lens options, as well as options for the more familiar PL and Nikon mount lenses. Read the entire article here.

A couple of weeks ago we tested a pre-production model of the Sony FS100 camera for both ISO ratings and dynamic range. We came up with some impressive results, but decided to do some more tests with the full production version of the camera. The ISO ratings stayed the same but I found that the production version of the camera actually had improved dynamic range overall. In my video above, I show the results of my tests at the four different gamma modes of the camera.

Here are my settings for each gamma mode to maximize range:  Standard Gamma (Knee Point 80% / Slope -1), CineTone1 (Knee Point 90% / Slope +2), CineTone2 (Knee Point 90% / Slope +2),  ITU709 (Knee Point 80% / Slope -2).

As with most of today’s cameras, it is important to check that your Panasonic AG-AF100 is up-to-date with the latest firmware, lens files and scene files. We do our best to keep everyone informed on the latest firmware release here, but the process of applying the new firmware can often be a bit confusing. In this blog, I will explain how to locate and load these different files for the AF100.

Firmware updates are available from Panasonic’s website. As of this posting, the current firmware version is V1.15.

…continue reading AF100: Scene Files, Lens Files & Firmware

If you’ve been following my HD Formats series (Video Formats, Bit Depth & Bit Rate), this blog should help clarify a couple more of those words and numbers we see associated with HD video formats. First, I’ll talk about different color models in the HD world, which are often shown as ‘Y Cb Cr’, ‘Y Pb Pr’ or ‘RGB’. Then I’ll cover color sub-sampling, which is most often described by a combination of numbers such as 4:2:2 or 4:2:0. These two terms are closely associated with one another, but have very different implications.

Let’s start by looking at two HD formats, each with a different color space and sampling. On the new PMW-F3 camera, you can record internally in the XDCAM EX format, but also output an S-Log RGB signal over Dual-Link or 3G SDI. More specifically in 1080 24p,

XDCAM EX =  8-bit YCbCr 4:2:0 1920 x 1080 23.98p recording (35 Mb/s recorded)

S-Log RGB = 10-bit RGB 4:4:4 1920 x 1080 23.98Psf (Uncompressed)

The text in red describes the color model, and the text in blue describes the color sub-sampling. Here is a short description of both.

…continue reading HD Formats: Color Model & Color Sub-Sampling

Today, Sony released the latest firmware, Version 1.1, for the PMW-F3 camera. It includes several features that really improve the camera overall. They also released the CBK-RGB01 upgrade key (S-Log upgrade), which enhances the camera’s imaging options. Sony let us check out the new firmware a bit early. Here is my report of the improvements made to the camera with the free upgrade.

…continue reading New Sony PMW-F3 Firmware V1.1 Released