Our client Emery Wells at Katabatic Digital has created a handy memory usage calculator app for the iPhone. KataData is a storage and runtime calculator with more than 100 camera and record format options, including cameras from ARRI, Canon, JVC, Panasonic, RED, Sony, and Vision Research. If you plug in a runtime, it will tell you the memory needed, or you can plug in a memory amount and it will tell you how much runtime it allows. Switch cameras or codecs and it will calculate a new corresponding memory amount or runtime; this is useful when transcoding material or when shooting with a different format on a B-camera. Calculations can be stored in a log which can be adjusted and edited, then emailed to the production office or post house. It’s a great tool for any data wrangler, DIT or AC.

KataData is available for $4.99 in the iTunes Store.

We are always looking for ways to accessorize cameras so they are even more functional for our clients. Our latest design for the F3 is a ProVFM Viewfinder Mount Kit that enables the use of a professional electronic HD viewfinder with the camera.

The ProVFM Viewfinder Mount Kit allows a Sony or Panasonic 1920×1080 HD viewfinder to be mounted to the F3. Using a proper HD viewfinder on the F3, you can comfortably handhold the camera, as well as judge focus and exposure.

…continue reading F3 Solutions: AbelCine ProVFM Viewfinder Mount Kit

Sony has just announced details on their upcoming zoom lenses for the F3. The new SCL-Z18X140 lens is a 14x powered zoom in the native Sony F3 mount. It will ship in November with a list price of $12,200, but will likely retail for less. This zoom is the first servo driven lens designed to cover the Super-35 sensor found in the F3. It features full auto iris, auto focus and stabilization. At the wide end of the lens, it has an aperture of T3.9, which drops to around T6.8 at the end. However, the image stabilization and other functions add up to make it quite an amazing lens. Firmware version 1.20, which enables the use of the zoom rocker found on the side of the camera, is required to use the lens. The firmware will also be released in November; see yesterday’s blog for details. View the bottom of the post to see the full specs of the new lens.

Along with the 14x lens announcement comes a bit more information on Sony’s new wide angle 11-16mm zoom. This is a PL mount zoom lens, which is designed to match the 35, 50 and 85mm lenses that come with the PMW-F3K model. It will be available around the end of the year.

…continue reading Sony’s New Zoom Lenses for the PMW-F3

Sony recently announced firmware version 1.20 for the PMW-F3. The new firmware, which will be released in November, will enable the use of the zoom rocker found on the F3, as well as some other very cool features. The first is the ability to turn on the 3D Link function in the camera with a new add-on key called CBK-3DLO1. On the back of the camera you’ll find the 3D link port, which will enable two F3s to be linked together for 3D. When combined with a Sony paintbox, both cameras can be controlled at the same time. Additionally, if Sony’s upcoming 14x lens is used on both cameras, a matching zoom, focus and iris can be achieved at the same time. (Read more about this new lens on our blog tomorrow.) This makes the F3 very straightforward to set up for 3D use. The CBK-3DL01 option key has a list price of $5,500 and includes the cable needed to connect both cameras.

Perhaps the most significant addition of all is Exposure Index S-Log mode. You will still need the S-Log option installed to make this work, but if you already have the S-Log option on, this will be enabled right away. The Exposure Index mode works differently than the standard S-Log mode – it sets the camera at an optimal ISO (800) and maximizes the sensor output, giving a full extra stop of exposure. Then when the gain switch is adjusted, instead of adding gain it adjusts the exposure index. A practical explanation of this is that when gain is increased the camera will push up the exposure values, and when it is decreased it will pull down those values. Because the ISO is set to get the most out of the sensor, the exposure index change works more like an adjustment in post. The extra stop in exposure is big news though, and I can’t wait to try it out.

We also learned about another firmware update coming out at the end of the year. Version 1.30 of the F3 firmware will be available around the end of December or January 2012, and will coincide with the release of Sony’s wide angle 11-16mm PL mount lens. The firmware will add one really important feature, which is the ability to output S-Log in 422. When S-Log is enabled (with the optional key), you will be able to send a 422 signal out of the Dual-Link ‘A’ output. Right now S-Log can only be sent out via the regular SDI output, by turning off the output LUT. With the new firmware, we will be able to send out S-Log over the ‘A’ output, while sending out another signal with the LUT applied over the regular SDI. This is a great feature for anyone using a Ki Pro Mini, PIX240 or other external recorder.

Recently, Jonathan Miller of Hive Lighting stopped by our showroom to demonstrate a prototype of his new Hornet light. Hive lights employ plasma to produce a very bright and efficient light source. Plasma lights, which work on a similar principle to how the sun produces light, are twice as efficient as traditional HMI lighting, with a truer daylight balance. They produce a flicker-free light, making them ideal for for high-speed photography. Hive lights can be DC powered and are extremely flexible to set up.

Hive lights will be available to purchase in Spring 2012.

Watch my video to learn all about this exciting new technology.

Recently, we have seen a wide variety of recorders being released that write video directly to Solid State Hard Drives (SSDs). These recorders include the Sound Devices PIX240, CineDeck, Atomos Samurai, the BlackMagic Hyperdeck Shuttle, and the Convergent Design Gemini 4:4:4. SSDs can be very fast and have become very price competitive compared to other memory cards. The high-speed Sandisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash cards that are required for ProRes recording cost around $7 per gigabyte, versus a comparable SSD that can be purchased for less than $2 per gigabyte. However, these drives were built to be used in computers, and it can be a bit confusing to choose the right drive for a video recorder.

In order to find a drive that works, you should first calculate the data rate requirements for the compression format you are recording. SSDs are usually rated in terms of maximum read speeds in megabytes per second (MB/s), however most compression is described in megabits per second (Mb/s). To converts bits to bytes, just divide by 8. For instance, ProRes HQ is a 220 Mb/s compression; divided by 8, it is 27.5 MB/s. Most drives, however, only list their maximum data rate for reading or writing; for video, we need a drive that can maintain a consistent data rate. That’s why determining the average sustained read/write speed is so important.

…continue reading Choosing a Solid State Drive for Video Recording

I’m often asked about the available solutions for attaching accessories or external recorders to camera rigs. One solution for 15mm lightweight or 19mm rods is the new Anton/Bauer MATRIX cheese plate. This versatile cheese plate allows for both vertical and horizontal mounting, and it fits most standard accessories. Watch my video above as I detail how to attach an AJA KiPro Mini to the MATRIX plate.