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Recently, Abel hosted a pair of seminars exploring Sony’s new XDCAM EX camera models. The events at Abel’s New York and Burbank facilities showcased the 2/3” CMOS EX350, which joins Sony’s popular XDCAM EX family. Each of the cameras in the line—the EX1R, the EX3 and the EX350—has a different feature set and form factor, which makes it ideally suited to a particular application. You can read more about these applications on abelcine.com.

At each event, Abel’s Andy Shipsides presented an overview of the XDCAM EX format and gave an EX350 camera tour. Filmmaker (and Abel Rental alumn) Ben Bloodwell joined Andy at the New York event to give his impressions of the EX350. He screened footage from a recent documentary on cyclist Lance Armstrong shot with the EX3. Veteran Network News Magazine shooter Dennis Dillon then spoke about combining the EX cameras with nanoFlash recorders and XDCAM optical discs.

Director of Photography Tim Paterson was the special guest at the LA event. He shared his thoughts on the EX350 and discussed his experiences shooting the recent documentary Michael Jackson’s This Is It with the EX1 and EX3.

Browse the image gallery above to see images from both events.

By the way, we are now taking pre-orders on the EX350, which will begin shipping right after the New Year.

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When the producers of ABC’s hit show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition contacted Ron Ayers of Abel LA about donating camera equipment to a teen who dreams of a career as a TV news reporter, he was happy to help out.

Abel contributed a Sony HVR-S270U HDV camera and secured donations of a Miller tripod and dolly and a Switronix power package. The team at EM:HE created a fabulous TV studio for Domonique McFarland using this equipment. We hope Domonique enjoys using the gear and wish him best of luck in his career.

You can see additional photos of the house and TV studio on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition website.

We’ve had such a great response to our instructional videos and “At the Bench” series that we decided to start an Abel channel on Vimeo. Now you can watch all these videos in HD from one convenient place.

So, check us out at vimeo.com/channels/abelcinetech, and be sure to subscribe to stay on top of the latest releases from the Abel tech team.

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When DP Owen Smith told us he was shooting a documentary about Al Gore’s Climate Project, we were excited to support the filmmaker’s efforts in creating awareness of this important work.

Al Gore founded the Climate Project in 2006 to create grass roots awareness of climate change. So far, more than 2,600 volunteers have been trained to teach their communities about the issue and possible solutions. These volunteers in the US, Australia, Canada, India, Spain and the UK have together reached more than 5 million people, and plans are in the works to open more Climate Project branches worldwide.

The Climate Project documentary is being filmed with Panasonic P2 cameras. The VariCam 3700, HPX170 and HVX200 have all been used along with a VariCam 27H. We look forward to bringing you more news on this project as it develops.

To learn more about the Climate Project and get involved with this outstanding organization, visit www.theclimateproject.org.

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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Our friends at Flashpoint Academy in Chicago sent us this demo they shot using the CamTram 2500. It showcases some of the unique moves you can accomplish with the CamTram, and just how quick and easy it is to set up.

Flashpoint is a unique Digital Arts college that teaches both the art and science of digital media—audio recording, VFX and animation, gaming and film—they cover it all. Check out their website and blog to see what the school’s all about.

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Our friends over at Legs recently created a concept piece titled Natural Gravity, which is a central element for the launch campaign of this new creative division of Milk Studios. Director Georgie Greville and DP Manfred Reiff used the Phantom HD to capture the entrancing quality of movement usually invisible to the naked eye.

Human bodies flying through the air at 960 fps make for a unique and abstract effect. In this making of video, Georgie and Manfred talk about the creative and technical aspects of the Phantom HD.