Blackmagic Design has just released the successor to the HyperDeck Shuttle, the aptly named HyperDeck Shuttle 2. Identical in almost every way, the big news is that in addition to uncompressed recording, the HyperDeck Shuttle 2 can now also record DNxHD 220x (220Mbit/s, 10-bit). You will need to use a computer with the Blackmagic HyperDeck Utility to switch between uncompressed recording and DNxHD, but at $345, the Hyperdeck Shuttle 2 is certainly the least expensive external recorder on the market today. If you own a Shuttle 2, you can download the firmware to unlock DNxHD recording capabilities for Mac OSX or for Windows. Sadly, the update will not unlock DNxHD recording on the original HyperDeck Shuttle.

Canon’s much anticipated EOS C300 and C300 PL mark the beginning of a new series of cinema cameras from the company. While the small form factor, large sensor revolution can be credited to Canon HDSLRs, up until recently Canon has been mostly silent while we’ve seen cameras from Panasonic and Sony that really capture the momentum of the industry. While Canon told us that they would be designing a new cinema camera, we were pleasantly surprised at the results when they previewed the camera for us. Because of the rather unique form factor, we put together a lens and accessories guide you can check out here.

While there are several electronic viewfinders available on the market today, we’re excited to see a new high resolution option that culminated from a partnership between Alphatron and TVLogic. Manufactured by TVLogic, the new EVF035W-3G viewfinder features a 3.5″ display with a stunning 960×640 resolution panel, which is the same size and resolution as the Retina display from Apple’s iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Aside from the beautiful display, some key features include HD/SDI loop-through and HDMI input/output. The viewfinder is expected to ship this March for $1,395. More information will be available shortly, but in the meanwhile you can check out a sneak preview online. You can reserve yours today by placing a refundable $100 deposit.

There’s a lot to be thankful for this Friday, as there have been several important firmware update announcements across the board. In addition to the ARRI ALEXA update released on Wednesday, BlackMagic Design, Sony, and Sound Devices all have announcements to get your weekend off to a great start.

BlackMagic Design HyperDeck Studio:

The uncompressed HyperDeck Studio recorder will gain compressed recording capability with a free update slated for “the end of this month.” DNxHD recording and playback of MXF files will be added, promising an expedited workflow for those working with Avid Media Composer, as well as a big advantage for those that do not require uncompressed files.

Sony NEX-FS100

Sony will be releasing an major update to the popular AVCHD Super35 NEX-FS100 by early 2012. One of the most requested features is the ability to switch between NTSC and PAL recording, which Sony has added to this free update. In addition, you will be able to:

• Save and load camera profiles to and from a memory card
• Additional 4x and 8x Expanded Focus magnification
• Selectable ISO or Gain sensitivity display
• Selectable focus indication in feet or meters (E-Mount lenses only)
• Selectable shutter indication as exposure time or shutter angle
• Added the following Aspect-Ratio markers: 2.35:1, 1.85:1 and 1.66:1
• Display ON/OFF button enables Zebra and/or Histogram overlay onto video output

The new firmware will also allow you to use the new Sony LA-EA2 Alpha to E-mount adaptor with full support for continuous phase-detect autofocus, auto iris, and lens metadata on most Alpha mount lenses.

…continue reading Keeping Up with the Firmware: Friday Edition

Earlier this week, I visited Createasphere 2011 and I spent some time checking out gear that our friends from Assimilate, Litepanels, and Sony had on display.

Litepanels demoed their new Croma dual-color, on-camera light for me, as well as their Sola 4 and Hilio lights. I took a look at Sony’s PMW-TD300 fixed lens 3D camera, which features slow and quick motion recording in 3D, a first for a shoulder mounted camera. Finally, I got a tour of a new, compact DIT Station that offers Scratch 6 and is compatible with RED and ALEXA, as well as Panasonic and Sony cameras.

Watch my video above for details on all these products.

Panasonic has now released the AVCCAM Importer software that was announced at NAB 2011. This Final Cut Pro 7 plug-in allows you to edit AVCCAM (Panasonic’s variant of AVCHD) footage directly, without having to run it through Log and Transfer first. Previously, you would have to transcode AVCCAM footage to ProRes before working with it in FCP 7, but now you can work directly off the .mts files from the camera. This software also allows you to use QuickTime to view the AVCCAM footage, so even if you’re using Final Cut Pro X (which has native support for AVCHD), this will add AVCHD playback to QuickTime.

…continue reading Panasonic AVCCAM Importer for FCP 7 Now Available

As IBC 2011 winds down, we’d like to take a moment to share some of the more exciting developments. In addition to the announcements from AJA, Arri, Blackmagic Design, Panasonic, and Sony, there were a few other highlights from this year we thought were worth mentioning.

Atomos has announced a very clever field converter that’s about the same size as a Sony “L” battery aptly called the Connect. Available as an SDI to HDMI or HDMI to SDI converter, the Connect features a built-in battery that will power the converter for two hours. Alternatively, you can attach a Sony “L” battery to power the Connect that will also pass power through to another Sony “L” device, such as the Atomos Ninja recorder. This will actually provide uninterrupted power to your Sony device, which is a nice touch. Other impressive features include a test pattern generator and real-time 3:2 pulldown removal that will extract 24p or 30p from a 60i signal (or 25p from a 50i signal for our PAL readers). This means that if you’re using a camera that only has an HDMI output (such as the Sony NEX-FS100) or a recorder that does not offer 3:2 pulldown removal, you can use the Connect for “on-the-fly” 3:2 pulldown removal. Pricing for the US has yet to be determined, but the current MSRP is €249.

…continue reading IBC 2011 Updates: Wrap up