4K was the definitive buzzword at NAB this year, as well as CES, with a number of manufacturers releasing 4K televisions, 4K game systems, and 4K cameras. With the consumer demand for 4K content just around the corner, one of the most often asked questions is “How much is this gonna cost us?!” After polling a number of industry sources, I decided to try and break down the production costs of shooting, data management, dailies creation and archiving in 4K to show that it isn’t as intimidating as you might think.

…continue reading The Production Costs of 4K: From Acquisition to Archiving

A few months ago, Andy wrote an article for HDVideoPro called Making 4K Plug & Play about how to use the Canon C500 with AJA’s Ki Pro Quad to easily record and monitor 4K video. Getting these two to play nice isn’t too difficult, but there are a few things to be aware of if you want to get the best results possible. Watch my video above as I take you through the step-by-step process of setting up the C500 and the Ki Pro Quad to record 4K ProRes, and stay tuned for a future blog about using the Thunderbolt passthrough to record the Canon RAW to your computer!

Canon has released their very easy to use Cinema RAW Development software for Mac OS Lion and Mountain Lion, which allows you to ingest, play, and export Canon RAW files. The user interface is very intuitive; just click on a clip and it immediately shows up in the Preview window. You can play it straight, scrub, go through it frame by frame, and set in and out points. The Preview window also includes some basic look controls, such as viewing gammas, sharpness, white balance, and brightness controls. There is also the ability to view frame and clip information. You can also use the software to play your footage out to an external monitor using an expansion card with SDI output.

When you’re ready to export your footage, simply add it to your export queue and choose the codecs you’d like to transcode to. Canon gives you the options of outputting 10-bit or 16-bit DPX as well as ProRes 4444. You can also export a 720×480 or 1920×1080 proxy version at the same time in either codec, and apply a Rec709, Canon Log, or Wide Dynamic Range gamma to the footage.

Canon has produced a great little program to handle their RAW footage that makes the idea of “RAW” much less scary and you can download it directly from the Canon Professional website. 

Arri has just released the latest Beta version of their Software Update Packet (SUP), v7.0, which brings some exciting new features to the ALEXA line of cameras. SUP v7.0 supports all five cameras in the ALEXA family, from the original ALEXA EV, to the ALEXA Plus, the ALEXA Studio with optical viewfinder, the modular ALEXA M and the new full sensor ALEXA Plus 4:3. It is available as a free download from the ARRI website for current ALEXA owners. The following new functions and features are included in the update: 

-    ProRes 2K recording in 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios

-    New in-camera de-bayering algorithm (ADA-3 HW)

-    Redesigned status display on the EVF and MON OUT

-    Simplified camera menus

-    Clone monitor out option for REC OUT

-    Low Contrast Curve (LCC) look file included as part of the SUP

-    Added support for the new Controlled Lens Motor CLM-4

-    3D sync now available on all ALEXA M cameras without license key

To download SUP v7.0, ALEXA owners must log in after completing a one-time registration on the ARRI website. The file can then be downloaded to an SD card for uploading into the camera. Also available for download are an updated user manual, release notes for SUP v7.0, and a ProRes 2K in Editorial white paper.

Today, Convergent Design released some exciting information with regards to their Gemini 4:4:4 recorder. If you remember back in May, they announced that the Gemini had been fully certified for ARRIRAW, and just recently, Convergent Design sold their 100th ARRIRAW option. Now they have announced full support for Canon 4K Cinema RAW. With the excitement surrounding the release of the Canon C500, this Canon RAW option is important because it allows users to capture 10-bit Log RAW (.rmf) up to 30fps on a single Gemini, and up to 60fps using two Geminis. The Canon RAW option will be available as a firmware upgrade for $2495 and will coincide with the C500′s release. 

Along with Canon RAW support, Convergent Design also has some news on an upcoming firmware update for the Gemini. Here’s a look at the features it will add.

…continue reading Canon RAW Support and New Firmware for Gemini 4:4:4 Announced

The new Phantom Miro M320S high-speed camera from Vision Research records 12-bit raw cine files for advanced color correcting with professional imaging software such as GlueTools or DaVinci Resolve. However, many shooters are instead utilizing the camera’s HD-SDI output to record directly to an external device like the Sound Devices PIX 240. This is a super fast way to get gorgeous high-speed shots recorded in Apple’s ProRes codec for easy ingest into an editing system. 

…continue reading Color Correcting the Phantom Miro

Last week, Jeff wrote about how to to remotely control the C300 using a Wi-Fi adapter and an iPad. In a similar vein, Sony’s F65 Remote app for iPad is a great way to quickly access and change the most useful settings on the F65, including frame rate, shutter angle, and exposure index. In this blog I’m going to give you easy, step-by-step instructions on how to set up both the camera and your iPad’s network settings to connect using Sony’s CBK-WA01 Wi-Fi Adapter.

…continue reading F65 Remote Control: Using the F65 Remote iPad App