Photo Credit: Eli Tawil

A cinematographer and lighting designer by trade, Rick Siegel has worked on feature length and short films in the narrative and documentary genres. He photographs episodic television series as well – in music, comedy, fashion, home style, reality and magazine formats. In this blog, he tells us all about his Sony PMW-F3 rig.

When it comes to choosing a camera rig to purchase or to rent, what are your biggest considerations?

RS: I apply several criteria to determine and visualize my choices: what are the scripted elements to be photographed, who is going to see this project, what are the deliverables, what is the best equipment to frame the story elements, and last, but not least, what’s my budget. It’s a balance between artistic options, communication skills, dollars and sense. 

…continue reading Show Us Your Rig: Rick Siegel & PMW-F3

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!

Recently, I got a chance to spend some time with a few of the newest offerings from OptiTek, including their recently announced Canon EF to Sony FZ adapter. This adapter features electronic aperture control via a simple push button interface. It can also be controlled wirelessly with the optional Optitron, which allows for wireless focusing in addition to iris control. If you’re using the F5 or F55, power can be supplied via the auxiliary Hirose 4 port from the camera, or you can supply power via PTap. For those wanting to use Nikon lenses on their F3, F5 or F55, there is a non-powered locking adaptor available. Watch my video above to learn more.

This year’s NAB show was the busiest one ever … on our blog at least. We posted a total of twenty-four videos from the show floor, which you can watch by clicking on our dedicated NAB 2013 category. If you didn’t get a chance to visit our booth this year, check out the videos below (some from the blog and some shot by our friends) to see a few of the highlights! 

…continue reading NAB 2013: Booth Highlights

We’ve covered some of Arri’s Pro Camera Accessories before, specifically their kit for the Sony F5/F55. This year at NAB, they’re showing off even more accessories, including a new modular mattebox, as well as some updates to that previously mentioned F5/F55 kit. I got a chance to speak with Arri’s Snehal Patel, so watch the video above to learn more. 

The internet has proven to be a valuable tool for all of us, and there’s no denying that using the internet for deliverables or proxies is changing the way we think about production. Sony’s new CBK-WA100 wireless adapter allows you to directly upload your footage to a new cloud service (or an FTP server of your choosing), and expands your options for delivering content quickly. I was able to spend a few minutes with this interesting adapter, so make sure you watch my first look above!

There are definitely some unique filtration needs that arise from using today’s large-sensor cameras. I stopped by Tiffen’s NAB booth and talked with Sandie Stern about their new filter offerings, such as their IRND Polarizers. Watch my video above to learn more about Tiffen’s new filter options.