Photo courtesy of Paul Cronin

Paul Cronin of Whitecap Video recently wrote a post on his blog detailing his first impressions of the Sony XDCAM PMW-350 (also known as the EX350) that he bought at Abel. A long-time Abel client, Paul had traveled to New York to attend our Sony EX350/EX1R launch event back in December, and was nice enough to bring along some footage that he had shot over the past year with his EX1.

In his post, Paul provides a pretty thorough round-up of the pros and cons he’s noticed, as well as a few helpful close-up shots of the various menus and controls. Some highlights he mentions are the quick power up (2.5 sec), the “cool” on-camera light options, and the pleasure of having a full size camera with easily accessible controls.

He concludes with: “I am keeping my EX1 as my B camera. With proper shoulder support the EX1/3 are great cameras. But from my first test they cannot match the sharpness, latitude, low noise, and better DOF the PMW-350 offers. Add to this having the endless choice of B4 lens options for your shooting style. The EX line of cameras just keeps getting better and the EX350 is a nice move by Sony!”

Read the full post over at Paul’s blog here.

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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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Over the past three years, there have been numerous high profile projects shot with Phantom HD digital high-speed cameras. Hollywood features like Sherlock Holmes and Zombieland, wildlife documentaries from National Geographic and Discovery, sporting events from the NFL, NASCAR and the Olympics, as well as high end commercials for Acura and Xbox 360 – these are just a few examples. But if ever there was an important individual to shoot with the Phantom HD Gold, it would be none other than President Barack Obama

NFL’s Play60 teamed up with President Obama’s United We Serve initiative for this Thanksgiving campaign to encourage physical activity and combat childhood obesity. The President, along with NFL players DeMarcus Ware, Drew Brees and Troy Polamalu, were all stars in this PSA, which was filmed on the lawns of the White House in early November 2009. I served as the Phantom specialist on this project.

…continue reading NFL and Obama Encourage Kids to Play60

If Indiana Jones were a cameraman his name would be Scott Duncan. An eight time Emmy award winner, Scott is known for his artistry as well as his sense of adventure. Scott has filmed inside war zones, on top of mountains and under raging rivers. Last month he used the new Aaton Penelope camera to shoot one of Manhattan’s most menacing marauders – Donald Trump.

The project was the opening of a brand new season of Celebrity Apprentice with The Donald and a gaggle of…celebrities (who we can’t name right now – you’ll know them when you see them). It proved an excellent opportunity for Scott to become acquainted with Penelope.

…continue reading Scott Duncan: First Impressions of Penelope

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Last night, Abel NY hosted a lighting seminar presented by Dedo Weigert, inventor of Dedolights.

Traveling to America exclusively for this event, Dedo drew a packed crowd of filmmakers, many of whom continued to talk with Dedo long after the formal end of the event. Keeping the audience engrossed with anecdotes culled from his years as a Munich-based cinematographer, he provided a glimpse into the genesis of his line of Dedolights. He emphasized that his lights weren’t meant to compete with any other manufacturers’, but—like the different paint brushes in an artist’s kit—each had its purpose. He then proceeded to demonstrate a number of his products, discussing the particular lighting situations in which each would shine. During a 15-minute break, attendees got a chance to get their hands on all the lights and accessories that Dedo demonstrated during his presentation.

…continue reading An Evening with Dedo and His Lights

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On October 26th and 27th, Abel Cine Tech and The Mill teamed up in “The Awesome Showcase!” at the Boards Summit.

Boards, which started out as a trade magazine for the advertising industry has evolved into a brand focused on bringing the international commercial production industry community together for dialogue, debate and discussion about the global business of commercial production.

“The Awesome Showcase” was a designated area at the Grand Hyatt New York, which showcased new and “awesome” technology. On display were the Phanton HD Gold, RedOne, and the new and exciting HDSLR cameras. The Canon 7D, with the Arri Accessories and the Panasonic Lumix GH-1 with Hot Rod PL adaptor and Ultra Prime lens proved to be hits with the crowd.  It was interesting to hear from top level creative directors how the HDSLR cameras are now part of their plan for their high profile clients.

Now you can watch all of Abel’s videos on the Tube – YouTube, that is.

Along with our dedicated Vimeo channel, Abel is offering another convenient and high quality way to view our HD videos. Both channels offer instructional how-to’s, previews of new products, and of course our popular “At The Bench” series.

Check us out at youtube.com/abelcinetech and be sure to subscribe so you’ll never miss an update!