Soon after the announcement of the EOS Cinema C300, Canon brought the camera by and let us check it out. I put together this video with my first impressions of the camera. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by both the quality and functionality of the C300. The quality of the image, skin tone rendition and overall resolution make a good impression. Also the form factor, which seemed strange at first, allows the camera to fit nicely in your hand and is fun to operate. Check out my video above to learn more.

There’s no denying that Canon HDSLRs have made a big impact on our industry, and while proving to be an amazing tool for cinematographers, some of their limitations become apparent in post-production. While the native HDSLR image is often lauded its for high contrast and saturation, this can also prove challenging to color correct and grade.

To solve some of these issues, Technicolor and Canon have teamed up to release a custom Picture Style designed to increase the dynamic range of the images produced by the Canon HDSLRs. Loading the Technicolor CineStyle profile replaces the standard REC709 profile with a log color space for maximum latitude.

When you load the Picture Style with Canon’s EOS utility software, you can see that it adds the “CineStyle” profile to the standard drop down list.

I’ve included some sample images of the Canon “Standard” and “Neutral” styles compared to the Technicolor CineStyle.

Canon Standard

Canon Neutral

Technicolor CineStyle

While the Technicolor CineStyle appears flat and washed out, the low contrast image provides a true, neutral starting point for your colorist.

Technicolor has also released an S-curve LUT (Look Up Table) for Apple Color and Magic Bullet LUT Buddy. Both the Picture Style and S-curve LUT are available from Technicolor’s website here.

Video capture with an HDSLR can be tricky with day exteriors, even when the camera is rated at 200 or 320 ISO. The Schneider True-Match Variable Density Filter system offers a quick way to get exposure into a workable zone. Aesthetically, the unit allows directors and DP’s to maintain a level of exposure that takes advantage of the larger sensor area of the HDSLR by keeping the f-stop low and the depth of focus shallow, thus delivering a more filmic look.

The True-Match filter system consists of a match set of filters that, when turned in opposite directions, create various levels of ND. By carefully matching these filters, blue shift has been eliminated at high-density settings. The range is 11 stops of exposure compensation. A 77mm True-Match circular pola is threaded onto the lens and a step-up ring is threaded into the 77mm polarizer filter. The step-up ring accepts a rotating 4×4 filter stage, which holds a 4×4 True-Match linear polarizer.

The new VFM-056WP on-board monitor from TV Logic is ideal for working with HDSLRs and Compact HD cameras. Ergonomic design and user-friendly functions streamline your rig and offer monitoring solutions in a lightweight package.

The main reason the VFM-056WP works so well with HDSLR cameras is its ability to convert an HDMI signal to HD-SDI. Many people wish to convert their HDSLR video output into HD-SDI for monitoring. While signal converters exist, they require separate power and take up real estate on the camera. The VFM-056WP converts the HDMI input signal to a 720P HD-SDI output. This is a huge advantage, as it saves the cost of a separate signal converter and the power required for its operation.

The VFM-065WP monitor further addresses the scaling issue that occurs between monitoring and recording functions. The monitor includes a display menu item called DSLR scale. HDMI output from the Canon 5D is 1920×1080, but when the camera is in record mode, the HDMI signal converts to 640×480. The VFM-056WP will take in the HDMI signal and rescale the image to 720×480.

In addition to working well with HDSLR cameras, this small monitor works great with just about every professional camera today. Weighing in at just over a half pound, the options and routing solutions of the VFM-056WP on-board monitor from TV Logic will be hard to beat. Watch my video for an even more in-depth look.

HDSLR monitoring solutions in the past have been less than ideal – size, weight and powering have all created special challenges. The Marshall V-LCD50-HDMI has gone a long way in solving these challenges and, weighing in at just under half a pound, the unit lends itself to hand-held as well as studio configurations. Keep reading after the break for more details, as well as an in-depth video review of the monitor’s menu system.

…continue reading Marshall’s 5″ LCD50-HDMI Portable Field Monitor

Over the past year, the BlackMagic Design HDMI to SDI mini converter box has proved to be extremely popular with clients using the Canon 5D and 7D. It accepts both HD HDMI and SD HDMI signals from the 5D Mark II camera, but as some of you may recall from Andy’s blog back in May, the 5D Mark II outputs HD HDMI until you hit record, and then the signal changes to SD. BlackMagic’s firmware version 1.5 would break the SD conversion, leaving you with a blank monitor while recording. The fix was to downgrade your firmware to 1.4, but Blackmagic has finally addressed the problem in their latest firmware, version 1.6.1. What’s new? Well, now you can see your Canon’s SD signal while recording, but there’s also Closed Captioning support for up/down/cross conversion and overall performance and stability improvements. You can also set your downconversion settings to anamorphic 16:9, center cropped 4:3, or letterboxed 16:9.

To upgrade your converter box, download the 1.6.1 Utility Software for Mac or Windows. After opening the utility, plug your converter into your computer using a USB cable and power it up. The utility will automatically upgrade your firmware if it’s not already at the current version.

I recently had a chance to try out the Vocas HDSLR rig. This modular system provides as much or as little support as needed and is ideal for HDSLR shoots.

The heart of the system is the 0350-0300 rail support bracket – the camera ties down to a raised platform and accommodates 15mm lightweight rods. Underneath are a series of tapped holes: three 1/4″-20, one 3/8″-16, 8-4mm.

The full version includes a mattebox (MB-210 or MB-250), MFC-1 follow focus and shoulder pad with offset bracket, topside handgrip, monitor support and handgrip kit. Adding a finder to your camera LCD panel makes this setup ready to work all day in a hand-held configuration.

Breakdown and assembly of the unit is intuitive and quick, thanks to the positive lock design of the tie downs. The offset bracket for the shoulder mount allows for fast changeups from a tripod/monopod to a shoulder setup, while the top handle makes grabbing low-angle shots a breeze.

…continue reading New HDSLR Rig From Vocas