Some months ago, I posted Part 1 of my PMW-F3 S-Log video series, and now, after waiting for the new 1.2 firmware to be released, Part 2 is here. In this video, I explain the new Exposure Index mode in the F3 and what it does for the camera. Watch my video above to learn more, and look for future segments coming soon.

We have had a number of different events over the last few months featuring Sony’s F65 camera. The F65 offers unparallelled 8k resolution and produces stunning 4k imagery. We’ve done a lot of testing with it, and found both the resolution and dynamic range to be off the charts. For all of you that were not able to attend our events, I put together this short video covering some of the big features of the camera; stay tuned for future videos on workflow and data management. The F65 has a special package price offer through Dec 26th, so make sure to speak with our sales team if you are interested.

In Part Two of his review of the Panasonic AC160, Noah Kadner discusses the camera’s audio recording options and post workflow. In case you missed Part One, you can read it here.

Audio

As I mentioned in part one of this review, the Panasonic AC160 gives you uncompressed PCM audio, in addition to the AC130‘s Dolby Digital AC3 audio. I’m a huge fan of uncompressed audio. AC3 sounds fine in-camera and in raw footage, but a decent ear can start to hear the compression artifacts as soon as you try to do major filtering and/or mixing. It’s just one of those things that separates ‘pro’ from ‘prosumer,’ and if you’re working with footage for potential broadcast you’ll want to cross that ‘t’ with uncompressed audio.

With the AC160, you have automatic audio level control (which I recommend never using) and also really great manual audio level controls. This is where Panasonic’s having made so many camcorders over the years really pays off in the little details. For example, the mic audio power switches are recessed just enough so that you really can’t accidentally switch them off (thereby ruining your audio) unintentionally. And this would be an easy thing to do, as the switches are located right on the top handle that you’re constantly grabbing to pick the camera up.

You get two audio inputs, which can utilize the onboard mics or any desired combination of outboard mic or line-level audio inputs via a of pair XLR jacks. I heartily recommend either recording double-system sound outboard with a digital audio recorder or running a mixer and boom/lav mics directly into the camera. The onboard pre-amps are solid if not the greatest in the world; but you’ll definitely never want to rely on the onboard microphones at all.

I almost wish camcorder manufacturers would remove onboard mics completely to force shooters into recording better sound. All you get from the onboard mics are the close-up sounds of the camera itself and the operator. The really important audio action is much closer to whatever you’re filming. So get in there close with a wired or wireless lav/boom and get good audio routing to your camera. Your audience will not only appreciate this quality, they will expect it.

Post-Production

Working with the AC160’s footage in post-production is very straightforward. It’s well supported in most modern NLEs, as the AVCHD format has been around for a couple of years now and is pretty much the de-facto consumer/prosumer HD codec. It looks great in post-production, very filmic if you want it to look that way, and it holds up pretty well to extensive compositing, filters and color grading.

And, even if you’ve dialed in a more than a slight amount of gain, you’ll discover the AC160 exhibits a very non-electronic, film-like grain structure at higher levels that no one will really scoff at. Although, I always recommend using gain as judiciously as possible regardless of how well it works; better to light shots that really need it whenever you can.

I ingested footage from the AC160 into Final Cut Pro 7 and X as well as Adobe Premiere and had no problems at all in any of them. Each of these NLEs take a slightly different approach to dealing with AVCHD. Final Cut Pro transcodes AVCHD into ProRes during ingest, while Adobe lets you edit AVCHD natively on a timeline.

Now, a lot of folks are champions of native AVCHD editing because you can literally drag footage directly from a card onto a timeline and start editing. But I’ve found that unless you have very high-end hardware, the trade-off is reduced performance and a consequently lower quality editing experience. So if you have a less-than-top-end computer (and that’s a lot of us), you may find that spending a bit of extra time doing the transcode to ProRes upfront in FCP results in a much more enjoyable editing experience down the road. And by more enjoyable I mean less dropped frames as you edit, less rendering required for filters/transitions and faster outputs of sequences as you complete an edit. ProRes is just a great format and totally optimized for efficient and high-speed editing. (And forgive me for assuming you’re editing on a Mac, but I’m sure there’s an equivalent Windows workflow out there as well).

Conclusion

I truly love the AVHCD format and the SDHC media, as they hit a real sweet spot of price and performance. In practiced hands (i.e. do spend some time with the manual), the AC160 is capable of producing imagery that’s nothing short of state-of-the-art in prosumer HD video. Considering its reasonable price of around $4,200 ready to shoot out of the box, this camera should knock ‘em dead in the ENG, documentary and event videography worlds.

The AC160 might even make some new friends out of indie filmmaker types who’ve been on the DSLR/interchangeable lens train for the past few years and found it too expensive, complex and/or difficult to deal with. This camera is a solid, old school workhorse that won’t let you down and is a real pleasure to use. I give a very enthusiastic thumbs up to the Panasonic AC160 camcorder.

Noah Kadner is a contributing writer for American Cinematographer magazine and wrote RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera for Peachpit Press. He also produces and hosts Call Box, a digital series of training courses aimed at indie filmmakers. Call Box offers The AC130/AC160 Guide, for owners wanting to get the most out of their cameras.

In part one of his hands-on review of the Panasonic AG-AC160 1/3” AVCCAM HD camera, filmmaker Noah Kadner discusses its features, controls, ergonomics and available recording formats. He also discusses applications and benefits of a fixed lens camera.

In part two, coming next week, Noah will review the camera’s audio and post-production workflows.

Introduction

In an era of interchangeable-lens digital cinema cameras from companies like RED and ARRI (along with HD video-enabled DSLR cameras with large image sensors from Nikon, Canon, Sony and Panasonic), it’s becoming increasingly rare to find a new fixed lens camcorder like the Panasonic AC160. But in my opinion, they still very much have their place in the production world. Say you’re working in news, documentary, event or corporate videography, where having extremely shallow depth of field can be counterproductive. You only have a single chance to get a shot in focus and can’t repeat actions the way a narrative film shoot could. In that case, you may need the deep-focus depth of field that you’d get with a fixed lens, smaller sensor camera.

Or, perhaps you just don’t want to deal with the technical considerations and sizable investment needed to build up a robust set of interchangeable lenses. That’s another case where having a fixed lens camera would serve your needs better. If that sounds more like you read on, because the Panasonic AC160 represents the state-of-the-art in fixed lens, 1/3” sensor high-definition cameras

AC160 vs. AC130

One question to consider before I get into the full review is: do you need the AC160 or can you get by with its little brother, the AC130 (which costs about $600 less than the 160)? There are four primary differences: the 160 offers HD-SDI out, PCM uncompressed audio, 50Hz/60Hz system switching, and variable frame rates over the 130.

If you need to capture footage to an outboard recorder (such as a Blackmagic Hyperdeck, ATOMOS Ninja or AJA Ki Pro), perhaps for critical compositing work, you’ll want the HD-SDI port of the AC160. If you feel that Dolby Digital AC3 audio sounds a little too compressed vs. uncompressed linear PCM audio (which is what most DV, AVC-Intra and DVCPROHD camcorders record by the way), you’ll want the 160. If you’re planning to shoot in a number of different countries with different video/electricity standards (i.e. NTSC 60Hz vs. PAL 50Hz), you’ll also want the 160. If you want to shoot slow motion or sped up variable frame rate shots in-camera, you’ll need the 160. If you don’t truly need any of these features, you might just grab the 130 and save yourself a little dough for other key accessories.

For the purposes of this review, I used an AC160. Personally, I think it’s worth the extra money as the difference in cost is not really that much, and it’s always nicer to have a feature and not need it than vice-versa. That said the overall image quality and operation is identical between the two cameras – outside of the aforementioned differences. So, let’s dive right into some specifics.

…continue reading A Hands On Review of the Panasonic AC160, Part One

OConnor has expanded their range of camera accessories with two moderately-priced devices.  The OConnor OFocus Mini is a two-sided follow focus with a low gear ratio optimized for use with non-cine lenses. This versatile unit includes many features of its big brother the OConnor CFF-1, as well as offering some unique functionality.  The OConnor Universal Baseplate Set is a rod mounting system for any small camera. Its wide range of adjustability means that it is not camera-specific, allowing one to confidently make a long term accessory purchase.

Watch the video above to see more detail on the new OConnor OFocus Mini and Universal Baseplate Set.

Zeiss has been the industry leader in motion picture optics for decades. The renowned quality of Zeiss optics married with the lower cost of the lightweight and rugged CP.2 Compact Primes led to a product that was a runaway success. Now the company has let its intentions be known for future cinema products. Coming soon will be additional focal lengths for the Compact Primes (there are currently nine sizes available), as well as a set of Compact Zooms to complement the CP.2s. Zeiss will also re-enter the anamorphic lens arena, manufacturing the only commercially available set of 2x anamorphic primes in the industry.

Our friend Jon Fauer talked to Zeiss’ Christian Bannert and Michael Schielen recently. Read the article in the latest edition of Film & Digital Times.

We’ve been looking forward to some of the camera accessories from Canadian company Shape WLB ever since NAB, and we were not disappointed when we received our first samples. Shape has been developing handheld rigs for years based on feed back from users, and this attention to detail shows in every product.

Today, I’ll take a look at the Composite F3 Kit for the Sony PMW-F3 and the Double Quick Handle Rosette system. The Composite F3 system includes the popular Quick Handle, which is attached to standard 15mm rods via the Rod Block. By simply depressing the big red button, you can quickly unlock the handles to reposition them to fit your needs. With a comfortable shoulder pad and options for a battery plate or counterweights, the Shape Composite F3 system is a great run-and-gun solution for the F3.

The Double Quick Handle Rosette system attaches to an Arri rosette, which offers adjustment on two axes. Both the quick handles and the arm extensions can be repositioned using the red release knob. They are ideal for attaching directly to the ALEXA or to the PMW-F3 when paired with the Element Technica Riser. In either case, the adjustment takes just seconds.

Watch my video above as I detail some of the features of the Shape Composite F3 and the Double Quick Handle Rosette system.