The demand for 35PL lenses has never been greater, and most manufacturers have entered the market with sets of prime lenses, usually ranging from 18mm to 100mm and more. Focus Optics decided to fill the hole in the market with the Ruby 14-24 T2.8 Zoom Lens. The Ruby is based on Nikon glass, but the housing and mechanics have been completely reworked. The lens focuses in the standard direction that all PLs focus, with many clear focus marks on the large barrel. The whole lens is quite compact – only 138mm long and just three pounds. Focus, zoom and iris rings are all geared to cine standards, and the front diameter is a 110mm cine standard as well. The lens will also accept a 102mm screw-in filter on the front.

Ruby is a future-proof optical design, because it covers the entire Full Frame 35mm or ”VistaVision” format.

On a side note, the first half of this video was shot on a Sony PMW-EX1, which has a ½” sized three-chip sensor block, with the lens zoomed out to its widest focal length, 5.8mm. I then put the Ruby 14-24 on the Sony PMW-F3, which has a Super-35 single sensor. The matching field of view for the F3 sensor would be right near the middle of the Ruby’s range, about 20mm. But the sense of depth due to compression in the frame and the shorter relative depth of field make for a distinctly different look. The two cameras were otherwise set basically the same, making this a convenient illustration of the differences in the look of the two sensor sizes.

This week there have been three important firmware updates for XDCAM EX cameras, the Convergent Design NanoFlash and the Zoom H4n. Read on for the details.

Sony XDCAM EX Firmware Update

If you are interested in using the new 64GB or 32GB SxS-1A cards, your XDCAM EX camera will need a firmware upgrade. The SxS-1 32GB cards have been out for sometime now, but the new SxS-1A cards have just recently starting shipping. These cards have faster transfer speeds, up to 1.2Gbps, which really makes a difference when downloading your footage through the ExpressCard interface. The following cameras require the firmware upgrade to work with these cards: PMW-EX1, PMW-EX1R, PMW-EX3 and the PMW-350. The new PMW-320 and PMW-500 cameras should work with no upgrade necessary. The firmware can be downloaded from the Sony website, which also includes instructions for installation.

Convergent Design NanoFlash

Convergent Design has updated the NanoFlash to version 1.6.226 (beta). This update adds many features including the ability to hot-swap cards and switch between cards on the fly. They have also added support for playback of Canon XF305 files, which makes the NanoFlash the only deck that can playback the Canon XF305/300 video. There are several other updates and bug fixes that every NanoFlash user will appreciate. This firmware is currently in beta, but worth checking out. Click here to download the firmware and learn more (bottom of the page).

Zoom H4n

The popular Zoom H4n has just been updated to version 1.70, which allows independent level controls on the unit’s two XLR inputs. This is very important for anyone using the H4n as a recording device for video work. Download the latest firmware here.

One of the most frequently asked questions that I receive about the XDCAM EX cameras is how to adjust back focus. Like all ENG style lenses, the lenses that come with these cameras can sometimes develop back focus issues over time. The cameras all have a method for adjusting this, and luckily the PMW350, PMW320, EX3, EX1R, and EX1 all follow a similar procedure. Watch this video to learn when and how to adjust the back focus on your EX camera.

DSCLabs has some great charts for checking back focus, they also offer a couple free ones that you can print yourself – here.

Note: To access the hidden menu on the EX1 / EX1R, hold the Menu, Scroll Wheel, and Cancel button at the same time. DO NOT adjust anything else in this menu.

This week Convergent Design will be releasing a new firmware for their nanoFlash recorder (version 1.1.131), which contains some significant improvements. They have bumped up the data rate options once again to 180 Mbps LongGOP and 280 Mbps I-Frame. This is great for really pushing the premium video quality. But the new feature that excites me is not a new data rate, but a small change that makes the MXF files generated by the nanoFlash compatible with those on the XDCAM ProDisc. The nanoFlash utilizes the same Sony codec found in the PDW-700 and PDWF800, just at many different data rates. So CD and Sony worked together to make the two MXF files compatible. This means that material recorded in the nanoFlash at 50 Mbps LongGOP (the highest quality currently supported by the disc) can be put on a XDCAM ProDisc and played back on an XDCAM deck. This is a great option because, not only is the XDCAM disc a terrific format, but many television networks require it as a deliverable. On top of that, it makes for an excellent archiving solution. I decided to test out this new feature by combining the PMWEX1, nanoFlash, and PDW-U1 (inexpensive ProDisc reader/writer). Keep reading to see my process.

…continue reading How to Put nanoFlash Video on an XDCAM Disc

Sony recently released a new version of their XDCAM EX Clip Browser with a couple of great new features. If you aren’t familiar with the software, it is Sony’s free tool for working with XDCAM EX clips. It allows users to download, subclip and add metadata to clips. It’s the best tool out there for working with EX material…and it’s free.

In this latest release, Sony added a Flash Band correction function. This will scan your clips and look for banding created by flashes. It is very similar to what the Panasonic HPX300 does in-camera. This is an important function for anyone shooting live events, or anywhere where there’s flash photography.

…continue reading New Features in Sony’s EX Clip Browser 2.6

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Released last year, the Arri MMB-1 mattebox is a well-made, low cost mattebox that was originally conceived for compact HD cameras such as the Sony PMW-EX1 and EX3. Now Arri has released a group of accessories to expand the use of the MMB-1 for any camera. Watch the video to see how they all work together.

Visit Abel’s Booth C8537 at NAB to see these Arri matteboxes and accessories.

It appears that the Sony EX cameras exhibit the same form of IR sensitivity that the Sony F35 and the Panavision Genesis do. Therefore the best filter for these cameras is not an IR Hot Mirror but instead a Tiffen IR ND non-Hot Mirror filter. This filter set was created for the F35 and Genesis. It is also less expensive than the Hot Mirror type filters such as the Formatts we sell for the RED.

Please note that different types of cameras and sensors require different type of filtration. The Formatts remain the recommended solution for the RED but the Tiffen non-Hot Mirror product is best for the EX1/EX3.

Art Adams over at ProvideoCoalition.com is doing an IR Filter Shoot Out to see how filters from three manufacturers work with the RED, F35 and EX Cameras. You can check those tests out here.