Arri recently released their new Mini Mattebox, the MMB-2, which has all the quality that Arri’s products are known for in a lightweight package. The MMB-2 has a single 4×4 filter stage and a 4×5.6 filter stage, and is so lightweight that it easily clips on to just about any lens. It also has a 114mm back, which fits exactly onto the Zeiss Compact Prime.2 lenses. If you have still lenses, like Canon EF glass, Arri also make a series of rings that thread onto your lens so the mattebox fits perfectly. Arri also has a dual 4×5.6 filter stage model that gives more flexibility to anyone with a lot of 4×5.6″ filters. Both models are a great fit for cameras like the Sony F3 and the Canon C300. Watch my video above to learn more.

When you think of a 35mm sensor camera, what characteristics come to mind? Probably the first is shallow depth of field. It is part of what many consider the “look” of that imager size and a principle defining difference between it and other formats. But while some consider this the chief attribute of the format, others may find it to be a detriment in certain situations. For those shooting documentary, run-and-gun productions, a deeper depth of field may be preferable to maintain focus. Fortunately, there is another major facet to the latest crop of 35mm sensor cameras – a very low noise floor. This means that in a camera such as the Canon C300, a wide range of ISO settings can be applied with little objectionable artifacting to the image. Using the concept of the “variable depth of field camera,” you can adjust the available parameters of the camera to yield the depth of field desired for any given image. Watch the video to see this concept demonstrated.

There’s nothing like the experience of our Rental department to build the most complete, battle-tested camera kits for our camera owner and rental house sales clients. In the first of our series “AbelCine Rental Kits,” we look at our RED EPIC camera packages. This same kitting can be applied to the RED Scarlet camera.

Watch the video for a detailed explanation of the components that go into the AbelCine RED EPIC/Scarlet Accessory Kit. For your convenience, we have created an accessory package (available in Anton/Bauer and V-Mount options) that includes all the items in a typical rental setup.

In the third part of my S-Log series, I took the Sony F3 outside on a nice bright day to show what S-Log can do. Jeff Lee and I headed up to the roof of AbelCine and found some shade to stand in; this allowed us to show the most contrast possible. I shot the blog in S-Log, as well as in the standard video modes with the AbelRange profile that I created earlier this year. This way I could show just what S-Log enables in the camera. All the clips in the video, except the last one, were recorded to the Gemini 4:4:4 recorder, which records in uncompressed DPX stacks so nothing was lost along the way. The last shot was S-Log out to a PIX240 recorder in ProRes422 HQ, which was enabled with the new F3 1.31 firmware from Sony.

I graded all of the shots in DaVinci Resolve Lite. The difference between S-Log and my range profile can be slight at times, but pay close attention to highlight areas, especially the skin highlights. Thanks to Isaac Kiener from Sales for helping out. Stay tuned for the last part of the series on look up tables in the camera.

To learn more about the F3, S-Log and LUTs make sure to check out our F3 Training Class in NY and LA.

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.

I often get asked about the stuttering video motion, or judder, seen in 24p video. Even though we have all been watching or shooting 24p for years, for many of us it is new to see true 24p (or 23.98p) video displayed on a monitor.

24p is ‘jumpy’ by its nature, but the look of 24p video in a digital video camera can still come across a little more ‘jumpy’ then you’d expect. There are several reasons for this, which I explain in article for HDVideoPro magazine called “Did I Judder.” As part of the article, I put together these two videos to show the difference between native 24p video and 24p converted to 60i. I did this because much of the 24p content we see has been converted to 60i already, which has a smoothing effect that is very noticeable on television.

…continue reading 24p Judder and 60i Conversion

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.