Art Adams has posted the results from a very informative test with the Red camera. The results indicate that Red One tungsten-lit greenscreen footage can be improved if you use an 80D blue filter over the lens. This helps clean up noise in the recorded Blue channel, which isn’t nearly as clean as the Red and Green channels. With a blue filter, edges are improved and noise and digital grain is reduced, theoretically leading to a better chroma key in post. In fact, Art even goes to far as to suggest shooting with an 80D filter all the time, given enough light. One reason you wouldn’t want to shoot with the filter is that it cuts 1/2 to 2/3 stop of light transmission, which may be an issue depending on your light kit or scene limitations. It’s an informative writeup, and Art has included some very telling footage framegrabs that illustrate the issue. Definitely check this one out if you are working with the Red, or intend to.

Here at FreshDV we’ve written and talked at length about the Sony XDCAM EX1 and XDCAM EX3. It’s an absolutely brilliant HD camcorder series, well suited to use stock, with a 35mm lens adapter system, and now with interchangeable lenses on the EX3. However, one common complaint about these cameras is the cost of the SxS solid-state media. This complaint is the same one that has always dogged the Panasonic HVX200 and other P2 cameras. Solid-state media simply isn’t cheap, and no real generic, non-oem solutions have been available. Until now…

Guy Barwood has been researching this issue for a while now, and recently wrote at length about a new SxS media alternative. You see, SxS cards are really just high-performance Express Card 34 (SSD) media. However, two variants of this standard exist, USB and PCI Express internal interfaces. USB is cheaper to make, and therefore most generic SSD cards use it. Sony happens to use the PCI Express variety, and the shipping EX1 firmware didn’t support the USB SSDs. However, with the recent release of the EX3 and Sony’s EX1 1.11 firmware update, these cameras now accept both USB and PCI E media, with some exceptions:

“So not long ago someone tried to test the Lexar cards again. Low and behold, with the EX3 (from day 1) and EX1 with firmware 1.11 the cameras suddenly recognise the media. This seemed pretty amazing as these cards are really low cost compared to SxS. Unfortunately their write performance did prove to be their undoing. While they work most of the time in SP (25Mbps), in HQ (35Mbps) they don’t fair too well with media errors happening from a few sec to a few minutes of recording :-(

So then the quest for other options continued. People started testing other Express Card card readers. CF cards are actually wider than Express Cards so that was never going to work well (CF cards would be hanging out), so other card reader were tried. I tried the Sandisk Express card reader without success (unrecognised media) however others found an one obscure card to be showing promise. This card is the Kensington 7 in 1 Express Card reader (credit goes to Alister Chapman for first testing this adaptor). No other reader has been found to either work, or work as well.”

Guy goes on to list the unique reader+card options that seem to work best. The reader is the Kensington 7-in-1 ExpressCard Media Reader ($40), and test-proven cards include the Class 4 Sandisk Ultra II SDHC cards ($25-$75) and Sandisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition SDHC cards ($48-$120). Technically speaking, all Class 6 SDHC cards should be fast enough to handle the EX1’s 35mbps bitrate…however, like hard drives it is the sustained write speed that matters. So I suggest you consult Guy’s article for notes on Transcend and other card compatibility besides the ones just mentioned. There are also some issues with overcranking, etc. So caveat emptor.

It’s overstating it a little, but bear in mind that a 16GB SxS card will set you back $850. A 32GB SxS is $1500. A 16GB SDHD card and reader is under $115! That is an amazing disparity, and may be well worth it for you to deal with the above-noted limitations. Beyond price, the beauty of this DIY solution is that you don’t have to own multiple readers, just bring a wad of SD cards with you when you shoot. In fact, you can leave the card reader in the camcorder media slot and just swap cards in and out (this does not work with two readers installed, you must be using one SxS card in the other slot to enable KxS hotswap). You’ll want a safe storage case for your smaller media now, consider something like the Pelican Memory Card case.

Back at NAB 2007 when Sony announced they would be supporting an open solid-state media standard, we cheered them on. It’s great to see that promise finally coming to fruition. And now that the EX1 and EX3 camcorders offer increased media compatibility, I fully expect third-party companies to start coming out with better-integrated SxS media alternatives. It’s a good time to be an indie filmmaker!

(Via Bruce Johnson)

Looking for some HMC 150 test footage? Below you’ll find a short clip of night shots uploaded by a new user. The AG-HMC150 is Panasonic’s new 24p AVCHD camcorder, now in stock at B&H for under $3500.

(Tweet via PaulDV)

Last month at the IBC show in Amsterdam, a small Swedish company named Ikonoskop launched an exciting new digital cinema camera called the A-Cam dII. The dII offers nearly 2K resolution from a 16mm-sized CCD imager, records uncompressed DNG sequences to high-speed solid-state media, and can be overcranked up to 60fps. With a number of lens mount options that include PL, C-mount, and still image lenses (via the IMS mount), the dII has a lot to offer to those with an existing lens investment. Perhaps one of the greatest attractions of the dII is it’s compact, integrated design that thoughtfully includes a viewfinder tucked into the side of the body.

I wrote 1200 words on this new camera shortly after it was announced, comparing it to the Red One and Red Scarlet. You can read that article over at ProVideoCoalition. It’s an intriguing offering from both a price and performance standpoint, and since the announcement I’ve heard more speculation and questions about the dII than answers. So we got in touch with the Ikonoskop crew to try to get some of these burning questions answered.

The following 30-minute podcast is a frank and open discussion about the dII that should clear the air about what it does, and doesn’t offer. If you’ve got questions about this new camera, we hope this interview will answer them. Listen to the podcast by subscribing to our podcast feed.

 Ikonoskop A-cam dII Interview [30:21m]: Download

Finally, the review you’ve been waiting for! Adam Wilt has posted his extensive review of the AG-HPX170, Panasonic’s complementary camera update to the HVX200 and 200A series. The HPX170 dumps that old-fogey tape drive and captures DVCPROHD and DVCPRO50 to P2 instead. Adam is extremely complimentary of the 170, and it looks like a worthy addition to Panasonic’s already excellent line of HD camcorders.

“Just as the HVX200 built on the success of the standard-definition DVX100, adding multiformat recording and multiple frame rates, the HPX170 takes the best features of the HVX200 and builds on them. The 170 makes a better picture. Added functionality, like HD-SDI, more frame rates, and Dynamic Range Stretch, makes it more versatile. Its lighter weight, refined ergonomics, and built-in waveform monitor make it an operator’s delight.

The HPX170 (US$5700 list, $5200 street price) can be considered a slimmed-down, tapeless, feature-enhanced brother to the HVX200. The camera records DV25, DVCPRO50, and DVCPROHD on P2 cards. The 170 drops the 200’s tape drive (which only records standard-def DV25), resulting in a 20% loss of weight and a thinner, better-balanced body that’s much more comfortable to operate handheld for long periods of time. While resolution, sensitivity, and basic scene-file “looks” are similar to those on the HVX200, the CCD block and DSP have been upgraded for cleaner,smoother, more naturalistic images with markedly reduced aliasing, and numerous operational improvements make the camera easier to control.”

That’s just a snippet from the introduction. The review takes no prisoners, going on in detail for three pages, covering all the key areas of this exciting new camera. An excellent read, I recommend it highly. Great job, Adam!

B&H is currently accepting orders on the AG-HPX170, listed at $5,195 USD and including a 16GB P2 card along with Barry Green’s HVX and HPX reference book. As is always the case with B&H, cards aren’t charged until the camera is in stock, and orders will ship in the order they are received. Purchases made via that link help support FreshDV at no additional cost to you.

Over at the Scarletuser forums, Jim Jannard has announced that due to recent industry developments they have decided to completely redesign their forthcoming “pocket sized” professional camera dubbed Scarlet. Here’s what he has to say, with commentary:

“We have changed everything about Scarlet because the market has changed and we have discovered a lot of things in the process. We have a new vision. Wipe you minds of the past announced Scarlet. Forget the design and forget the price. It is all different now. We think you will be surprised. Glad we didn’t take any deposits…”

Clearly this is a direct response to three recent announcements; Nikon’s D90 with 720p HD capture, Canon’s 5DMKII-thirtyaught-d9-quadrillion (or whatever the hell convoluted name they are using) with the 1080p feature, and the latest, Ikonoskop’s intriguing digital 16mm A-Cam dII. Quizzed if this would change ship dates, Jim has responded in a follow-up post:

“Full working models at NAB… shipping to ramp up after. Volume estimations are high so the long wait like a RED ONE should not be an issue. But that depends on the real demand. This is the current schedule… but you know things can change. The only good news is that we have now done this once and have a better idea of what is involved. We are making these changes ‘in the nick of time.’”

Many forum users seem to think there may be a slight price increase, and Jim doesn’t appear to have directly answered that question. I think at this point it’s better to just sit back and wait…it sounds to me as though Red is still unsure about a lot of details, price included.

As with any new pre-production camera hype:
1.) Take any shipping, price, and featureset projections with a nice big helping of salt. Red has shown time and time again that they can and will turn on a dime (this is either good and bad, depending on your particular POV). The good news is that they show a propensity towards overdelivering on features. The bad news is that they do it on their terms and their timeframe.

3.) It’s a camera concept. It’s not going to be the be-all and end-all of imaging devices, no matter what the fanboys say. Sure, it may be a paradigm shifter, but it will most certainly have limitations. It will have workflow or use issues. It won’t cook a mean omelette and serve it to you in bed. Take a step back, pull the Scarlet renders off your pedestal, and remember that it’s just a camera. Hopefully a damn good one, but just a camera.

I say we all take a short hiatus on Scarlet hype and let Red develop what they will. There will be plenty of time for hype when it comes out and we see the product, and more importantly, footage.

British Columbia shooter Shawn Lam has written a Sony HVR-S270U review for EventDV, you can read it online here. Shawn concentrates on audio, connectors, and the overall shoulder-mount experience (he already talked about the CF recorder, etc in a previous review of the Sony HVR-Z7U). Here’s a short excerpt on audio features this camera offers over the Z7 model:

“The S270 supports 4-channel 48 kHz 16-bit MPEG-2 audio recording in HDV mode. While two channels are sufficient for most shoots, there are situations where the additional audio tracks are a requirement. Starting next year I will be producing video adjudication DVDs for dance competitions. These DVDs feature four audio tracks for each dance routine, with each of the three judges requiring his or her own audio track, and an additional audio track for the soundbooth audio and stage microphone mix. Four channels of audio is a requirement, and because this production will be a single-camera shoot, splitting the audio over two cameras is not a practical option.”

“The S270 features a channel select button that allows the user to solo an audio input to both ears, along with the ability to monitor either the first and second or third and fourth channels in the right and left ears. Unlike features such as the expanded focus that can only be accessed in standby mode, the audio monitoring select control can be operated while recording without changing the audio mix.”

B&H recently reduced the price of the S270U from $8,499.95 down to $7,950.00. Likewise, the Z7U has been reduced from $6,299.95 to $5,399.95.

Nikon has just dropped a new 12.3 MP Digital SLR still camera, the D90. This little 1.b 6oz camera is considered a “advanced amateur” offering, but it comes with some surprisingly professional features, including a 3″ LCD with Live View, clean ISO up to 3200, and “D-Movie” mode, which can capture HD video at 1280×720 in 24p in a motion JPEG avi. Through a 35mm lens. So, will this camera impact the 35mm adapter industry?

Mike Curtis has written two articles at ProVideoCoalition that deal with the D90, the first is a blogwad of the latest news and buzz on this camera, the second is a spec-off vs the Red Scarlet.

And speaking of Red… Jim just announced their own tasty little tidbit of info on a late-2009 “DSLR Killer.” We certainly live in interesting times. Over at ProLost you’ll find a nice post that discusses Red’s stills + motion (non)announcement, with Stu’s color commentary:

“There is a theory that in order to shake cusomers away from an existing product, your product must be ten times better. In the digital cinema space RED One was seen by almost everyone as being ten times better than anything at its price point. What happens when RED’s SLR-killing autofocus is just a hair slower than Canon’s? Or only a tiny bit better?

Good luck Jim. I’m sure I’ll want whatever you make. But I do hope you’re as busy making things as you are dreaming them up. Remember the 4K projectors and displays you mentioned two NABs ago? It would delight me to no end if you were as enthusiastic about refining your existing products as you are about announcing new ones.”

The new D90 DSLR with stock lens is now available at your favorite camera retailer, with the body-only option coming on October. B&H lists it at $999.95 for the body and $1,299.95 with an 18mm-105mm VR lens. The short sample video below shows the HD movie mode shot with a f/1.8 prime.

UPDATE: There has been some confusion over whether or not the D90’s exposure can be completely manually controlled in D-Movie mode. Based on a few tweets by D90 user davidstripinis, it appears that the camera’s auto-exposure can in fact be locked by toggling on the following setting:

“Menu > Custom Settings > Controls > AE-L/AF-L for MB-D80″

What this setting does is enable Auto Exposure Lock for the D90’s AF-ON button which is located on the vertical grip (or a similar button on the optional MB-D80 battery/grip pack). So now when you are shooting 720p HD video, you can press the AF-ON button to lock the exposure at any given time. While not technically a full manual mode, this is extremely useful and simple to implement/use.

UPDATE: D90 users are starting to work out manual control workarounds, and this DVXuser thread is a great start. Here’s a short excerpt that helps clean up excess auto ISO adjustments:

“…the key ingredient to repeatable results will be a Manual Lens. After you’re done being mad at me, strap on a Nikon Nikkor 50/1.4 (or Similar) and try this:

….1. Without turning on LV mode, set the camera in Manual Mode.
….2. Turn on AE-L (LOCK), you can check by peerin’ into the viewfinder
….3. Close your Iris down to an f5.6 ~ 8
….4. Aim the camera at a wall or surface that’s brightly lit. It should not be blown out, but bright. ….I would say just about sixty-percent (60%) Exposed or a little more.
….5. Activate LV mode.
….6. Open the Iris to a 2.8 or 1.4 and check the cleanliness. Not to mention the 1/30 ~ 1/60th shutter. Mmmmm. Delightful.

If you did this right, you should be able to point the camera at an underexposed area (little shadow, etc) with the lens wide open and see very little to NO noise at all. If I had to guess, this is ISO 200 ~ 320.”

Here’s another users’s handheld D90 work that shows the DOF control possible.

 Garrett Brown Custom Olympic Camera Rigs Interview [29:26m]: Download

While watching this year’s Summer Olympic games in Beijing, I was struck by the unique and varied ways used to get the camera up close and involved in the action of each sport. From the submarine-style camera that followed swimmers from below, to the eye-in-the-sky shot overlooking the rowing venue, to the dynamic camera that followed platform divers down into the water, each a creative and technical feat. To find out just how these amazing shots were accomplished I spoke with the man who designed the rigs, the legendary Garrett Brown. Garrett really needs no introduction, anyone who has worked in the film and video industry should recognize the man who invented the Steadicam and countless other unique dynamic motion rigs over the years. In this fascinating podcast interview, we engage in a frank and open conversation about how he developed the rigs used in the Olympics, and the specific challenges that had to be overcome to make it all possible.

We discuss the underwater MobyCam used in swimming heats, and how it has evolved over the years from the first iteration which Garrett himself hand-cranked all through the 1992 Barcelona games. We talk about the DiveCam, a unique rig that allowed the camera to follow divers into the water during platform diving. Garrett discusses the relatively new FlyCam, a lightweight HD camera rig that rides a 1/4-inch line stretched taut 3000 feet over the rowing and canoeing venue. And of course we talk about the omnipresent Steadicam used to some extent in nearly every venue and event during the games. In the course of the interview I asked, in addition to live production, how these new tools and techniques are being used in traditional filmmaking. And late in our discussion, Garrett dishes on his dream that one day the horse racing industry will call upon him to create a rig that rides below the infield rail of a horse racing track and provides a stunning low-angle views similar to those you can see in films like Seabiscuit. To hear Garrett describe his vision of the shot is extremely compelling. Finally, don’t miss the word on the Mysterious MoleCam, still unavailable for rental. You can see the rigs we discussed, and more, at www.garrettcam.com.

We hope you find this interview interesting and informative, thanks for listening. To listen, subscribe to the FreshDV podcast feed.

Engadget tipped us off to an Instructables article that shows you how to add a CCD eyepiece to a set of binoculars. The parts list seems relatively inexpensive, the CCD camera module is probably the most costly item on the list.

AskMrVideo has an interesting post up that talks about a recent Same-Day-Edit project for a corporate retreat. They distributed cheap Flip Video Ultra camcorders to participants, and used the crowd-sourced video and photos to create a highlight of the day’s events. It’s an interesting twist to the idea of an SDE. You can watch the video below.

We recently mentioned that Adobe was soon going to announce native support for RED One footage. Over at Adobe Labs, they released a sneak peek at how the workflow looks. Here’s an excerpt:

“To get to the Red Importer dialog box, you simply double click on any clip in the Premiere Pro Project Panel and the Red Importer Dialog window will open (normally double clickin on the Project Bin sends that clip to the Source Window). There are various settings, but the one that you will use most often is the Global Settings. Here you select your Frame Size like 2048×1152 and then tell the importer how you want it to treat that video. You have various settings like Full, ½, ¼, 1/8, and so on. For my 17” MacBookPro , using ¼ for 2K and 1/8 for 4K as a “working res” was an excellent editing experience for a laptop dealing with 2K files. Remember, these are not proxies, since Red uses a different encoding method for their R3D files, scaling down the video still keeps the picture very clean - not the typical scaled artifacting you would normally see with other encoding methods.

For example, once you select “Apply Global settings” , this will tell the Red Adobe Importer that whenever it sees a 2048×1152 clip to treat it as 512×288. You’ll need to set up a Preset in Premiere Pro and set your frame size to 512×288. Again, when you export, you simply tell the Exporter to change the Frame Size to 2048×1152.”

You can watch a 2-minute intro video (QT link) or a 20-minute overview of the entire workflow (also QT). There are obviously certain caveats and limitations, at this point the importer plugin is a beta. But this is very promising stuff both for spot-checking shots in the field and editors back at the studio.

(Tweet via Jason Diamond)

Over at ProVideoCoalition, Art Adams has a few tips for your first day on the job as a 2AC or camera assistant. He talks about the essentials of set etiquette, what your responsibilities may include, and explains the typical order of events.

“After the lighting is completed the actors come back and rehearse with the camera, and then the scene is shot. Once the director has the takes that he/she wants, the crew should immediately drop into blocking mode to block the next shot. The sequence should always be:
(1) Block
(2) Light
(3) Rehearse
(4) Shoot
(5) Repeat until wrap
Find out which actor marks are in the shot and pull them before the camera rolls, or replace them with tiny pieces of black tape so the camera won’t see them as marks.”

He also discusses how to properly slate a shot, the proper way to handle lenses, and why you should never run on set. This is a good primer for those learning the role of a camera assistant.

For more information on the role of a First AC (and focus puller), watch our three-part series entitled The Art of Pulling Focus. One, Two, Three. In it, career 1AC Bob Sanchez talks about the tools and techniques he uses on the job, and wraps up with a fly-on-the-wall demonstration of his unique method of pulling focus with a speed crank.

Via Prolost, here’s another Scarlet mock-up render from Red Digital Cinema. This one shows off an optional accessory “smart handle” that makes Scarlet look a lot like a typical DSLR. Indeed, the camera does feature a still image mode. This is an interesting layout…I can see pro photographers getting comfortable very quickly with this configuration for dual-purpose still/video shooting.

Red’s Jim Jannard admits that the latest render is not 100% accurate to what will be delivered, for competitive reasons:

We apologize for not being able to give you the exact render of the final Scarlet. For competitive reasons, we are forced to show you “kinda” what we are “sorta” going to do. We appreciate that everyone wants to know every detail. We just can’t give you exactly all the details. Suffice it to say that we are giving you what we can. We want you to know we are thinking about every aspect. We expect that Scarlet will have more possible configurations than almost any camera released in history. If we screw this up… we shouldn’t be allowed to be a camera company.

As we get closer to release in the 1st half of 2009, we will certainly give you more details. As we go along, we’ll post more possibilities for Scarlet. But we can’t let the “cat out of the bag” too early. I will say that the specs have changed… for the better.

You can view a few more renders here. And to recap a few previously posted details on Red Scarlet: the camera will be 3K Redcode RAW capable, as well as 1080P RGB to dual-CompactFlash media. Announced framerates are 1-120fps, with a 180fps burst mode. There is a still image mode, and some sort of planned “wifi control.” Scarlet has been said to feature a non-removeable 18-144mm T/2.8 zoom lens (that would be the S35 equivalent…35mm still equivalent would be 28-224mm. In typical consumer camcorder terms this is about 8x).

There will be HDMI and HD-SDI outputs, a built-in mic + balanced stereo audio inputs, and a massive 4.8″ flip-out LCD screen. Both auto and manual modes will be available. Pricing is expected to be sub-$3000 USD, though I’m sure fully kitting out this camcorder will require quite a bit more investment. But still, color me impressed if they can pull off this featureset in production quantities by their current April 2009 target ship date.

UPDATE: There is a new render of Epic in the wild.

The International Film School of Syndey has a few fantastic articles on the topic of exposure. In their Camera Iris and Shutter Speed refresher they cover the relationship of aperture, shutter speed, and depth-of-field as it relates to exposure. If you are still flying mostly automatic, this is a great way to get up to speed on proper manual control of your camera’s exposure. For a more detailed look at DOF and the finer technicalities behind aperture, see our previously posted video on the topic and our First AC Tutorial Series on how to direct and control your focus plane.

In Camera’s NEED light the IFSS talks specifically about dynamic range, and how to maximize your possibilities in post by nailing proper exposure on set. They include specific charts and examples that clarify the issue as it relates to today’s affordable HD camcorders. This is another must-read if you aren’t up to speed on the topic. And finally, for those wishing to delve deeper into the topic of dynamic range, Stu Maschwitz lays down the law here.