When Apple acquired Silicon Color and rolled their flagship product FinalTouch into Final Cut Studio as Apple Color, there was a collective gasp among industry writers. This was a high-end color-finishing software solution now made available at an unheard-of price. Far be it from me to complain after such advances, but dedicated colorist hardware control surfaces remain costly.

The most affordable solution I am familiar with is the $1,800 Tangent Wave, a relatively low-cost option that still seems unbelievably high for editors like myself who aren’t primarily a colorist by trade. Still, the Wave is thousands of dollars less than the controllers in Tangent’s CP200 line. But there don’t seem to be any indie-oriented, simple options aimed at the casual Color user; the editor who does color correction on a daily basis as part of the editing process.

That’s why I was intrigued to see a thread on the coloruser.net forum that talks about repurposing the $90 Contour Design Shuttle Pro for use as hardware controls to speed up navigating around in Color. Interestingly, Color is not on the list of supported apps on Contour Design’s website. But it appears from this forum thread that it was a relatively simple task to program the Shuttle to do common nav operations in Apple Color. Still not a substitute for the ball and ring setup on a proper control surface like the Wave, but it might make your job a little easier and faster. Here’s the thread that outlines the setup, and recommendations on how to program the hardware controls.

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about the latest crop of Digital SLR still cameras that include HD video modes. The Nikon D90 was the first to really make waves with it’s 720p mode, followed by Canon’s 5D Mark II featuring 1080p and a more efficient recording codec. Coming out later this year is Nikon’s flagship Pro DSLR update, which is rumored to feature a similar 1080p video mode. And let’s not forget the niche offerings from Casio’s Exilim line, the high-speed video modes of both the EX-F1 and EX-FH20. These are great developments for filmmakers, providing more options than ever to capture amazing imagery. However, these still+video hybrids create a new set of challenges for some not used to working with small cameras, not the least of which is form-factor and handling ease. They simply aren’t set up for a production set.

Redrock Micro appears to be the first company to step in and fill the need for DSLR accessories with a full-featured support rig bundle. They’ve repurposed elements from their camera support accessories line to build a 15mm upper and lower rails and handling solution, complete with follow focus and mattebox. A shoulder pad and front handgrips round out the rig. This “cage” around the DSLR will enable much more customization and configurability when shooting with these powerful cameras trapped in a photographer’s form factor. For instance, I’ve spoken with a number of shooters who wish to add a Beachtek or similar audio adapter to the Canon. Redrock’s rig will give you many more mount point options than exist on the stock camera.

While many shooters will welcome a production-ready support system for these small cameras, there is a counter-point worth mentioning. One of the greatest strengths of these new DSLR video cameras is the power of HD resolution melded with great glass in a compact size. Adding this Redrock rig will obviously add some size and weight. So in situations where space is at a premium, shooters may prefer to run-n-gun with the stock camera. However, most pros that I know demand an external monitor, precise manual lens control, wireless audio mount points, etc. And the addition of the Redrock microMattebox to the rig will offer further options for precise image control with ND grads and other optical filters. It’s my belief that this Redrock rig takes a purely run-n-gun, indie-oriented camera and makes it a lot more palatable to production work and pro shooters who demand their accessories.

Redrock has not revealed pricing for DSLR accessory bundles yet, but said that they would be available for purchase AND shipment by October 28th. You can also see the bundles displayed at Photo Plus in NYC on Oct 23-25th in the Canon and Zeiss booths. Since it appears that the bundles all utilize pre-existing Redrock gear, I suppose you could build your own in the interim, if you so desire. Hopefully we’ll see a small price break for a complete integrated package. Regardless, based on Redrock’s past offerings, it should be an affordable and solid solution for DSLR shooters. More info at www.redrockmicro.com

Over at Pro Video Coalition I’ve published a lengthy two-page diatribe on the ethics and effects of companies collecting deposits and reservations in advance of a product launch. I also address why we, the end user, are so often complicit with this arrangement. That’s a phenomenon that we at FreshDV call The Cíbola Complex…

Amex Digital has announced an external Blu-ray burner for Windows and Mac computers. The drive is USB bus-powered and can burn 1x and 2x BD media, as well as functioning as a standard DVD burner. MSRP is $289 for the player-only version, and $389.00 for the burner. (Thanks for the correction, Joel!)

(via Engadget)

Bruce Johnson has reviewed the Vantec Nexstar Nst-D100Su Hard Drive dock over at PVC. This is a sweet little solution that allows you to quickly and easily mount and unmount bare hard drives for use with editing and backups. Even before I read Bruce’s review, another editor friend recommended it. The D100Su sounds like handy little solution, and with both USB2 and eSATA connections available, what’s not to like? Amazon has it for $41.13 with free shipping.

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.

Imagine Products, makers of ShotPut Express for SxS media management, announced ShotPut Red Edition, a tool that automates and simplifies the offloading and transfer of CF and RED Raid media on a production set. Here’s a few key features:

* Fast Copying: Perform copies at top speed without the overhead of Finder or Explorer.
* Automatic or Manual Copies: Manually select one or more drives to copy. Or use the auto offload mode to sequentially copy RED volumes or cards upon insertion.
* Easy Folder Naming: Save time and improve consistency and organization by auto-naming the copy folders.
*Improve Workflow: ShotPut’s multi-threading technology makes up to 3 simultaneous copies at the same time.
* Reformat Cards: After offloading is finished, automatically reformat the CF card so it’s ready to return to the camera.
* Security: Verify byte-to-byte comparisons of your media copies to ensure integrity of the files.
* Verification Report: Create a record of file transfer activity, how the copies were named, time, date, etc. Save complete details for project organization and billable time.
* Print Offload Log: Offload results are presented in a text file, printable with the click of a button.
* Session Error Checking: Prevents overwriting of existing folders and duplicate offloading of the same media volume.
* Progress Bar: Displays overall percent completion and file-by-file progress during the copy process.
* Copy Cards or Disks: The contents of any mountable volume (drive) can be copied including CF cards, RED Raids, etc.
* Compatible with Your Camera: ShotPut RED works with Build 15 and Build 16 file formats. Copies any volume containing R3D files.

The software is available on Mac and Windows, a single license will set you back $49.00. More info here.

The Leatherman Skeletool looks to be a nice addition to the production toolkit. A built-in carabiner allows you to clip the 5 oz gadget to your side for easy access. There’s also a bitdriver available as soon as you flip the tool open, and an assortment of replacement bit options available. Popular Mechanics did a writeup on the Skeletool back before it was released.

Around NAB CoreMelt announced new plugin packages for FCP and After Effects Mac; ImageFlow Fx 1.12 and CoreMelt transitions. ImageFlow Fx is a set of plugins that deal specifically with still images. You can quickly created complex-looking animations and image manipulations without tedious keyframing. It comes with two free non-expiring plugins called “Continuous Random Pan” and “Filmstrip.” PolyChrome transitions is a 40-plugin package of 10-bit transitions with fine-grained control over parameters. The free trial also includes 4 freebies.

Since CoreMelt plugins are 10-bit, naturally they have written a few white papers on how to leverage these plugins and effects to complete 10-bit finishing workflows in Final Cut Pro. Here’s a writeup on how to finish Red Digital Cinema footage within FCP, retaining maximum color information. For more details on 10-bit codec and effects pitfalls, read this article.

Via Engadget: The ¥17,800 (about $175) DVR-BP features a 1-mm pinhole CMOS camera, mic, 2-hour battery, and 2GB of memory to store all your video deceit at 352 x 288 pixels.

Since it’s introduction several years ago, Redrock Micro has quietly continued to improve and update the MicroFollowFocus. We have previously reviewed the unit and reported on the improved gear lash, dampened wheel, and shaved-down rod support last year. I just got my hands on the latest Redrock Micro Follow Focus revision and noted that this update adds a stiffer support arm to add rigidity to the design. The arm is a thicker steel material, and rises at a 90-degree angle instead of the previous revision’s 45-degree riser. It is noticeably stiffer overall. And I was pleased to note that Redrock hasn’t changed the pricing with this latest update…the Follow Focus bundle with lens gears is still $645. Good form. More detail pictures of the new design below. Continue reading ‘Redrock Continues to Refine the MicroFollowFocus’

Need a sunshade or top flag for your camera, but not quite willing to jump into a full-featured mattebox solution? Here’s a Do It Yourself solution that works with camcorders equipped with a hard lens shade. With a little time, epoxy glue, a inexpensive universal shoe mount, and this el-cheapo french flag, you should be able to put something together without much hassle. Here are the full-size images and a few brief assembly notes. It’ll run you around $31 for the parts, before shipping. Not bad for a simple shade solution.

When Redrock Micro announced development of the MicroX flip unit for the M2 35mm adapter at NAB 2007, the online community was abuzz. Since then the market has been all about flip units; a properly oriented image is rapidly becoming the de-facto standard for 35mm lens adapters. Redrock was pretty quiet about the MicroX while it was in development, but we are happy to report that FreshDV has obtained new information, an exclusive image of the finished product, and a final ship date. With a debut price of $345 for M2 owners (must provide serial number) and $445 for 3rd-party adapter owners, the MicroX begins shipping on March 24th, 2008. Redrock claims the unit provides improved image and edge sharpness and a universal achromat for both SD and HD camcorders. The kit will include the following:

* The microX image flip accessory,
* A new high performance optical achromat designed specifically for the microX
* A riser plate for adjusting your existing microX rod support system to the correct height
* A newly designed reinforced hard mount kit that also provides a “lock down� once your microX is correctly configured
* Access to a step-by-step video tutorial on how to upgrade your system

Redrock has not recommended the MicroX for use with Sony HDV cameras with a filter size of 72mm+ (like the Z1, Z7, FX1, and EX1). A 2nd version of the MicroX is in development specifically for these camcorders, expect a release date to be announced soon. The MicroX is fine for use with the Sony V1, A1, and other - 72mm Sony HDV cameras. For more information on the MicroX, stay tuned at Redrock’s website.

Techthoughts has pointed out a handy little audio tool that can help save 3.5mm audio ports from death by cord snaggage. Whether it’s a laptop, camera headphone jack, or the front of your Mac tower, 1/8″ mini jacks can be particularly susceptible to damage when cords are accidentally yanked. We’ve all done it. The Replug device is a $18 break-way inline adapter that might just save your ports. Looks like a great solution to a common problem.

At long last Redrock Micro has announced a ship date for the MicroMattebox. They have stated that production units will start shipping on April 15th to the first 50 “ticket” reservation holders (I believe that means those who paid the deposit last fall), and remaining reservation holders would get “priority access and preferential pricing to the microMatteBox before it becomes generally available.”

Here’s my take on that; the demand for a relatively low-cost mattebox with this sort of featureset is undoubtedly very high, and has been for years thanks to the explosion of 35mm adapter use. Couple that with the fact that RED One reservations are currently being fulfilled and shipped at a high rate, and the spike of MicroMB orders that is likely to follow NAB 2008…what this adds up to is that Redrock Micro is going to be very busy getting these units out. Here’s hoping they hit their announced ship dates without any further delays. Final specs on the unit can be found here, it’s looking like a very well thought-out and useful mattebox design that offers a host of features previously unheard-of at this price-point.

UPDATE: Full reservation-holder pricing details and info from the press release can be found below: Continue reading ‘Redrock Announces MicroMattebox Ship Date’