Pro Video Cameras

Hpx170 To match GH2 Help!

jclmedia — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:13:46 +0000

I have a hpx170 and a Gh2, I was wondering if anyone owns a gh2 and a hpx that knows the best way to get them to match.

Thanks

Modula MK2 with highspeed option up to 340 frames per second

Angry_C — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 07:50:39 +0000

At first: If commercial is not allowed, please delete this post.

My name is Christian and I am a technical staff of the company "Easylooksystem".

Now it´s time to introduce the Highspeed CCU with up to 340 frames/second via 16 GB ringbuffer. At this moment, the ccu is more a demonstrator (30x20x6 cm), but we´ll shrink the layout the next weeks.

Here´s the first clip with 250 fps. The dot-artifacts resulting from a poorly shielded cable from the camera head to the ccu. I noticed this too late, but I would not throw away the shots.

AF100 interior photos

DrDooM — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 07:21:19 +0000

Im looking for detailed photos of af100 interior ( chips etc. ). Does anyone have such photos ??

Applications Using the GH2' s Quality-for-Size-and-Cost Ratio

Roberto — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 04:57:57 +0000

Known for its image quality, the GH2's real edge can be its quality-for-size-and cost:

During news coverage of Australia's 2009 bushfires, ENG crews needed small CMOS cameras they could pack away, run with, and if necessary lose to the flames;
Journalists to trouble-spots choose easily-concealed cameras which until now have been either too expensive or which sacrifice image quality to conceal-ability;
We have already seen how the GH2 is an affordable, high-quality choice for hexacopters. Not only is the GH2 light enough and the image good enough, but in case of an accident the camera can be crashed and damaged, but, like the copter itself, the footage can be valuable enough to make the calculated risk worthwhile.
A feature film shot on RED or Alexa might need footage from a crash-camera which still cuts-in with the HD footage

DSLR in a Crash Cam Box Made out of a Pelican 1300 Case

For most of us, our GH2 is a precious, one-off acquisition. But, if a camera has to be crashed, it's best to protect it. One rental company http://revolutioncinemarentals.com/pelican-1300-crash-cam-case/ has a DSLR crash-cam case easy enough to build from a Pelican case, some rods and T-receivers:

ARRI ALEXA Camera Simulator, F65 Camera Simulator

Philldaagony — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:00:25 +0000

Saw these a little while back, and finally got around to playing around with them. ARRI has an ALEXA simulator that lets users go through the entire MENU system of the ALEXA. Sony has a similar offering, and both ARRI and Sony's simulators are available for download as apps as well I believe.

ARRI offer simulators for the ALEXA and ALEXA plus. http://www.arri.de/camera/digital_cameras/tools/alexa_camera_simulator.html

Sony's simulator is available as a Remote iPad application that allows operators to control the f65 over a Wi-Fi network. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/f65remote/id497318839?mt=8

Canon also has C300 simulator for those interested.... http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/Simulators/c300.shtml?categoryId=229

Panasonic AG-AF100 upgrade to 1080p60 now available

ahbleza — Mon, 28 May 2012 21:50:39 +0000

Here's something many of us have been waiting for. I will download it, and try it out tomorrow and report back.

https://eww.pass.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/cs/csregistp2m/ep2main/soft/upgaf100_e.htm

Here is some of the release information. Note this is a PAID upgrade.

1080 50p/60p upgrade software key for AG-AF100 series (paid option)

The following functions are added.

Optional Function

New “PS” mode (maximum 28Mbps), supporting “AVCHD Progressive” standard, records high-quality Full HD progressive signals (1080/60p* and 1080/50p).

*Actually 59.94Hz

Safety-zone “2.39:1” aspect-ratio marker display (on View finder, LCD and Output*).

*VIDEO_OSD ON

[STEP1] Update the software of AG-AF100 series to version 1.23 or higher.

[STEP2] Issue / retrieval of the activation code(s)

Register the “25-digit key code” which comes with “1080 50p/60p upgrade software key (AG-SFU100)” and the “equipment profile” exported from the AG-AF100 series unit on the “product activation code website” to retrieve the activation code(s).

Red Accouncments: Dragon 6K for $6000, 4K projector, OLED viewfinder

NickBen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:21:44 +0000

Red Dragon 6K for $6000 upgrade to Epic, Scarlet TBD

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?77169-Dragon

They absolutely lift the bar when it comes to camera upgrades. 6K resolution, 15+ stops DR, 120FPS at 5K coming to Epic in 2012

You have to admit, nobody else treats their customers as well with this kind of brand loyalty.

Bravo Red...

Professional cameras coming at NAB 2012

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:40:14 +0000

Here we'll have some speculations and some actual early data.

You can be absolutely sure that in $4000-6000 range we will see new cameras.

Jem is also talking today just about it
http://www.thec47.com/gearbox/wait.html

1D-X is practically the same as the 1D-C a hack can safe you $10k.

endotoxic — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:50:48 +0000

A HACK IS A MUST WITH THIS ROBBERY.

from engadget:

www.engadget.com/2012/04/15/canon-cinema-eos-1d-c-hands-on/

."As the pictures and spec sheet imply, it's the 1D X's clone in nearly every way. In fact, beyond the headphone jack and C logo, there's not much distinguishing the pair externally. You'll need to hop into the menu before you'll really notice a difference, in the form of several unique 4K shooting modes, including 8-bit 4:2:2 24fps captures to a CF card or 8-bit 4:2:2 clips in an uncompressed format over HDMI. Otherwise, the C looks and feels just like the X "

fuck you canon, getting $15k for nothing than the same camera? marketin mofo!

Canon EOS 1D-C. is it worth it (MJPEG@4K + $15,000)

TrackZillas — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:41:54 +0000

I would like to know your thoughts about the new Canon EOS 1D-C. Is it worth the buy? Yeah!!! sure 4K on a DLSR is impressive, but MJPEG compression 8bit 422 squeezing all that information took a good amount of compression. Why not 2k Raw 12bit 444 instead? Let me know also what you feel about the price point... would you pay $15,000?

Optitrack Flex13 camera, 720p 120fps with GLOBAL shutter for $999

zcream — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 10:25:49 +0000

I just bought one for testing. Meant for motion capture. However, this would make an EXCELLENT 3D camera rig, as well as a camera for slo mo effects.

https://www.naturalpoint.com/optitrack/products/flex-13/

In Depth

120 FPS marker tracking, expansive 56° FOV, and on-camera processing for $999—turn-key motion capture at accessible pricing.

Tech Specs

Resolution: 1280 × 1024
Frame Rate: 120 FPS
Input/Output: USB 2.0

Convince me not to buy a AF100

Chaos123x — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:36:42 +0000

I love my Gh2 I really do. I think it has great image quality and I invested in some great lenses and things for it.

But I only bought it because I could not afford the AF100 last year.

Now I ran into some extra money and I can pick up the Af100 if I wanted too.

Are the little things like XLR input and a headphone jack really worth the price? I'm going to keep my Gh2 no matter what, but I am toying with idea of getting the af100.

Why would you or wouldn't you buy the AF100 if you had the cash in hand?

Phantom Miro M320S topic

leonbeas — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:23:04 +0000

Phantom Miro M320S

1920 x 1200 resolution at 1,380 fps
1152 x 1152 square resolution at 2,250 fps
Throughput 3.2 Gpx/s
Minimum exposure: 1μs
ISO: 8600T Mono; 1100T Color
Compatible with the Phantom RCU for un-tethered recording
HD-SDI output for improved video workflow and monitoring

http://www.visionresearch.com/Products/High-Speed-Cameras/Phantom-Miro-M320S/

Shooting short feature with RED ONE and GH2

ahbleza — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:44:58 +0000

I'm shooting B-roll this weekend for four days with my GH2, and the DP will be using a RED ONE. Which settings file would best match the capabilities of the RED, and what other settings should I use? It will be very interesting, as I will be shooting much the same angles, and will have a great chance to compare footage under identical lighting conditions (but different lenses.)

Red Epic-X 5K camera tear-down

endotoxic — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:41:36 +0000

i find these quit interesting.

enjoy.

http://www.extremetech.com/electronics/113331-red-epic-x-5k-camera-tear-down

Red Scarlet-X is damn impressive

NickBen — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:47:16 +0000

Just wanted to start a thread about the Red Scarlet-X, which is a pretty amazing engineering feat for $15K or less in early 2012 compared to everything else I've used, and as near to a camera I would design from scratch on a napkin with a checklist, be it RAW, resolution, bit depth, SSD recording and unbelievable expandability.

I am damn impressed. Just have to really love features like :

PL mount, Canon mount, Nikon mount (see link below)
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?73019-A-little-Nikon-Love

Redcode RAW recording ( looking at footage from years ago, color science progress is impressive)
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?72857-REDgamma3-and-REDcolor3-update

Upgradeable 4K sensor to unspecified Dragon sensor in next year, pretty amazing design...

In a world that lately seems content to offer less tech for more money, they have shattered the mold with this product, and unbelievably now made in the USA.

There are also some frustrating cons with constant firmware rebuilds, 60p is not there at 4K, hdmi and hd-sdi scaling issues, low-light performance could be better but is acceptable considering sensor size, and reliability should hopefully improve, but once they get all the kinks out, I think this product just carved out "THE STANDARD" for what pros expect in a 4K professional cinema camera going forward...

PS: I know, it's a constant work in progress, but they have pretty much shut my mouth from complaining about much aside from being patient about firmware and reliability

Panasonic AG-HPX250 vs Panasonic GH2 Intra

sebben — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:55:03 +0000

Has anyone shot the Panasonic AG-HPX250 and compared it to the Panasonic GH2 with an Intra hack? It looks like these two cameras would pair very well with each other. The HPX250 shoots AVC-Intra 100 Mb/s (10-bit 4:2:2) codec onto P2 cards, and I wonder how it would pair with the GH2 footage in terms of, noise, sharpness and colour.

Any thoughts?

Panasonic AF100. When a new firmware for this camera? Thank you.

alvenfilms — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:06:24 +0000

Hello everyone, I'm New Here. I'm using a Panasonic AG AF100, I wonder if there are possibilities to make a hack for this camera as was done with the GH2. To record a more Mbs. Thanks for everything.

Old comparison

DrDave — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:02:54 +0000

RED Epic versus Panasonic GH2 and GH2 looks sharper

GH2 is better than Red EPIC

tonalt — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:26:46 +0000

GH2 with the 35-100mm Zuiko lens can deliver a slightly better image sharpness at 1080p resolution on every than Red EPIC.

1080/60p for the AF101?

ahbleza — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:14:06 +0000

I'm not sure whether this is entirely a hack, but I found a comment in the official Facebook page for Panasonic USA, which states the following:

Panasonic Pro Video

To support 1080/60p AVCHD recording, considerations have to be made in both hardware and software in order to achieve the necessary processing speeds. It is possible to do with the AC160, since we took it into consideration from the first steps of development.
We believe that it would be quite difficult to achieve on the AF100, but our engineers are going to explore the possibility. However, they are all currently busy, working hard developing future products, so it may take quite some time to perform such an exploration.
17 November 2011 at 01:20 · Like

Review on using AF101 and GH2 for News

ahbleza — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:26:10 +0000

http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/2011/12/14/size-matters-sky-news-beijing-bureau-cameraman-andy-portch-reports-on-a-year-with-the-panasonic-af101-and-gh2-cameras/

The URL says it all. This Sky News camerman worked with the GH2 and AF101 for a year, and seems quite impressed for news and documentary style filming.

24p ques. First time shooting wedding in 50hz light.

flyguy — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:39:45 +0000

I am on a budget and ebay seems to have the cheapest NTSC camera. PAL camera is freaking expensive. I want to buy a Panasonic Prosumer camcorder but its only cheap if its NTSC. I live in a PAL land. For most of the time, it doesn't pose any problem for me while i shoot with my GH2. I am shooting a wedding for the first time in Feb, and need a proper camcorder. So i am just wondering, will a NTSC camera work well in PAL land with all the huge spot lights, massive tungsten lights and flouresent lights that are in 50hz? Please advice. I get a lot of contradict views on 24p, 25p and 50hz lighting from forum especial dvxuser. =.= Freaking confused. Thanks in advance (:

GH2 versus Arri Alexa and F3 (real world testing)

JDN — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:46:47 +0000

Recently directed a two week block of a nature doc where the gh2 was side by side with an F3 and then an Alexa. Overall, everyone was impressed with how well the gh2 stood up -- so much so I take back what I said about the F3 on another forum. I now believe the hacked gh2 may look better than any camera under $20K, even if those cameras are fitted with external recorders.

In no particular order, here’s some observations for those who are interested:

SPECS:
Sony F3 with RED 17-50mm zoom outputting nanoflash at psf 140mbps I frame
Arrix Alexa with a variety of canon bayonet mount lenses shooting to prores HQ 422
GH2 with kae 3GOP hack with 14, 25 mm (panasonic) and 50mm (FD) primes
All shooting was done at 23.98 with black frost 1/8th and schiender tru polas

GH2 versus F3

OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE
We started off shooting the F3 at 100 mbps long GOP and almost barfed when we reviewed the results in the hotel room that night -- the high bit rate did not take away from the very “video” look, and the sensor had no ability whatsoever to handle blowouts -- the sun had disgusting fringy bands around it (although to be fair, this could have been the lens). Switching to I frame improved the “film” though the gh2 still somehow had better cadence -- our DoP, who is much more experienced than me, commented that he always thought panasonic’s cadence at 24 frames was better than other manufacturers and some of that knowledge could have gone into the gh2.

Much like how the gh2 trumps the canon SLRS in terms of aliasing and moire, it maintained a slight edge over the f3 with nano in these categories as well -- we were shooting a lot in forested areas at the aliased fringing on foliage was less noticeable with the gh2 than with the f3.
Colour Rendition. Although we did not have much time to play with custom colour profiles on the f3, the general impression was that the f3 handled reds better and the gh2 handled greens better. Overall, the F3’s look was much more like the richness you’d get off a 5D, while the gh2 (at -2,-2,0,-2) had a slightly drained film look while still rending beautiful green tones. Obviously, for nature documentary, greens are more important than reds, so once again the Gh2 was the winner.

INDOOR PERFORMANCE
We were unable to test the gh2 and f3 with only available light, but with a controlled lighting setup, the two stacked up very well. We used the f3 to cover wides and mediums and the gh2 with 50 mm fd to cover the headshot. Overall, the cameras were comparable -- they both handled blacks very well, exhibited minimal noise (in both cases, when there was noise, it was quite pleasing) and experienced no aliasing around the edge of the interview subject, even with a back and top light.

The gh2 did show a noticeable red shift in low light -- I had to click the +G up about four spots on the colour balance and go a few 100 K cooler than the F3; even then we will be doing some colour correct to bring down the red a bit.
Overall, for a sit down interview, I’d say the F3 was the winner with more accurate colour rendition, more detail and perhaps a half stop more of latitude. That said, one is a $1200 setup, the other (counting the nanoflash & lens) is nearly a $30,000 setup.

BUILD QUALITY
The placement of the F3’s viewfinder was even more inconvenient than an slrs and as such was rarely used -- forcing us to rely on the f3’s viewfinder, which is actually worse (and less accurate) than the GH2s. As the F3 lacks false colour of a red or an alexa, you’re basically shooting with a histogram and zebras, just like a gh2, so neither has the upper hand.

We were not impressed with the build quality of the f3 -- it felt very plasticky, even more so than the gh2, and we were constantly worried we would break the thing. I could not, in good confidence, rely on it as a A-cam in a situation where I was far away from a gear house; one mistake and I think you’d shut down production. Same goes for the gh2 -- I’m sure its lack of weather sealing will one day cause me grief; thankfully, its low price tag will allow me to keep backups on hand.

SIZE AND PRICE
- With incredible progress of the hack, we often overlook how important the GH2’s form factor is, but I really saw it on this shoot:
One of our DPs, who has done a lot of work in warzones, saw the gh2s and its results and immediately commented, “these are going to be the Leica’s of video.” And I realize I’ve started to use it that way: like the stereotypical war photographic with three or four leica’s and primes around his neck, I just carry around two gh2s (and may get a third) — usually keep the 14mm on one (sometimes mounted on a glidecam hd), and the second one armed with either the 50mm f1.4 leica or a 100 mm f1.4 fd -- you get the visual characteristics of primes without having to stop to change them, and also quickly become a much better shooter.

In a doc setting, it is incredible how much you can get done when you are not tied to a heavy camera and sticks (nor crippled by the 12 minute run time of canon slrs). It was too rainy/windy/sandy at one location to risk the F3 and nano so we just pulled out the gh2s and ended up getting way more coverage than we would have ever got with the f3 (an interesting point on most of the new cameras, F3 included, is that they are not really designed to be shoulder held, so you end up killing 5 minutes to build a rig whenever you go from sticks to hand held).

WINNER: GH2

GH2 versus Arri Alexa
The above comments about the maneuverability of the GH2 apply even moreso comparison to the Alexa -- with lens, it weighs 30 - 35 pounds and can only be operated shoulder mounted with the assistance of a custom built easy rig.

Indoor Performace
The Alexa is absolutely incredible when shooting indoors with natural light only. It is mind-blowingly good -- in many situations we were able to shoot with a single 1x1 light panel as fill/key. The tonality of the colours is breathtaking (especially at 10 bit) but the real secret is the 14 stops of latitude -- whereas normally you’d have to light to keep your subject from disapearing into your background, and your background bright enough to not drop into shadow, with the Arri there is no need to do this. We shot some quick and dirty recon in an old train car and I felt like I was looking at a major motion picture (in the past, you had to spend hours rigging lights so the setting would look like it was naturally lit -- with the arri, you just use natural light).

In situations that are lit, the contrast between the arri and gh2 falls off a little -- we did a dinner where everyone had their own dedo as a key (to simulate light coming off a practical (oil lamp) on the table), with backlight coming from a fire and various practical and fill from a light panel. In this environment, the gh2’s red shift actually sold the oil lamp light very convincingly, and it’s lack of latitude was not a detriment as we were going for a dramatic look (this is not to say that it was better than the arri, however, as the arri files could also be crunched later to achieve a similar effect -- it was just that the lack of latitude as compared to the arri was not detrimental in this situation). I should say, however, there is something about the gh2 cadence that is still impressive -- for part of the shoot, we had the gh2 on a konova slider and the alexa on a microdolly (the standard dolly from an out of focus silhouette to reveal a table full of diners) and I gotta say, in some cases I preferred the cadence of the gh2 but overall the quality, lattitude and 10 bit colour of the alexa was a sight to behold.

OUTDOOR PERFORMACE
In run and gun situations outdoors, the arri showed some of its limits -- you really needed a good dp (which thankfully we had) who could put the sticks in the right place the first time because it just wasn’t the easiest camera to move around. Even moreso than other large cameras I’ve shot with (like the f800, which is about half the weight) the weight of the arri did limit some options and increase setup time. But, given the spectacular colours, it was worth it.

OTHER ISSUES
- The weight, and the fact that it chews through a 32 gig SxS card in 20 minutes, means you’re not running this thing for long without an assistant. We were constantly dumping cards, backing them up and reformating them (and that was with 7 cards). But if you can afford a $80,000 camera body, you can probably afford an assistant.

WINNER: ARRI ALEXA (what’d you expect?). I would say, however, the form factor of the alexa means that any doc shoot will require the highest quality, most maneuverable B camera to go with it, or you’re going to miss out on certainly angles and opportunities -- so far, the gh2 and Alexa seem a pretty good match in that respect, though we won’t really find out until we get them in the edit together).

ONE FINAL NOTE:
My biggest realization from these two weeks of side-by side comparisons (and a week earlier with the f800 as a cam) is that there really is “a gh2 look” -- something about the cadence, rendering of greens, slightly drained colour palate, and ability to handle dramatic lighting (from blacks to blowouts) makes it unique. As people once spoke of a Leica look, I think the more we play with the hacked gh2, the more we’ll realize it has something all its own. I can’t yet put my finger on what that is yet, but I can say that, much like film, there is something about its footage, which when shot right, gives you a real-but-unreal feeling; it is real because it has incredible detail and lack of video give aways (aliasing, moire, fringing/banding etc), yet is is unreal because the cadence contributes to suspension of disbelief, while its love of being at least one stop underexposed (and usually two) naturally leads to more dramatic tonality of colours and shadows than you’d experience with your own eyes).

New free picture profiles for the Sony FS100

FrankGlencairn — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:34:37 +0000

I´m not sure if this should go under General or Hacks...

anyway, here are some picture Profiles I made for the Sony FS100. This is work in progress. I get a lot of input from fellow filmmakers and I learn something on every shooting with the FS100, so I try to improve those settings, to get the best out of that great little camera.

http://frankglencairn.wordpress.com/free-picture-profiles-for-the-sony-fs100/

Every input, that helps to make the profiles better is appreciated.

Have fun,

Frank

Interesting project: Open source cinematic camera

Psyco — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:27:55 +0000

This looks interesting (but is still in an early stage with some problems to solve):

http://cinema.elphel.com/en

Modula MKII

Angry_C — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:20:19 +0000

I would like to introduce our very new 2/3 inch global shutter cmos mini HD camera.

Technical details:
-----------------------------------------------------------
- 2/3 inch global shutter CMOS sensor
- HD SDI output
- full HD and 2K resolution
- 10bit 4:2:2
- 12bit 4:4:4 or RAW
- 23p 24p 25p 29p 30p 50p 60p
- 50i 60i
- synchronizable via second cam for stereo recording
- C-mount
- PL-mount & B4 mount via adapter
- 29 x 29 x 50mm
- weight 83g (without lens)

Hurlbut: Starve The CMOS?

Shaveblog — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:02:12 +0000

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2011/11/05/lighting-basics-going-with-what-is-available/

I love his thinking RE Home Depot lighting, but then he wraps it up with this:

"Remember the secret to exposing HD is to starve the CMOS chip of light."

Far be it for me etc etc but huh?

Canon Cinema DSLR

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:02:50 +0000

Canon Inc. today announced that the company is developing a new-concept EOS-series digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. Incorporating an enhanced version of the video-capture capability offered in the current EOS-series lineup, the new camera will be ideally suited for cinematographic and other digital high-resolution production applications. The model will be equipped with a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor and, enabling the recording of 4K video* (at a frame rate of 24P, with Motion-JPEG compression), will make possible the type of exceptional image quality and sublime imaging expression to be expected from the next generation of "EOS Movies."

The announcement coincides with the launch of the Cinema EOS System, marking Canon's full-fledged entry into the digital high-resolution production industry. The new professional digital cinematography system spans the lens, digital cinema camera and digital SLR camera product categories.

Further details regarding the new EOS digital SLR camera currently under development, including the product name, specifications and scheduled launch date, have yet to be decided.

* Cropped to APS-H-equivalent size (dimensions measuring approximately 80% vertically and horizontally of a 35 mm full-frame sensor) when recording in 4K.

Site: http://www.canoncinemaeos.com

Up To 720 fps And 720p Resolution.

QuinEtiam — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 07:43:12 +0000

Up To 720 fps And 720p Resolution. There are other high-speed camera solutions on the market that offer high frame rates, but often at resolutions that are less than SD raster size. The TS3Cine offers up to 720 frames per second at 720p HD resolution; it also can shoot 1280x1024 at 500 fps and up to 20,000 fps at reduced resolution. This is quite a significant achievement at this size and cost point.
http://www.hdvideopro.com/gear/cameras/speed-power-and-portability.html