Badge registration is now open for Cine Gear 2019. All attendees must complete this FREE registration process to obtain their credentials. Registration is free until 11:59 p.m. PDT, May 25th 2019.

Location: Paramount Studios, Hollywood, CA

Exhibits & Seminars

• Friday, May 31 Hours: 12:00 noon - 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, June 1 Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Film Competition Screenings

• Thursday, May 30 Finalist Screenings 12:00 noon - 5:30 p.m.
• Friday, May 31 Winners Announced at Awards Party

Master Classes

• Sunday, June 2 Lighting Workshop 1:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Alan is covering exhibition for us, huge prizes for him:

Alphabet Inc’s Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware and software products except those covered by open source licenses, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Sunday, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the U.S. government has sought to blacklist around the world.

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd will immediately lose access to updates to the Android operating system, and the next version of its smartphones outside of China will also lose access to popular applications and services including the Google Play Store and Gmail app.

Details of the specific services were still being discussed internally at Google, according to the source. Huawei attorneys are also studying the impact of the U.S. Commerce Department’s actions, a Huawei spokesman said on Friday. Huawei was not immediately reachable for further comment.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-tech-alphabet-exclusive/exclusive-google-suspends-some-business-with-huawei-after-trump-blacklist-source-idUSKCN1SP0NB

This means that all Google apps won't work as well as no testing and such will be performed, also expect many US applications (like all Facebook owned) to start checking your smartphone manufacturers and telling that they won't run.

US started to use their big cards, trying to stop Huawei that eats US companies at smartphones market.

Xiaomi can soon also join the company.

Both companies have their own LSI for smartphones (Xiaomi soon will show theirs), as well as special adapted version of Android that will drift far apart with time. We will soon see really big global app stores being alternative to Google Play.

We’re announcing a strategic deal with Ultrahaptics that combines the two companies and solidifies our collective role as the world’s leading spatial interaction company.

Ultrahaptics is a long-time Leap Motion developer and the two companies have been working together for nearly six years. Their haptic technology creates tactile sensations in mid-air using ultrasonic waves. This deal will create a vertically integrated technology company that brings us that much closer to fully immersive, rich and physically intuitive virtual interfaces.

This will not in any way affect the unwavering support for the incredible Leap Motion community.

In fact, joining forces will not only lead to new and exciting products, but entirely new categories of technologies that could only come from deep collaboration between these teams.

Our two companies together will be more than the sum of their parts. At Leap Motion we’ve always been about breaking down the barriers between people and technology to reach the true potential of both. This announcement represents the next step in this quest, and we are honored to have you continue with us on this journey.

Ricoh is shrinking its money-losing camera business to concentrate resources on commercial applications as smartphones continue to crowd out long-established names in photography.

Asian Review.

Ricoh response is mixed

"Although we will pursue high value-added products by focusing on product lineups, we are not planning on withdrawing from products made for individuals, and we plan to expand high value-added models for individuals in the future"

So it'll be some cut, but not complete ala Samsung. Focus will be on FF things.

Also we can also see 1-2 new lenses.

And it will be end of the system.

Next year Canon will move all APS-C cameras to their new mount, as well as introduce even cheaper FF cameras.

Lenses production will stop in 2020 already (but stock will be sold for much longer time).

Most probably we will see only big photo lenses.

Also we can get announcement of some consumer camcorder with 1" sensor, but it is low probability.

The FTC ruling against Qualcomm confirms in writing what we assumed for years: MediaTek, Samsung, HiSilicon, Intel all couldn't sell modems to OEMs because Qualcomm refused them licenses. The MediaTek exhibit is particularly damning as QC was ought to "destroy" them.

Say thanks for patents :-) People paid tens of billions more due to only this one issue, if you count other patents owned by parasites in the smartphone business you will realize that up to 25% and in case of top smartphones - up to 40% of smartphone cost goes to them.

Fiat Chrysler and Renault are in talks on a comprehensive global tie-up.

The talks are at an advanced stage, the sources said.

FCA and Renault have a combined market capitalization approaching 33 billion euros ($37 billion) and total global sales of 8.7 million vehicles. Besides bringing greater scale, a tie-up could help patch flaws on both sides.

Now it becomes clear why they put Carlos Ghosn in jail.

Huawei is removed from Association members and had been noted to stop using or adding to new products any of SD Association standards.

It is expected that few more Chinese companies will follow in next two weeks. In case of lack of progress and any further delays all major Chinese manufacturers will follow in around 45 days.

This is very useful as will allow to fully reject imports of Chinese smartphones and notebooks due to infringement.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned U.S. firms of the risks to company data from Chinese-made drones, according to a notice reviewed by Reuters on Monday.

The notice, titled “Chinese Manufactured Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” warned that U.S. officials have “strong concerns about any technology product that takes American data into the territory of an authoritarian state that permits its intelligence services to have unfettered access to that data or otherwise abuses that access.”

A spokeswoman for DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed that it “recently released an industry alert providing organizations with information related to the inherit risks associated with using UAS technology manufactured in China and measures to reduce such risk.”

China’s SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, the world’s largest maker of consumer drones, said in a statement on Monday that “the security of our technology has been independently verified by the U.S. government and leading U.S. businesses.”

Most fun thing here is that system where software controls and record drone data and send it to company had been implemented due to demands of EU and US :-)

US now do not have much strong competitors for DJI but it does not mean that US won't ban DJI consumer drones import.

Another most interesting thing is possible ban of all DJI servers by US and EU providers that can render drones partially useless.

Expect that we will see at least strong threats during summer times.

Wish all the best for Adobe fans, you have more surprises ahead of you this year.

Apple Inc. was ordered by a Chinese court to stop selling iPhone X, 8, 7 and 6 models. Order doesn't include Apple’s newest devices—the XS, XS Max and XR. RBC Capital Markets on Monday estimated older models account for about 40% of sales in China, and that the ban could have an impact on about $12 billion in sales.

Qualcomm said the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court in China found Apple had infringed on two patents: one related to photo editing and another to swiping on a touch-screen device.

I love patents. :-) Look how innovative this ones are.

It is for now very light version, very light warning, as Apple declares they hope to get around this. But next round will be harder.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE) and Cray Inc. (Nasdaq: CRAY), a global supercomputer leader, today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which HPE will acquire Cray for $35.00 per share in cash, in a transaction valued at approximately $1.3 billion, net of cash.

“Answers to some of society’s most pressing challenges are buried in massive amounts of data,” said Antonio Neri, President and CEO, HPE. “Only by processing and analyzing this data will we be able to unlock the answers to critical challenges across medicine, climate change, space and more. Cray is a global technology leader in supercomputing and shares our deep commitment to innovation. By combining our world-class teams and technology, we will have the opportunity to drive the next generation of high performance computing and play an important part in advancing the way people live and work.”

Addressing complex challenges and advancing critical academic research, including predicting future weather patterns, delivering breakthrough medical discoveries, and preventing cyber-attacks, requires significant computational capabilities, up to and through Exascale level architecture. Exascale capable systems enable solutions to these problems with much greater precision and insight.

“This is an amazing opportunity to bring together Cray’s leading-edge technology and HPE’s wide reach and deep product portfolio, providing customers of all sizes with integrated solutions and unique supercomputing technology to address the full spectrum of their data-intensive needs,” said Peter Ungaro, President and CEO of Cray. “HPE and Cray share a commitment to customer-centric innovation and a vision to create the global leader for the future of high performance computing and AI. On behalf of the Cray Board of Directors, we are pleased to have reached an agreement that we believe maximizes value and are excited for the opportunities that this unique combination will create for both our employees and our customers.”

https://www.hpe.com/us/en/newsroom/press-release/2019/05/hpe-to-acquire-supercomputing-leader-cray.html

We have extracted some of what seem to be the most important products for filmmakers that would have the new 25% tariff. But note, we are not experts on tariffs or trade policy, and the list is not meant to be definitive. Also, trade policy is really complicated and currently in a state of flux, changing from week to week.

Sample Products Subject to New Tariffs

Video Recording

8521.90.00 Video recording or reproducing apparatus, other than magnetic tape-type

Sound Recording

8519.81.40 Sound recording and reproducing apparatus using magnetic tape, optical media, or semiconductor media

8519.89.30 Sound recording and reproducing apparatus, NESOI Recording Media

8523.51.00 Semiconductor media, solid-state non-volatile storage devices Monitors

8528.59.15 Color video monitors w/flat panel screen, video display diagonal n/ov 34.29 cm, incorporate VCR or player

8528.59.23 Color video monitors w/flat panel screen, video display diagonal > 34.29 cm, incorporating VCR or player, not subject US note 13

8528.59.25 Color video monitors w/flat panel screen, video display diagonal n/ov 34.29 cm, not incorporate VCR or player

8528.59.33 Color video monitors w/flat panel screen, video display diagonal > 34.29 cm, not with VCR/player, not subj US note

138528.59.40 Color video monitors NESOI, with video display diagonal over 34.29 cm, incorporating VCR or player

8528.59.45 Color video monitors NESOI, with video display diagonal not over 34.29 cm, not incorporating VCR or player

8528.59.50 Color video monitors NESOI, with video display diagonal over 34.29 cm, not incorporating VCR or player

8528.69.55 Color video projectors NESOI, incorporating video recording or reproducing apparatus

8528.69.60 Color video projectors NESOI, not incorporating a video recording or reproducing apparatus

Lamps

8539.22.80 Electrical filament lamps of a power not exceeding 200 W and for a voltage exceeding 100 V NESOI, excluding ultraviolet and infrared lamps

8539.29.30 Electrical filament lamps NESOI, designed for a voltage not exceeding 100 V, excluding ultraviolet and infrared lamps

8539.29.40 Electrical filament lamps, designed for a voltage exceeding 100 V, of a power exceeding 200 W

8539.50.00 Light-emitting diode (LED) lamps

Cameras

9006.59.91 Photographic cameras, other than fixed focus, valued over $10 each, NESOI

9006.61.00 Photographic discharge lamp ("electronic") flashlight apparatus

9006.69.01 Photographic flashlight apparatus, NESOI

9006.91.00 Parts and accessories for photographic cameras, not cinematographic

9006.99.00 Parts and accessories for photographic flashlight apparatus and flashbulbs

9007.91.40 Parts for cinematographic cameras

9007.91.80 Accessories for cinematographic cameras

Wait, it can get worse

While it appears that photographic lenses are not included currently on the list for tariffs on China, there are threatened tariffs (of up to 100%) on EU products imported to the U.S. for this summer that do include them. This would primarily impact lenses from Germany:

9002.11.90 Objective lenses and parts & access. thereof, for cameras, projectors, or photographic enlargers or reducers, except projection, NESOI

The era of really cheap gear in the U.S. may be coming to an end and filmmakers here will face the reality that folks in other countries have dealt with for a long time. However, it's impossible to predict whether the China or EU tariffs will actually take effect, or when.

If you are considering a major purchase in one of the targeted areas, it may be worth considering speeding up your purchase timeline.

https://nofilmschool.com/indie-filmmaking-about-get-lot-more-expensive?fbclid=IwAR3NpP-LcKEcNtvUzw500jVSJTHiIhuEmTN2XL0koJxrLrs37um8rJBeOWI

I wonder if all this is again because of Cinema DNG and RAW video formats (e.g. Photoshop can work with CDNG).

http://m1-page.mail.adobe.com/nl/jsp/m.jsp?c=%40AHAafIXMiyQv6FKNDla560DQpdsaU7gjzyw1ytYNLeM%3D

https://skylum.com/l/fujifilm

And unreal forecast again (as they did not meet any forecast in years before)

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced two new 0.8-micrometer (μm) pixel image sensors – the 64-megapixel (Mp) Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and 48Mp ISOCELL Bright GM2. With the addition, Samsung expands its 0.8μm image sensor lineup, the smallest pixel size currently available in the market, from existing 20Mp to ultra-high 64Mp resolutions.

“Over the past few years, mobile phone cameras have become the main instrument for recording and sharing our everyday moments,” said Yongin Park, executive vice president of sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “With more pixels and advanced pixel technologies, Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and GM2 will bring a new level of photography to today’s sleekest mobile devices that will enhance and help change the way we record our daily lives.”

ISOCELL Bright GW1 is a 64Mp image sensor that features the highest resolution in Samsung’s 0.8μm-pixel image sensor lineup. With pixel-merging Tetracell technology** and remosaic algorithm***, GW1 can produce bright 16Mp images in low-light environments and highly-detailed 64Mp shots in brighter settings. To take pictures resembling the way the human eye perceives its surroundings in a mixed light environment, GW1 supports real-time high dynamic range (HDR) of up to 100-decibels (dB) that provides richer hues. In comparison, the dynamic range of a conventional image sensor is at around 60dB, while that of the human eye is typically considered to be around 120dB.

GW1 is equipped with a Dual Conversion Gain (DCG) that converts the received light into an electric signal according to the illumination of the environment. This allows the sensor to optimize its full well capacity (FWC), utilizing the collected light more efficiently especially in bright environments. Sharper results can be delivered through Super PD, a high-performance phase detection auto-focus technology, and full HD recording at 480 frames-per-second (fps) is supported for smooth cinematic slow motion videos.

ISOCELL Bright GM2 is a 48Mp image sensor that also adopts Tetracell technology in low-light environments and a remosaic algorithm in well-lit settings, bringing highly-detailed pictures with natural and vivid colors. GM2, like GW1, adopts DCG as well for added performance and Super PD for fast autofocus.

Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and GM2 are currently sampling and are expected to be in mass production in the second half of this year.

In reality main mode is 16Mp, as well as Bayer filters pattern. But all ads will tell you about 64Mp.

When you pay for B&H purchases with the Payboo Credit Card, B&H will charge the total of merchandise plus applicable fees and taxes; but we instantly issue and apply a reward on orders made in our SuperStore or shipped to eligible states right in checkout as a form of customer payment. Then, the amount charged to the Payboo Card is net of the benefit applied.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/credit-cards

It is nice, but in reality they plan to get more using this card, as it is credit card with not best terms.

Plus for some items you must expect some price increase.

HTC has dismissed recent speculation claiming it would quit the smartphone market with its latest U12+ being the last of its models.

HTC maintained it will continue strengthening its smartphone business with new models to be released at year-end 2018 and in early 2019.

HTC said it will not give up its handset business as it believes that the handset has become indispensable to human life and that the related key VR technology will play a key role for the future development of mobile devices.

Actually company is already mostly dead with sales numbers falling like hammer. Expect that announcement will come around February-May of 2019.

Arri Rental, exclusive home of the Alexa 65, said it is exiting Atlanta at the end of this month as part of a “strategic shift” that will see it transferring rental equipment from Atlanta to its operations in Brooklyn, NY, and Burbank, CA.

Following the closure, Arri Rental will be left with four North American locations — Brooklyn, Burbank, Charlotte, NC and Vancouver, BC. The company said it planned to offer personnel from Atlanta possible relocation options in its remaining U.S. offices.

Arri is feeling best among pro cinema cameras manufacturers and even they have issues and will continue expenses cuts.
RED is in worse shape of them all and mostly doing raw video licensing milking that must be enough for 1-2 year survival.

Terms

1. You can submit ONE video clip made by you personally using any camera. Just post it in this topic.
2. Clip must reside on vimeo or youtube video hostings and must have "personal-view contest" and link to contest page (for contest time).
3. Clip must be below 3 minutes in length (for any exception with length you must PM me).
4. Only new videos are accepted. Do not submit your one year old video.
5. Only videos featuring pets or animals like cat, dog, hamster, etc are accepted.
6. For first prize - video must have story to tell, must feature pet, must be funny and/or interesting.
7. For second prize - must feature your cat (yep, cats only!), must be funny/pretty/etc.
8. Deadline - March 9, reaching minimum 10 entries.

We are waiting for your videos:

About NEST

NEST is HK manufacturer of premium quality tripods and photo/video heads.
I use their legs and heads for few years and they are really top notch.

First prize - NEST NT-9403 carbon legs + 683H fluid head

Very sturdy carbon legs made using 10x layers of best carbon. Big legs diameter. Can handle with ease 12kg real weight of your rig. 100mm bowl. 1660mm max height.

683H is very good, fully metal, 100mm bowl head. With adjustments of pan and tilt drag, as well as counterbalance.

Second prize - NEST NT-6294CK carbon legs + new small fluid head

Sturdy and light carbon legs. Detachable leg that can be converted to monopod.

Small and high quality fluid head made specially for light tripods and easy travel.

Aperture, Apple’s professionally minded photo editing software, will no longer operate on macOS after Mojave, the current version of the Mac operating system. The announcement was quietly made on an Apple support page that was spotted by MacRumors, which gives instructions on how users should import their images into either Adobe Lightroom or Apple Photos.

As predicted, move to ARM based CPUs require Apple to get rid from all applications that do not generate big revenue, even ones where it had been 1-2 developers doing compatibility checks. Read - all pro or advanced apps.
Later in 2019 you will already feel first winter winds around FCP X, and in 2020 they will start blowing constantly as Apple will be reducing developers count and moving them to other projects.

Coverage by our main US team led by Alan.

Possible new released from Canon

• Canon XC style 4K 60fps camera with RF mount
• Canon C300 Mk III presentations (can be in Panasonic EVA1 style)
• Canon C500 Mk II possible with jump to RF mount

• Canon has used 130,180 and 500nm processes that I'm aware of. I would fail to see the reason why Canon would upgrade some equipment to an interim step of 300nm.
• The read noise of this is far worse than for instance an 80D sensor scaled. At worst case, this sensor should be no worse than the 80D sensor, as it's the same pixel pitch as the 80D sensor. The DR matches the 6D Mark II DR curve and not the current generation 5D Mark IV or even 80D DR curves.
• It is exactly like the 6D Mark II DR curve.
• It's too slow (even by Canon standards) 5.2 fps at 12 bit depth means it would be around 1.3 fps at 14 bit assuming it's using slope ADC's (which canon uses). Canon releasing a 1.3 fps stills camera? Not only that but DPAF takes around twice the read time so if you want AF you're looking at .6 FPS or a glorious 2.6 fps in 12 bit ("speed mode")

As usual Andrew from EOSHD made lot of hype out of nothing, finding old sensor specs made for some partner and not for any consumer cameras.

8nm LSI is planned to be released in 2020.