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Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Documentary About the Digital Filmmaking Transition

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POLylqWL-j8&w=640&h=360]

Side By Side is a documentary about the current transition from film to digital filmmaking.  It’s a documentary for camera geeks.  Check out the trailer above and the official synopsis below.

Join Keanu Reeves on a tour of the past and the future of filmmaking in SIDE BY SIDE. Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters, such as James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, and many more.

[Tribeca via PetaPixel]

 

Canon 15.5-47mm T2.8 and 30-105mm T2.8 Cinema Lenses

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Canon 30-105mm Cine Zoom

Canon 30-105mm Cine Zoom

Along with the Canon EOS 1D C and EOS C500, Canon also unveiled a pair of new Cinema Zoom lenses today – each in PL and EF mounts.  The CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 L S/SP and CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L S/SP lenses are designed to cover Super 35 frames and deliver top notch performance at 4K resolution.

Canon 15-47mm Cine Zoom

Canon 15-47mm Cine Zoom

No word yet on price or release dates; however, given the $45K+ price tag of the last Canon cinema zoom lenses announced, I wouldn’t expect these to be much less.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Canon EOS C500 is a Pro Level 4K RAW Cinema Camera

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Canon C500

The Canon C500 was announced today alongside the Canon EOS 1D C.  Both offer 4K video capture; however, the C500 is clearly targeted toward the higher-end Hollywood user.

The C500 supports 4K-resolution video and outputs as a 10-bit uncompressed RAW data stream with no de-Bayering.  The C500 can shoot 4K at 1-60fps.

The camera will also output quad full-HD (3840 x 2160), 2K (2048 x 1080) and full HD (1920 x 1080).  The C500 offers a 12-bit RGB 4:4:4 signal format during 2K output, which can be selected to operate from one to 60 fps. The C500 can capture 120 fps when switched to a 10-bit YCrCb 4:2:2 mode.

In addition to the external video output options, the  C500 simultaneously records in-camera a 50 Mbps HD proxy video to a CF card.

Like the C300, the C500 features a Super 35 format CMOS sensor and will be available in EF-mount and PL-mount options.  Pricing (rumored to be around $30k) and release dates are yet to be confirmed.

More info and images for the Canon C500 below. [Read more…]

Zeiss 15mm T2.9 and 135mm T2.1 CP.2 Lenses Announced

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Zeiss CP.2 15mm T2.9

Zeiss CP.2 15mm T2.9

Zeiss has unveiled two new compact prime lenses – the CP.2 15/T2.9 super wide angle lens and the CP.2 135/T2.1 lens.  The new CP.2 lenses offer full frame coverage in multiple mount options – PL, EF, F, MFT and E mounts.

Zeiss CP.2 135mm T2.1

Zeiss CP.2 135mm T2.1

The lenses will retail at $5700 each and will have their official coming out party at NAB 2012.

More info in the press release below. [Read more…]

Sony NEX-FS700: 4K APS-C Camcorder & 240fps at 1080p

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Sony NEX-FS700

Sony has released preliminary information on the upcoming NEX-FS700, and it looks like a killer camera out of the box if the price comes in around the expected $8k mark, available in June.

The FS700 will ship as a 1080p camera that utilizes an 11.1MP EXMOR CMOS sensor, which will later receive a firmware upgrade to enable the 4K functionality.  It’s not clear whether or not this upgrade will come at an additional expense like the initial S-LOG upgrade for the Sony F3.

More so than the 4K, the feature that really excites me is the ability to capture 10x slow motion in full 1080p.  The record times are limited to 8 seconds for 240fps and 16 seconds for 120fps.

Sony FS700

Another big boon is the built-in ND filters (up to 6 stops) that we all missed on the FS100, along with 3G-SDI and HDMI outputs for external capture devices.  It will also come with expanded focus magnification up to 8x out of the box – something the FS100 will get via a firmware update later this month.  Another expected update for the FS100 is the ability to store camera profile settings on memory cards – and, thankfully, Sony will put this on the FS700 from day one.

Sony FS700

I’ll have more coverage on this new camera as additional details emerge. For now, check out the rest of the new features below. [Read more…]

Canon Cinema EOS Teaser for April 15

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Canon NAB Teaser

As expected, it looks like Canon has big plans in place for NAB 2012.  Engdaget broke news of this teaser, which takes place the night before the NAB Show exhibits open.  While the Internet is scrambling at guesses of what this “exclusive screening” will be, it seems rather clear that it will relate to the new Cinema EOS line (see prior invite below). [Read more…]