Month: April 2011

ARRI Launches New Matte Box For Small Cameras

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Arri are better known for their cinema lenses and big production cameras like the Alexa but they also make acessories for filmmakers and with the rise in popularity of smaller cameras like the Panasonic AF-100 and the Sony F3 they now have smaller items to suit those cameras.  New for NAB 2011 was the MMB-2 Matte Box.  The premise of the MMB-2 is a modular design so you can add as much or as little to it is you require.  You can buy a complete kit, or all the parts individually.  Interesting add-ons include foam covered handles which mount right …

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Redrock Micro Remote & Wired Follow Focus at NAB

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Redrock Micro gave us a glimpse of this product last year but at NAB 2011 they finally announced a release date of June 15th for one of the most talked about DSLR film making accessories.  The system consists of several different parts so you can build up a solution that suits your needs.  Those people  running a shoulder mounted run and gun rig will want the wired option and others using steadycam rigs or tripod mounted systems might want to use the remote system with the aid of the microTape. To understand the system have a quick look at this

Small HD Announces DP4 LCD / EVF Combo for NAB

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The guys from Small HD have produced some great looking LCD screens over the last few years and at NAB 2011 they bought an interesting addition to their lineup, the DP4.  The DP4 is a 4.3″ LCD screen that can be used with the additional eye piece to create an EVF similar in function the Zacuto EVF that I previously posted about.  It features all the necessary functions such as peaking, zebra stripes and full screen scaling to ensure that DSLR output signals are filling the screen entirely. From the Small HD website: Each DP4 Field Monitor Ships With: LP-E6

Hands On With Canon’s XA10

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This little camera was announced a few months back and is now shipping.  I was initially surprised to see so many of these floating around the show, they were everywhere!  People were using them to report on the show and many exhibitors had them on their stands demonstrating their gear such as head, LED lights and pretty much any other excuse they could find to have one on their stand.  So what gives ?!  I had to have a play….. The XA10 is TINY !  Even next to the relatively small x100 or x105 and it weights just over 1lb. 

Hands On With the Zacuto EVF

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Zacuto have been drip feeding information and videos about this EVF for months, so the product is not new per se.  But this is the first time that the masses have gotten their grubby fingers on one and color me quite impressed.  The 800×480 resolution looks super crisp on such a small screen and I liked the “flip” version which quickly allowed you to have a look at the screen (pictured below).  The EVF will also be available in another option that simply allows you to attach your current Z-Finder to the screen.  There is an extensive list of features

Sachtler Cine DSLR Fluid Head

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This video head was announced a while back I believe but this is the first time I have had my hands on it.  Sachlter are known for their quality fluid heads and although this Cine DSLR model sits at the bottom of their lineup it looses nothing in quality compared to the bigger FSB 6 and FSB 8.  Ingeniously the quick release plate feature a special anti twist mechanism to prevent the DSLR from spinning on the plate when a follow focus is used.  It’s designed for a payload of between 1 and 11 lbs.  I’ve only ever used Manfrotto

New Angenieux 45-120 T2.8 Zoom

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Now granted this is not a lens that many people outside of rental houses can afford but I couldn’t resist taking a look at it.  Angenieux cine zooms are acknowledged as amongst the best PL mount zooms in the business, if not THE best.  Lightweight (relatively speaking) and compact they are a hit with many DPs.  This week at NAB sees the introduction of the new 45-120mm t2.8 Optimo zoom which will set you back a whopping $55,000.  If you’ve never held or felt a proper cine zoom then you are probably wandering how it can be worth that much money.  These things are made to a standard that you can’t even begin to imagine until you see and feel it for yourself, truly incredible.  They had it mounted to a Red Epic and it was a perfect match for size and weight, fantastic for a steadycam rig.

They also have 1.3x and 2x teleconverters/extenders to go with it for approx $4000 each! (Pictured below)

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Think Tank Announces Retrospective 5 Shoulder Bag

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Think Tank have added to their highly popular Retrospective series today with the announcement of the Retrospective 5 shoulder bag available in either black or pinestone.  I personally have the Retro 10 bag and it’s a fantastic bag for carry around town with a camera and couple of lenses.  The material is super tough and wear resistant and there are plenty of pockets for all the bits and pieces you need.  This new Retro 5 is designed for a small DSLR and a couple of lenses or a full Micro 4/3 kit or maybe a Leica M9 or some such

Red Announces First Monstro Sensor – Red Dragon + Red @NAB Photos

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There was a lot of hype about Red’s morning announcement and in the end it turned out to be a bit unexpected and less groundbreaking than their usual announcements.  Part of this is no doubt down to Jim Jannard’s vow to keep info under their hat’s until a little closer to launch time given the moving release dates and changing specs that have happened with all their other products in the past. This morning it was announced that the first Monstro sensor was in testing and it’s called Red Dragon.  The current sensor lineup is called Mysterium, Monstro will be

Zeiss Shows m4/3 and Sony E-Mount for CP.2 Primes

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Down at the Carl Zeiss booth this morning I got to check out the full range of Zeiss CP.2 primes on various cameras including the new M4/3 mount for the AF-100 and also an E-Mount for the Sony NXCAM 35.  These lenses really are stunning and solidly built.  Check out some shots below to see the new Sony cameras and some of the lenses including the Zeiss LWZ.2 zoom lens with a Canon mount.

Leica/ Band Pro and RED Teaming up to Bring EPIC Package

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Band Pro and RED have announced that they will be teaming up to bring a pre-packaged RED Epic setup including 5 of the new Leica Summilux Cine lenses.  I had a chance to check these lenses out this morning and I can’t think of a better combination.  The Epic is so small that putting a Zeiss Master Prime on it looks pretty crazy, but the Leica Cine lenses are also small and seem like a perfect partnership to the Epic to maintain the portable size.  No info yet on exact pricing, configuration or availability of these packages but you can