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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Zacuto Z-Finder EVF

So who or what exactly is the FC1 designed for? In my opinion, the device is best served when your camera is mounted on a jib, crane or high tripod—far from your camera operator's reach. Although it's not a wireless remote focus, a mini-B-to-A USB cable can run up to 25 feet. The FC1 USB Focus Controller retails for $400.

GET VISION
Since achieving critical focus on a full-frame sensor is difficult, it goes without saying that having a proper viewing system is important. For DSLR filmmakers, one of the industry-standard accessories was (and still is) the Zacuto Z-Finder (www.zacuto.com), which is an optical viewfinder that fits over the camera's LCD screen. What makes the Z-Finder essential is that it gives 2.5x to 3x magnification to your camera's LCD screen as well as blocks out outside light. Released last year, the Z-Finder EVF has taken the Z-Finder to another level by offering features that optical viewfinders can't provide, such as zebra stripes, focus assist, color bars, Blue-only, etc. They recently released Firmware Update 3.00.01 that offers added color presets, a 5D Mark III and D800 preset, three levels of Underscan, numerous bug fixes, and much more. Although a bit spendy (the Z-Finder EVF Pro runs $1,000), in my opinion, the Z-Finder EVF is the best monitoring solution for DSLR filmmakers, bar none.

But what if you need more real estate because of a pesky producer hovering over your shoulder? Broadcast monitor company TVLogic (www.tvlogicusa.com) offers a great 5.6-inch LCD monitor that's a great solution for DSLRs. The VFM-056W ($1,195) is a solidly built, lightweight monitor made from magnesium-alloy that gives you an impressive 1280x800 resolution. Perhaps the coolest feature on this monitor is the HDMI direct loop out via HD-SDI to view on a professional monitor (1280x800) without the use of a signal converter. Other features include DSLR Scale, in which the monitor will scale the DSLR's output from a lower resolution to the full screen. (When recording with 5D Mark II DSLRs, you're getting a cropped or "windowed" view of the image.) There's also a nice Focus Assist function where sharp edges are highlighted on properly focused subjects, as well as waveform and vector scope options. I also liked the jog wheel on the side of the monitor to make any quick changes to my settings. In terms of power, you can use Panasonic, Sony, Canon batteries with the correct battery bracket, although I used the monitor with AA batteries.

Tiffen Indie IRND Filters

Like monitors, filters are important accessories that are too often overlooked. To create a cinematic image in 24p, it's best to keep your shutter speed at a constant 1⁄50, which is similar to the standard 180-degree shutter angle of shooting film. But in order to do this, you have to stop down your lens, which limits your shallow depth of field. At the moment, many DSLR shooters are employing variable ND filters since DSLRs don't contain internal ND filters like most camcorders. (Vari-NDs are the cheapest solution, since you only need to purchase one filter for each lens.) The only problem is a variable ND is essentially two polarizers stuck together so when moving a camera, the polarized light changes angle so colors will often change. Because DSLRs still work in an 8-bit color space, it's important to get your images as close as possible to a finished product. For pro shooters, a better solution is Tiffen's Indie IRND filter sets (www.tiffen.com). I recently tried out the 77mm Indie Neutral Density Kit, which Tiffen designed specifically for the Canon 5D Mark II's 8-bit color space. The filters not only gave me up to four stops of exposure control, I didn't have to worry about color shifts, especially with background skies. The Indie Kit I used contained .3, .6, .9 and 1.2 ND filters, which give you up to four stops and the ability to shoot at a wider aperture. The Water White glass contains anti-glare and anti-reflective coating that helps reduce green tint found in a lot of glass filters. If you have different lenses with different filter thread sizes, the most affordable solution is to purchase step-down rings, which run typically under $20.

The 5D Mark III and the Nikon D800 take DSLRs to the next level, and with all of these new camera accessories, there's simply no excuse not to make cinematic-looking movies. And soon we'll start to see the implementation of 4K (the Canon EOS-1D C) and RAW motion capture for DSLRs. The revolution continues.

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