First-Look Review: The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III In Costa Rica

How a new, versatile, compact OM-D camera body performed in the tropics

By Terry Sullivan

This past February, I traveled to the beautiful tropical Central American country of Costa Rica with Olympus to try out its latest mirrorless camera, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. (This was more than a month before the U.S. Department of State issued a Global Level 4 “Do Not Travel” Health Advisory, on March 31, 2020, which advised, “U.S. citizens... Read more

Hands-On Review: Sony PXW-FX9 Digital Cinema Camera

Where does Sony’s latest XDCAM fit in today’s cine market?

Daniel Brockett

One thing Sony tends to do better than many of its competitors in the pro cinema camera market is to read and respond to market segment demand. I know because I’ve owned several Sony cinema cameras over the years and watched how the company has reacted to new technologies and format changes. It’s why Sony has become a powerhouse in the market segment... Read more

Hands-On Review: Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K

Redefining the inexpensive digital cinema camera

Daniel Brockett

There have been quite a few mirrorless cameras introduced over the past 10 months. However, one of the hottest models of the past year in the world of cinema wasn’t a mirrorless camera or a traditional digital cinema camera at all. It was, in fact, a small, rectangular, 2-pound slab of carbon fiber polycarbonate composite known as the Blackmagic Pocket... Read more

Hands-On Review: Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini Pro G2

The author puts the updated cinema camera to the test by using it in a real-world project

Daniel Brockett

Blackmagic Design introduced the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 in March of 2019, which was a significant update from the original URSA Mini Pro, which was announced two years earlier, in March 2017. Here’s a brief description of it from Blackmagic Design’s website: “The URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is a next-generation digital film camera with... Read more

Pro Video Gear

Some of the tools introduced this year helped redefine what’s considered ‘the cutting edge’

Daniel Brockett

In 2019, we saw some intriguing developments in the new digital video tools from this season: 6K. Full-frame sensors. Mirrorless cameras and mirrorless disruptors. Internal vs. external RAW. New camera card media formats. Shooting to SSDs. Ultra-bright monitors. In many cases, these technologies and features weren’t available to most just a year or... Read more

Caging Your Camera For Handheld Shooting

Filmmakers are constructing cages to add weight, increase versatility and more

Daniel Brockett

Building a cage, like this SmallRig cage system, not only adds weight, but it can increase versatility. For instance, we can add an Atomos Ninja V recorder if we have a client who prefers us to shoot ProRes over the X-T3’s internal H/265 codecs. But if we have to shoot in a tight space, where there isn’t room for the Shinobi monitor, we can just... Read more

Review: Atomos Shinobi SDI

A versatile monitor for shooting on a tight budget

Daniel Brockett

The Atomos Shinobi SDI is plenty bright indoors, but I was interested to see how it would perform outside. Several years ago, when we moved to using the Canon Cinema EOS C200 as our main camera, we avoided investing in a new camera monitor. That’s because we simply used a Hoodman H400 sunshade with the C200’s touchscreen, a set-up that worked effectively... Read more

Review: Gitzo GHF2W Head And GT2543L Carbon Fiber Legs

Could this be the right support for your mirrorless camera?

Daniel Brockett

Many users are looking for the ideal high quality, light and affordable tripod package for their mirrorless camera, like this Fujifilm XT-3. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been searching for a certain tripod package for a long time. Since the beginning of the DSLR revolution, I’ve been on the lookout for a smaller, lighter-weight but still... Read more

Camera Trends In 2019

An overview of important camera trends and new ways of shooting

Daniel Brockett

It seems green-screen shooting has only grown in popularity in 2019. I spend probably an unhealthy amount of time reading production forums, discussion boards and social media group forums that focus on production and camera work. For me, it’s a useful way to get a sense of some of the current as well as coming trends. Below, I describe some of the... Read more

Review: Luxli Cello RGBAW LED Panel

Here's Daniel Brockett's quick take on a versatile RGBAW LED panel

By Staff

Contributing editor for HDVideoPro Daniel Brockett gives us a quick take on the Luxli Cello, a RGBAW 10-inch LED panel. As he notes in the video, the “AW” in the name stand for “amber white.” It also means that the “white LEDs in the panel are made up of two types of diodes…. combining the output of the two... Read more

How To Successfully Push The Limits Of A One-Man Band

If you’re going to go with a one-man band approach, follow these tips and suggestions

Text & Photography by Daniel Brockett

This shoot pushed the limits of how much gear I could set up and manage solo. An interesting and significant by-product of the digital revolution is that most of the gear used today to create television and film is now significantly lighter, smaller, less expensive and higher-quality than anyone could have imagined 15 or 20 years ago. Many of us are... Read more

Adventure-Ready Storage And Backup

Award-winning surf filmmaker Aaron Lieber offers insights for on-location workflow to ensure your images return safely home with you

Staff

As imaging technologies advance, you’re probably taking more images and video than ever before. The fast, continuous shooting capabilities of today’s digital cameras along with their ability to record incredible high-resolution video open up so many creative possibilities for visual storytelling. Whether you’re a working professional or an adventurous... Read more