Can A Downsized Panel Be A Good Thing?

Litepanels brings forth a 1x1 Gemini bi-color LED softpanel

Daniel Brockett

I evaluated the Gemini 2×1 last year, and I’m a big fan of the light. But relative size, weight (50 pounds, when you factor in the weight of its heavy-duty shipping case) and price ($3,200 each) held me back from buying it. But those factors aside, I’d be very happy owning the Gemini 2×1 as my primary key source. To recap, the Gemini 2×1... Read more

Our Mirrorless Quest

Is Fujifilm’s new X-T3 best in class?

Daniel Brockett

The Fujifilm X-T3 paired with the FUJINON XF16mmF1.4 WR lens. There have been specific mirrorless cameras that have become popular with DPs and cinematographers shooting on various projects, particularly films that have limited budgets. Sony’s a7R III and Panasonic’s Lumix GH5 and GH5S are among the most notable. But some, like me, have found that... Read more

The Prime Directive: Sigma’s Latest Cinema Lenses

Sigma’s new cine primes — a newcomer makes an impression

Text & Photography By Daniel Brockett

I recently picked up a small subset of Sigma’s new Cine Prime lens lineup to try out for a few weeks. I say “subset” because the full line up of Sigma’s new Cine Primes has recently expanded to include quite a few focal lengths. The entire lineup now includes 10—yes, count them—high-speed Cine Prime lenses, including 14mm T2.0 FF, 20mm T1.5... Read more

Hands On With Red Giant Trapcode 15

This After Effects plug-in offers some powerful and provocative particle simulations and 3D effects

Daniel Brockett

Trapcode’s Particular interface is logically laid out. Every now and then, a technology company does a decent job describing their product. Here’s how Red Giant describes Trapcode 15. “Trapcode Suite brings the power of 3D particle systems right into After Effects. Use particle emitters to create fire, water, smoke, snow and other organic visual... Read more

Rhino EVO Pro Motion Control Slider

Moving your camera with precision

Dan Brockett

The EVO Pro can be ordered in several configurations, but the version with both the 24″ Carbon rails and the 42″ Aluminum rails is very popular. It’s 2019, and people are still using sliders? Why, yes, they are! I jest with this opening sentence, of course: People are still using sliders to create cool moves with the cameras. But it does... Read more

Kamerar Brightcast V15-345 LED Panels

Portable, Versatile, Flexible Light

Dan Brockett

A close-up of a drink being mixed lit by two Kamerar Brightcasts. The Kamerar Brightcast LED panels caught my eye a while ago. I already own other LED panels, like the Aputure Lightstorm LS-1S, and have owned and used quite a few other LED panels from Litepanels, Cool Lights, Arri and others. What I found intriguing about the Kamerar Brightcasts were... Read more

EgoDisk CFast 2.0 Cards

A reasonably priced alternative

Dan Brockett

In 2017, I purchased the long-awaited Canon EOS Cinema C200 camcorder. I had been shooting with rented C300 MKII cameras and came to really like that model. I also owned a C100 and a C300 MKI, two of the best cameras I’ve owned over my fairly lengthy career as a director of photography and cameraperson. Because of my Canon experience, the C200 seemed... Read more

Elevating Video Tripod Design

Sachtler’s new Flowtech 75 modernizes the video tripod with exceptional ease of use

Dan Brockett

Filmmakers and videographers often don’t give much thought to the tripod legs. We mostly focus on the tripod head, and rightly so, since unlike in still photography, we actually capture the movement of our subject by moving our camera to frame them. How a head enables you to smoothly pan and tilt is at the very essence of basic camera movement. Tripod... Read more

Hands On With The Blackmagic eGPU

This sleek external graphics processing unit co-designed with Apple is an appealing concept, but has limitations

Dan Brockett

The Blackmagic eGPU is designed to add GPU power to specific Mac computers. What Is It? The Blackmagic eGPU is a higher-end external standalone graphics accelerator. The unit is a product of collaboration between Apple and Blackmagic Design, and it’s designed for use with the recent generations of Mac computers with a Thunderbolt 3 connection. iMac... Read more

Canon’s New EOS C700 FF

The evolution of the modern digital cinema camera

Daniel Brockett

The C700 was Canon’s bid to introduce a competitor to industry-standard higher-end digital cinema cameras from competitors like Arri, RED, Panavision and Sony. Up until this point, Canon’s sole entry into the high-end digital cinema camera wars was the EOS C500, a camera capable of creating nice 4K imagery but only when hooked up to an external... Read more

Mirrorless Mania

Panasonic and Fujifilm pave the way for the future of hybrid cameras

Text & Photography By Daniel Brockett

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5s Panasonic’s latest and greatest hybrid stills/video camera, the Lumix DC–GH5s, has proven to be a capable performer and, ironically, a better video camera than its cousin, the GH5. By dropping back to a lower-resolution sensor, a 10.2-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor (about half the resolution of the 20 MP version... Read more

Shine A Lot Of Light With Fiilex’s Q8 Travel Kit

Putting Fiilex’s new Q8 travel kit to work

Text & Photography By Daniel Brockett

The new Fiilex Q8 Bi-Color LED Fresnel Kit is billed as a high-power light with the ability to focus from spot to flood, flicker-free operation at any frame rate, smooth dimming down to .1 percent intensity, and powerful color controls. The Q8 has a tunable color temperature from 2800K to 6500K, 340W power consumption and output, and a hue control that... Read more