Raw Power

Not much bigger than a smartphone, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera contains a secret weapon

By Neil Matsumoto

For two straight years, Australian-based company Blackmagic Design stole the show at NAB. In 2012, the announcement of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera rocked the show floor, with its interchangeable EF mount and the ability to capture 2.5K RAW CinemaDNG and Apple ProRes files for a price less than $3,000. (The current price has come down miraculously to... Read more

The 4K Consumer Shooter

At $4,499, is Sony’s FDR-AX1 the most important camera in the 4K push?

By Neil Matsumoto

Although the 4K RED ONE was released way back in 2007, Sony has been one of the leading companies behind the 4K push, launching 4K digital cinema cameras like the F65, F55 and F5 for high-end motion pictures. But with the exception of JVC’s GY-HMQ10 ($5,500 list) and Sony’s own FS700R ($8,686.05, camera body only), most of your 4K cameras... Read more

MFT Rising

Why Micro Four Thirds is a good option for low-budget filmmakers

By Neil Matsumoto

The Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system was started by Olympus and Panasonic back in 2008 for mirrorless interchangeable-lens digital cameras. The format contains the same sensor specs as the Four Thirds system, but the MFT design doesn’t have a mirror box and pentaprism, allowing the camera bodies to be even smaller with a shorter flange focal distance... Read more

The World On Your Shoulder

New ENG cameras from the big three manufacturers reveal convergence and divergence

By Dan Brockett

While ENG camera users have been experiencing fairly incremental product life cycles over the past few years, with small, yet significant updates to their camera platform of choice, colleagues who shoot with cinema-style cameras have been enjoying a wild roller coaster-like journey of innovation. That ride began with the introduction of the RED ONE,... Read more

Canon EOS 70D

Canon’s revolutionary new autofocus system will change the way DSLR filmmakers shoot on the fly

By Neil Matsumoto

I’ve said this many times, but achieving critical focus is probably the hardest learning curve to master in filmmaking. On a movie set, the person charged with this task is the First AC (aka focus puller), who’s one of the most important people on the set. If he or she makes even a subtle mistake, the shot is ruined, meaning all of your... Read more

Visual Velocity

Camera chase car innovations bring speed, agility and control to filmmakers

By Clint Milby

When you see a motion picture or commercial, often there are sequences that beg you to ask the question, "How did they do that?" Unfortunately, today’s audiences tend to dismiss anything that appears as though it may have taken some daring to achieve as coming from a computer. And although it’s true that action sequences that could... Read more

All-In-One Flexibility

The Canon EOS C500’s multiple formats should have you covered now and into the future

By Neil Matsumoto

2013 has been the year of 4K, and if you believe all of the marketing hype, you can’t be a serious filmmaker if you’re not shooting 4K. At this year’s NAB, everywhere you went 4K cameras and workflow applications were on full display, making 3D a distant memory. In the past year, Sony introduced a successful new line of 4K cameras... Read more

The Big Leagues

After revolutionizing indie filmmaking with the 5D Mark II, Canon’s Cinema EOS line takes aim at Hollywood

By Neil Matsumoto

With the unexpected success of the 5D Mark II with cinematographers in 2008, Canon became an overnight sensation with the indie film community. In 2011, they set their sights even higher by targeting Hollywood with the launch of their Cinema EOS Division. At a red carpet event hosted by Martin Scorsese at Paramount Studios, they introduced their first... Read more

Good Things Come In Small Packages

Blackmagic Design’s Pocket Cinema Camera wows the NAB crowd

By Clint Milby

As a journalist covering NAB, your back is against the wall to see as many manufacturers as possible in a short amount of time. That may seem easy enough, but it’s actually a grueling schedule that goes on nine hours a day for four days. This year, we hit the ground running with Blackmagic Design’s press conference, which took place first... Read more

Hands On With The Blackmagic Cinema Camera

A low-cost digital motion-picture camera designed for cinematographers

By Neil Matsumoto

Today, almost everyone is aware of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, so I don’t have to remind you about the bomb they dropped at NAB 2012, nor do I have to rehash the impressive specs of the camera, which retails for only $2,995. But even with this high level of public awareness, not everyone has had the opportunity to shoot with the camera because,... Read more

4k Here And Now

Sony expands the 4K market with two new cameras, the F5 and F55

By Neil Matsumoto

A few months back, I attended a small press gathering at the new Sony DMPC (Digital Motion Picture Center), where Sony executives introduced their latest CineAlta camera system. But hold on, hadn’t they just released the F65? And wasn’t the PMW-F3 the hottest digital camera system on the market? (The F3 sold over 2,000 cameras in the U.S.... Read more

The Mini-Blockbuster

4K, Protunes and CineForm Studio propel GoPro’s HERO3 Black Edition to cinematic heights

By Neil Matsumoto

Back in 1999, GoPro founder-CEO Nick Woodman wanted to create a camera that would enable surfers to take high-quality stills, and in 2004, GoPro released its first camera, a 28mm wrist camera that shot 35mm film. As digital technology and video-sharing websites exploded, the small upstart company became synonymous with the social-media generation,... Read more