Virtual Reality Cinema: A New Medium Emerges

VR has arrived, and with it, a new type of filmmaker capable of engaging viewers more deeply with content than ever before

By Robert Powell

Virtual Reality (VR), the next great frontier for film and entertainment, is no longer in a phase of incubation, but rather in its last throes of anonymity. For those unfamiliar with this technology, VR involves wearing a headset that covers your entire field of vision with a screen to envelop the user with dynamic imagery and sound. You may recall... Read more

December 2015

Featuring a Micro Four Thirds sensor with an integrated 13x Leica Dicomar zoom lens, Panasonic has announced the affordable and highly anticipated AG-DVX200PJ.

By The Editors

HEAVY ROTATION With an 8.4-megapixel Super 35-sized CMOS sensor and a Sony E-mount for use with an extensive lineup of compact and interchangeable Sony and Zeiss lenses, the Sony PXW-FS5 XDCAM offers UHD at 24/30 fps, as well as HD at up to 240 fps. The form factor makes it an ideal choice for handholding, while internals provide cinematic features... Read more

At A Glance: RØDE Stereo VideoMic X

Setting the standard for single-system audio

By Neil Matsumoto

Although you can capture high-quality images, DSLRs and compact mirrorless cameras were never designed to capture high-quality sound. Their built-in microphones are pretty useless except for capturing scratch audio for dual-system sound. Also, the cameras lack XLR inputs for use with professional mics and their preamps are pretty rudimentary. Since... Read more

Wireless Lens Control, ARRI Style

With three-axis lens control and a lens data display, the WCU-4 is an impressive remote system in an ergonomic housing

By Jim Matlosz

Designed to work seamlessly with the ARRI ALEXA line of cameras—the Plus, Plus 4:3, XT/SXT Plus, Studio, XT/SXT Studio, 65 and Mini—ARRI’s Wireless Compact Unit WCU-4 is a lightweight, handheld, remote-control system for lenses. No motor controller or extra power is required to use the WCU-4, as each camera possesses its own onboard wireless... Read more

Light It Up

A decade ago, no one was talking about the problems of lighting for digital because traditional Tungsten and HMI lights were dominating the market.

By Lisette Rose

A decade ago, no one was talking about the problems of lighting for digital because traditional Tungsten and HMI lights were dominating the market. What a difference a few years can make. Although Tungsten and HMIs are still popular with cinematographers, a new generation of LEDs has flooded the marketplace, as well as sets. Lighting equipment has quickly... Read more

At A Glance: Headphone:X

New Headphone:X technology from DTS, Inc., delivers high-quality surround sound to almost any set of headphones

By Dan Brockett

For content creators and producers, the ability to bring theatrical-quality sound to almost any platform—especially mobile content through headphones—opens up new potential markets for high-quality soundtracks in any playback medium. DTS, Inc., based in Southern California, recently invited me to experience a new technology called Headphone:X. The... Read more

Hawk V-Lite Vintage ’74 Anamorphics

This lens system from Vantage offers contrast, flare and other old-school “flaws” reminiscent of 1970s cinema built with state-of-the-art Hawk mechanics

By Jim Matlosz

Digital sensors continue to improve in quality of image capture, allowing filmmakers to push their creativity and experiment with a variety of specific looks. Yet, as lens manufacturers continue to reach new heights in lens quality, cinematographers are often found degrading new lenses, applying techniques and know-how to "take the edge... Read more

October 2015

ARRI PL-mount Anamorphic Ultra Wide Zoom 19-36/T4.2 incorporates a telecentric optical design for highly uniform field illumination from the center through the corners of the image, even at the minimum object distance.

By The Editors

ULTRAWIDE ANAMORPHIC LENS Offered as a complement to ARRI’s line of Master Anamorphic prime lenses, the ARRI PL-mount Anamorphic Ultra Wide Zoom 19-36/T4.2 incorporates a telecentric optical design for highly uniform field illumination from the center through the corners of the image, even at the minimum object distance. Anamorphic elements... Read more

4K Paradise – The Samsung NX500

Hands on review of the new Samsung NX500 – a compact mirrorless camera system that captures 4K and UHD

By Neil Matsumoto

Although a relatively new player to the world of interchangeable lens cameras, Samsung has made waves in the professional photography world, especially with their NX1 – a powerhouse mirrorless camera that contains a Super 35mm sized, 28-megapixel CMOS sensor, a high-speed DRIMe V image processor, and records 4K and UHD video in camera. With a price... Read more

Eye In The Sky

The state of camera drones for film and television production

By Dan Brockett

2015 is destined to go down in history books as the year of the drone. A quick scan of the floor at NAB revealed new, lower-cost, more advanced drone technology everywhere. As a producer, director or cinematographer, you may have merely a passing interest in drones, but your projects in the future undoubtedly will utilize them to capture shots that... Read more

Cinema EOS V2.0

Profiling the new Canon EOS C300 Mark II and testing the EOS C100 Mark II

By Neil Matsumoto

Announced back in 2011, the Canon EOS C300 has been one of Canon’s most successful video cameras since the launch of their Cinema EOS division, and at NAB 2015, they finally upgraded the camera to 4K. The EOS C300 Mark II is targeted at a broad range of shooters (cinema, documentary, event) and contains a new 8.85-megapixel Super 35mm CMOS sensor... Read more

August 2015

Ultra-high-precision alignment technology is used to implement three 4K sensors on a new prism, allowing the support of next-generation ITU-R BT.2020 broadcast standard’s widening color space.

By The Editors

4K GAME CHANGER The new Sony HDC-4300 is the first camera to use three 2⁄3-inch 4K image sensors while mounting B4-mount lenses like Sony’s popular HDC-2000-series cameras. The existing HDLA-1500 series, control and shading systems, viewfinders and master setup units can be swapped between the HD and 4K systems. The HDC-4300 can handle... Read more