At A Glance: The Sky Is The Limit

The Zeiss VR ONE is a virtual-reality headset with premium optics and first-person view for use with drones

By David Alexander Willis

When historic lens maker Zeiss announces a virtual-reality headset, it literally turns heads. The VR ONE is a portable VR headset that will affix to smartphones with display sizes of between 4.7 and 5.2 inches. Smartphone trays are available for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and S6 and the Sony XPERIA Z5, as well as the iPhone 6, with plans to support the S4,... Read more

4K Super 35 Varicam LT

Panasonic has entered the 4K market again, this time with a lightweight, compact, high-end Super 35 camera

By Jimmy Matlosz

Panasonic was the first pioneer of nonlinear motion-picture cameras with the legendary AG-HVX200, a camcorder released over a decade ago that quickly attracted the attention of filmmakers for its progressive capture on 3CCD 1/3-inch sensors. Once larger-sensor cameras made it to marketplace, however, Panasonic soon found itself at the back of the pack.... Read more

April 2016

RED’s SCARLET-W is the latest addition to their RED DRAGON family of cinema cameras

By The Editors

THE SCARLET LETTER RED’s SCARLET-W is the latest addition to their RED DRAGON family of cinema cameras. Updating the SCARLET-series 5K camera system to heightened frame rates of up to 60 fps (48 fps in the previous iteration), the SCARLET-W is also capable of impressive 4K slow-motion at 150 fps, 3K at 200 fps and 2K at 300 fps. With integrated mounting... Read more

Canon EOS C300 Mark II

Designed with user input, this powerful update offers creative flexibility, with 4K/2K/full HD internal and external recording and a new 10-bit Canon Log 2 Gamma, for a variety of applications

By Simon Wakelin

Only a few months old, the Canon EOS C300 Mark II Digital Cinema Camera offers a batch of new and improved features compared to its younger brother, the C300. This is a production-grade 4K camera offering both broadcast (3840×2160) and DCI cinematic (4096×2160) resolutions, perfect for any number of professional productions. The review unit... Read more

Light It Up: Speaking The Language Of Illumination

Tools to help you light your production on any budget

By Dan Brockett

Whether you light as a one-man band or work as a director or cinematographer alongside a huge crew, some things are a constant. Take lighting, for example. Effective lighting is both an art and a science. It takes a good eye along with ample imagination and skill—but it also takes knowledge, knowing how to put the correct tools together to help shape... Read more

A Magic Wand For Video

Giving Steadicam a run for their money, the DJI Osmo is a new handheld camera capable of full 4K with built-in 3-axis stabilization

By David Alexander Willis

Based on the gimbal and camera system of DJI’s $3,000 Inspire 1 quadcopter, the Osmo is the company’s first handheld camera solution, and, as a bonus, it gives video the same feel and buttery smoothness as a drone. At dimensions of 2.4×1.9×6.4 inches and a weight of only 221 grams (base model; it’s a bit more than a pound with all attachments),... Read more

4K Point And Shoot!

The new Canon XC10 is a versatile camera, ready to go UHD right out of the box

By David Alexander Willis

As a small fixed-lens camera aimed at those looking for 4K at an affordable price, the Canon XC10 is a handheld UHD camcorder in a body that’s also compact and versatile enough for use with car mounts or professional drone systems. Measuring less than five inches in each direction (4.9×4.0x4.8 inches) and weighing only 2.3 pounds when fully equipped... Read more

The Zeiss Legacy Continues

The new Milvus lenses, the latest line of primes from the famed German manufacturer, are designed to work with full-frame HDSLR cameras using larger, high-resolution sensors

Text & Photography By Mac Premo

I see craft as the packaging for the concept. Ideally, the specifics of a particular craft are presented to advance an idea: Think how the perfectly aligned corners of a mid-century piece of furniture advance the notion of elegant simplicity or how the rough edges of a refurbished farm wood table make rustic allusions. All this is to say that my goal... Read more

At A Glance: A Real Lighting Game Changer

ARRI introduces the rugged, yet lightweight SkyPanel S60 and S30, bringing ultrabright, high-quality LED lighting to the marketplace

By Jimmy Matlosz

For quite some time now, the LED lighting revolution has been quietly gaining steam. Many cinematographers and gaffers have been willing to test the latest technology over the years, but up until now, using LEDs mostly was relegated to specialty lighting. That all may have changed with ARRI’s new SkyPanel S60 and S30, a versatile family of compact... Read more

Retro 4K

The Panasonic AG-DVX200PJ features the world’s first 4/3 sensor with a fixed Leica lens capturing 4K up to 60p. But will a fixed-lens camcorder be a hit in the modern age?

By Simon Wakelin

Panasonic’s desire to offer the new handheld 4K AG-DVX200PJ with an integrated lens system may seem a step backward in HD evolution, at first glance, but a closer look reveals that the sleekly designed camcorder has merit for a variety of professional uses. Upon its release, the first question asked was probably the most obvious: Why no interchangeable-lens... Read more

The Future Of Mobile Storytelling

Google and The Mill team up to bring immersive cinema-quality filmmaking to mobile devices

By Dan Brockett

Filmmakers and visual storytellers have been attempting to bring virtual-reality narrative content to audiences for almost a decade, and during that time, the production challenges alone have been numerous and daunting. The ongoing quest remains the same: How can a 360º view of any narrative adventure be created without seeing camera equipment and... Read more

February 2016

Optimized for the wide-ranging needs of field work, the economical Canon XA35 and XA30 HD camcorders weigh only 2.6 pounds with battery

By The Editors

TWIN STARS Optimized for the wide-ranging needs of field work, the economical Canon XA35 and XA30 HD camcorders weigh only 2.6 pounds with battery, while also housing a 20x optical zoom, built-in WiFi, detachable handles and a new HD CMOS PRO imaging sensor with low-luminance noise of only +3 dB for working in minimal light. With 60p/24p in AVCHD at... Read more