Pacifica Fog shot with a Panasonic DMC-GH2

The Panasonic GH2 is able to capture HD video and it has the ability to control the movie shooting process, in terms of frame rate and shutter speed. Videographers will see an improvement in the quality of the highest quality output – the 1080i output is derived from 60p or 50p capture. The new 18.3 MP CMOS Sensor is capable of much greater output speed than its predecessor GH1, bringing a lot more benefits.

This is a video shot by cinematographer Marlon Torres with his new Panasonic DMC-GH2.

Marlon Torres’s impressions

The camera is very light and compact. It feels durable but no where near the professional bodies of my 5D Mark II and 7D. It startled to drizzle at the end of the shoot so I decided to pack up and leave. If I was shooting with my weather-sealed 7D, I probably would have stayed until the sun went down.

Image quality is impressive. It is sharper than any of my Canon DSLRs and has a nice natural colors out of the camera. I was using the 14-140mm kit lens and got very sharp images from 14mm to about 120mm. It did start to soften above that. I was happy to see that there was no moire in the very detailed areas but was slightly disappointed with the micro jello when shooting at 140mm.

Overall I’m very happy with the camera and looking forward to pushing it to its limits in future projects.

More information about the Panasonic DMC-GH2 here

About Marlon Torres:

Website: www.torresstudios.com
Twitter: twitter.com/torresstudios

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Martin in Cameras, Panasonic Leave a comment

How to shoot a fast car with a DSLR

Martin Steinmann takes us behind the scene to this nicely filmed photoshoot made with a Canon EOS 550D, a Glidetrack and a Gyros KS-6.

Some time ago I was invited to shoot a „Behind the Scenes“. Knowing that things would be a bit rough, I asked myself: should I bring my trusted HV30 or give my daughter’s 550D a chance? I did not regret my decision. Filmed and edited using Canon 550D (T2i) and Final Cut Pro

Martin Steimann’s Blog: www.martinifilm.de

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Martin in Behind the Scenes, Canon, DSLR Leave a comment

Life as a News Cameraman

Chris Parkinson
Interviewed by Cameraman.com

The life of a News cameraman can be far from easy. British Cameraman and Editor Christian Parkinson, based in South Africa, gave us this interview about his job working in International News gathering.

Cameraman: Hello Chris, please tell us a bit more about yourself and how you got started as a Cameraman.

Chris: Like many Cameraman, my route into the profession was slightly bizarre. I studied History at University and then became a salesman with a local Cable TV Channel. While failing miserably at selling ad space I started to develop an interest in TV Production. Through a quirk of fate I ended up presenting the Sports section of the local News and used that to beef up my CV. I then managed to blag a job at Britain’s Channel 5 News as a Runner (making sure the Presenters had scripts etc). Read more

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Martin in Interviews Leave a comment

How to get the best of your wedding video

Cameraman Michael Neuman from Visual Masterpiece takes us on his latest wedding video filmed with his wife Rebecka. On this behind the scenes video he explains how to get the best of your wedding video using Canon HD DSLR Cameras, Cinevate Sliders and a Glidecam 2000 stabilizer.

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Martin in Behind the Scenes, Canon, DSLR, Video Leave a comment

Hands-On the WEISSCAM HS-2 MK II

Hi everybody, I was looking some videos made with the WEISSCAM HS2 and I found director Raif Kurt from Turkey, Istanbul that uploaded some cool videos last week using this Digital High-speed Camera.

The WEISSCAM HS-2 is the newest, uncompressed digital high-speed camera for frame rates up to 4.000fps. It is developed as a standalone camera aiming especially the needs of cinematographers. Coming with an easy workflow, two Streams (RAW + HD) via HD SDI, two formats (4:3 + 16:9) and cinema-style images, it is designed to offer you the freedom of shooting either in HD or RAW mode.

Raif Kurt’s Antigravity Video – 1000 fps

The WEISSCAM HS-2 has a full Format Super35 CMOS Sensor with a global shutter. By using the Interchangeable Mount System (IMS) from P+S Technik you can attach nearly every lenses on the camera (PL Mount, Nikon F-Mount, Panavision Mount, etc.) and also change the Mount within a few seconds.

Raif Kurt’s Super Slow Motion Human Drop Video – 2000 fps

The output of the WEISSCAM HS-2 offers two Streams at the same time and uses the HD SDI interface for both signals. With the Weisscam „RAW IN HD SDI“ mapping, you are able to transport the RAW files via the worldwide standard and fast HD SDI single and dual link interface.

The HD stream offers YCbCr in 4:2:2. You can choose between linear standard curves like ITU-R 709 or log curve for a higher contrast range within the HD SDI image.
The RAW stream is a 12Bit uncompressed Weisscam RAW file and gives you the freedom to debayer in post production.

Raif Kurt’s BoomBalloon performed by Alexandra Kis Bandiova – 1000 fps

In conjunction with the WEISSCAM DIGIMAG DM-2, you are able to record both formats via HD SDI: YCbCr and RAW.
An intelligent master/ slave DC/DC power management, saves the camera from any short circuit and makes it needless to turn off the camera for a battery change.

Raif Kurt’s 61.8 Percent Water performed by A. Kis Bandiova – 1000 fps

A lot of mounting possibilities allows you to connect additional accessories like onboard monitor, lens control system, etc. and power them by the several outputs of the DC/DC board.
The very fast boot up time allows you to be ready for shooting in less than 7 seconds.

Other videos made with the Weisscam HS-2:

Weisscam HS-2 Demo 2010 by Ben Cain / Negative spaces

Weisscam Tests by Polemico Pictures

Blubbies by Pierre Tirier

Specifications:

• Super 35 format CMOS sensor
• > 1.400 fps in 2K
• 2.000 fps in 1080p
• 4.000 fps in 720p
• 12 bit RAW uncompressed
• 10 bit YCbCr 4:2:2
• Output: HD-SDI single and dual link for RAW (fast & standard) and HD & Gig E
• Two Stream Camera (RAW and HD)
• Super 35mm format
• > 600 ASA sensitivity
• > 10 T-stops dynamic range
• 36GB onboard memory
• Interchangeable lens mount
• 24 Volt DC

Recording time:

• 1280×720 60p approx. 02:31 single link
• 1920×1080 30p approx. 02:34 single link
• 1920×1080 50p approx. 00:49 dual link
• 2048×1536 25p approx. 01:00 single link

For more information, features, workflow and specifications go to Weisscam.com:

For accessories and gear go to PsTechnik.de

You can follow Raif Kurt on twitter or go to his website at Hangaristanbul.com

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Martin in Cameras, Weisscam Leave a comment

Making Of The Nuit Blanche

I discovered today an amazing short film directed by Arev Manoukian. Nuit Blanche is a short film produced by Spy Films featuring some very cool slow motion 3D effects. Shot in the classic Film Noir style, this film has a wonderfull soundtrack composed by Samuel Bisson. The cinematography was also made by Arev Manoukian and the camera operator was Jay Pavao.

The film was shot on a green-screen set in Toronto. The two principal actors were shot separately in a four day time and they only met the last day. Each actor was shot as a separate layer so they could place them afterwards wherever they wanted.

Manoukian used a DVCPRO HD camera for the 24 frames-per-second live-action shots and the Photron APX for slow-motion sequences filmed at up to 2,000 frames per second like the slow-motion car crash. They actually broke real glass on set at over 2000 frames per second and added later on post-production 3D glass. This way they could get real reflections from the scene. Finally dirt was added to the pieces of glass to make it more natural.

The Post-Production

The editing was made with Adobe Premiere and for the 3D they used Maya, Mental Ray, 3Ds Max and V-Ray. The compositing was done with After Effects and the matte paintings with Photoshop and mapped in 3D.

About Arev Manoukian

Raised in Montreal by a family of artists and engineers, Arev Manoukian plays with art and technology to tell stories in ways that challenge his imagination. Ever Meticulous in his work, Arev thrives on being involved in all aspects of filmmaking, from pre-visualizing his concepts, to cinematography and music. He recently turned one of his day dreams into a short film, the stunning hyper-real fantasy Nuit Blanche. The film recently won the Grand Prize at the LG Film Festival in Toronto and the coveted Golden Nica at Prix Ars in Europe. It has been highlighted in magazines such as Wired, Shots Magazine, Motionographer, and Stash Magazine. Nuit Blanche is being screened at the Palm Springs Film Festival and SIGGRAPH 2010 in Los Angeles.

The Final Movie

Directed by: Arev Manoukian
Produced by: Stephanie Swedlove & Arev Manoukian
VFX by: Marc-Andre Gray
Music by: Samuel Bisson
Starring: Michael Coughlan & Megan Lindley
Cinematographer: Arev Manoukian
Casting: Jeff Marshall
Assistant Director: Andrew Cividino
Production Designer: Arev Manoukian & Marc-Andre Gray
Art Director / Costumes – Dan Levy
Camera Operator: Jay Pavao
Camera Assistant: Max Armstrong
Gaffer: Alan Poon
Editor: Arev Manoukian
Compositor / Animator: Marc-Andre Gray
Effects Supervisors: Marc-Andre Gray & Arev Manoukian
Additional Compositing: Arev Manoukian
Matte Painter: Pat Lau
Colourist: Andre Chlebak

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Martin in 3D, Making of, Video Leave a comment

Phantom Flex Camera

Tom Guilmette, Boston based cinematographer and editor was working in Vegas with a new Phantom Flex high speed camera and ended up staying up all night in his hotel shooting really super slow motion video at 2,564fps in 1080p HD.

I was working a gig in Vegas with a brand new Phantom Flex high speed digital cinema camera. I had to try it out. In fact, I never did go to bed that night. I opened up a wormhole shooting at 2,564 frames per second.

Phantom Flex Introduction Video

This is an introduction video to the Phantom Flex, Abel’s Phantom specialists review the capabilities of the Flex that set it apart, such as frame rates, sensitivity and ease of use. They also discuss the power of motion pictures to reveal what has never been seen before – a power that goes back to the beginning of cinema.

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Martin in Cameras, Phantom, Video 1 Comment

The SOC 2011 Lifetime Achievement Awards

The Society of Camera Operators recognized the Lifetime Achievements of the best camera operators, crew members and technical innovations – in support of the Vision Center at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles. Held at Warner Brothers Studios, the black tie event was a wonderful celebration of the impact of the Camera Operator and the crew that help support our craft.

SOC Lifetime Achievement Recipients

Camera Operator – Mike Ferris, SOC
Camera Technician – Alan Disler
Mobile Camera Platform Operator – Peter Romano, ASC
Still Photographer – David James

Camera Operator of the Year – Feature Film

THE TOWN – Colin Anderson, SOC

Camera Operator of the Year: Television

SONS OF ANARCHY – David Frederick, SOC

Nominees: Camera Operator of the Year – Feature Film

HEREAFTER – Steve Campanelli, SOC
SALT – Scott Sakamoto, SOC
THE FIGHTER – Geoffrey Haley, SOC
THE SOCIAL NETWORK – Peter Rosenfeld, SOC

Nominees: Camera Operator of the Year: Television

HOUSE – Tony Gaudioz, SOC
BONES – Greg Collier, SOC
RAISING HOPE – Doc Karman, SOC
24 – Guy Skinner, SOC

Presidents Award

Local 80

Distinguished Service Award

Frank Kay of JL Fisher, Inc

Source: The Society of Camera Operators

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Martin in News Leave a comment

Canon T3i/600D Announced

Canon today announces the launch of the EOS 600D – a compact, lightweight Digital SLR (DSLR) that makes capturing exciting, fun and creative images easier than ever. The perfect choice for aspiring photographers looking for a combination of outstanding image quality and ease-of-use, the EOS 600D sits at the top of Canon’s entry-level EOS line-up, above the existing EOS 550D and the new EOS 1100D. Read more

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Martin in Cameras, Canon, News Leave a comment

JVC presents the GY-HM750U ProHD Camcorder

JVC has announced the release of a new entry to its camera lineup, the GY-HM750U Pro-HD camcorder. This compact shoulder-mount camcorder is designed for news, sports, commercials, documentary and other location capture work.It offers the industry fastest shoot-to-edit workflow by recording native HD or SD footage in ready-to-edit file formats for Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere (.MOV), as well as other major video editing systems that are compatible with Sony XDCAM EX files (.MP4). The camcorder can also record standard DV files (.AVI or .MOV). Read more

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Martin in Cameras, News Leave a comment

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