Resources For the Indie Film-maker
Archive for April, 2010
LCDVF VS THE SUN
Apr 24th
Here’s a test to see whether the LCDVF can damage my LCD screen if exposed to the sun.
Instead of risking the LCD on my 7D, I substituted the screen with a white piece of paper. I sped it up and added some music to make the test a little less boring to watch.
Other loupe viewfinders have been known to damage the LCD causing white spots to appear if exposed to the sun. This is cause by the magnifying glass effect where the viewfinder concentrates the sun rays into a tiny spot causing it to burn the LCD. Picture what we used to do as kids with a magnifying glass to ants.
Some threads on people who have experienced this problem with a well known viewfinder are here:
dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eos-5d-mk-ii-hd/468454-zacuto-other-magnifying-type-viewers-lcd-burn.html
cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=7431&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
After doing the test for over 5 minutes I am reasonably confident the LCDVF is safe to use outside without having to worry about it burning a hole in my LCD screen. The hotspot is too broad to create enough heat. When I had my finger on the hotspot, it felt cool to the touch and theres no way it’s going to burn an ant let alone the LCD on my 7D.
Maybe the manufacturers of the other viewfinders can design their products in a way to not risk damaging the user’s LCD screens?
PANASONIC INTRODUCES AG-AF100, 4/3” PROFESSIONAL HIGH-DEFINITION CAMCORDER
Apr 13th
Looks like Panasonic are the first (again) to release what film-makers have been asking for. A large sensor video camera with interchangeable lenses. The micro 4/3 lens mount to be exact which sounds like it will be exactly like the GH-1 only optimised for filming and not stills. That means with adapters, it would be able to receive just about any lens from any manufacturer out there including PL mount lenses.
More importantly it has built in dual XLR inputs with phantom powering that we have been longing for with our DSLRs.
From the press release:
“Targeted at the video and film production communities, the AF100 delivers the shallow depth of field and wider field of view of a large imager, with the flexibility and cost advantages of use with a growing line of professional quality, industry standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. The full 1080 and 720 production camera offers superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.
The design of the AF100’s micro 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a less expensive camera body. Equipped with an interchangeable lens mount, the AF100 can utilize an array of low-cost, widely-available still camera lenses as well as film-style lenses with fixed focal lengths and primes.
“Designed in consultation with the filmmaking community, the AF100 eclipses the video performance of other cameras in this price range,” said Joe Facchini, Vice President of Sales & Product Management, Media & Production Services, Panasonic Solutions Company. “Ideal for film schools and independent filmmakers, this affordable, digital cinematography camera employs an advanced professional AVC/ H.264 Hi Profile AVCHD codec compatible with a wide range of editing tools and affordable players.”
The AF100 incorporates a 4/3-inch, 16:9 MOS imager. The camcorder records 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) in AVCHD’s highest-quality PH mode (maximum 24Mbps). Ready for global production standards, the camcorder is 60Hz and 50Hz switchable.
The AF100 maximizes the potential of its high-resolution imager with built-in ND filtering and dramatically reduced video aliasing. Standard professional interfaces include HD-SDI out, HDMI, time code recording, built-in stereo microphone and USB 2.0. The AF100 features two XLR inputs with +48V Phantom Power capability, 48-kHz/16-bit two-channel digital audio recording and supports LPCM/Dolby-AC3.
This newest Panasonic AVCCAM camcorder is the first to enjoy the benefits of advanced SDXC media card compatibility in addition to existing SDHC card support. (SDXC is the newest SD memory card specification that supports memory capacities above 32GB up to 2TB). With two SD slots, the AF100 can record up to 12 hours on two 64GB SDXC cards in PH mode”
Panasonic are looking for a December 2010 release and the cam is said to be around the $6000 mark.
Fader ND with the 7D – Match made in heaven
Apr 8th
I previously wrote a short review on the Fader ND discussing its uses with my SG Blade setup. Now that I’m mostly using the 7D, the Fader ND has become an indispensable tool when shooting outdoors.
To tell you the truth, it wasn’t of much use with the SGblade setup. Having built in ND filters and being able to adjust the iris on my XH-A1 allowed me to stay at 1/50 shutter speeds whilst getting perfect exposure with my fast prime lenses shooting wide open in the middle of the day.
To achieve perfect exposure in the bright outdoors with my 7D, I’d either have to:
- Shut the iris on the lens down, thus negating my shallow depth of field
- Adjust the shutter speed to insanely high settings. This creates a sickly stuttering effect. Think, the beginning scenes of “Saving Private Ryan” only even more pronounced. The lack of motion blur creates this effect and destroys the old fashioned filmic look we’re after.
- Stack ND filters until we get the right exposure. A fiddly process that can deteriorate the image by having more layers of glass in front of the lens.
- Get a Fader ND and dial your perfect exposure in by turning it like a CPL.
It’s no secret that these Fader ND’s are just a couple of circular and linear polarizers stuck together, the only problem is I have yet to see some footage of someone’s home-made attempt.
There are a few varieties out there ranging from expensive (Singh Ray) to reasonably priced (). I bought the
one of eBay which is getting rave reviews all over the net. The consensus is there is no reason to buy the more expensive brand as they both give similar high quality images. There was even a test on Fxguide TV that pitted the Fader ND against insanely expensive filters used in actual film cameras and the Fader ND surprisingly produced the most natural results. The LCW ones are regularly out of stock because of the huge demand created by the whole DSLR filming buzz.
My recommendation is to get one for your largest lens and use step down rings for your other lenses. Or if you are rich, get one for each of your lenses.
Here’s an old test I did with the Fader ND, using its ability to control light to create lightning effects.
Beware of the cheaper imitations of Fader NDs out there that been known to produce quite soft looking pictures. Best bet is to stick with the ones on eBay.