Vinten is launching its new Vision blue at IBC 2010. A pan and tilt head and tripod system designed to provide the experienced camera operator with professional support to match the extremely high-performance of today’s popular small lightweight camcorders and DSLRs equipped for video.
Vision blue addresses the need for a broadcast quality tripod system capable of balancing the smaller, lightly accessorised cameras, managing payloads between 4.6 – 11lbs with a low center of gravity.
The Vision blue is sold as a pan and tilt head, or as complete system with a two-stage aluminum tripod and a choice of floor or mid-level spreader. It also includes a high contrast blue LED illuminated leveling bubble for quick and accurate set-up in all lighting situations.
Well, this was a long time coming. Apparently, Canon brought out a 4K 8 megapixel camera at their 2010 Expo for shooters all around the world to drool over. While the body may look like an oversized hair dryer, it’s what’s on the inside that will make Canon blow you away. The camera can shoot in 60p at a full 4K resolution, a 2/3rds inch CMOS sensor, and a fully functional flip-out HD LCD. Unfortunately, this is just a concept camera and Canon has said that they have no intention of bringing it to market so those of you who already started to count the remaining savings in your bank account, can safely deposit your money away. I can’t say for sure why Canon would ever dangle the 4K carrot in front of us without a solid release date, but they are definitely not the first to do so (read: RED cameras). All of the ranting aside, the camera is actually not meant for video capture (as if anyone really believes that) but instead is a “multipurpose image capture device.” This means that one is supposed to use the device like a camera that is constantly taking photos giving users a ton of potential pictures to choose from when it comes time to edit. Capturing photos this way sounds mildly innovative but one still can’t help but think that the camera would just do better as an incredibly high resolution camcorder. Nonetheless, this camera at least marks Canon as an intentional competitor in the emerging 4K camcorder market while at the same time proving that 4K is the next big revolution to hit video. I have no doubt that we’ll be seeing more of these kinds of cameras soon so keep a keen eye out on the market.
Videomaker’s Webinar Training series continues next week with an all new topic: Lighting for Video. Our live webinars are taught by our experts and feature a wide spectrum of video production and post production topics such as Green Screen and Special Effects, Advanced Editing, Advanced Shooting, and Documentary Production. Next week, Videomaker’s team is pleased to present Lighting for Video.
Great lighting begins with understanding factors such as light temperature and lamp type, as well as lighting design and set up. Videomaker’s Lighting for Video Webinar will cover lighting tools, studio lighting, outdoor lighting, light theory, fluorescents, LEDs, and will help you solve some of those difficult lighting situations.
In addition to valuable information, our Lighting for Video Webinar will also include a live Q&A segment; our team answering yourquestions. Next week’s Lighting for Video Webinar starts at 11:00am on Wednesday, September 8th, so be sure to sign up soon!
If you’ve purchased Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 and are waiting for an update, today’s your day! Earlier today, Adobe announced its update to Premiere Pro CS5, version 5.0.2.
Some of the improvements Adobe has made are in the areas of tapeless workflow, including RED workflow improvements, native Sony XDCam support, native JVC Quick Time support, and enhanced native DPX format support.
The newest version also supports additional NVIDIA cards: GTX470, Quadro 4000 and Quadro 5000 (all Windows only), as well as 10-bit Display Port support for Mercury GPU Quadro Cards, allowing you to output and view full 10-bit color without having to use separate playback hardware. Lastly, the new version has improved their audio support with the addition of broadcast WAV audio file format support.
There are many transitions you can use when editing, such as a cut, dissolve, or fade. But how do you edit in a way that adds intrigue to your story? By using a split edit.
A split edit, also known as a J-cut or an L-cut, is a transition in which the audio and video of a clip are introduced at different times. For example, you may hear several seconds of a person being interviewed before you actually see the person who is speaking. This technique is used to add a dramatic effect to the scene and is relatively easy to accomplish. After selecting a clip, unlink the audio and video tracks. Once you’ve done that, you’re able to shorten or lengthen either track, depending on the desired effect.
Split edits are a great way to add spice to your everyday transitions while keeping the audience engaged in what’s happening on-screen. Whether you’re trying to add intrigue, maintain continuity, or just break from your normal editing choices, using a split edit can help.
To find out more about using split edits and the effect it can have your story, check out Tricks for J and L Cuts.
Interested in more tips on Editing? Sign up for Videomaker’s free Video Editing Course. This free tip series is designed to help you improve your video production skills, fast. Learn More.
The new Bloggie Touch captures full 1920x1080p high definition MP4 video and 12.8 megapixel photos on 8GB or 4GB of embedded memory offering roughly four hours of HD movie recording. Its body sports a three-inch diagonal capacitive touch screen enabling intuitive operation as well as attractive shooting and playback options.
The Bloggie Touch cameras feature minimal hard keys and a large, vibrant touch screen that automatically adjusts for vertical or horizontal shooting and viewing, enabling customers to shoot video right-handed, left-handed, right-side-up or even upside-down. You can record video, snap photos, or both at the same time, just by pressing two of three simplified buttons on the device. An advanced user interface features intuitive “touch and flick” recording control, search and playback operation, as well as a simple Share-it-Later function to tag the clips and pictures you want to post for easy upload when you are online.
Sony’s Bloggie Touch cameras now deliver amazingly high quality video and photos. Equipped with a F2.8 wide angle lens and a sensitive Exmor CMOS sensor, the new cameras achieve high resolution video and crisply-detailed still photos with less noise, even in challenging lighting conditions. Additionally, its processor allows videographers to attain 4x digital zoom and auto focus capabilities, including Auto Macro to focus sharply on objects as close as four inches away.
The ultra-compact, lightweight cameras slip easily into a pocket or purse so they can record your favorite moments anytime, anywhere. The Bloggie Touch has SteadyShot image stabilization for smoother footage, Face Detection technology to enhance faces by automatically correcting exposure and a built-in USB arm for easy charging and uploading to a computer. It even features an HDMI output to enjoy content on your HDTV.
By connecting the camera to an internet-connected compatible computer via the built-in USB, pre-installed Bloggie software quickly imports your content and makes it a breeze to edit, organize, and even transfer your videos and photos to popular sharing websites with simple drag and drop motions. It includes direct upload to Facebook, Flickr, Picasa Web Albums and YouTube photo and video sharing sites.
The built-in Bloggie software also connects to Sony’s Personal Space online service that shares your photos and videos privately with individuals you select. Personal Space service offers registered users the ability to create Sharing Groups by entering email addresses of friends and family. Once footage and images have been uploaded, the service sends an email invitation to those groups with a link to view content on your Personal Space service. It’s easier, quicker and safer than sending big file attachments via email, and no registration is required by email recipients.
Available in silver or black, the MHS-TS20 and MHS-TS10 will be available in October for about $200 and $180.
Just a few weeks ago, Videomaker had the privilege of sending a member of it’s staff to Yellowstone national park with the exciting promise of being able to get our hands on one of Canon’s newest releases. What we saw when we arrived was Canon’s completely redesigned 60D. With 1920×1080 video resolution plus an articulating LCD screen, this camera immediately drew our undivided attention. The first place we were able to put the camera to use was on an exciting gondola ride up into the Grand Teton mountains. On our way up to the top, the Canon representative told us all about the camera such as how it has an upgraded sensor that can capture 18 megapixel pictures, a built-in flash, records on SDXC cards, and best of all has a manual feature for controlling audio. That means that even though this camera still can’t compete with the EOS 1D and 7D for picture quality, when it comes to audio, has everything but the 5D Mark ii beat.
When we finally reached the top of the Grand Tetons, I was happy to see that the camera was very simple to use as it resembles every other Canon camera’s buttons and designs very closely. The camera was also very durable and lightweight – two things that matter a lot in location shooting. When we next went to a waterfall in Yellowstone, we were happy to have a number of different frame rates for shooting video. The 60D allows for 30, 25, and 24 in full HD, and 60, 50, 30, 25, and 24 in 720p. Moving water looked really nice in 720p60 and the HDR bracket shooting allowed for some really nice separation between the waterfall and the sky. Even so, as with all cameras with CMOS sensors, there was still some rolling shutter issues to deal with which became very apparent when capturing a strolling black bear with an 800 millimeter lens. As enthralling as it was to capture a black bear on film, almost all of the footage was unusable. Of course to Canon’s credit if we would have captured the video using a fluid head tripod rather than a ball head, there’s no doubt the footage would have looked a lot better. As it was, the articulating screen helped out immensely for getting shots from all angles and allowed us to capture great video of the wildlife at Yellowstone park. Honestly, after using this camera with its articulating lcd screen, it’s hard to believe that this won’t become a standard in Canon’s entire line of cameras. To see how this camera performed as well as the beauty of Yellowstone make sure to take a look at the pictures after the break or the video below.
Canon announced today the new Canon XF105 and XF100 Professional Camcorders for mobile HD video capture in a compact form factor. Canon’s smallest professional camcorders, the new XF105 and XF100 utilize the same Canon XF Codec featured in the Canon XF305 and XF300, introduced earlier this year. The Canon XF Codec is an MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps codec used for exceptional high-definition image quality, full non-linear editing (NLE) systems compatibility and efficient, robust workflow. These camcorders include in-camera features enabling the easy set-up and capture of high-definition 3-D video when two XF105 or XF100 camcorders are paired, as well as Canon’s built-in infrared low-light feature enabling the capture of HD video in complete darkness. Both models record to Compact Flash (CF) cards and feature hot-swappable card slots for maximum performance. Differentiating the two models are industry-standard HD-SDI output and genlock in/SMPTE time code (in/out) terminals available on the Canon XF105. The XF105 and XF100 camcorders are ideal for Electronic News Gathering, documentary and independent filmmaking and event videography.
“Whether used as a companion to the XF305 or XF300, or as a stand-alone camcorder, the XF105 and XF100 are geared for a wide range of applications where high image quality, extreme portability and efficient workflow are of the utmost importance. And with true stereoscopic 3-D production and infrared recording capabilities, they allow users to expand into new markets,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A., “This week we will be exhibiting both the Canon XF105 and XF100 at Canon EXPO 2010 in New York and demonstrate the versatile low-cost capabilities.”
The Canon XF105 and XF100 Professional Camcorders feature a Genuine Canon 10x HD Zoom lens which provides the mobility and optical performance required by the most demanding professionals. Each model includes a Canon developed and designed native Full HD 1920 x 1080 CMOS image sensor and the new Canon XF Codec for extreme color detail required for accurate chroma-keying, color-grading and compositing for digital filmmaking. For finer transitions in tone and color, 4:2:2 color sampling offers twice the color resolution of HDV and other 4:2:0 formats. And to maximize compatability with existing industry infrastructure, video, audio and metadata are combined in an MXF (Material eXchange Format) File Wrapper, a widely supported open-source format. The Canon XF Codec is currently compatible with leading software programs widely used within the video production and broadcast industries including those available from Adobe, Apple, Avid, and Grass Valley.
To maximize the camcorders’ adaptability across various production environments, Canon has equipped each model with the ability to record at multiple bit rates, resolutions and variable frame rates for slow and fast motion.
Additional professional features include variable-interval (for time-lapse) and frame-record for stop-motion animation, and a photo feature for frame-grabs.
The Canon XF105 and XF100 Professional Camcorders feature dual XLR inputs for external audio sources as well as a built-in stereo microphone. The new camcorders support 16-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz with automatic and manual audio level adjustment
Both the Canon XF105 and XF100 are scheduled to be available in the first quarter of 2011.
SNEAK PEEK!Videomaker recently had one of the first hands-on looks at Sony‘s new revolutionary camcorder with interchangeable lens – the NEX-VG10.We were excited to check it out and put it through some tests to bring you this exclusive first full review.
Since we were the first camcorder test lab to receive this cam our reviewer was burning the candle until the wee hours of the morning to get this review ready for you.
Many of those familiar with the Handycam market will know that this is a consumer camera, but it has some very unique features that everyone from beginner and intermediate to professional users have been looking for – the option to change the lens at will.
Many of us might be familiar with Canon’s XL series that have the interchangeable option, but these are pro camcorders. Never before has a consumer camcorder offered this feature. Although Sony places this squarely in the consumer family with the Handycam name, this camera is in a class of its own and can comfortably fit in the prosumer category.
Imagine the possibilities! Great depth of field shots with a long lens, full panoramic coverage with a wide angle lens and many other options with lenses of all types and features. That, on top of a few other features of this new camcorder from Sony are reason enough to get the buzz a-going. Read our Exclusive review here.
It’s hard to believe that Videomaker’s weekly Webinar Training series has already been up and running for a month! During the last several weeks we have covered the topics of advanced shooting, green screen and special effects, and documentary production. In next week’s webinar we revisit the topic of Advanced Editing.
Videomaker’s Advanced Editing Webinar will take you beyond simple cuts and transitions and teach you techniques that will allow you to advance your video editing skills. Our webinar focuses on the art of editing, filters and effects, multi-camera editing and more; helping you in your quest to create polished and professional-looking video.
In addition to valuable information, our Advanced Editing webinar will also include a live Q&A segment; our team answering your questions. Next week’s Advanced Editing Webinar starts at 11:00am on Wednesday, September 1st, so be sure to sign up soon!
Vinten is launching its new Vision blue at IBC 2010. A pan and tilt head and tripod system designed to provide the experienced camera operator with professional support to match the extremely high-performance of today’s popular small lightweight camcorders and DSLRs equipped for video.
Recent Comments