The latest generation of Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini Pro line is the 80 megapixels per frame URSA Mini Pro 12K. Shooting in 12,288x6480 (17:9) in up to 60 frames per second, this is another Blackmagic Design first. So, what’s it like to shoot in 12K RAW? That’s what I’d like to discuss in this review.

FEATURES

Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini Pro 12K ships with a PL mount and offers an EF, B4 and F mount as options. Because all of my lenses are EF mount, I asked for an EF mount, a VLock Battery Plate, URSA Viewfinder and URSA Mini Shoulder Kit.

The URSA Mini Pro 12K is a professional camera with a Super 35mm sensor utilizing 12-bit RAW files, 14 stops of dynamic range, behind the lens selectable ND filters, controls for ISO, shutter, white balance, iris, focus, audio channel 1/3 and 2/4 adjustments and menu controls all on the side facing the operator.

Behind the 4-inch LCD monitor are more controls including two CFast and two SD slots in addition to a USB-C input (not for recording to an SSD drive). The back houses the SDI out, in and reference/timecode in connections; and a USB-C input for recording to an external SSD drive.

Recording formats come in two compression categories: Constant Bitrate and Constant Quality. Constant Bitrate allows four modes of RAW shooting in 12K (12,288x6480) 5:1 (578 MB/s), 8:1 (361 MB/s), 12:1 (241 MB/s), 18:1 (160 MB/s). While these data rates are based on 24 frames per second, higher data rates are required for higher frame rates. If you prefer, you may shoot in 8K, 6K or 4K all with the same four modes of shooting with lesser file sizes.

Constant Quality uses a range of capturing speeds with 12K’s Q0 (241 - 578 MB/s), Q1 (144 - 361MB/s), Q3 (96 - 241 MB/s), Q5 (72 - 160MB/s) with lower megabytes per second in 8K, 6K and 4K. These data rates are also dependent on the frames per second selection.

The optional viewfinder has zoom, display and peak buttons (which are user assignable to other functions as well) on top of the housing containing an extremely sharp 1920x1080 Organic LED display with a built-in digital focus chart.

Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini Pro 12K shoots in 12,228x6480 (17:9) and 11,520x6480 (16:9) up to 60fps; 12,288x5112 (12K 2.4:1) up to 75fps; 8192x4320 (8K) and 6144x3240 (6K Super 16) up to 120fps; and 4096x2160 (4K), 3840x2160 (UHD) and 2560x2136 (4K Anamorphic) up to 240fps—you have a multitude of options.

The camera comes loaded with Blackmagic Camera Setup 7.0, RAW 2.0 Beta 2 software and requires a minimum of Mojave 10.14 or Catalina 10.15, Windows 10 64-bit, Abobe CC 2019, Avid Media Composer 2018, and DaVinci Resolve 16.3 Beta.

IN USE

Using a camera that is capable of shooting in 12K requires you to at least try it out. Creating a short comedy entitled “Cats and Mouse” about two over-the-hill bounty hunters trying to capture a woman with superpowers. Using editing effects to display her abilities, capturing the story in 12K was my choice.

The optional external URSA Viewfinder is worth every penny when shooting outdoors. The organic LED display was crystal clean and the zoom and peak buttons on the top made critical focusing that much better. Since my workflow ended with a 1920x1080 output, I chose to shoot in 12K RAW, 12:1 Constant Bitrate and 24fps. The glass up front was Rokinon Cinema Series T 1.5 Primes, and the files were saved to a SanDisk 2TB SSD Drive. Although not an officially recommended drive for this camera, it functioned perfectly in the misty morning to the brilliant F16 sunshine in the afternoon.

Not believing we would need the larger files 5:1 or 8:1 created—especially for a 1080p output—12:1 proved to be a viable choice. Thirty-five minutes of footage netted about 750 GB of footage. The stills that illustrate this article were from the color graded 12K RAW footage.

In the post process, I needed to download DaVinci Resolve 16.3 Beta to read the 12K RAW image. At no time did my footage bog down because of its size, and the LUTs (Look Up Tables) available in DaVinci Resolve made color grading simple.

The greatest part of shooting in 12K is the ability to “zoom in” or enlarge the frame digitally without losing quality. With our longest lens being an 85mm and zooming in 4X in DaVinci Resolve’s Inspector, this was still the sharpest footage I’ve seen. In my mindset and as I tell my students, if you shoot on 35mm film even a DVD looks phenomenal because you started with such a high-quality source. I used to mention VHS, but no one understands that anymore! Now I can say I shot my project in IMAX quality for a 1080p output.

Lastly, one of the really great things about the URSA Mini Pro 12K is that you actually get a pull-out LCD capacitive touchscreen with the camera body at its $9,995 price. The menu options that are displayed on the 4-inch monitor are critical if you want to change shooting modes and quality settings. Our university’s high end, leading manufacturer 35.5-megapixel sensor 8K digital camera body was almost three times the price and we didn't get a monitor—we paid just for the body. The optional monitor for that camera, which you really need (and it's laid out almost exactly like the URSA Mini Pro 12K’s) in order to set the camera's parameters, costs almost $5,000 more. Why would you pay all that extra money for a name camera, when the URSA Mini Pro 12K gives you all that with an 80-pixel sensor, a 4-inch monitor and 12K shooting at less than a third of the price? 

Also, other cameras have expensive licensing and proprietary software to color grade, but the URSA Mini Pro 12K includes a full version of DaVinci Resolve Studio. Since the other cameras’ LUTs are available in DaVinci Resolve, you can take advantage of the URSA Mini Pro 12K’s advanced color science and workflow to achieve a similar “look.” This is useful in case you want to match cameras or achieve a certain look without the extra cost that comes with more expensive cameras. Keep in mind, however, that obtaining the same look as another camera cannot be accomplished solely with a LUT, as each look is created specifically for each camera’s specific sensor.

The bottom line, in my opinion, for ease of use, quality and cost I prefer using Blackmagic Design.

For more information, visit www.blackmagicdesign.com. 

Chuck Gloman is an associate professor of the TV/Film Department at DeSales University. He may be reached chuck.gloman@desales.edu. 

It’s difficult to find a current film that doesn’t use some form of green or blue screen. Adobe Premiere has been doing a great job with Premiere CC’s Ultra Keyer and After Effect’s Keyframe 2.1, but Red Giant has released a new version of their Primatte Keyer (Version 6), which I will be reviewing. 

I will only be reviewing how the software worked on one of my projects; if you need training (as I did), Red Giant has some fantastic tutorials for how to use Primatte Keyer on their website—www.redgiant.com. 

I tested the Primatte Keyer while shooting a 10-minute comedy entitled “Prohibition Fellas,” which concerns two retiring bootleggers trying to make one last big score. Sitting in the cemetery in a vintage 1925 Henney Funeral Car, they must remove the booze filled coffin in the rear of the vehicle and exchange it with a similar coffin filled with money that has been placed in the cemetery.

FEATURES

Red Giant’s Primatte Keyer 6 is available as part of their RG VFX Suite and is a plugin for Adobe Premiere CC and After Effects. Once the software is downloaded, it is accessible through your Red Giant folder. Watching Red Giant’s Tutorials explains how easy the software is to use and how it functions.

As a brief aside, once I downloaded the software and applied the effect to my footage, a red “X” appeared as a watermark. I contacted Red Giant’s Tech Support and they were amazing. I was having some problems with my Mac’s Operating System and the version of Adode Premiere I was using. Not only did they solve my problem over the phone, but they asked for an error log from my computer (talking me through how to create it) in case the problem reoccurred. I also received periodic emails asking if I had experienced any other issues (I didn’t). Talk about a technical support system that works! The folks are incredible, friendly, they know their product and come to your aid immediately! Two thumbs up for Red Giant Support!

One of the reasons I initially chose Red Giant over the other green screen software programs was the almost idiot-proof method of operation. I do understand both Premiere and After Effect’s keyers and they function quite well, but Primatte Keyer is easier and, in my opinion, faster. I highly recommend viewing their “Getting Started with Primatte Keyer 6” available for download on Red Giant’s website. It spells everything out visually as well as aurally and talks you through some of the fine-tuning features.

I won’t go into detail on how to set up a green screen shot on your timeline, instead I’ll just explain the operation of Primatte Keyer itself. When you first open Primatte Keyer, drag the effect onto your video. Select “Auto Define Key” and immediately the “green” in your green screen is replaced with your background with almost no artifacts. You may also do this process “manually” in Primatte Keyer like you would in Premiere and After Effects by selecting the eye dropper and clicking on the green you want removed. But, at least in my case, Auto Define Key was faster. The “Clean Background” icon removes problems in your background, and “Clean Foreground” eliminates issues with your subject in front of the Green Screen. It’s really that simple. Of course, there are dozens of other small tweaking adjustments to make your Key perfect, but trial and error will get you the flawless Key.

IN USE

Because of the Henney’s rarity (this particular car is the only one known to still exist) and its location on the third floor of the America on Wheels Museum, we had to utilize green screen technology. The passenger side of the car was 11 inches from a glass wall and the driver’s side gave us free access to the vehicle. Once green screen fabric was hung around the vehicle, we were ready to shoot (see picture above).

As you can see in the image, green screen fabric was placed around the majority of the car. Sadly, not all of the green was the same color of green. We had a large area to cover with green and with the lack of a studio, this “mobile method” was the best we could do. The first step in After Effects or Premiere is to mask around the green screen so everything that isn’t green or “car” would disappear. I did that with the Masking Tool. Although the large wall fabric itself was the same color, shadows and wrinkles were more difficult to make disappear. I hoped this wasn’t an issue with Primatte Keyer—it wasn’t. If I did the keying (with Primatte Keyer) in Premiere or After Effects, I found no real difference. I am more familiar with Premiere’s software, so I chose that platform to do the majority of my editing and keying.

I selected “Auto Define Key” and 90% of the green was replaced with my background cemetery footage. As Red Giant’s Tutorial suggests, under “View Options,” select “Split Screen” and move the slider back and forth—the car and its occupants should be as white as possible with very little gray. Clicking and dragging across the actors faces allowed more of the grey to disappear and be replaced with white. The background footage (the green screen and masked areas) should be as black as you can make it. To make the car “whiter,” choose the “Clean Foreground” icon and drag it across the car to eliminate the gray. Then the “Clean Background” icon will have the same result on your black background. There was also a lot of green screen spill (green reflections) on the car because of its high gloss. These “green reflections” were removed with the “Spill Sponge,” which eliminated the green because these areas shouldn’t have the green disappear and the background showing through. There are other small adjustment tools I used to fine tune my image until it looked like the result in the photo below. Again, watching the Red Giant’s Tutorial really helped. Maybe it’s the child in me, but it still amazes me how when green screen disappears, almost anything can take its place—and it looks as real as if the car were actually in the cemetery! 

The medium shot of the actors within the car was much faster to key because the green screen was almost free of wrinkles and shadows. The Auto Define Key got it 98% right with one click—I couldn’t have done that with other keying software. Notice how clean the key was in the after shot as compared with the before shot. Not bad for less than 60 seconds of work. I owe it to my crew for stretching the green screen and lighting it so well. 

In the last scene, scene six, the green screen removal on the 1925 Rickenbaker D6 Coach was more difficult. Utilizing another rare vehicle, the two women inside had to appear as if their vehicle were also parked outdoors in the cemetery—when they were in actuality parked in another indoor showroom.

Because the entire project was shot using Blackmagic’s Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, shooting in RAW, I had plenty of options in color grading, as well as manipulating the image (compressing or enlarging) without difficulty. The initial shot before masking can be seen here. Using the same masking tool in Premiere, I followed the contour of the vehicle and cut out as much of the background as possible. Not worrying about the daylight reflections from the first-floor showroom window, I felt there would be natural highlights bouncing off the high sheen of the paint. 

Again, “Auto Define Key” removed the majority of the green with the “Spill Sponge” greatly needed for the spill on the fenders and hood. The “Clean Background” and “Clean Foreground” removed the green and allowed the background to show through. This time I only blurred the background about 4% with Gaussian Blur because the car was much closer to the camera. The end result is seen here. 

The rest of the “green” throughout the production of “Prohibition Fellas” was easily removed with Red Giant’s Primatte Keyer. Still waiting for an outside running shot of the Henney, the picture will soon be in picture lock and the music scoring may begin. My thanks for RB Car Collections for access to both the Henney and Rickenbaker cars, and the America on Wheels museum for access the day before the pandemic began.

In my opinion, the easiest way to learn new software is watch the tutorial and apply it to your project. Red Giant has several other plug-ins that I’d like to utilize in my films. It still amazes me that we have “Hollywood-style” effects at our fingertips to make our humble productions look that much better.

Look to Red Giant for your next epic. You will be surprised how simple it is to have great results!

SUMMARY 

Red Giant Primatte Keyer is an extremely easy to use plugin that removes green screen effortlessly. You will have cleaner keys with less time spent creating the final result.

APPLICATION

Housed in the RG VFX Folder in Adobe Premiere or After Effects, this plug-in is the only tool you’ll need to “get the green out.”

KEY FEATURES

Red Giant VFX Primatte Keyer is an extremely easy to use plugin keyer for Adobe After Effects and Premiere that quickly removes the green screen in moments. Other included tools allow keying and removal of spill are much more difficult and extremely time consuming, if not almost impossible to totally eliminate the green with artifacts. If you do a lot of green screen removal, there is no easier software out there. If I can learn it, anyone can!

PRICE

Red Giant VFX Primatte Keyer– List Price $199.00. 14 Day Trial – No Charge

CONTACT

Red Giant LLC
4230 SE King Road
Unit #345
Portland, OR 97222
Phone: 260.918.4505
www.redgiant.com

Chuck Gloman is an associate professor in the TV/Film Department at DeSales University.  He may be reached chuck.gloman@desales.edu.

New York City, NY – March 27, 2018 –Frame.io, the leading workflow management platform for video teams, will preview the all new Frame.io at NAB 2018, in anticipation of the full release early this summer. The next generation of the company’s media review and collaboration software, the all new Frame.io will be reengineered for speed. Large projects can load up to 100X faster and uploading media now supports Gigabit speeds and beyond. Broader media support, better version control, new commenting tools, and enhanced search top the list of over 150 new features and improvements coming to Frame.io.

What’s New in Frame.io
The all new Frame.io sets a new industry standard with a never-before-seen set of collaboration tools for content creators. Used by all types of creatives – from freelancers working with individual clients to small internal teams and massive distributed organizations – Frame.io offers both professional and enterprise solutions to meet the unique needs of anyone creating video.

New features in the all new Frame.io will include:

• Advanced media browser with enhanced search and a new uploader with nested folder support. The new Frame.io will be up to one-hundred times faster with a new media browser that enables users to fly through thousands of assets at lightning speed. New sorting and search options make it easier for users to find exactly what they need in less time. The all new uploader can support speeds above 1 Gigabit and retains full nested folder structures during upload.
• Revamped core video playback and state-of-the-art media experiences for video, audio, images, multi-page PDFs and animated GIFs. The Rebuilt Core Video Playback Engine means faster/smoother playback with less buffering, at up to 4K resolution.
• Rich, range-based commenting. Comments that support attachments and new range-based feedback. Range-based comments unlock a whole new level of communication. Users simply drag the comment handle over the timeline to create a range and better reference the underlying content.
• Presence. See who's currently watching (live) and who's already watched with clip history. Clip statistics show you play count, historical views, and even let you set up a notification when a specific person or group of people start viewing.
• New version control. The new version manager in the all new Frame.io lets users add, remove or rearrange versions from the stack.

And over 150 additional features and improvements:

• All new apps and integrations for enhanced workflows
• Improved playback performance with HLS and DASH streaming
• Visual watermarking
• Media lifecycle management
• Dozens of security features in support of a commitment to offer the most secure platform available for video review

http://blog.frame.io/2018/03/27/all-new-frame-io/

In addition to these brand new features, Frame.io shipped a completely redesigned player experience in February 2018 that laid the foundation for the new Frame.io and many more features to come. The new player page supports 360-degree VR content with spatial annotations so users can highlight a specific target within the frame. With a polished design and improved performance on mobile browsers, the player page allows users to an easily add descriptions to files, clearly see what date and version they are working on and collaborate even more quickly with their teams and clients.

Meet with Frame.io at NAB 2018
The Frame.io team and product demos will be hosted at the Western Digital booth (SL6316) in the South Lower Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center. To request a private meeting, please contact sales@frame.io.

Schedule a Press Briefing with Frame.io at NAB 2018
Members of the registered press attending the 2018 NAB Show are invited to request a press briefing with a representative from Frame.io. To schedule a briefing, please contact Megan Linebarger at megan@zazilmediagroup.com.

About Frame.io
Frame.io powers the future of creative collaboration. Today’s leading media companies use Frame.io to streamline their video review and collaboration process with teammates, clients and a variety of other stakeholders. Frame.io is all about what happens before distribution, before you reach the finish line. They make getting there faster, smoother and more efficient with a single platform that works seamlessly across web and mobile. Frame.io for iOS is the winner of a 2016 Apple Design Award.

Frame.io is backed by industry heavyweights including FirstMark Capital, Accel Partners and Jared Leto. To learn more please visit www.frame.io.

Press Contact
Megan Linebarger
Zazil Media Group
(e) megan@zazilmediagroup.com
(p) +1 (617) 480-3674

###

As I reflect on cameras I’ve owned, borrowed, rented or shot, close to the top of my list is the venerable Panasonic HVX-200. I even still have a couple of 8gb P2 cards somewhere in a box. Whether DSLR, mirrorless, larger digital cinema cameras or even a few high end digital cinema cameras, the HVX footage always just had a “certain look about it.” And it seems that for a few years, Panasonic just didn’t keep pace with other manufacturers, seeming to concentrate more in the broadcast and ENG areas.

All the while, Panasonic was gaining traction in the mirrorless market with its GH series, now even a more significant player with the video-centric GH5s. VariCam 35 came along followed by VariCam Pure and VaricamLT. But there was just a missing gap in the line between the VariCam LT and the mirrorless GH cameras. Panasonic knew it and in fact the company markets our topic of interest here, the EVA1, as the camera that fills the gap.

Panasonic packs a lot into this under $7,500 device and it hits both the right niche and the right price point. I had a couple of weeks with the camera in addition to attending Panasonic demos and will share some impressions. But my first comment probably summarizes my feelings toward the EVA1—it was one demo unit which deeply grieved me to return.

FEATURES

The first impression I had cradling this beauty was it was light and compact (body only 2.6 pounds) yet its buttons and controls did not feel cramped. I have worked with much larger cameras with controls that were too small or two closely packed together, which combined with my clumsy fingers produced some very undesirable results. Not so with the EVA1. Still, the compact size requires compromises. The lower-left WB-User-ISO/db toggle creates extra steps, but there are workarounds such as assigning custom buttons or utilizing the VF menu simulating the LCD panel on a larger camera allow for easy adjustments. Or simply download Panasonic’s EVA app and control the camera via the app. That was actually my preferred way of changing settings and avoiding both buttons and menus. In short, there are a number of ways to perform the same operation.

[Panasonic Rolls Out AU-EVA1 5.7K Camera]

The removable top grip makes the camera even more compact and creates a perfect size for gimbal use.

Viewfinder is remarkably sharp. I was unable to evaluate the native loop and mounting rods since the demo unit came equipped with Zacuto’s superb viewfinder and mounting assembly. And by the way, Zacuto and other third party accessories manufacturers such as Shape, Arri, Vocas and Wooden Camera are developing camera add-ons—another vote of confidence for the anticipated wide adoption of the EVA1.

EVA1 is based around a native 5.7K sensor that with Bayer pattern mathematics calculates to a true 4K imager. Future firmware updates will enable 5.7K RAW via SDI to a third party recorder, but for the moment users can revel in 4:2:2 10 bit video up to 400 Mbps up to 4K resolutions internally to SD cards. It is worth noting at this point that SD card nomenclature is changing. For 4K, the EVA1 requires at least a V60 card with V90 cards supplied in my demo unit. That statistic refers to the write-rate of the card. Codecs, electronics and storage technology have come a long way and SDXC cards can now handle 4K.

Like the VariCam models, EVA1 has a dual sensitivity sensor rating ISO 800 and ISO 2500. I was somewhat disappointed that the EVA1 was unable to gain the ISO 5000 top rating of the VariCams but understand that lower price demands concessions. But like the three VariCam models, properly exposed footage in the ISO 2500 rating looks good. Underexposed footage can be a little noisy so it is worth the effort to try to expose the camera properly.

Panasonic introduced a focus-assist feature with EVA1, which I must say took some acclimation on my part. I personally like to focus using peaking. EVA1 uses “focus blocks,” which I finally decided is ingenious because the size of the blocks are in inverse proportion to the areas of the image most sharply in focus. In other words, using the focus blocks assists tremendously in shallow depth of field framing of shots.

Ultimately, though, it is “the look” that sells cameras and EVA1 has that Panasonic color science that wowed me even in the days of the HVX200. V-log/V-Gamut are virtually identical to the gamma curve and gamut in the VariCam’s implementation of Vlog meaning not only can the cameras be cut together easily but Panasonic’s downloadable V-log to Rec709 LUT works as effectively on the EVA1 as it does on VariCam Vlog footage. I look forward to shooting the camera again when the RAW update is released.

Panasonic advertises 14 stops of dynamic range. My unscientific impression is that it may not quite be 14 stops but nonetheless there is more than enough dynamic range to intercut VariCam footage.

The choice of EF mount is a wise one. EF glass is widely available from consumer to professional still lenses to now the whole new range of cinema glass in the say $3,500- $15,000 range. There is full electronic communication between camera and EF lens. That means that lenses with built-in electronic stabilization will work and iris can be controlled manually or automatically. EVA1 falls down a bit on autofocus and I would relegate that to communication between camera and lens. Autofocus may be the bane of cinematic purists (count me as one of them), yet for run and gun and particularly gimbal or drone uses it comes in handy.

Wooden camera is selling a $500 modification to enable PL mount glass. That expands the use of the camera and is particularly significant if used as a B or C camera to a larger VariCam shooting PL lenses. With the ability to interchange lenses with the big kids, the look is consistent.

EVA1 has SDI as well as HDMI features and a single time-code in/out BNC connector. Note that this is not genlocked so quite possibly the cameras could drift over time. For serious multicamera work that is timecode critical, I would definitely recommend an external box such as an Ambient Lock-It. This is really only going to affect a handful of users yet it still must be noted.

Build quality is superb. The handgrip attaches via a metal bayonet mount and is easily adjustable. I must note that the handgrip on my demo camera wobbled. It was a known issue with the first few week’s production run. Panasonic noted that on its web site, replaced all of the wobbly handles with a new part, and all production models now are stable. It is only worth mentioning just to give additional kudos to Panasonic. An issue was discovered early on. Panasonic responded immediately and publically on the web site and resolved the issue quickly. That’s the way it is supposed to be in the professional world but with few companies reacting so quickly, Panasonic needs to be singled out for its response.

EVA1 also includes HDR recording in the HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) variant. HLG is a joint development of Sony and Panasonic and provides an “instant HDR.” It really isn’t designed for heavy grading but basically for viewing on compatible TV’s and mobile devices. HDR footage brought into PremierePro or Final Cut Pro X 10.4 can indeed be output as HLG for viewing on Vimeo or YouTube with compatible mobile devices. Playing out HLG via HDMI to a consumer HDR set is a problem, though. The signal does not seem to have the HLG flag and the TV does not interpret it as HDR.

HDR editing and delivery in the higher end though are possible since the camera itself has that dynamic range and using a LUT to transform to the standard being edited (HDR10 or Dolby, for example) and to a BT-2020 color space means that the camera can truly be used in high-end HDR work.

Panasonic has given filmmakers an affordable, feature-packed, durable camera that shoots gorgeous images with warm nuanced colors. Third party manufacturers as usual fill in the gaps with enhanced viewfinders and mounts, rigging, larger batteries, external monitor/recorders and mounting points. Even PL is possible reasonably. It is a camera well-deserving of filmmaker’s attention.

Panasonic has announced firmware version 2.0, a major free upgrade which will be available the end of March. In addition to enabling 5.7K RAW video via SDI to compatible external recorders, it adds 4K RAW output up to 60fps and 2K RAW up to 240fps. Additionally, all I-Frame codecs for HD/2K/UHD/4K in 10-bit 4:2:2 will be added. In 2K/HD modes internally, frame rates up to 120fps will be supported. For the broadcast market, there will also be interlaced codecs. Canon compact cine-zooms can be controlled via third-party hardware and there will be new home screen controls.

It’s good to have Panasonic back in this market segment.

FAST FACTS

Summary: A long-awaited entry from Panasonic that does not disappoint. Super35 sensor resolving 5.7K for true 4K; dual 800/2500 ISO. Records 4:2:2 up to DCI 4K on SD cards, convenient EF mount, versatile control options; advertised 14 stops dynamic range; HLG HDR recording. Compact form factor using EF mount lenses with a PL option via third-party modification. A reported 14 stops of dynamic range places it as a device ready for HDR editing and delivery. This camera should be seriously considered by buyers in this price range.

Application: Shorts, indie film, documentary, interviews and as a worthy B Cam to Panasonic’s VariCam and VariCam LT cameras.

Key Features: Dual 800/2500 ISO. EF native mount. Versatile and easy to understand menu structure. Panasonic’s legendary “look”

Price: $7495

Contact:www.business.panasonic.com

Blackmagic Design touts its URSA Broadcast camera as a broadcast solution with a DSLR price tag. I’ve had some hands-on time with the camera and while I’ll not comment on advertising slogans, nonetheless the camera will do the job for a wide segment of the market.

FEATURES

URSA Broadcast is roughly based upon the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K in body and electronics, but is built around a 13.056x7.344-mm sensor, making it just slightly larger than a 2/3-inch sensor. It has a B4 mount standard with standard broadcast lens connector. Optional user-changeable EF and Nikon F mounts are available. The camera body itself has electronic connectors for electronic operation of EF lenses when used with the adapter.

It has an advertised dynamic range of 12 stops and shoots at UHD or HD resolutions in DNxHD 110x and 145, all flavors of ProRes and RAW (uncompressed, 3:1 or 4:2 compression) at frame rates from 23.98 to 60fps depending upon format and media. Like the MiniPro 4.6K, it accepts both CFast 2 and SD cards with a physical toggle between cards. A list of qualified cards is found on the Blackmagic site. I did find it possible to shoot UHD 23.98 ProResHQ on a non-qualified V60 rated card but not surprisingly the card balked at RAW. Recording to qualified CFast2 cards was problem free at all supported frame rates and resolutions.

The URSA Broadcast, in sharing layout with the Mini4.6K, would be familiar in the hands of any experienced camera operator because everything is where you would expect it to be. An ND wheel can select clear, 2, 4 or 6 stops of ND filtration with IR protection. The turret turns smoothly and would be easy to adjust in field work.

As a broadcast-centric camera, gain is only expressed in terms of db rather than ISO. Thus 0 db is equivalent of ISO 400 and +12db equates to ISO 1600. This does not exactly make the camera a speed-demon and does challenge the DSLR equivalence since virtually all mirrorless and DSLR cameras are far more low-light capable.

Like the Mini Pro 4.6K the camera has two XLR audio inputs on the rear top of the camera—not the most convenient place for plugging in mics—and inputs can switch between internal microphone, mic, line or AES (yes, I could take digital output from my Mix Pre-D to the camera). There is no slot for a wireless mic, which is something that a traditional ENG shooter would miss.

Remote control can be achieved via Bluetooth and app or through a LANC connector. It has one SDI each in and out up to 12G. Timecode /reference in is also via a BNC connector. Note, however, this is not genlocked and despite BMD claiming an accurate clock, I would personally feel much more comfortable in that environment with an external timecode box such as the Ambient Lock It.

The 4-inch pull out screen is bright and its touch screen is just right—not too sensitive and not too difficult to engage. The camera does shine as a shoulder mounted camera with the optional viewfinder and shoulder mount with VC-14 foot. It is very easy to go from tripod to shoulder and the camera is well balanced even with lens and a big battery sticking off the back.

IN USE

But now to actually shooting with the camera.

I was fortunate enough to have the use of a Fujinon UA18x5.5BERD-S6 4K lens for the test. I remarked both to Bob Caniglia of Blackmagic Design and Mark Shurer of Fujinon that it felt a little funny to have a $46,000 lens hanging off a $3,500 camera. But needless to say, the Fujinon’s performance, resolution, focus and responsiveness was stellar.

Still it raises a significant question in the practical use of the camera. Cameras may come and go but optics endure. High end productions demanding the resolving power of a true 4K ENG lens can always go the rental route. Potential URSA Broadcast customers will likely have an investment in B4 glass and it is ultimately the users’ expectations that will dictate whether older glass is adequate. Can older SD glass be used at HD resolutions? Or UHD resolutions? I suspect again that the answer is dependent upon what the station or client accepts as adequate.

And here we come to the question of where the camera fits in the production scheme of things.

Certainly ProRes and DNxHD are ubiquitous post production formats. But certainly ProRes files are much larger than the AVC files used in other cameras, requiring potentially more media or more media changes. And under what scenarios would a production shoot UHD?

Bob Canigilia of Blackmagic suggests that one possible use in the broadcast world very well might be setting up a remote operation, for example, using multiple cameras that could allow communication with a director via the built-in talk-back functions and connected to a Blackmagic ATEM switcher, recording ISO shots in camera and a switched program feed to media and/or streaming. Using the Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converted and Studio Fiber Converter announced simultaneously with the camera adds versatility to this and many other scenarios with the ability to connect to other devices up to 2 km in distance over just one single cable.

RAW or higher bitrate ProRes codecs might be used in what I’ll loosely term “higher production value” shots, but I honestly do not see much RAW shooting with this camera. But there was little reason for Blackmagic to remove it from the base camera. And with DaVinci Resolve, Blackmagic RAW isn’t difficult to deal with in post. It just is a media-hog.

An interesting twist with this camera is its shooting gammas. Blackmagic cameras always had a video (Rec 709) and film (Log) gamma, but URSA Broadcast adds something called Extended Video. It is advertised to expand dynamic range and produce a shot the doesn’t require grading. Now, I simply don’t understand that last contention since virtually any shot requires some form of correction. But according to Blackmagic, Extended Video has a slightly “less aggressive” gamma curve, which I read as a softer roll-off, and a slightly wider color gamut than Rec 709. In shooting both video and extended video, I did find the extended video handled highlights and wider dynamic range shots better. Furthermore, DaVinci Resolve 14.3 and greater include a Blackmagic Broadcast to Rec 709 3D LUT. It makes me wonder whether we will see this in future updates even to existing Blackmagic cameras.

I would show some level of concern as an ENG operator using this camera on a daily basis. Not to impune those fine men and women who shoot the news, but fast pace shooting doesn’t always lead to the most gentle of camera handling at times. This camera simply does not feel to me as durable as a traditional ENG camera. Now you might say that many folks are shooting hand-held cameras. But I’ve seen some pretty well built hand-held cameras and they don’t have a big lens hanging off the end that can be snapped. And a broadcast station will have a relationship with its camera vendor that will expedite repair and replacement. Is Blackmagic ready to handle the physical support needs of a broadcaster?

Like other Blackmagic cameras, URSA Broadcast can be equipped with Blackmagic’s URSA Studio Viewfinder and find its way into a studio operation. This would be a perfectly reasonable application. I have always liked Blackmagic’s color science and the image looks good. Staying in a Blackmagic production chain, the ATEM switchers can act as camera CCU’s and match cameras in a multi-cam environment. A small studio or broadcasters, religious users, education and corporate users can literally save thousands with this hardware configuration and create technically solid content as well.

My sample camera performed well. The URSA Viewfinder’s diopter was very stiff and extremely difficult to adjust. I’ll just relegate that to sample error since I both own an URSA Viewfinder for my personal URSA Mini 4.6K and I have used them in reviews of other Blackmagic products. This is the first unit with the sticky diopter.

CFast2 media remains pricey but still below solid state media used by other manufacturers. The SD card option even for UHD makes media for this camera and absolute bargain.

Over the years, Blackmagic Design has delivered affordable products that perform well and that, like any product line, can be appropriate to certain customers but not to others. Only you can assess your individual needs and budgets. But just on the absolute scale of the quality and image quality of the URSA Broadcast, I would give it a hearty recommendation. Slogans notwithstanding, it is a lot of hardware for the money.

FAST FACTS

Summary: A 2/3-inch HD and UHD camera based upon the Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K with optional EF and F mount lens mounts. It records ProRes, DNxHD and RAW to CFast2 or SD cards. Can be configured for remote or studio usage.

Application: ENG/EFP and whatever applications called for by traditional 2/3-inch cameras

Key Features: Interchangeable lens mounts. Four levels ND filtration. ProRes/DNxHD/RAW shooting. HFR only to 60fps in HD mode. Records UHD and full HD. Timecode in/out. Full tally and talkback. Integrates with Blackmagic ATEM switchers and optional Blackmagic Fiber backs.

Price: Camera $3,495. Viewfinder $1,495; Shoulder mount $395

Contact:www.blackmagicdesign.com

Battery technology has vastly changed in the last few years. Although Lithium Ion power has been with us for a while, huge improvements in longevity, size, weight, display and recharge time make these new units nothing like the behemoths of the past. Core SWX has numerous batteries to suit your needs; I will be focusing on the HC7R V-Mount battery utilizing VoltBridge software for our university’s RED Scarlet Epic camera.

FEATURES

The Core SWX HC7R battery uses its Hypercore cell technology to create an extremely thin unit that mounts on your camera’s back. Available in Gold and V-mount, this 82-watt hour, 5.5-amp hour, 14.8v SLIM series battery weighs less than one and a half pounds and is merely 1.5 inches thin.

The four LED gauge display on the battery reveals the remaining charge capacity (and sends it to the viewfinder); it meets safety requirements for air travel (unlike some batteries) and is durably housed in a rubberized shell. The main concern with camera batteries is can they handle the punishment batteries must endure and sit for extended periods of time not being used and still hold somewhat of a charge?

According to Core SWX, every battery they offer contains an accelerometer to detect motion that determines how long the battery has not been used—a device that is also used in cellphones and other mobile devices. This Hypercore technology allows the battery to go into a hibernation mode when it has not been used after a two-day period. While other batteries slowly lose their charge over an extended time, Core SWX battery’s clock essentially stops until the unit is needed again. When the slightest movement or use is determined, the battery resumes where it left off; pretty amazing.

Fast Facts

Application: The future in camera battery technology. Like AC power, these batteries are there when you need them—without the long extension cord.
Key Features: Lightweight, thin, reasonably priced battery that waits to be used before losing its charge.
Price: Core SWX HC7R V-Mount Battery - $265.00
Contact: Core SWX
91 Commercial Street
Plainview, NY 11803
Tel: 516.595.7488
Email: www.coreswx.com

Lastly, the technology that went into the construction process means that there is under/over current, temperature and voltage protection that mean a cooler battery temperature and a 1000 charge/discharge service life. The battery is now intelligent enough to dictate its charge routine—lithium ion technology to the max.

The VoltBridge software was included in our V-Mount plate with a four pin XLR and two power taps. This powers the LED panel lights as well as using Bluetooth technology to transmit the data.

IN USE

One of the biggest drawbacks with our RED camera system at DeSales is DC power. The internal RED batteries are fine just for remembering your settings between battery changes but not much more. Because the camera is consistently on location with our students’ shoots, three of our external batteries are constantly on the charger and one is mounted on the camera.

As with any rental facility, the batteries lie dormant when not in use. When a student comes to collect the equipment, all batteries must be charged before he or she can even think about shooting. I was very anxious to try our V-mounted Core SWX units designed specifically for our model RED.

Our senior class shot a 15-minute project with a RED powered by Core SWX HC7R batteries. Relying on all of the equipment from our cage, including our vest mounted Glidecam, meant that we would be using DC power for the next eight weeks. During our down time, we were confident in the knowledge that the battery would “rest” when we weren’t using it and that the drain would cease. Students, on the other hand, did not want to rest, they wanted to stay awake and watch the battery to see it in its dormant mode.

The battery charge is most important when doing stabilizer work, where weight is a critical factor. One battery gave us an entire day of Glidecam work. After doing numerous takes with our Glidecam, our young operators were glad to have some down time. The VoltBridge software did its job allowing an accurate battery level to appear on the students mobile devices via the VoltBridge app. This allowed them to conveniently check when to change the battery pack instead of continually checking the actual battery itself while on the camera.

SUMMARY

The Core SWX V-Mount HC7R Battery with VoltBridge is the smartest battery we’ve used. Although nearly all batteries display the current state of change, the real difference is the ability for the battery to go to sleep when it is not in use for an extended period of time. The sleep mode means less time charging batteries that have been drained from sitting, ultimately allowing for more productive time on location.

Chuck Gloman is an associate professor and chair of the TV/Film Department at DeSales University. He may be reached chuck.gloman@desales.edu.

WASHINGTON—What to leave in. What to leave out. That is the question the Federal Communications Commission is asking in a review of its “rules applicable to media entities, including broadcasters, cable operators, and satellite television providers.”

The FCC’s issued a Public Notice Thursday at its May open meeting, inviting public comment on “which media rules should be modified or eliminated as unnecessary or burdensome.”

The commission said the review would allow it to “reduce regulations that can stand in the way of competition, innovation, and investment in the media marketplace.” It also seeks input specific to small businesses.

“Today’s media entities are subject to a multitude of regulations, many of which are decades old. By launching this initiative, the FCC takes another step toward modernizing its rules,” the commission said.

America’s Public Television Stations, a group of exactly what the name says, was good with the move.

“Countless rules are decades old, with no relevance in the modern media world. The prudent reform of these rules will give public television stations an opportunity to invest more time and resources in local service and less in ensuring compliance with anachronistic regulations,” the APTS said in a statement.

The Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative docket is No. 17-105, and now contains just one comment from an LPFM pertaining to media rules. The record also includes handful of other mistakenly filed comments pertaining to the net neutrality docket, No. 17-108.

In many ways, live streaming has made everyone a content creator and just about anybody these days can be a broadcaster with a smartphone and Facebook Live.

Since the term “content provider” encompasses a range from an individual with a smartphone to a commercial broadcaster, hardware and software options now abound for every budget and every level of deliverable.

Blackmagic Design has recently introduced a suite of products that facilitate streaming at a reasonable price point without sacrifice of quality. In fact, when considered as a package, the Blackmagic products may provide a solution to virtually any provider market segment.

We’ll take a look at the products individually as well as considering how they function together.

BLACKMAGIC WEB PRESENTER
The cornerstone of the web streaming products is the $495 Blackmagic Web Presenter. In short, this small device can accept any video signal up to UHD 60p and output a 720p signal via USB connection. It then appears to the computer and to compatible streaming services as a webcam.

When connected via USB, the Web Presenter appears to the computer and streaming services as a webcam. The basic device weighs a little over a pound and is just over 5x6-inches. It accepts HDMI or up to 12G SDI input with both HDMI/SDI loop outputs, SDI program output, analog or XLR mic/line audio input and finally USB output to the computer.

Built around Teranex technology, it can downconvert any signal up to 2160 60p to 720p output and even to accept different signal formats on HDMI and SDI inputs. The base unit is controlled by a series of DIP switches that determine source and program. It is well worth the extra $85 to replace the front panel with the optional Teranex Mini Smart Panel, which allows the Web Presenter to function as a two-input live switcher. Additionally, the smart panel features a small video preview LCD display showing input standard, USB output rate, audio meters and input source (HDMI or SDI).

It is important to note that the device streams 720p at webcam compression rather than H.264. In situations where the highest possible streaming quality is required, this might not be the appropriate choice. But where webcam compression is adequate, it represents an extremely cost-effective solution as an external streaming presenter.

The addition of audio inputs add to the unit’s flexibility. It does accept audio embedded in HDMI or SDI input streams, but there very well may be situations where external line or mic sources could enhance the production values.

It couldn’t be easier to use. Connect your sources and run a USB cable to the host computer. If desired, loop SDI or HDMI out. If you need to take that output to any other SDI device (such as a switcher or SDI monitor for full-resolution viewing), run a BNC cable from the Program Out to the device. Presuming the use of the optional front plate (and for only $85, I see absolutely no reason not to add it), switch between sources.

Now, once on the computer side, the computer will see the USB input as a webcam. It is compatible with MacOS Sierra or later, Windows 8.1 or 10 64-bit, Linux and Chrome OS. It works with YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Twitch.tv, Periscope, Skype, Open Broadcaster Software and XSplit Broadcaster. These last two products are software products—OBS freeware for Mac and XSplit for PC. These are necessary for streaming to YouTube Live, which does not directly accept webcam input as the other services supported but requires an external encoder.

I have tested and worked with it rather extensively with OBS for Mac and YouTube Live. With YouTube streaming enabled on your account, just set up a YouTube live stream, launch OBS and select the Blackmagic Web Presenter as input source. Copy and paste the YouTube authentication code from your YouTube control panel to the appropriate OBS field, click “Start Streaming” on OBS and away you go. XSplit for PC will function the same.

Web Presenter is fully functional with Wirecast 7.5, allowing the user to take advantage of Wirecast’s numerous other features including additional input sources, DVE switching, titles, keying, virtual sets and the whole host of features offered by the software package.

What I found particularly useful in live presentations was the two-input feature. I could connect a computer via HDMI to show screen contents (including a Skype interview) and switch to SDI camera source when desired.

It’s so small and portable and is ideal for simple event coverage.

My highest recommendations for an inexpensive easy-to-use web appliance that puts high quality streaming capabilities within reach of an even broader market.

BLACKMAGIC ATEM TELEVISION STUDIO HD
Also introduced with the Web Presenter is Blackmagic’s latest addition to their ATEM switcher line, the ATEM Television Studio HD. Priced at $995, it also offers a broader range of content creators access to true multisource switching with both front panel control as well as virtual control via computer.

Used alone in a simple streaming configuration, for example, the Television Studio HD accepts up to four HDMI and four SDI inputs (all with embedded audio). It has two XLR audio inputs. It can output each of the four SDI signals for ISO camera view. A BNC Program Out port takes the output to, in this case, the SDI input of the Web Presenter. There are both SDI and HDMI MultiView ports enabling any video or computer monitor to show a multiview of all of the input sources and indicating which sources currently are program.

Front panel buttons switch sources with either a simple cut or DVE effect. That effect can be set using the menu button and turning the front dial to the appropriate setting. Likewise, the user can select whether switching is via direct selection or preview-program mode.

As an important added feature, like all ATEM switchers, it allows tally and talkback to Blackmagic Studio or Ursa Mini cameras.

It is important to note that the switcher does not allow mixing of multiple video standards nor does it accept anything beyond 1080 resolution. Thus I set my demo unit to 1080i and all of my output devices to 1080i. Mixed standards would require the addition of a standards converter such as one of Blackmagic’s Teranex products.

A simple multicam webcast was a snap. I set up two cameras, one with SDI and one with HDMI outputs and added a MacBook Pro HDMI output for a computer-based presentation, then ran SDI to the Web Presenter and there for $1,500 in hardware I had a portable multicamera web broadcasting solution.

The true power of the ATEM switcher, though, is when connected via Ethernet to a computer running the Blackmagic ATEM Software Control program. This gives access to a virtual switcher panel as well as to the numerous software features Blackmagic offers. These include adjustable transitions, built-in 2D DVE, titles and graphics, real-time keying, audio mixing, and for the Blackmagic Studio camera, remote camera control. This remote camera control feature includes primary color correction similar to DaVinci Resolve and in fact is a traditional CCU.

The AUX SDI ouput can be used, as an example, to feed external devices such as projectors.

Again, setup and configuration was a simple seamless process with a rather amazing ability to be a basic switcher for those less technically inclined and at the same time a feature-packed switcher-titler-mixer-keyer-CCU etc., etc., for the advanced professional.

HYPERDECK STUDIO MINI
But wait, there’s more. The HyperDeck Studio Mini, the latest addition to BMD’s HyperDeck line. It is a professional UHD broadcast deck featuring 10-bit recording, media uploading via FTP and dual SD/UHS-II card slots. This latter feature allows the unit to be far more compact than other HyperDeck products recording to SSD media while at the same time taking advantage of the faster read/write capabilities of UHS-II SDXC cards.

What’s there to say? Pop in a couple of cards and with its front panel transport controls, it’s just like any recorder/ player. It integrates into the web ecosystem simply by taking the SDI Program output from the Web Presenter (or the ATEM Switcher for that matter) and pressing record. It could be used as a source for the Web Presenter or the Switcher. In short, it’s a versatile deck for any purpose for which you would use a video deck. Simple. It records in all ProRes formats up to ProRes 422HQ but can play back any signal up to ProRes 4444.

SUMMARY
Any of these products can be used standalone in virtually any environment. Combined, they create a cost-effective, high-quality and highly portable live streaming system. It can find itself in the bedroom of an individual webcaster or in an elaborate production truck as a way of providing value-added content to a major broadcast production. These Blackmagic products are well worth a closer look.

Ned Soltz is an independent video shooter, editor and producer, as well as consultant and general technology guru.

FAST FACTS

APPLICATION
Web Presenter - converts video signals for internet broadcasting
ATEM Television Studio HD – ATEM switcher
HypderDeck Studio Mini – UHD broadcast deck

KEY FEATURES
Web Presenter – Accepts signals up to UHD 60p; output 720p signal; optional Teranex Mini Smart Panel
ATEM Television Studio HD – Accepts up to four HDMI and four SDI inputs; two XLR audio inputs; SDI and HDMI MultiView ports
HyperDeck Studio Mini – 10 bit recording; media uploading via FTP; dual SD/UHS-II card slots

PRICE
Web Presenter - $495
ATEM Television Studio HD - $995
HyperDeck Studio Mini - $695

CONTACT
www.blackmagicdesign.com

The last few years have seen terrific improvements in LED lighting capabilities for video, while prices have consistently fallen. The lights have gotten smaller, brighter, cheaper, more durable and more accurate. Litepanels’ Lykos Bi-Color Flight kit is more than ample proof of the value—both financial and technical—of this shift.

FEATURES
The three-light kit comes packed in a Pelican 1510-wheeled, FAA carry-on rated (weighs around 30 pounds), watertight case, roughly 21x13x8-inches. The case contains three Bi-color Litepanels, three light stands, three cold shoe tilting mounts, three AC power supplies, a soft box and diffusion gels. The “with battery” option includes three Anton-Bauer L-series (NP-F976) batteries and three chargers.

The Lykos Bi-Color Flight kit comes with a number of accessories, including three light stands, three tilting mounts, soft box and diffusion gels.

Each panel weighs about a pound and measures 10x6-inches and about 1.5 inches thick. The 6x8 array of LEDs in the panel are rated to produce about 1500 lux at 1 meter, consuming 23W. Power is provided through either an AC adaptor, which plugs into a rear panel port, or through the built-in L-type battery mount; a D-Tap cable is available as an optional extra. A handle is designed in to facilitate handheld work; the unit can be mounted on a stand or cold shoe mount (directly onto a camera) through its 1/4-20 threads.

Rear panel controls are simple and straightforward: a power button, a 1-inch square LCD screen that shows status info (battery level, brightness level and warm/cool color mix level), and two rotary pots, one as a dimmer and the other to control the warm/cool mix of the LED elements. The LED color output can be dialed in anywhere between 3000K and 5600K as a percentage mix of the warm white and cold white LED elements. Likewise, the dimmer functions are displayed as a percentage of full power. The rotary pots are not connected to the power switch, which means that the values that are set for each function remain set through power on/off cycles.

The kit comes with one soft box attachment and three diffuser gels, both specifically designed for use with LED lights and to be installed and removed simply and with no tools. The diffuser reduces light output by about 1.3 f-stops. The included light stands are Manfrotto model 5001 B, lightweight aluminum, with four risers taking it to a maximum height of about 6-foot 2-inches (closed size of 19-inches). The maximum load is rated at 3.3 pounds, far more than the weight of the Litepanel. The stands are topped with a 5/8-inch stud with a 3/8-inch threaded top, and a 1/4-inch-20 threaded adaptor included.

There is an optional Bluetooth dongle available that transforms each light panel into a remote controllable device or part of a larger grouped array. The Bluetooth dongle, which slides into a port on the panel, connects with an iOS smartphone app (or can be used with Manfrotto’s Digital Director iPad camera control app) and allows for single element or group control of the dimmer and color mix settings.

IN USE
I used the kit and individual elements in as many different shooting situations as I could during the time I had it. Because the individual lights are so light and compact, I found myself introducing them at times when I would not have added more lights, or any at all. Being able to just pop one of these panels onto the top of a camera was incredibly liberating and encouraged me to try setups I wouldn’t have had the time or inclination to try. This is the power of the small, light and easy-to-use lights.

For some deeper and additional evaluation help and feedback, I took the kit to the studio of DP Rawn Fulton of Searchlight Films in Bernardston, Mass., an old film guy with a very exacting and discerning eye. We set up and lit a fairly standard three-light sit down interview and immediately agreed on a number of things. First, the lights are outrageously bright at full power and cover a situation very well. Second, the kit doesn’t include barn doors, which brought out the caution flags; while we both felt there are situations where barn doors would be helpful, we were impressed by how well focused the elements are straight out of the box. According to the tech specs, the beam angle is 50 degrees, and looked very accurate as we lit the interview subject. The kit would probably be more absolutely complete with barn doors included, but we did not feel a lack during the interview setups.

Being able to dial in a light temperature (as well as a dimmer setting) was appreciated, not just for being able to amplify or counteract light conditions, but also for the ability to wash or highlight the subject with a contrasting temperature of light. We initially wondered why the LED color mix readout was in percentages rather than temperature, but quickly found that it did not affect our ability to match or recall a particular light color. Both the soft box and included diffusers were effective and easy to deploy; the diffusers simply slide into place, and the soft box, after a bit of investigation and disassembly, snaps right on.

SUMMARY
This very complete and compact kit, built around some extremely well designed and effective light panels, should easily satisfy the needs of most single camera shooting situations. The lights are bright, lightweight, cool, easily controllable and require little power, yet operate well and evenly at a wide range of color and brightness levels. The mounting and support systems are basic yet solid and quick to set up. This kit can also form the basis for a more elaborate studio setup, thanks to the possibility of controlling them through the optional Bluetooth dongle. It is, indeed, the age of LED.

Michael Hanish operates Free Lunch, a video/audio/multimedia production house near Guilford, Vt. He may be contacted atmichael@freelunchmedia.com.

If you’re not familiar with Lee Tingler’s “SolderBuddy” products, they are a family of rather inexpensive devices designed to assist in the installation of solder-type audio connectors. I’m no stranger to the SolderBuddy, having reviewed Tingler’s first such product in the Oct. 1, 2008 TV Technology,and another slightly different model in the Dec. 21, 2011 issue.

The SolderBuddy ACS-V allows XLR and other connectors to be secured in the horizontal plane for easier soldering.

Tingler has recently added a new SolderBuddy to his growing lineup of soldering aids, the ACS-V. It was designed as a replacement for the previous SolderBuddy ACS and ))SPK(( models, which have now been discontinued. Tingler is always open to feedback from users of his products and based on such information, reworked the ACS to incorporate some of these. The result is the new ACS-V.

FEATURES

Just like earlier SolderBuddy products, the new ACS-V is constructed from a solid block of hardwood (European beech) with “labels” precisely created via laser engraving. When fully closed, it’s approximately 4x4x1/2-inches. The block is divided into two sections, a 3-inch front with precisely drilled openings for 1/4-inch phone plugs, RCA phono plugs and a 3.5mm male connector. There’s also a 5/8-inch “well” with a screw cap for small screws, solder lugs and the like. The rear-most 1-inch section of the ACS-V is equipped with a long thumbscrew and pair of guide pins that allow it to move away from the front section to create a “vise” for accommodating XLR, Speakon, D-sub or other large connector bodies (there are three “diamond” cutouts for such items; two on the top surface and one on the left side). When fully extended, the opening between the front and rear sections is about 1.5-inches.

The ACS-V is also equipped with holes to accommodate the alligator clips affixed to long posts that Tingler calls “Post N Clips.” These are used to keep cables in place while soldering operations are going on. Two of these are included with the ACS-V and additional “Post N Clips” can be purchased if needed. There’s also an insulation stripping gauge engraved into the rear section.

IN USE

Given the intuitive nature of the device (and having put two other “Solder-Buddies” through their paces), I really didn’t need specialized instructions for using the ACS-V. Actually, this new unit is very similar to the discontinued ))SPK(( model, with the biggest difference being the previously described “diamond” female XLR connector bodies. I chucked one in to begin my trial and immediately found that positioning such a connector in the horizontal plane makes it easier to do a neat soldering job, as there are no worries about the molten metal flowing by gravity to the bottom of the connector’s metal recesses and clumping there. I’m sure that most of us, when soldering XLRs without a vise or other holding aid, have kept the barrel parallel to the bench or whatever surface was handy, rather than trying to perform the operation with the connector “standing up.”

The XLR wiring was easily accomplished and I decided to try out the ACS-V for adding a 1/4-inch TRS plug to the other end of the cable now attached to the XLR. When setting things up for this operation, I noticed something that had escaped me previously; there was a very small horizontal opening in both halves of the SolderBuddy’s right-side surfaces. I was all set to insert the tip of the 1/4-inch plug in the labeled opening and bring in the solder and heated iron, but instead chucked the connector’s tip in the slot, thus placing it in a horizontal plane. As with the XLR, I found that soldering the 1/4-inch phone plug while it was held “sideways” was more natural than when attempting the operation when it was pointed downwards. I went back and read the instruction sheet provided with the ACS-V and found that the right-side slot was “borrowed” from the SolderBuddy RC (a model that I have not reviewed), and was provided in the ACS-V for securing Din, male XLR bodies, 3.5-mm “minnies,” and other connectors.

SUMMARY

Like the previous SolderBuddy units I’ve reviewed, the new ACS-V is well made and will serve the user for many years; provided he or she doesn’t accidentally use it for a soldering iron “rest;” then all bets are off. However, if you’re careless enough to put a hot iron on a piece of wood, you really shouldn’t be soldering.

The hardwood block that makes up the ACS-V is nice and dense and stayed put on my scuffed-up Masonite-topped workbench. However, you might want to think about adding an accessory—the NSB-A “non-slip base”—or perhaps some stick-on rubber feet if you’re going to be using it on slipperier surfaces such as Formica or metal. As mentioned in one of my earlier reviews, I find the SolderBuddy soldering aids easier to use than a much more expensive portable metal vise unit I purchased for this purpose a long time before Tingler started his SolderBuddy business. If you’re like me, the ACS-V will be seeing a lot of use while the expensive pivoting metal vise continues to collect dust. I could have bought a lot of solder for what I paid for that vise.

FAST FACTS:

Application: Wherever a “third hand” could be useful in the installation of solder-type audio connectors

Key Features: Versatile, accommodates a variety of connectors, attractive hardwood construction, compact size, and inexpensive

List Price: $46.95 (shipping included); a non-slip base, the NSB-A, is available for $4.75.

Contact: SolderBuddy
770-476-5337
www.solderbuddy.com

James O’Neal is a retired broadcast engineer and served asTV Technology’s technology editor for 10 years.

You would be hard pressed to find any Hollywood film or television series that is not shot with an ARRI camera. Recently, DeSales had the opportunity to use the Alexa Mini, a lightweight camera that pulls its weight alongside its bigger brothers. Being the “gold standard” for the industry, the Alexa family of cameras has held our interest as the end result is seen in theatres and in homes.

FEATURES

Available with EF, PL, or B4 lens mounts, the Alexa Mini captures images through a 35mm film-style format Alev III sensor and records to a CFast 2.0 memory card in 16:9 or 4:3 formats. The five-pound body is compact enough to fit most mounts and allows shooting in HD, 2K, 3.2K, and 4K UHD. With an ISO ranging from 160 to 3200, that gives more than 14 stops of sensitivity.

When it comes to recording, the Alexa Mini excels with multiple sensor readout options. Open Gate 3424x2202, MXF/ARRIRAW, is available optionally when both the 4:3 and ARRIRAW licenses are purchased. In addition, ProRes, HD and 2K frame rates from 1–200 frames per second are possible.

IN USE

DeSales students utilized the Arri Alexa Mini capture behind-the-scenes footage for a run-and-gun production.

The students who had access to the ARRI Alexa SXT and Alexa Mini for our one-day shoot, couldn’t be happier with the choice of cameras. The Alexa SXT captured our 90 second film, “I Don’t,” and the Alexa Mini was called into action as the “behind the scenes” camera. The much larger and more robust Alexa SXT had its own crew to help with transport and set-up and was tethered to our 4K-field monitor. With the Alexa Mini shooting in ProRes Log, we filled three 128GB CFast 2.0 cards.

We assembled the Mini camera package in our TV studio and the MVF electronic viewfinder helped with the frequent handheld shots. Tripod mounting needed a much smaller tripod and worked well with our university’s tripod.

DeSales has a large selection of Cinema Series EF mount lenses and the Mini’s PL mount was easily replaced by an EF mount to accept our EF mount prime lenses. Our Gold Mount Anton Bauer batteries helped balance the Mini as most of the time it was shoulder mounted on our Jag to capture all of the action.

As the students took turns behind the camera, most preferred shooting with the Alexa Mini over our flagship 4K camera from another manufacturer. This trouble-free experience with the lightweight camera allowed our students to get unusual angles or to run with the actors during the chase scene. Everyone wanted to actually use the Alexa Mini. That says a lot about the camera.

The action was monitored on location with an Ikegami 4K monitor and the Log footage was easily transferred to our hard drive for editing in Adobe Premiere. The ARRI Color Tool (ACT) was a free download from www.arri.com that gave us an immediate “look” at our footage with various color templates. Each of these presets could be adjusted easily to customize the end result well before color grading. I understand that shooting in Log results in a washed out image and I frequently applied a more saturated preset to each shot because it was so simple to do.

Although the Mini does capture in RAW, we chose ProRes as the recording platform. The ARRIRAW Convertor, ARC, also a free download, easily converted the raw footage we shot on the SXT for the film itself.

One of the main reasons we wanted two ARRI’s for this production was for the behind-the-scenes documentary. In this doc, we showed a Log scene directly from the camera on the left side of the frame, and the final, color-graded scene on the right. We wanted the viewer to realize how much color correction actually occurs with everything shot in a project. What most won’t realize, however, is how simple it actually is to do the conversion.

After post, we had a great short film and an educational behind-the-scenes documentary.

SUMMARY

The Arri Alexa Mini is a cost-effective camera to shoot any sized production. Since our students use the latest technology when shooting their films, there was virtually no learning curve when using the ARRI. The footage will intercut with other cameras in its class and the free ARRI software saves much time in the postproduction phase.

FAST FACTS

Application: Small form factor camera body matching sensors of existing ARRI cameras with superior image quality and customizable looks and user controls.

Key Features: Multiple lens mounting options; built-in lens motor controller; HD, 2K, shooting up to 200fps, 3.2K, 4K shooting and up to 60fps; 4:3 sensor mode or internal Raw recording option available via separate licenses.

Price: ARRI ALEXA Mini (body only) MSRP – $41,040

Contact:
ARRI Inc,
Tel: 845.353.1400
info@arri.com
www.arri.com 

Chuck Gloman is an associate professor and chair of the TV/Film Department at DeSales University. He may be reached chuck.gloman@desales.edu.

LED technology has taken over the industry as more people want long lasting lamps stingy on power. But with LED’s efficiency there have also been tradeoffs, such as inferior color accuracy. BBS Lighting’s new Area 48 LED fixture’s output is more consistent with better color accuracy than conventional LEDs because BBS Lighting has moved the phosphors away from the light emitting diodes. Forty-eight blue diodes behind a polycarbonate diffusion panel creates the softlight you desire.

FEATURES
The Area 48 LED fixture has four interchangeable Phosphor panels: 3200-degree K (CRI 97 panel, 361 footcandles at 3 feet), 5600-degree K (CRI 96 panel, 385 footcandles at 3 feet); 3200-degree K with DP Choice Softbox (657 footcandles at 3 feet), and 5600-degree K with DP Choice Softbox (736 footcandles at 3 feet). This 11-pound light has the same output as a 1200W softlight but pulls only 160W.

The only fill illumination needed was a piece of foam core. Powered by conventional AC or with a Gold or V-mount DC battery, it is a light you can use anywhere and power all day long with a single battery. The LED light can dim from 100 percent to 1 percent without flicker or the color balance changing. The fanless light can be used without fear of being heard and features a strobing mode. The unit may be daisy chained to others and you can expect about 50,000 hours from the LEDs.

The standard spread of the Area 48’s beam is 160 degrees. Donning the softbox compresses that to 90, and the Snap Grid lowers it to 40 degrees. Accessories for the Area 48 LED include: 93 CRI 5600-degree K panel; 95 CRI 2700-degree K and 4300-degree K panels; 95 CRI 6500-degree K panel; Chroma Green 525n or Chroma Blue panels

It also offers a softbox with diffusion, a Snapgrid for the barn doors, a Snapgrid SX for the softbox, Phosphor panel pouches, and carrying case.

IN USE
I was anxious to review BBS’s Area 48 light because of its 1K output with a 160 W power drain on battery.

My first shoot was in a studio environment with the Area 48 at 3200-degree K with the softbox as the key source 3 feet from the talent. Dimmed to 66 percent and placed camera left, the only fill illumination was a piece of foam core camera right. I adjusted the light’s output via the display panel on its backside and the image looked perfect. At that distance, I read 455 footcandles on my meter. The project was only 60 seconds long, but I achieved the soft light I desired.

The next film required an outdoor shoot with the Area 48 LED providing fill illumination with a V-mount Anton Bauer battery. One of the grips held the LED fixture 4 feet from the talent to add a warm fill on an overcast day. At full output with the softbox, the light created no harsh shadows. A quarter mile from a power source, having a DC supply helped because we needed the additional lighting, although it was heavy to hold for an extended period of time.

We spent much of our time in a concrete sewer pipe. Outside the temperature was 22 degrees with a 30 mph wind and blowing snow. Because of our location and safety concerns, I chose again to use the Area 48 unit DC powered to illuminate the “sewer” with a warm glow—this is one versatile light.

For our third project, we supplied key illumination for an outdoor shoot of the fashions from the mid 1600’s to the 1960’s. Always supplying a soft light, the talent would be lit with a warmer or cooler light depending on their costume and time period. The same battery supplied power for the entire 12-hour shooting period over several days.

The only issue was Area 48’s weight. Indoors I used a C-Stand, but lugging a C-Stand to cramped locations where space was tight required handholding to achieve a follow fill or key light. Camera-mounted lights are fine, but none of them had the punch this BBS Lighting unit did. Also, knowing that it would outlive all of our tungsten fixtures, the initial price does not seem quite that high.

SUMMARY
The Area 48 is the perfect LED for indoors or out and functions extremely well on DC power. From now on, with every exterior shoot I’m on, the Area 48 LED light will be there with a V-mount battery (or Gold Mount if you prefer).

FAST FACTS

APPLICATION
Punch of a 1K, but the appetite of a 160 W incandescent light bulb.

KEY FEATURES
AC or DC powered, tungsten or daylight balanced phosphors, diffused softbox, snap grid, low power consumption, long lamp life, small footprint, dimmable, and accessories to customize to your needs.

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE
$2,499

CONTACT
BBS Lighting
1-800-820-6610
info@bbslighting.com

Chuck Gloman is an Associate Professor and Chair of the TV/Film Department at DeSales University. He may be reachedchuck.gloman@desales.edu.

Canon C300 users looking to enter the new 4K world while still retaining the look and feel of their original C300 will appreciate the advances that the EOS C300 Mark II brings to the table. And users who may have struggled to cobble together a rig for their C300’s will particularly appreciate the Canon C300 Mark II ENG Package, which combines the camera with a Zacuto ENG rig, Zacuto Gratical viewfinder and Canon Cine-Servo 17-120 T2.95-3.9 EF lens.

FEATURES

Since its inception, the C300has been a favorite of run and gun documentary, reality, event and sports videographers looking for Super35 sensor versatility in an easy to operate package. Its MPEG-2 8 bit 4:2:2 MXF-wrapped files were perfectly suited to broadcast workflows and formats. Yet most traditional shooters had to acclimate themselves to different control positions and an entirely different ergonomic construction.

C300 Mark II

The C300 Mark II retains the same form factor and basic operational controls as the C300, but brings the camera into the new world of 4K/UHD acquisition with internal bit depths up to 12K and color sampling up to RGB 4:4:4 while also adding RAW output to external recorders.

The same rigging issues, though, remain. In order to create a versatile, sturdy package, Canon partnered with Zacuto to bundle its ENG rig and Gratical viewfinder, topped off with the 17-120 Cine Zoom lens to create a total ENG/EFP package.

Zacuto has long been known for its sturdy construction, adaptability with every from of z-connector you could imagine, and in more recent years its electronics.

We’ll start with the rig itself and then move to the camera.

The ENG rig is based around Zacuto’s Pro Baseplate, a universal plate with VCT wedge and tailhook, a very comfortable shoulder pad, holes for front and rear 15mm LWS rods, and horizontal vertical adjustment. It then adds a lens support (essential for a heavy Cine lens and honestly, I even believe in lens support for heavier still lenses), quick release mount for the C300 AV unit, a helmet kit including handle, cheeseplate helmet and rail. Add the Zacuto Axis Mini mounting arm for the Gratical and you’ve got the front and top of the rig. On the rear it mounts a cheesebox, plates for wireless mics, and a V-mount battery plate with both d-tap and Lemo connectors. It adds all necessary power connectors for camera, Gratical, and Cine-Servo lens. My test unit arrived with the C300 AV unit mounted on the rear of the camera, as Zacuto shows it on their website and introductory video.

Zacuto knows how to engineer and build. Zacuto knows all about camera balance. The completed unit balanced perfectly on my shoulder hands-free. We camera folks know that’s the goal. Zacuto’s promo video holds up an old Betacam unit to show this contraption is about the same size.

But on the down side, all of this engineering comes at the price of weight. By my scale, the camera plus rig plus a 150w battery came in at 19.5 pounds. That’s without lens and without counterbalance. The Canon Cine-Zoom with the servo unit weighs around 6 pounds. A deal-breaker for some while for others a reminder of days gone by.

The Zacuto Gratical viewfinder is in my assessment the best third party electronic viewfinder on the market. With a 5.4 million pixel OLED display resolving 1280x1024 its image is unsurpassed. It is weather resistant, multi I/O (HDMI and SDI) and infinitely mountable. With peaking, false color, zebras, scopes and even cross convert on output, it has every imaginable viewfinder option. Most significant for this camera though is its ability to import viewing LUTs. Many shooters in the LOG realm prefer to expose viewing through a LUT rather than attempting exposure of the LOG material. While this is often a matter of personal skills and preferences, at least the ability to apply a LUT in viewfinder is attractive. It can be particularly attractive if for whatever reason the operator chooses not to output a display LUT from the camera.

The 17-20 Canon Cine Zoom lens joins Canon’s other offerings in the Cine arena. While some might complain about a $31,000 lens ramping from T2.9-T3.9, those familiar with Cine lenses will be well aware of the added weight and even cost that a constant aperture lens would add. Everything is a series of compromises, I suppose; everything except lens quality. The lens exhibits sharpness and contrast and I find it somewhat neutral in its rendition. While cinematographers might choose lenses on the basis of warmth or creaminess or sharpness or a host of other criteria, this lens I feel exhibits no particular bias and thus is well suited for creating whatever look is desired in post. Canon, after all, knows how to make lenses and certainly ENG lenses. So the servo mechanism is everything shooters loved about Canon’s ENG zoom. Of course, fully manual zoom, focus and iris are also available. Cine lens users will be thrilled with the lens’ 300-degree focus rotation. Shooters moving from even the HD to 4K world will quickly learn how critical focus can be with a Cine lens and larger sensor camera.

Now, for the camera itself.

The original C300 was in strong need of 4K capabilities. The C300 Mark II adds full DCI 4K and UHD resolutions recording to Canon’s XF-AVC codes. 4K recording is I-frame 10 bit 4:2:2. A significant limitation in 4K/UHD resolutions is the 30p limit. Other cameras in this category are able to record 4K/UHD 60p internally. It also does not output 4K/UHD 60p to an external recorder.

In 2K and HD resolution, the camera can record RGB 4:4:4 at 10 or 12 bits. 12 bit recording tops out at 30p. It records HD 10 bit 4:2:2 up to 59.94 fps. In HD modes, the camera records up to 120fps. In all modes, interval recording is supported. That is somewhat of a disappointment since competing cameras in this range have been able to achieve higher frame rates in HD. I would hope that Canon could address this in subsequent firmware updates.

Recording is to dual CFast 2.0 cards. An SD slot records LongGOP 2K and 4K in PhotoJPEG codec.

CFast 2.0 cards are among the priciest of all contemporary media but have proven themselves across a number of camera platforms. I tested the camera with the Lexar Professional 3400x cards and did not drop a frame even with 2K 4:4:4 12 bit footage. Note that Lexar also produces a 3500x card which it recommends for the C300 Mark II but which has limited compatibility with other CFast camera systems. For optimal reliability I would recommend using the 3500x cards. And as a final note, Lexar will be introducing a 3600x card that is incompatible with the C300 Mark II. As always the case these days, confirm card compatibility both on Canon’s site as well as with the card manufacturer.

Shooters coming from traditional cameras, as mentioned, need to relearn control positions for EOS Cinema cameras. Despite the change in traditional placement, EOS Cinema Cameras in general have well-labeled controls which activate effortlessly. Among the strongest suit of Canon is the camera menu structure. If you’ve ever had to deal with the menus of another competing manufacturer—which will remain nameless—and then move to Canon, you will really appreciate the logical arrangement of options. And it is possible to change settings without digging deeply into multi menus under multiple categories. Canon truly gets the award for menu design.

C300 users have always remarked that even in the 8-bit MPEG-2 days, there was always a certain pleasing look to the images, particularly skin tones. One user even fantasized a certain Canon secret-sauce that made 8-bit images appear much stronger than one would expect. That is certainly the case here as well. Cinema EOS cameras don’t require a lot of fiddling to look good.

The C300 could shoot in Canon Log, a rather “mild” logarithmic format which is not as flat as other log curves. It graded easily and still produces eminently usable images.

The C300 Mark II expands the dynamic range of the camera to an advertised 15 stops with the application of Canon’s C Log 2 gamma curve and additional color space options. While various independent reviewers have questioned whether it actually does shoot a genuine 15 stops of DR, pixel peeping for our purposes here is of no consequence. The facts are in the images and the images exhibit dynamic range commensurate with the needs of C300 Mark II production.

C Log 2 is a flatter curve and gives more emphasis to the highlights. Thus ungraded images may seem noisy. One recommendation here is to shoot the camera at ISO 400 rather than the native 800 ISO of the sensor. Combining that 1 stop exposure change with the appropriate LUT controls noise. In addition, the built-in noise reduction option can greatly improve footage even when shot at higher ISO’s. Noise is always a concern with LOG footage because it is dependent upon where the curve decides to place middle gray and how many stops above and below middle gray the camera can then acquire. This makes the use of LUTs significant both in the shooting as well as grading process. Canon’s web site includes LUTs for both C Log and C Log 2, with the C Log 2 LUTs applicable to all of the color gamuts offered by the camera.

Gamut is another consideration in shooting and grading, something perhaps less familiar to those moving from that traditional ENG world. The C300 Mark II has a Cine gamut, DCI-P3, ITU Rec2020, of course Rec 709 as well as ACES support. ACES will become more significant over the years as camera manufacturer’s and the Academy collaborate on profiles. The C300 Mark II is ready for the move to ACES. In addition, there is a Wide Dynamic range profile, which is not exactly LOG but which is an excellent compromise between pure Rec 709 shooting and the additional grading required if shooting in LOG.

All of these options can be output via SDI or HDMI to external monitors and recorders. RAW recording to Canon’s RAW format is available via SDI. I recorded RAW to Convergent Design’s Odyssey 7Q+ recorder with the RAW option enabled. Other than saying that my 7Q+ is one of my prized go-to devices, RAW output transforms the C300 Mark II to a cinema level production camera adding to its versatility. It is a welcome addition to the camera.

SUMMARY

The C300 Mark II remains a prime candidate for run and gun, reality and high production value sports and interview applications. Available in EF or PL mounts, the EF version supports auto functions with Canon EF and EF-S glass, something that reality shooters just often need to use. It dual processor function autofocus quickly without hunting.

In its ENG configuration as tested, it is a very heavy rig topping out at more than 25 pounds with the Cine lens and battery plus a couple more pounds for counterweight.

The lack of 4K above 30p and limited HFR abilities put it at a competitive disadvantage to other cameras of its class and its $16,000 price tag might give second thought to buyers who can find similar and sometimes greater features in less costly cameras. Price and performance ratios are very personal decisions.

The C300 Mark II at $16,000 represents a significant advance in Canon Cinema EOS technology and the ENG package at $48,000 represents a great value in a pre-configured matched system that is capable of all levels of production from reality to scripted cinema.

Ned Soltz is an independent video shooter, editor and producer, as well as consultant and general technology guru.