At the end of 2009,  I predicted two things:

First that Apple was going to release an iPad/iSlate.

My second prediction is that 2010 would be the year of the HDDSLRs - one in which finding their full potential with the help of other partners would lead to incredible developments.

2010 will indeed be seen as the coming of age of HDDSLRs.

Today Zeiss showed the very first “Compact Prime 2″ Cine Lenses that will mount on HDDSLRs.   In fact these are quite versatile in that they come ready to accept both and EL (Canon mount) and PL (Cinema standard) that can be switched on the field w a Tor-X screwdrivers. (Although Zeiss recommends you have them do this.)

I’ve had  chance to get my hands on this series and I immediately fell for them  -  I have also been promised a chance to test them out soon -I’ll be sure to share the test with you on this blog within the next few weeks.

The optical quality is excellent.   More empirical test coming on that soon.   But the main reason pros and advanced filmmakers will flock to this series relate to the ergonomics and practicaliy of using this lens on a just about any production.   You will find that the optics have been re organized in this lens - but that  it will perform very similarly to your ZE set. The main difference is that only the very best optics are chosen for this series vs the ZE lenses.    The second key point is that the aperture blades comprise of 14 blades vs the ZE series with 9 - therefore you can expect a much more beautiful focus falloff..

At this point they are releasing a set of 8 Compact Primes at NAB 2010 and making them available for sale in May.  A set of 6 will retail for less than $20,000.   You can of course buy lenses independently at a higher price.  Zeiss will be making the announcement as to which specific series of lenses they are releasing.

So what’s the big deal?  Well for once this is the first series of PL lenses that Zeiss has produced in history that covers the full 24mX36mm sensor - EVER…

All others covered he Super35mm format…   This is therefore a good long term investment it seems.   This should also put an immediate halt to people removing their mirrors and drilling into their mirror boxes to use these lenses.

Lastly - this is the first lens that I’ve received - that I CANNOT WAIT TO USE!

Why?  My 1st AC/Focus Pullers will love me.   When the lens it says it’s focused a .38 meters - guess what - it is!

Set your marks - and if you and your actor hit their makes - you’re tack sharp.

(more…)

I will be one of the Keynote speakers a the “Collision Conference” in Los Angeles next Saturday.   I hear that there are still a few spots available.  This should be a very interesting conference that brings together both still photographers and videographers to discuss what I like to call the new “HD-SLRs” such at the Canon 5D MKII.

I for one look forward to meeting many of the people that I know will be attending - and to hearing Rodney Charters (ASC, CSC) and Shane Hurlbut (ASC) speak - the two have been on the forefront of digital cinema in terms of applying new technologies to major productions and motion pictures.

For more information please got to the ImageMechanics site here.

There is more information on the conference agenda below: (more…)

Canon's 800mm 5.6 coupled to a RED One Camera with a RedRock Micro lens support system.

Allow me to introduce the Big Kahuna.

I mentioned that I was working on a few prototypes/gadgets for this production with Jamie O’Brien - here is one of the first things that I can share.

The Red EOS Mount by Wicked Circuits was created by Andy Lesniak and Richard Wardlow.  It allows you to control both Iris (Aperture) and focus control of any Canon EF Lens mounted to a RED One  (Link to Wicked Circuits to come.)   This will allow us to shoot 4K, 3K and 2K footage at up to 120 fps.  The lens (w/ the crop factor) will be the equivalent of a 1280mm 5.6 and up (depending on the resolution we set.)   Needless to say - I can’t wait to see what this looks like on the beach! (more…)

For the video, click on the image above or here: REVERIE.

The video is now back online on this blog. Many thanks for your patience and support.

UPDATE: See The Behind the Scenes video here on SmugMug

At 12:01 a.m. E.S.T. Thursday 10/2 (Tonight) - the raw “Reverie” clips from the prototype Canon 5D MKII will be taken down from the Canon DLC site…

Apparently the volume of downloads has been a bit staggering… I’m not allowed to let you know what the Canon numbers are - but I can tell you that I’m closing in on 1,000,000 visitors on this (my personal) blog since the initial “Reverie” announcement a little over a week ago….

With that said:  If (hypothetically) half of you downloaded those 3 clips (216.64 MB)  x 500,000 downloads - we’re talking about 103.30 TERABYTES of data being served in 6 days (17 Terabytes each day… or 208.95 MegaBytes per second over the past 6 days by the Canon servers.)  These are rough estimates to be sure.   But don’t forget that there are two other clips out there as well - the actual “Reverie” clip on the Canon DLC site - as well as the behind the scenes video on the SmugMug site… and those are not being included in these numbers…

During the initial release of the short film - there were close to four visitors hitting the site per second… 4 hours after the video’s release.  Needless to say - they have to “turn the spigot off” and I can’t say I blame them…   So you have a little over 6 hours left to download them off of their site…

Just jumping on the bandwagon here - on October 3, James Nachtwey who is arguably the most accomplished and celebrated photojournalist working today - will reveal a project that he has been working on thanks to a TED grant - being released simultaneously online, on media channels, and as images projected in public places.   So spread the word. (Click on the “X” to the left..)

On a personal note, James has always been one of my favorite photographers and an amazing person to get to know.  I met him just days after 9/11/01 in Quetta, Pakistan… I was stunned when he recognized my name as we were introduced (he read(s) The New York Times and likely recognized the byline from seeing it in the paper) but even more impressed with how humble and focused he was and still is.    One of my favorite quotes from him - which is a quote that is pulled from a portfolio review that he was giving years ago to someone else - (after looking through that person’s portfolio quietly page by page, closing the book and making a single comment before concluding the review right then and there and moving onto the next student, is:  ”I’m afraid that these pictures don’t tell me anything about who you are.”

We spend a bit of time together in Pakistan as I helped him figure out what was then one of the very first prototype EOS 1D Cameras - and getting his satellite phone working with an antenna we placed on the roof of the hotel (running the wire down to his hotel room window - super high tech

 One of the best lessons I learned from him (there were many) is that while we were all drowning our sorrows late into the night (the press corps in Pakistan) mostly due to the overwhelming emotion / frustration / fear & uncertainty that followed 9/11/01 - Nachtwey would quietly decline to join us - going to bed early (or likely working on a book layout now looking back at what I know of his crazy work ethic.)   By the time we were waking up to horrible light and hangovers - he was walking back into the lobby of the hotel… no matter how good you are, how developed your eye and vision are  - discipline and adherence to the following axiom: “The early bird gets the worm…”  helps even Mr. Nachtwey…

So the point of this rambling post is - I am really looking forward to seeing what he, along with the help of the folks at TED, have come up with… I wish them the very very best of luck - can’t wait to see what they’ve managed to pull off!