The NVS2500 revolutionised my file based workflow. It made it so much easier to manage my footage in the field and has now become an indispensable piece of kit. At a recent multi-camera airshow shoot the NextoDI box became a central backup point for all the file based cameras. As each crew returned to the production offices they would simply pop their media (SxS, CF and SD cards) into the NVS2500 and make a quick verified backup. This meant that at the end of the 4 day shoot we had a single drive with all the media from the main cameras and mini-cams in one place ready to be plugged into the edit system via eSata. We also used the NVS2500 to dump everything to an external backup drive for added security. This was so much easier than trying to manage all the different cards and formats using a PC.

For more details on the firmware update, click here. For more on the NVS2500 Click here.

The XF105 and XF100 use a single full raster sensor to shoot 1920×1080 HD which is recorded at up to 50Mb/s 4:2:2 using Mpeg2. These cameras are sure to be very popular, assuming the image quality is up to Canon’s usual high standards.

They have a 10x zoom lens and all the usual features you would expect of this size and type of camcorder plus some additional features to make them easier to use on 3D rigs (like my Hurricane Rig). You can use the cameras optical image stabilisation system to compensate for errors in the zoom lens. You can program in an offset, store this in the cameras memory and thenwhen you zoom the offset gets applied to minimise errors between the two cameras. This is really clever stuff and will make the XF105 very attractive to 3D shooters. In addition the 105 has genlock and HDSDi out, so there won’t be any problems syncing them together. In fact to save money you should be able to use an XF105 slaved to an XF105.

While the OIS lens shift is great for 3D the cameras are still too wide (120mm) side by side use in many (most?)  3D applications so you are still going to need a beam splitter rig. But the light weight nature of the cameras will mean a very much reduced rig weight. I look forward to getting a pair on my Hurricane Rig!

You can read the full press release from Canon here.

There will be a global dealer network with dealers trained in the use and setup of the rig, as well as regional workshops and training days in key locations around the world. When you buy a Hurricane Rig, you won’t just be buying a piece of hardware, but also buying into what I hope will become a community of users, trainers and S3D experts that will be able to help you through your first productions.

The Hurricane Rig also has it’s own website: http://hurricane-rig.com

Well, first of all let me say that I am not a big user of Zebra stripes. Instead I tend to rely on correctly setting up the viewfinder (using colour bars) and judging exposure that way.On most pro camcorders the default zebra setting is 70%, so when your exposure hits 70% of peak white (100%) a striped pattern is superimposed on the image. Most zebras have a 10% window, so the stripes start to appear at 65% and then go away again at 75%. Why 65-75%? Well this is generally accepted as the correct exposure range for faces and skin tones, so in an ideal world a face with zebra stripes on it will be exposed correctly. However we don’t live in an ideal world so this doesn’t always work, shiny reflections or particularly dark skin tones can be misleading and even if the face is correct, what about the rest of the scene?

Another way to use the Zebra’s is to set them to 100%. By setting them to 100% as you get very close to peak white (95%) you will start to see the zebras. This acts as a warning that areas of the image are about to over expose or may be over exposed. I find this a much more useful way of using the zebras as it is really important to know if your image is going into clipping and limiting at 100%. Once any image information is lost due to over exposure, no amount of post production will ever recover it. A face that is a little under or over optimum on the other hand can be corrected for in post production.

So there I was on route from Chennai in India to Singapore where I’m helping to run a 3D workshop. In my carry-on bag I had two Sony BP-L60 batteries that I use to power my 3D rig and Transvideo monitor, nice and secure in their original boxes. All is fine until I get to the security check point, where as usual my bag gets opened up for a hand search. The batteries are pulled out and I’m told they will be confiscated. I asked why and was told that under Indian regulations any kind of loose batteries are not permitted in carry-on baggage. This regulation also includes regular AA type batteries etc.

So what can you do? They are not supposed to go in the hold, you can’t have them in your carry-on, your a bit stuck. Anyway, I stood my ground, explaining the prohibition from the hold and that these were professional camera batteries essential for my work. After showing the security officer an online copy of the IATA regulations (thank goodness I had my i-phone) and after discussions with more and more senior security officers I was eventually allowed to take them on the plane. It was touch and go, I thought I was going to loose them. From now on I’m going to copy a laminated card explaining that I am a professional cameraman and that I need these batteries to do my job, along with the relevant IATA regulations.

Extract from the  IATA regulations which can be found by clicking here.

“Because of the risks associated with the carriage of spare batteries these may not be transported within passenger checked baggage. Spare batteries must be in carry-on baggage.

These requirements are stipulated by subparagraph 2.3.5.9 of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations:

2.3.5.9 Consumer electronic devices (watches, calculating machines, cameras, cellular phones, lap-top computers, camcorders, etc.) containing lithium metal or lithium ion cells or batteries when carried by passengers or crew for personal use, which should be carried in carry-on baggage. Spare batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits by placement in the original retail packaging or by otherwise insulating terminals, e.g. by taping over exposed terminals or placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch, and carried in carry-on baggage only. In addition, each installed or spare battery must not exceed the following quantities:

(a) for lithium metal or lithium alloy batteries, a lithium content of not more than 2 g; or

(b) for lithium ion batteries, a watt-hour rating of not more than 100 Wh.

There is also provision, with the approval of the airline, for larger lithium ion batteries with a watt-hour rating in excess of 100 Wh, but not more than 160 Wh in equipment and no more than two spare lithium ion batteries as set out in subparagraph 2.3.3.2 as follows:

2.3.3.2 Lithium ion batteries exceeding a watt-hour rating of 100 Wh but not exceeding 160 Wh may be carried as spare batteries in carry on baggage, or in equipment in either checked or carry on baggage. No more than two individually protected spare batteries per person may be carried.”

I’m really sorry that I have not had a chance to write anything on the blog as I have been really busy doing workshops and preparing for IBC. I am here in Chennai for one more day and I must say hello to all the wonderful people that attended my sessions today, it was a real pleasure to meet you all and it doesn’t matter whether you are a film  school student or an experienced DoP, please do come and say hello in person!!

I’ve been to visit the Hurricane Rig development team and it’s really looking good. The engineers have made some tweeks to my original design that have improved the stability and rigidness of the rig and at the same time managed to reduce the weight. It’s fantastic to see something that you have dreamt of come together in solid aircraft grade alloys….  and be better than you conceived, so a big thank you to Colin and the other engineers that have put so many late nights and long days into the Hurricane Rig. I will have a couple of rigs at IBC in Amsterdam. One will be on the Convergent Design stand along with the NanoFlash 3D. The other will be with me as I am shooting a number of 3D videos for Sony at IBC. I will have a firm end user price by IBC and will be taking pre-orders. i will have a page on this site where you will be able to place a deposit to secure your rig. We are still on target for a sub US $2,000 price tag for a first class S3D beam splitter rig. Don’t forget that you won’t just be buying a 3D rig, but also access to training and knowledge that will get you up and running doing your own stereoscopic productions very quickly.

If your going to IBC, please drop by the Sony stand, I think you will find it quite different to previous years and if I’m not busy doing something else that’s where you’ll find me.

It has an Express Card slot, so SxS cards go directly in to it. There is a built in 60Gb hard drive and you can add USB drives via the USB sockets. It’s much smaller and lighter than a conventional laptop and runs for 4 hours off a single charge. It will even run clip browser and play back clips. It also has an SD card slot for SD backups etc. Full details on Ebay.