Today Canon announced the C70, the latest model in their line of Cinema EOS digital cinema cameras. It uses the same Super35-format sensor as the C300 Mk III, including Canon’s DGO (Dual Gain Output) technology for 16+ stops of dynamic range, their legendary Dual-Pixel Autofocus, and is the first Cinema EOS camera to use Canon’s RF lens mount (which first debuted on the EOS R full-frame mirrorless stills-oriented body). All this is packed into the smallest Cinema EOS body ever – yet with few compromises in terms of the features and functionality Canon users have come to rely on over the years.

Digital video capture devices are omnipresent in our culture, and the average viewer’s subconscious understanding of what constitutes quality video is more informed than ever. Nearly everyone has a high-def capable (often 4K) camera in their pocket these days. With such a powerful imager so close at hand, more complex cameras need to reach ever higher and higher peaks of image quality. One of the many things that cinema cameras do to differentiate themselves is to offer high-latitude, extreme dynamic range gammas, like Log. However, “hybrid” gamma settings like Canon’s Wide Dynamic Range gamma, have distinct benefits too, especially in the remote production world.

In keeping with our long-standing tradition, AbelCine has released our standard suite of scene files for the Sony PXW-FX9. The names of these scene files will be familiar to anyone who has been downloading and using them with other popular cameras over the years. We have done our best to keep the looks faithful to the original files created some 15 years ago.

The Academy Color Encoding System, better known as ‘ACES’, is a comprehensive Color Management System (CMS) specified and made available by AMPAS, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. With version 1.2 on the horizon, I thought now was a good time to look at the current state of affairs, as well as what to expect in future releases.

One of the major technology trends in 2020 continues to be HDR. As you may also know, Netflix has instituted a requirement that all original programming be finished in HDR (the Dolby Vision flavor, to be exact) — not unlike their 2015 edict that all original programming be shot with cameras from a growing list of bodies that capture at least UHD 3840x2160 natively. While a full primer on ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting HDR’ is beyond the scope of this article, I wanted to highlight one camera particularly well-suited to HDR capture (as well as satisfying the Netflix resolution requirements): ARRI’s ALEXA Mini LF.

The ALEXA Mini LF builds on ARRI's wireless control technology, which was introduced to the ALEXA line with the ALEXA SXT W. Each new ALEXA camera has advanced this capability, and the Mini LF is no exception. In this blog, I take a look at the various options available for wireless camera control and discuss the benefits of each.

Any time a new compact lightweight camera like Sony's PXW-FX9 comes out, camera assistants and operators have to spend a fair amount of time thinking about how to kit it out. To that end I recently spent some time myself evaluating and analyzing the different accessories on offer for the new camera. I also conferred with our rental department to get the perspective of a typical camera house environment and use that to compare against the more specialized needs of an owner-operator or low-budget filmmaker. Combining this insight with my own experience as a 1st AC and documentary camera operator helped me create this accessory guide, which, while not all-inclusive, should serve as a good starting point for any new FX9 owner.

When ARRI debuted their “large format” camera series with the full-size ALEXA LF in 2018, it came with a new, and somewhat radical, lens mount dubbed LPL, for ‘Large Positive Lock’. LPL is similar to the classic PL-mount (itself also an ARRI invention) used on cinema cameras since the early 80s but with a couple of noteworthy differences.

As DPs, we often decide whether our project should be shot with primes or zooms based on the desired look and logistics of the shoot. However, there are plenty of times when we need to use both. Maybe we are handheld, shooting outside for some scenes, so zooms make the most logistical sense. Yet for other portions, we are shooting portraits or interviews, and we want the added optical quality, control, and stop of a prime. Then, our main objective becomes making sure the lenses match and will cut together cohesively.