RED's WEAPON 8K camera, announced at this year's NAB show, has many people excited. RED has always pushed the boundaries of digital cinema, and the WEAPON 8K is another great example of this. The most interesting, and perhaps confusing, aspect of this new camera is the size of its sensor.

Dust and debris on your sensor can be a real problem when shooting with a closed down iris, particularly in bright environments, like a snowy exterior scene, or when shooting tabletop elements. Dust often shows up as soft dark spots in the image. In the video, I show you one simple way to clear your image of dust, debris and smudges.

At AbelCine, one of the most common questions our techs get these days is about lens coverage with different cameras. It’s no wonder that we get these inquiries, as there is an endless stream of new cameras coming out, all of which have different sensor sizes and specs. We frequently get questions like this: “Does my 16mm lens cover the Blackmagic Cinema camera sensor?” or “Does my lens cover 6K on the Red Dragon camera?”

At least once or twice a week I'm asked by clients if Super-16 lenses can be used with the Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera. It's understandable that they ask; the camera is an interesting and affordable new option but the sensor size is unique. Plus, many people have excellent S-16 glass gathering dust on the shelf. Marrying the two would be convenient and cost-effective.

Today's cinematographer is constantly switching between a variety of cameras and lenses. For a long time, the professional standard in film and sensor sizes were 16mm, 35mm and 2/3". Recently the choice of digital cameras has increased, and this has created a lot of confusion concerning sensor size, focal length and field of view.

A lens is a lens is a lens, and it doesn't know what size sensor or film gate is placed behind it. A lens projects light and the magnification size of that projection is determined by its focal length.