Recent reviews
AVID Media Composer 3.0
Following a recent change of senior management, Avid has changed its policy. As part of the company’s new strategy, the latest version of Media Composer arrives at around half the price of its predecessor, and includes a whole lot more in the box, too.
Video Material
MacVideo Live: Panel Discussion of top UK industry experts
28/11/2008
in Features
Rick Young
The week’s Interview of the Week features 5 people on-stage at MacVideo Live. The panel discussion covers many areas including a look at formats from HDV to XDCAM EX and DVCPro HD, using KxS as an affordable alternative to SxS, the future of film... featuring Christina Fox - Trainer/Consultant, David Fox - Journalist, Philip Bloom - DOP, Director, Editor, Matt Davis - Producer/Director, Rick Young - Producer/Director.
Interview with Matt Davis - shooting KxS
14/11/2008
in Features
Rick Young
Discovered, tested and publicised by the digital video community, what has been termed "KxS" is an affordable alternative to SxS cards for the Sony EX1 and EX3, and presumably JVC cameras once SxS is included as a recording format. This involves using a Kensington adapter card, into which a high-speed SD card has been inserted, and plugging this direct into the SxS slot on the camera being used. This is a non-standard solution which many users swear is both affordable and reliable.
MacVideo Live: Learning to Love the EX1, presented by Matt Davis
14/11/2008
in Features
Rick Young
The Sony PMW-EX1 has had a major impact on the world of moving image acquisition. This camera is an affordable HD camera with a quality lens, capable of recording 35mbps to high-speed SxS cards, in a multitude of frame rates and formats. In this demonstration Matt Davis focuses on the important areas EX1 owners need to know about, plus details of an affordable alternative to using SxS cards which has been discovered and tested by the digital video community.
Sony XDCAM HD 4:2:2 technology
31/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
Starting at £18500 for an XDCAM 4:2:2 camcorder, this system offers professional acquisition in a multitude of formats, in a full 4:2:2 colour space. For many applications and those working to the higher standards of acquisition and post-production, 4:2:2 is a must. On show at IBC were several technology previews including prototypes of a clamshell XDCAM 4:2:2 player/recorder and prototype of a dockable SxS recorder for the PDW-700 camcorder.
Interview with Mark Bainbridge, General Manager, Media Sales, Sony, UK
31/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
In the UK when purchasing a Sony camera one has a choice - one can purchase from an authorised Sony Specialist Dealer, trained by Sony to understand the professional product range, or one can order online or purchase in the high street from non-authorised sellers. This isn't just sales talk - this is genuine advice on what to look out when spending your hard-earned cash on Sony camera technology.
Interview with Ted Schilowitz
24/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
Ted Schilowitz is the face of RED. He's the guy that travels the world talking to people, demonstrating, and promoting the world's first affordable film replacement tool. In this interview Ted talks about where we are now at with this revolutionary tool, and where RED is going next. He is very clear that the camera RED is shipping today is developing and changing. RED is still young and there is much to come...
Shooting with the RED 4K digital cinema camera
24/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
In this piece - Ted Schilowitz - who wears the title "Leader of the Rebellion" - shows how to expose correctly with the RED ONE digital cinema camera. Using a selection of tools, from a histogram, spotmeter, and colour coding within the image, one gets a visual representation of how the image is constructed and can therefore set exposure accordingly.
IBC 2008: Sony XDCAM EX overview
17/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
On show at IBC 2008 Sony featured the XDCAM EX product-line, made up of the PMW-EX3 and PMW-EX1 camcorders, the PMW-EX30 memory recorder deck, 32GB SxS cards now on offer, the PHU60 hard drive, the latest software for file management and a selection of lenses to work with the XDCAM EX camcorders. XDCAM EX is proving itself to be a defining force in the world of affordable HD aquisition.
Philip Bloom: impressions of the Sony PMW-EX3
17/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
In this interview Philip speaks about the successor to the PMW-EX1 - the PMW-EX3. He describes what he likes about Sony's latest XDCAM EX camcorder and telly just why he regards this as the EX1 done right. Philip also discusses the Letus Ultimate 35mm still lens adapter which allows for interchangeable lenses to be fitted to either the PMW-EX3 or PMW-EX1.
JVC adopt SxS and show off surprise professional palmcorder
10/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
At IBC 2008 the surprise announcement from JVC was that they plan to use SxS as the storage format for the their professional range of camcorders. SxS, already established by Sony with their XDCAM range, is now available in 8, 16 and 32GB cards. Semir Nouri, Product Manager for JVC Europe had this to say: "We looked at available solutions in the market and we think that SxS is one of the best solutions if not the best in the market today. It's a modern interface based on PCI express and that guarantees a very high speed. It's a very robust yet small media that can withstand the daily activities of use for ENG work environment or in an environment when you have a lot of shooting and you travel a lot with your camera."
Kevin Augello - Producer/Cameraman talks about professional use of HDV
03/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
In the world of film and video there are always some who regard the budget end of acquisition as something which professionals should steer well-clear of. Not Kevin Augello - a UK filmmaker, based in the Netherlands, who uses HDV for documentary production with a true appreciation of what the format has to offer. Kevin has filmed in the Himalaya mountains of Nepal, the rugged landscape of Greenland, South America and Africa, and over 100 countries around the world - he regards HDV as a professional tool to be used by the filmmaker's as part of their filmmaking craft.
Sony HDV product overview - IBC 2008
03/10/2008
in Features
Rick Young
On show at IBC this year Sony revealed their latest camcorder, the HVR-Z5E. The HVR-Z5E takes a form factor very similar to the HVR-Z1E and the result is something far superior. Also on show were several other products, including: HVR-MRC1 Compact Flash recorder, previously only available with the HVR-Z7; true wide angle lenses for the HVR-Z7E and HVR-S270E; LA-100W adapter to enable Sony Alpha digital still lenses to be used with the HVR-Z7E and HVR-S270E; and an external LANC control unit for the HVR-Z5E and matte-box for the HVR-Z5E with integrated wide angle lens (equivalent to 24mm in 35mm photography terms.)
The Ikonoskop - A-cam dII - a different sort of digital cinema camera
19/09/2008
in Features
Rick Young
Imagine a camera not much larger than a palmcorder, capable of shooting images good enough for cinema projection. This, according to the inventor of the Ikonoskop, is just what this camera does. The Ikonoskop records native 1920 x 1080 pixels uncompressed - enabling one to master directly to HD-cam SR and print to film in the native 1:78:1 aspect ration without any loss of pixels. At 1.5kg the Ikonoskop is arguably the smallest professional digital motion picture camera on the market.
Thomson Grass Valley, Infiniti Camcorder
12/09/2008
in Features
Rick Young
The Infiniti camera by Thomson Grass Valley provides a shooting solution for those requiring a camera which shoots many different formats, works within a 4:2:2 colour space, and is a full-sized shoulder mounted camera with interchangeable lenses. The camera is suitable for many purposes including ENG, EFP and studio situations and shoots to either REV Pro discs or solid-state Compact Flash media.
Craig Yanagi, National Marketing Manager, JVC, USA
12/09/2008
in Features
Rick Young
In this interview, Craig Yanagi talks about the benefits of working with progressive video, the demand and benefits for JVC HDV which works in native QuickTime at 20mbps.
Semir Nouri, Product Manager, JVC Europe
05/09/2008
in Features
Rick Young
Early on when affordable HD hit the market, JVC produced a shoulder-mounted camera with interchangeable lenses called the GY-HD100. This camera has now evolved, and with the top-of-the- line camcorder, the GY-HD200B, JVC introduces recording enhancements such as record direct to hard drive or SD memory cards, and a range of formats including 720 50P.
Working with the RED ONE - interview with Sebastian Kanabar, Prokit UK
29/08/2008
in Features
Rick Young
RED breaks with tradition with the RED ONE. This camera is incredibly powerful in terms of output quality and flexibility, yet it is also easy to use. In this piece we are shown the steps one needs to run through to begin working with the RED ONE, and the critical areas one needs to know about to start shooting.
Shooting with the RED 4K digital cinema camera
29/08/2008
in Reviews
Rick Young
The RED ONE 4K camera feel like a cross between a film camera and a large video camera. It is solidly built, feels and operates like a camera of the highest quality, and works with lenses which would traditionally attach to a 35mm motion picture body. It is an incredible achievement that an independent camera manufacturer has been able to produce a working system which challenges the established players in the world of high end acquisition.
Making the Supermeet happen - behind the scenes with Michael Horton
22/08/2008
in Features
Rick Young
Months of work go into producing the Supermeet event. Get a feel for the passion, the motivation, and the energy needed to produce the biggest digital event which takes place for NAB, Macworld and now IBC. Find out what goes into making this event happen and the community and sponsors which support the event.
Live to Los Angeles and Boston - Michael Horton, LAFCPUG, Dan Berube, Boston FCPUG
22/08/2008
in Features
Rick Young
This week we cross live to Los Angeles and Boston to speak to the key players who organise the FCPUG Supermeet each year, for NAB, Macworld and now IBC. In this interview Michael Horton and Dan Berube talk about what has motivated them to bring the Supermeet to Europe and what to expect on the night of the 14th September in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
