Teradek launch receiver box for wireless HD at PhotoCine Expo from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

At PhotoCine Expo in Los Angeles Teradek showed off their new Cube Decoder wireless HD receiver box. Designed for on set monitoring the box decodes a signal from one of the company’s Cube HD encoders directly for display onto a monitor via HDMI or HDSDI without the need for a computer or Ipad.

The Teradek Cube encoder for DSLR video from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

The Teradek Cube installed on a Jag35 Canon 7D rig

Hosa Technology Q-audio mini shotgun mic kit from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Hosa Technology were showing off their latest mic, the Que audio mini shotgun, which is one of the smallest shotgun mics I’ve ever seen. It runs on two watch batteries and can be run into minijack or XLR connections. The audio quality is very good and I was so impressed I actually bought one of these a while back. It is now in my main DSLR kit.

Now the mini shotgun is available in a kit with a mini boom, headphones, windshield and stand – a pretty good start for pro DSLR audio. While you can use it straight into a camera like the 5DmkII I’m finding I’m getting better results feeding it into a Juicedlink DT454 or seperate recorder like the Zoom H4n or Tascam DR-100 first.

Marshall’s new V-LCD50-HDMI at PhotoCine Expo from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

It seems like everyone is launching new monitoring devices at the moment. Marshall have been in the monitor game for a long time and their new monitor is aimed squarely at DSLR users. The main innovation is that it runs off 4 standard AA batteries, a boon for budget minded consumers. The other main features are a 800×480 LED backlit display, false colour display, peaking and a lightweight design. Expect shipping in the next few weeks. For more info you can see the full specs on Marshall’s site here.

It’s a busy week on product launches and hot on the heels of the MicroEVF from Redrock Micro comes Zacuto’s solution. The Zacuto Z-Finder EVF is actually a 3.2 inch 800×480 res display which you can fit any Z-finder to, converting it into an EVF. It has a HDMI passthrough capability and runs from a Canon LP-E6 battery. Priced at $775 US the company claim it will be available in february 2011. Full details on Zacuto’s website here.

Jag35 launch Monitor-X finder and updated shoulder rig from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Jag35.com were at PhotoCine Expo showing off their soon to be released Monitor X LCD magnifier which allows shooters to view and focus an image without having your eye right up to the camera. The company were keen to stress this is not a direct replacement for the Zacuto Z-finder or the LCDVF, but instead an additional way to view the LCD screen where you may want to shoot for long times on a tripod, or want to use both eyes to view instead of one on a rig. The finder comes with its own stick on frame as well as option to use an arm for mounting. They also showed a modified Monitor X fitted onto a Zacuto frame allowing users of the Zacuto system to swap between the two finders in different shooting situations.

The new Jag35 finder tested on Nikon's new D7000

I was told the price of the Monitor X is likely to be very competitive at around $150 when it ships in around a month. It will be interesting to see how it compares to Cinevate’s newly launched Cyclops viewfinder.

Jag35 also showed an improved version of their economical run and gun rig which will be available soon.

One Day on Earth Participant Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

On October 10th, 2010 the records of filmmaking history will have a note called “One Day on Earth”. The United Nations, over 70 nonprofits from around the world, and thousands of filmmakers have teamed up with ‘One Day on Earth’  to film in EVERY country in the world in 24-hours on  10/10/10.

The project, which started in 2008, created an online community to accomplish this global task: www.OneDayOnEarth.org

They have asked filmmakers, students, humanitarian workers, and inspired individuals to take part in creating a shared archive of video. While the archive will be accessible for all to view, it will be downloadable for those that participate (for non commercial use, with credit). Enabling all who share video to sculpt their own story of One Day on Earth.

The project has gotten unprecedented support from the UN. Filmmakers in areas of low bandwidth who can get their footage to UNDP offices (located in nearly every developing nation) will have their videos safely transported back to the UN Headquarters for pick-up by the One Day on Earth team, which will then upload and share. Vimeo has partnered with the project to provide the necessary bandwidth and promotion to their community.

Many non-profits are asking the growing population of 7000+ filmmakers to help document issues that are important to their cause. With partners like the World Wildlife Fund, Oxfam, 350.org, water.org and the American Red Cross, there is certainly no shortage of inspiration. Additionally, the filmmaker is directly linked to their videos, so the site provides a possible avenue of communication to investigate and learn about the issues being shown — no middle man to what is happening on the ground.

The website is also build for filmmakers to collaborate on topics of interest for the 10/10/10 shoot date. Groups that have started include everyone from expecting mothers who will film their child’s birth (30 soon-to-be mothers from around the world so far!), to underwater photographers swimming with whales.

With the archive, One Day on Earth promises to edit a feature length film representing every country in the world.

What will you share with the world?

Sign up to participate here: http://www.OneDayOnEarth.org

I love Carl Zeiss lenses and own a small collection of the new Zeiss ZE primes along with some of the older Contax fitting Zeiss lenses which can be adapted to use on EOS. One of the Contax fit lenses I loved the most for videography and photojournalism is the 35mm f1.4 but until now it has not been available in the newer ZE or ZF mounts. That has just changed with Zeiss launching an updated version of the classic lens with even better mechanics than the old one and a fantastic bokeh. Check out the lens in this interview at PhotoCine Expo with Richard Schleuning of Carl Zeiss which also includes some sample footage from an early copy of the lens.

Carl Zeiss introduce the 35mm f1.4 ZE and ZF lenses from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Ami Vitale's presentation on the big screen at the LA film school

I’ve just spent an inspirational weekend at the PhotoCine Expo held at the LA Filmschool. I want to thank Michael Britt and his crew for inviting me to what I consider to be the best Photo/Video convergence event in the United States this year. Michael has worked tirelessly to bring together some of the biggest names in the industry in this follow up to last year’s Collision conference.

There were amazing presentations by Vincent Laforet, Shane Hurlbut, Rodney Charters, Alex Buono, The Bui brothers, Ami Vitale, Gail Mooney and many others. I’d seen a lot of the work before but on the LA Filmschool’s 2K screen it looked better than ever.

On the gear side there were some exciting new products from Redrockmicro, Jag35, Teradek, Carl Zeiss lenses, Mic distributor Hosa and others. I’ll be updating you about some of these during the rest of this week when I’ve had time to edit the videos.

The new Jag35 Monitor X finder on the also new Nikon D7000

Vincent Laforet tests out the MicroEVF from Redrock Micro

Photographers turned filmmakers - Myself, Ami Vitale, Vincent Laforet and Gail Mooney

And it was also good to meet up with old friends as well as making some new ones. It was especially great to meet up with fellow photojournalists turned filmmakers Ami Vitale, Vincent Laforet and Gail Mooney. All of them showed their latest work over the weekend and for me it was concrete proof that convergence is really happening. If you are photojournalist, TV cameraman or documentary maker now really is the time to embrace the new technologies and ways of working – the results speak for themselves.

At the show - A Redrockmicro rig kitted out with the new MicroEVF and Teradek Cube

Nikon's P7000 with a little surprise - an external mic jack and a Hosa Q-audio mic

For more information please check out the excellent PhotoCine News blog

Redrock Micro launch Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) for HDDSLR from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

I’m at the PhotoCine Expo in Hollywood this weekend and was lucky enough to be given an early sneak peak at the Redrock Micro microEVF by Brian Valente.

Here’s the full press release:

Redrock Micro Announces New “microEVF” electronic viewfinder for HDSLR Cameras Ultra compact, Ultra high resolution EVF Sets Standard for Size, Performance, and Price Hollywood, CA – Redrock Micro, the recognized leader in affordable professional-quality cinema accessories, today announced the new patent-pending Redrock microEVF electronic viewfinder for HDSLR cameras. This is the first electronic viewfinder designed from the ground up specifically for HDSLRs, emphasizing compact lightweight design, superior resolution, and incredible affordability.

About Redrock Micro Redrock Micro revolutionized independent film production in the early 2000s with the M2 Encore cinema lens adapter, and reinvented digital filmmaking in 2008 with HDSLR cinema rigs and accessories. Today, Redrock Micro continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning depth-of-field adapters, support rigs, focus controllers, and advanced cinema accessories. More information can always be found at redrockmicro.com.

The Last Of The Samurai from Matthew Allard on Vimeo.

For centuries the Japanese Samurai were the most feared and respected men in the country. But Japan’s love affair with the Samurai has faded in recent years. Now the actors who have portrayed them on the big screen for the last 60 years are finding themselves out of work. The period pieces of classic Japanese cinema are no longer being made and the famous actors who have appeared in more than a hundred movies including such Hollywood films as The Last Samurai have now been reduced to doing matinee performances in a Kyoto movie theme park.

Correspondent Steve Chao and I shot this story over 2 days in Kyoto, Japan on a Canon 7D and 5D. We shot in three different locations: a training room, a small theatre and a movie backlot.

I could have shot this on my regular camera (Sony XDCAM HD) but chose to use a DSLR because of its abilities in low light and tolerance to high contrast scenes.

I chose not to use my Zacuto Z-Finder or my Genus ND faders for this shoot, the main reason being that I find the Z-Finder difficult to use unless you’re handheld. On a tripod it forces you to put your head in a very uncomfortable position especially when you keep varying the tripod height. I ordinarily don’t use a high shutter speed but in this case I did as there was going to be a lot of fast movement and use of swords and other fighting equipment. I ran 1/125th shutter speed to highlight how quickly the actors moved. Shooting against bright windows, the DSLR held up beautifully. It still amazes me to see how tolerant these cameras are in difficult lighting situations.

The interviews were shot using two Litepanels 1×1 LED lights running V-Lock adaptors and IDX batteries. This enables me to set up lighting quickly and not have to rely on finding a power source. A Canon 70-200mm USM IS 2 f2.8 lens was used. I find this lens to be very sharp and perfect for doing interviews on a camera with a 1.6x crop factor. It enables me to get back far enough from my subjects so they don’t feel crowded.

The set was lit using Litepanels 1x1 LED lights

All the audio was recorded on a Zoom H4N portable recorder, which I highly recommend. For US $300 it is fantastic value. Sure you can’t control the recording level of two channels separately but that isn’t usually a problem. I use Sennheiser radio mics with adjustable output level. It was all cut in Final Cut Pro and audio synched up using Pluraleyes. No use of Magic Bullet or any fancy color correction programs was used.

In the end I was reasonably happy with the result. The opening sequence was all shot in five minutes as it was difficult to get the actors to come out to do a fight scene on the backlot. They performed the 16 second fight scene three times for me and I varied my angle for each one.

The Canon Eos7D recording the Samurai interview

About Matthew Allard, Aljazeera Senior Field Cameraman, Kuala Lumpur:
Matt has been a Camera/Editor in TV news for 20 years, previously working for both Channel 9 and Channel 10 in Australia. Twice Network Ten Australia’s cameraman of the year as well as being a Walkley Finalist for outstanding camerawork in 2006 (for coverage of the Cronulla Race Riots) and a Logie Finalist for outstanding news coverage 2006 (Bali 9). He has covered news events in more than 30 countries, from major sporting events to terrorist bombings. Based out of the Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre in Malaysia he is an avid user and follower of new technology, shooting stories on HD broadcast cameras as well as new Canon DSLR’s.