By techincal Editor Matt Allard:

Jens from Zacuto demonstrates the company’s new Plasmalight at NAB 2012.

By technical editor Matt Allard:

Since their announcement last week we have been keen to check out just how the new Zacuto recoil rigs with Tornado remote focus actually work. Steve Weiss of Zacuto was kind enough to give us a look at the system before the show opened.

By site editor Dan Chung

The new Zacuto Recoil with Tornado remote focus and C300 grip relocator

Zacuto are launching a raft of new products at NAB 2012. So far announced are new Recoil kits, a C300 grip relocator, a quick release shoulder pad, the Tornado mechanical remote follow focus system and the Zacuto Plasma light.

There is a new Recoil kit designed to work with the Canon C300. Cleverly it relocates the original Canon handgrip from the side of the camera down to the rig’s handgrip position. You can start and stop the camera rolling just as if the handgrip were still on the camera. There is also the Tornado remote mechanical follow focus that allows you to pull focus from the other handgrip. A new quick release shoulder pad completes the setup – this can be ejected at the push of a button for quick packing into a case or changing to a tripod setup. The three together mean that the camera’s major controls are comfortably at your fingertips while the camera is balanced comfortably on the shoulder.

There are also versions of the Recoil for Red cameras, Sony FS100 and also DSLR. Zacuto now distributes the OKii systems remote controllers for Canon DSLR and there will be a version of the Recoil which integrates it to the rig handgrip.

The other main news is the Zacuto Plasma light or Z-light. It is a patented AC/DC softlight that uses Microplasma technology. Zacuto claim they are as soft as a Chimera.

We are very much looking forward to seeing these working at NAB.

Full disclosure: This website is a Zacuto affiliate.

By Dan Chung

The Nikon D800 with Zacuto EVF fitted

I went to Nikon yesterday with my photojournalist friend Keith Bedford to get hands on a pre-production D800 and in particular look at it’s video functionality. As with my previous look at the D4 I was unable to take away any recorded imagery but we were able to test the camera with a range of accessories to see how the camera would work when set up for video. Below are a few of my notes and observations. Much of the camera’s video side is similar to the D4 and because of this I am not going to go over them again in detail here (check out my previous report and Johnnie Behiri’s if you are unfamiliar with the D4).

Keith gets his hands on the D800 with SmallHD DP6 attached

My first impression was that the camera body is very well built, similar to the D700 but with a more rounded appearance. The grip was very comfortable in my hands, Keith has much bigger hands than me but too commented how nice it was to hold.

The only D4 video feature I found missing from the D800 is the the 2.7x 1080P crop mode. The D800 only has full frame (FX) and 1.5x (DX) crop options. Technical considerations are cited as reason for this as the D800 CMOS chip is around twice the resolution of the D4 one. I did discover that on the D800 you can assign the Fn key on the front of the camera to change the crop which is quite quick to do, you cannot however adjust the crop whilst recording.

Audio is the same as the D4 with manual control in 20 steps and a headphone jack.

On the preproduction D800 and D4 cameras we also found it was impossible to change the audio level once recording. For news this probably means you will need to use an external mixer or mic with audio level control (some radio mics have this feature) if you want total control of the audio while the camera is recording.

We tried both the SmallHD DP6 and Zacuto EVF fed via HDMI from the D800 and they worked as they should without the need for firmware mods – good news. Looking at the image on the DP6 it seemed very clean and crisp, even at 1-1 pixel mode. Noise was well controlled.There was moire evident on the monitor though and I assume that Nikon are using line skipping techniques to generate the video output (the current Canon DSLRs suffer from similar moire). Remember that this was a pre-production camera and the final unit may be different. I could not make a fair assessment of sharpness and colour as we were in a poorly lit room with no broadcast monitor.

The SmallHD DP6 worked well with the D800

If you are recording the clean HDMI signal with an external recorder and no card in the camera then I was hoping you could use the expanded focus to check sharpness during shooting. Sadly the HDMI output of the image is also enlarged when you expand the image to check focus on the rear screen (unlike on video cameras like the Sony F3 or Canon C300). There may be a way around this but we couldn’t find it. Also the expanded focus magnification buttons are on the left of the LCD screen same as the D4 – this I found inconvenient to get to whilst shooting and I much prefer the Canon 5D mkII placement of this function on the right of the camera by your thumb.

Zacuto EVF on the D800

For some news shooters the clean HDMI is not just useful for recording video though – the past year has seen the rise in use by news organisations of live transmissions using low cost cellular products like the Teradek Bond. The clean HDMI feed from the D800 should work with devices like the Bond and would certainly be useful to news organisations looking to do more live coverage on a budget.

One other thing that we checked was how well the Zacuto Z-Finder works with the D800. The screen is a little bigger than the previous models and I thought it might not cover. I held the Z-finder to the back of the camera and it seemed fine. One less thing to worry about if migrating from a previous DSLR.

The Zacuto Z-Finder seems to cover the D800 screen area

Autofocus is not something I recommend for DSLR video shooting, however we did try it on the D800 in video mode. It seems quite quick compared to my 5D mkII but not as fast as newer mirrorless cameras like the Sony NEX7. The focus seems to hunt a little back and forth a lot of the time before settling on the subject. The other thing that it does it open up the aperture to allow focus in certain situations, this is obviously undesirable while recording. I do think the AF seemed good enough to get focus before, but not during, recording.

One last thing that I got to see for the first time was the new XQD card for the D4. It seemed to be quite robust and it will be interesting to see if it takes off as a format. The D800 does not take the XQD card though, instead having SDXC and CF card slots.

16GB Sony XQD card

The D800 is certainly a step up in operability from other DSLRs, if you are a Nikon user already shooting video on a D7000 or D3s then it should be a very welcome upgrade (as long as the image quality is as expected). But with the rumour mill going nuts about the Canon 5D mkII’s possible replacement, I think it will be worth waiting to decide which way to jump if you are in the market for a new DSLR.

By Dan Chung

Having got my Canon C300 I’ve decided to take a look at the rig options available for it. There are a multitude already on the market; some highly customised for the C300, others more generic. As per usual I will be focusing on news and documentary use only.

Some of the major manufacturers had their hands on the camera before or shortly after it was announced and have had time to develop and manufacture their rig solutions to coincide with the camera actually shipping. This was smart of Canon as it means that users have multiple options to get the camera into a production ready setup without having to wait months for the manufacturers to catch up. One major benefit of the C300 compared to other large sensor camcorders is that it is quite lightweight and can possibly be used on the owner’s existing 15mm rod based DSLR rigs with little modification – quite a few of the options below don’t need you to start again from scratch if you have a setup already.

Redrockmicro had one of the first dedicated cage setups for the C300 and it was used extensively by Vincent Laforet and the other filmmakers who shot the promo films for Canon. The Ultracage Blue wraps neatly around the C300 giving it some protection and multiple mounting points for accessories. 15mm rods can be added top and bottom with option for a handle on the top. The baseplate form-fits the camera neatly and when assembled the basic cage does look very much like it is integral to the camera itself.

Redrockmicro C300 Ultracage with tophandle

Most of the Ultracage setups you see pictured online are in a cinema-style configuration but what is potentially more interesting to readers of this blog are the lighter weight handheld rigs Redrock offer. The $972 UltraEvent handheld is compact and similar in operation to the older Event for DSLRs. Redrock also offer just the $550 base cage which might be useful if you already own a DSLR rig and just want to add the C300 to it neatly.

Ultracaged C300 in Cinema configuration

The C300 ultraEvent

Zacuto have also come up with a whole range of C300 rigs and accessories. Taking a slightly different approach to Redrockmicro they are offering rigs based around two different baseplates for different applications.

The Zacuto C300 Striker

They are offering smaller rigs based on their popular Gorilla line of handheld supports. The entry model is the $510 C300 Target shooter which is designed for simple run and gun. There is also the $975 C300 Striker which is still small but has a handle. If you already own a Gorilla rig then you can adapt it using their new $150 baseplate for the C300.

Zacuto C300 Gorilla baseplate

Again, owners of other manufacturers’ rigs may find this baseplate is all they need to get up and running with the C300. One nice feature is the rod port on the side of the plate, which allows you to add a rod sideways out from the base – great for monitors and EVFs.The only thing to note about the Gorilla C300 baseplate is that it does not work with a regular rod-supported mattebox, only height adjustable ones (but given that the C300 has built in ND, this is not really a problem for me).

Canon C300 Target Shooter from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.

They then have larger rigs based around their Studio baseplate. The Stinger is a pretty conventional full shoulder rig which is very versatile. The baseplate has a design that places the rods next to the base of the camera to ensure the correct rod spacing for matteboxes etc. One of the nicest things about this setup is that Zacuto have announced an accessory that will move the C300 handgrip off the side of the camera and down to replace one of the rig handles. This will allow you to control the camera start/stop and aperture without taking your hands away from the grip. They have also talked about a remote focus device that will allow you to focus the lens from the other handle – something I would like to see.

Zacuto C300 Studio baseplate

Canon C300 Stinger from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.

The other neat thing they are offering is a wing-style top plate and handle arrangement which looks very versatile. You can see it in the video below.

Canon C300 Accessories from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.

The last rig they offer looks great at first sight. The Recoil is a rig that balances the C300 on your shoulder and relies on an external EVF for viewing the image. This setup is great for balance but I have my doubts about how well it would work in practice for me. The main issue with the C300 used this way is that the ISO and white balance adjustment is then behind your head and can’t easily be changed without taking the camera off the shoulder. That may be fine for some shoots but would not be great in a news environment.

Recoil for Scarlet, Epic and C300 Cameras from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.

Genus have a new C300 baseplate on the way too. It appears to be of a more conventional design than the Zacuto or Redrockmicro plates. As with the Zacuto it places 15mm rods close to the camera body for proper mattebox clearance, but the plate is less form fitted – there is a sizable gap between the camera and the tripod base. Whilst this is not too much of an issue for studio applications, it does mean that any run and gun configuration based on this plate will be slightly bulkier.

Genus C300 baseplate

German company Denz also has a C300 custom €520 baseplate for 15mm rods along similar lines to the Zacuto one, but with the addition of left and right serrated rosettes which allow the attachment of handles and other accessories directly to the baseplate. Using Denz’s own handles and a shoulder pad this should form a very compact rig.

Denz C300 baseplate

They also offer what they call a substructure which works with the baseplate to form a cage (not unlike the Redrockmicro one) with mount options for rod clamps and handles, price is TBA, but given the price of the other products on their webstore, don’t expect this one to be cheap.

Denz C300 baseplate and substructure

Denz C300 substructure with rod mounts

Letus have added a C300 cage to their Hurlbut Master Cinema Series collection. The modular system which we previously covered is fantastically well engineered generally but heavy and designed for more cinema-style shooting. It would be interesting to see how the C300 handles on the rigs if used for documentary work instead. You can see it in the video from Wideopencamera below.

Letus Hurlbut Visuals Master Series With Canon C300 from jared abrams on Vimeo.

Ikan have been promoting their Elements line of rigs for use with the C300.The rig is a fair attempt at turning the C300 into a ENG style configuration and their pricing is reasonably keen. However, there is no specific C300 baseplate and their regular baseplate comes in the kit instead. I assume the height of the rods does not allow for non-height-adjustable matteboxes.

Ikan Elements rig with C300

Shape systems have adapted their existing line of rigs to work on the C300. There does seem to be a lot of metal in their rig and I would be interested to see how easy and heavy the C300 is to use when configured on a Composite rig.

Shape C300 composite rig

Very different to other offerings is the Canoflex system designed specifically for the C300. It takes its design inspiration from the Super16mm cameras of yesteryear. It is essentially a metal plate with a handle battery plate, power and HDSDI video distribution. Rails can be added along with grips and a shoulder pad. It is clearly designed to work with an external EVF and not Canon’s inbuilt one. Price is TBA (edit – Wideopencamera has Filmtools giving the price at between $5000 and $5,500 US).

Canoflex C300 rig

So what am I currently using on my C300 ? Actually, I’m not really using a rails-based rig at all. What I do have is a modified inexpensive bracket originally designed for a Sony EX1 camcorder from a small company called WestsideAV that allows me to fit a radio mic and monitor arm to the side of the camera.

Westside AV Sony EX1 bracket on the C300

I’ve added their shoulder brace designed for the Canon XF105, which has a small bag at the end which you fill with batteries to act as a counterweight. The whole setup adds practically no weight and not much bulk to the camera. The brace is detachable allowing the camera to be stowed in a bag easily with the bracket still on. The downside to this setup is that there is no easy way to add a follow focus, mattebox or support for a long lens. WestsideAV are working on a dedicated solution for the C300 but it is not yet finalised.

Counterbalance bag filled with batteries on the Westside AV shoulder brace

I will have to get a 15mm rods-based solution for the C300 in addition to my WestsideAV bracket. Hopefully I will get a chance to check out all the rigs above at NAB 2012 before making a decision.

(disclosure – Dslrnewssshooter.com is an affiliate of Zacuto)

The new Zacuto EVF Gorilla plate system

I’ve been using the Zacuto EVF for a while now and find it to be a very welcome addition to my regular shooting kit with the Canon 5DmkII. Originally I had it mounted on top of the camera with the supplied hotshoe adapter but very quickly found this to be an inconvienient location because there was then nowhere to place my microphones when running and gunning. I have since constructed a bracket using some parts from Really Right Stuff and an Ultralight arm that allowed me to place the EVF on the side of the 5DmkII. This frees up the hotshoe again and places the EVF in a good position on the side of the camera to allow for a more ENG style of shooting – better balanced with the camera offset when mounted on a chest or shoulder support rig. Crucially for me this setup allows me to keep the EVF as part of the camera as I move from Redrockmicro running man rig chest rig, to full shoulder rig, to tripod and to my camera bag – all without needing to dissassemble the EVF setup. My solution is fine but a bit expensive, somewhat of a cludge and a little heavy.

Enter Zacuto with their own custom solution which looks to be lighter and more flexible than my setup. The EVF mount is based on the company’s Gorilla plate system for DSLRs. It too offsets the EVF to the optimal position without adding too much bulk to the camera. There is also a quick release to allow rapid detachment of the EVF.

The Zacuto EVF Gorilla plate in use with a Striker rig

For me I could see myself using this setup almost without a support rig at all for some shoots, just holding the EVF to my face and gripping the camera in the other hand. Also launching soon is the Zacuto’s universal cable Pincher which will neatly hold HDMI cables in place and provide strain relief.

The EVF Gorilla plate bracket

The EVF Gorilla plate bracket is $240 US and available now from Zacuto’s web store, it requires the use of a $69 Gorilla plate if you do not own one already.

Disclosure – This website recently joined the Zacuto affliate sales program but this in no way affects this website’s many and diverse bloggers who are free to talk about any gear they use.

Jens Bogehegn of Zacuto demonstrates a working Z-EVF and then drop test it during setup day at NAB 2011. Check out the full specs here.

The high resolution display of the EVF

Steve Weiss of Zacuto with a Z-EVF

Jens said it will ship in May. Pricing is below.

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.

New F-Stop academy DVD download by Dan Chung goes on sale.

DSLR Video on Assignment combines two of my greatest passions – DSLR video and real world storytelling. I’ve been shooting DSLR video since day one, I made a short video the day the Canon 5DmkII came out and I’ve not looked back. I’m constantly being asked about how to achieve the best results and it’s impossible to answer everyone’s questions. So when training professional Den Lennie of the F-Stop academy asked me to make the ‘DSLR Video on Assignment’ DVD download I jumped at the chance. He had previously shot and produced Phil Bloom’s excellent 5DmkII and 7D DVD guides.

Den and Dan making the DVD in Malaysia

I wanted to create a one-stop shop for shooters looking to up their game, explaining not just the technical stuff but my whole approach to shooting. I believe this practical information to be the key to great DSLR video and even though there are a lot of DSLR websites out there (including this one), this download offers the sum total of the knowledge that I’ve accumulated about how to shoot DSLR video during live events.

To give you an idea of what it’s really like to be on assignment it was shot during the real events surrounding the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, held annually in Malaysia’s Batu caves.

Thaipusam Trailer from Den Lennie on Vimeo.

It’s for news photographers and photojournalists who can’t afford to miss the action, but it’s also for documentary makers, event videographers or keen amateurs; anyone who ever needs to film with a DSLR in a real world environment.
Whilst I mainly use Canon DSLRs in the DVD I believe the majority of the techniques apply whatever brand of DSLR you are using.

As I say in the DVD, I think photographers owe it to themselves to give DSLR video a go, to find out if they are any good at it or not. This will make your life much easier when you do so.

On assignment - with the kit in a Malaysia hotel room

Chapter 1  Understanding D-SLR Functions
We look at the core differences and similarities to photography and we spend some time setting up the a Canon to shoot in Video Mode.

Chapter 2 Lenses, Focal Length & Crop Factor
Understanding the effect of crop factor has on effective focal length.

Chapter 3 Light control, Picture Styles and using Filters
The optimum set ups to give you the most control visually.

Chapter 4 Camera Movement And support for Video
Moving the Camera.  All the techniques that are largely specific to shooting video.  This is a steep learning curve for photographers but I walk you though clearly and concisely.

Chapter 5 Shooting in Low Light
Low light shooting on the 1D Mark IV- This section covers working at night in a Hawker market, demonstrating the incredible low light and resolving capability of the Canon 1D Mark IV

Chapter 6 Basic Audio recording techniques 
In a busy restaurant I demonstrate 3 separate ‘simple’ audio recording techniques.

Chapter 7 How to record advanced audio for DSLR
Recording Advanced Audio, we return to the Hawker market but this time I share an advanced ‘Dual Sound system’ for recording audio that gives me more control.

Chapter 8  The Pre Assignment Recce
I spend 4 hrs scouting the location in advance of the assignment.  I will walk you through my thought processes and how the shoot will differ from a straight stills only shoot.

Chapter 9 Pre Assignment Final Kit Check
Working solo in movie mode requires some extra kit, I explain how the kit breaks down and what to carry without compromising on quality.

Chapter 10 The Assignment 
This is a very intimate journey, working side by side with me in the thick of a festival with over 1 million devotees, body piercing, rituals and stunning images make this the climax of the training documentary.

A festival worshipper goes through his rituals

Some of the estimated 1 million festival goers at the caves

You can read a review by videographer Jon Mckee here. Jon says

Without hesitation I recommend this training video to anyone who shoots or desires to shoot documentary style DSLR video, or even someone simply interested in following a pro in the field as he crafts his story.

On my travels at NAB 2010 I managed to secure some great giveaways for followers of DSLRnewsshooter.com. Then I got so busy covering the UK election (in stills) for The Guardian newspaper and website that I had no time to post this until now – a thousand apologies. If you are interested in what I’ve been up to you can look here

To be in with a chance of winning one of these marvellous pieces of kit you need to register for the site, if you haven’t already, and then post below so I know which one of the three items you want. After one month the names will be put into a hat and the lucky winners drawn out. But you can only choose one item and you can only enter once – multiple entries will be disqualified and as in all good competitions the judge’s decision is final.

Your entry should look something like this:

Yourname – I would like to win a Redrockmicro DSLR baseplate…..

It’s as simple as that. Humorous comments are allowed after the item of your choice but will make no difference when it comes to the draw.

First up is a Redrockmicro DSLR baseplate that forms the basis of the Redrock DSLR system and can be added to any 15mm support rods. The giveaway is Redrockmicro’s demo unit from NAB so is not brand new, but it’s a great piece of kit which I use myself. For more info look here

Redrockmicro DSLR baseplate (demo kit)

Next up is a very cute Zacuto Point and Shoot grip for improving your video with a compact camera like the Lumix LX-3 or the HD Flip. I put one of these in my day off kit with my IXUS. More info here

The Zacuto Point and Shoot pro handgrip

And last but by no means least is the Genus GAP plate which when attached to your DSLR rig or camcorder allows you to mount your system on a professional Sony VCT-14 tripod quick release plate. If you are used to shooting ENG you know what I’m talking about. A great prize for any serious newshound. More about it here.

The Genus GAP plate to mount a rig on a Sony VCT14 tripod quick release plate

I’d like to thank all the manufacturers for donating the prizes and taking the time to talk to me at NAB – it was a great show and hopefully DSLRnewsshooter will be back there next year for more. I’d also like to give a special thank you to Scott Karlins and Den Lennie of F-Stop academy for helping at NAB.