KILL THE LIGHTS
Restricting your colour palette
TV VFX BOOM
Millions invested in London’s Milk
SENSORY OVERLOAD The alternative camera search
THE BLACK STUFF Fargo 3’s dark comedy
definitionmagazine.com
August 2017
£4.99
ZERO-G MUMMY
First-ever weightless movie scene
THE NEW 8K CAMERAS
(That’s 8k as in cash!)
The digital story of the Celtic favourite TRIPLE THREAT THREE LATEST ZOOM LENSES TESTED SEE PAGE 52 sample cover.indd 1
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Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire CB22 3HJ UK
POLDARK CHANGE: New Poldark DOP Nick Dance and the man himself, actor Aidan Turner.
EDITORIAL EDITOR Julian Mitchell
01223 492246 julianmitchell@bright-publishing.com
CONTRIBUTORS Mark Moreve SENIOR SUB EDITOR Lisa Clatworthy SUB EDITOR Siobhan Godwood
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Matt Snow
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01223 499453 mattsnow@bright-publishing.com
SALES MANAGER Krishan Parmar
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ACCOUNT MANAGER Harriet Abbs
01223 499460 harrietabbs@bright-publishing.com
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PUBLISHING MANAGING DIRECTORS Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck
MEDIA PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS OF
Definition is published monthly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. Definition is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Definition that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted in sterling, euros and US dollars are street prices, without tax, where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.
@DEFINITIONMAGS @DEFINITIONMAGAZINE DEFINITIONMAGS
Welcome
We’re very lucky at Definition that we get to talk to producers of content from all over the world. In this issue, we have the production stories from two much loved and admired television series: the UK’s Poldark and the USA’s Fargo. They have little in common other than the fact they are both massively popular with fans, to the point that extensions of the shows have been created in order to sate their fandom. For Poldark you can download an app with news of where the shooting is happening. With Fargo there are what the cast call Fargo-ites, who obsess about the characters to the point they’ve created the ‘Aww Geez’ podcast (you’ll have to know the series to understand the reference) that analyses every episode. Production-wise what was fascinating to us was how the programmes are allowed, or not, to change. Fargo, and for similar reasons House Of Cards, stick to some very strict shooting and production guidelines. No zooms, no Steadicams, no handheld. The idea is to allow for no surprises and to let the technique be transparent. The new season of Poldark, however, sees a bit more deviation from the established look. There is a faster pace; there is arguably more naturalism with less lighting. But who is right?
JULIAN MITCHELL EDITOR AUGUST 2017 DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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Like them or not, you can’t ignore the Transformers movies and their image maestro, director Michael Bay. For the latest movie, RED Digital Cinema gave him a customised camera IMAGE Michael Bay on the set of Transformers: The Last Knight making the most of his custom-built Weapon 8K Super 35-sized RED camera, coloured fluorescent green and with BAYHEM printed on the side
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hatever you think of the Transformers films, you can’t deny the energy of their director Michael Bay. Even this photograph has a certain dynamism and mayhem, or Bayhem, about it. If you look carefully, you can see the custom RED camera built especially for him (it actually has the word BAYHEM printed on the side of it). This is a fluorescent green (his colour choice apparently) custom Weapon 8K Super 35-sized RED camera with their Helium sensor. It was, in fact, the first time the new Helium sensor appeared in a camera. RED previously made a custom camera for director David Fincher called the Weapon Xenomorph.
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NEWS INTERVIEW WILL COHEN, CEO MILK VFX
MILKING THE STREAM
The growth of streaming companies such as Netflix and Amazon is impacting the equally growing mid-level VFX market – and there has been millions invested WORDS JULIAN MITCHELL
GF (Business Growth Fund) has invested an initial £2m in Milk Visual Effects, a UK-based Oscar- winning independent visual effects company that creates VFX for high-end television and feature films. Milk will use the funding to expand its studios, invest in new technical equipment and R&D, and it hopes to hire the best industry talent, significantly increasing its capacity to work with the world’s leading feature film, high-end television and digital content producers such as Warner Bros, the BBC and Netflix. CEO Will Cohen commented, “The investment will assist Milk to accelerate its ambitious growth plan and to continue the development of its innovative work streams for the production of visual effects and formats.” Milk is currently in production on projects including Alex Garland’s forthcoming feature Annihilation (DNA/Paramount), Kingsman 2 (Lionsgate), Electric Dreams (Channel 4/Left Bank/Sony) and Doctor Who series ten (BBC). “The business is well placed to take advantage of the recent increase in demand for high quality creative content being driven by companies
such as Amazon and Netflix,” he continues. “Their appearance has certainly changed the game and I think the whole of the UK production and media entertainment sectors have been a massive success story over the last ten years.” INVISIBLE EFFECTS There is no doubt there has been a substantial rise in the use of VFX for television. But you only have to look at programmes such as Sherlock, Doctor Who and The Crown to understand that the types of VFX used are mostly digital matte painting set extensions, additions and removals, 2D clean-ups, sky replacement and enhancements. But this is changing. Will Cohen sees that to take advantage of the so-called golden
ABOVE The half-face
man from Doctor Who © BBC. Milk created the CG cage-like structure which makes up the missing half of Half-Face Man’s head as well as the internal workings of his head. RIGHT Will Cohen,
CEO of of Milk VFX.
IT REALLY PAYS TO STEP BACK AND LISTEN TO WHAT THE BUSINESS WANTS TO DO; THERE’S A NARRATIVE GOING ON ALL THE TIME
age, a business has to have forward momentum. “We got the best partner that we met so I’m really pleased about it and I’m really pleased about our chairman, Ivan Dunleavy,” he says. “I hate to sound pretentious but running a business, occasionally it really pays to step back and listen to what the business wants to do; there’s a narrative going on all the time even in the figures. I would be surprised if you made a film or a TV programme and it turned out exactly as you hoped. “What I’m trying to get at is these things have a bit of a life of their own. It became clear after a couple of years that the business would be better served at every level by scaling
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WILL COHEN, CEO MILK VFX NEWS INTERVIEW
up. I think that movies are going to represent a good area of the growth we are planning for; the market share that we’re after is not to take on the Framestores, DNEG and MPC-type facility, it’s actually quite modest, so then quite achievable. “We’ve always had a mission statement of creating exceptional work with passionate people and that hasn’t changed from the day we started. Getting the investment and taking the business to the next level allows us to do more exceptional work with more passionate people. “It’s very dangerous if your business doesn’t have a sense of forward momentum. It’s in terms of managing artists’ careers and being able to take someone on and watch them go all the way,” adds Will, using the story of a company runner who ended up leaving to supervise Star Wars VFX as an example.”
YEAR ZERO OR 2004 “When the trend of the huge tentpole movie really hit in the early 2000s, much of the mid-budget movie work moved away and creatives found themselves working in television,” Will continues. “I think then there was a kind of snobbery that television was a sort of subsidiary, not-as-good industry to be working in. Behind the camera or in any aspect of it. “I’ve always refuted that, I’ve always been passionate about television. Most of my team helped bring back Doctor Who in 2004. To me, we did feel like we were making it up at the time, VFX-wise. Prior to Doctor Who people really didn’t attempt to do television with VFX. We had some Hallmark stuff in the nineties but nothing really on any regular basis. We put a crew together on the basis of having worked in the film industry, thinking we were going
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ABOVE Sand horses from Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell © BBC.
BELOW & ABOVE RIGHT
Images from Sherlock © BBC/Hartswood.
to come together and do it once, never imagining it would be popular.” Will finds it hard to remember making that series because it was very successful, very quickly, right from the day it came out. “For me that was a game-changer in terms of working in television,” he says. “Prior to that it was mostly documentaries utilising CG. Sometimes they’d get commissioned on the basis that they would just use CG and they would retrofit the story where the big CG sequence would be. Then we had Primeval trying to rival Doctor Who and suddenly a generation of directors are used to using green screens. In fact a whole generation who have not differentiated between movies, TV and computer games at all. “I thought we were in a golden age of television when shows like Torchwood, Doctor Who and Merlin were being made,” he continues. “Then along came Game Of Thrones and changed the whole game for television and production values, really. That whole American level of television production started with Deadwood and The Sopranos. It was movie-quality AUGUST 2017 DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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NEWS NEW CAMERAS
THE NEW 8K CAMERAS
That’s 8000 of your pounds, US dollars or EUROs. Is this the new camera price battleground?
PANASONIC AU-EVA1
Panasonic knows something about making small and very desirable cameras: the consumer ‘GH Series’, for instance, dwells quite happily in pro and consumer worlds. Do you remember the DVX100? A great, standard definition, progressive scan, prosumer camcorder that was used to film the live-action basis of the Keanu Reeves film A Scanner Darkly. People loved that camera and its fantastic array of manual controls. Display mode, gain and white-balance were all on proper, pro-style toggle switches – exactly where you would expect to find them. So, what are the features that have everyone so excited by EVA1? For us, one of the main attractions is the new sensor. Panasonic’s chip follows the trend of aiming high, with a 5.7K performance, and then super sampling down to 4k from there, all at 10-bit – it’s the only way to limit the side effects. The other hugely significant feature is the dual ISO performance. Because Panasonic are keeping many details on simmer, we don’t yet know if this is close to the performance of dual ISO from the Varicam models – but even if it’s close, it’s a superb addition. Like the VariCam line-up of cinema cameras, the EVA1 contains
V-Log/V-Gamut capture to deliver high dynamic range and broad colours. V-Log has log curve characteristics that are reminiscent of negative film and V-Gamut delivers a colour space even larger than film. There is also the promise of a Raw recording option to out board devices. Boxes continue to be ticked, including the welcome presence of an inbuilt ND filter; there’s even an IR Cut filter that can be swung out of the path to the sensor at the push of a button. And well done to whoever persuaded the marketing department to ditch the clunky DVX nomenclature. The dronies are going to love this camera too with its 1.2kg weight and its grabbable form factor There are no prizes for guessing which company’s new camera they are gunning for with a shipping lens mount in the EF format. Battle lines are drawn...
ABOVE Like the revered DVX-100 camcorder, EVA’s buttons are where you’d want them to be.
SPECIFICATIONS Sensor: Super 35 5.7K with dual ISO performance Size: N/A Native resolution: N/A Frames rates: 4K/60p with 2K up to 240fps Processing: 4:2:2 10-bit. Video codec up to 400 Mbps with VLog and VGamut available Lens mount: EF Recording modes: Recording to SD cards. A 5.7K Raw output will be available in a future update Image path: Electronic image stablisation (EIS) . IR cut in/out. ND filter wheel (2/4/6 stops) Other: Weigh 1.2kg. XLR audio inputs. HDMI & SDI 4K video outputs. 6.69”x5.31”x5.23” (LxHxW)
PANASONIC’S CHIP FOLLOWS THE TREND OF AIMING HIGH, WITH A 5.7K PERFORMANCE, AND THEN SUPERSAMPLING DOWN
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NEWS NEW CAMERAS
CANON C200
If you were at the Paramount back-lot in 2011 for the unveiling of the original Cinema EOS C300, you could only guess at what has happened since. There was a whispered commitment from Canon that this prestigious launch would be just the beginning of Canon’s thrust into digital cinema, but even their most generous projections couldn’t foresee where we are now. The new Canon C200 cleverly offers temptations to several groups from the pro video world: those who have used the C100, already have the lenses and are looking to move up to a 4K business model is one. You could also argue that if you owned the original C300 and hadn’t moved up to the Mark II that this C200 could act as a replacement, especially if you are looking to work in a Raw file format. The C200’s Raw format is called Cinema Raw Light, which is encoded in a smaller file size than the existing Cinema Raw. For the more cinematic crowd, those who believe Raw can enable them to imitate a much more expensive cinema product, this option might even encourage interest in the C200 for features. The smaller file size also allows you to record 4K DCI 50p Raw internally on a CFast card, but if you want to work this way there are
limitations, such as only 15 minutes recording time on a 128GB CFast card. There is, however, a 150Mbps MP4 alternative, and from next year Canon’s XF-AVC video format will be available as a free software update. Canon have also gone a long way in providing a post route for this new ‘Light’ Raw format, with grading in DaVinci Resolve and editing in AVID Media Composer already signed off. Coming soon is EDIUS Pro and hopefully Final Cut Pro. At release, there was no news of Adobe Premiere providing a post route. I suggest they look at that quickly. Canon quote Cinema Light as the reason they can claim 15 stops of dynamic range, which we will test when we receive a camera. Add this Raw option to 120fps of HD, the usual fabulous AF performance, built-in ND filters and great ISO – and you’ve got a winner.
ABOVE The latest member of the Cinema EOS line gets you into Raw recording at a new, lower price point.
SPECIFICATIONS Sensor: Super 35 type Size: 9.8mp - 4206x2340px Native resolution: 4206x2340 Frames rates: 59.94, 50, 24 Processing: Cinema RAW Light 1 Gbps VBR. MP4 150Bps and 35Bps Claimed Dynamic range with Raw - 15 stops Lens mount: EF. Change to PL mount possible with return to service centre. Recording modes: Recording CFAST card. 128GB card 15 minutes in Cinema Raw Light. 110 minutes MP4 150Bps Image path: Electronic image stablisation (EIS) . ND filter clear/2/4/8/10 stops Other: Weigh 1.4Kg. XLR audio inputs. HDMI & SDI 4K video outputs. GPS & Wi-Fi. 7.0”x5.7”x6.0” (LxHxW)
THE C200’S RAW FORMAT IS CALLED CINEMA RAW LIGHT, WHICH IS ENCODED IN A SMALLER FILE SIZE THAN THE EXISTING CINEMA RAW
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SHOOT STORY POLDARK
Blue Sky Thinking The UK’s favourite Cornishman Ross Poldark is again scything his way into the nation’s hearts. But was there room for innovation in Season 3’s look? WORDS JULIAN MITCHELL PICTURES BBC PICTURES AND NICK DANCE s Sunday night dramas go, few can beat Poldark as comfort viewing before the working week envelopes you. The programme has gone beyond the ‘guilty secret’ and has been fully embraced by an audience who want nothing more than a reference-less historical soap opera packed with good-looking people (with some exceptions) and scenery (with no exceptions). Obviously the BBC is loath to change a winning formula but that didn’t stop them introducing a new director and director of photography. For Season 3 new director Joss Agnew brought with him DOP Nick Dance. On his first Poldark outing, Nick shot six of this season’s nine episodes and is going back for another five on the next season.
The launch of a Poldark series is solidly positioned as an annual event, although Season 3 was brought forward to this summer to avoid clashing with ITV’s Victoria, so it’s only been off the screen for around six months. There is an inherent risk transmitting in high summer, but as Mammoth Screen is the production company behind both productions, perhaps there isn’t a competitive angle beyond broadcaster’s viewing figures. Nick came on board Poldark through his relationship with the director Joss Agnew who he had worked with on TV shows, Mr Selfridge and Brief Encounters. “We worked together well and kept on budget and I think that’s why they are bringing us back for Season 4,” says Nick.
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THE LAUNCH OF A POLDARK SERIES IS SOLIDLY POSITIONED AS AN ANNUAL EVENT
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SHOOT STORY FARGO
THIS IMAGE For a view
similar to our everyday one, Fargo Season 3 used a 29mm lens 75% of the time. Here Ewan McGregor on set as Emmit Stussy.
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FARGO SHOOT STORY
The Fargo Way What might be the last season of Fargo is also the best with its interwoven character arcs and unique Cohen aesthetic WORDS JULIAN MITCHELL PICTURES FX NETWORK s with House Of Cards, which we discussed in last month’s Definition, Fargo is a well-proven TV show that germinated from a particular place – in this instance, the Cohen Brothers’ movie of the same name planted the seed for the aesthetic. Also in common with House of Cards, the show’s crew are fans and speak passionately about working on it. DOP Craig Wrobleski started out in the second unit at the end of Season 1, and was invited to alternate with main DOP Dana Gonzales for Seasons 2 and 3. “For Season 3 I did four episodes as the main DOP, as I had done for Season 2,” he explains. “The way it works towards the tail end of the season is that the last two episodes are quite sizeable so I stay on until the end of the show to do second unit work. In Season 2 it turned into two full weeks of second unit. “We take our cues from the work of the Cohen Brothers and by extension the work of Roger Deakins, their usual DOP on all their movies. Fargo takes its influences from the entire Cohen Brothers catalogue but
their aesthetic is fairly strict and I’m sure some of that comes from Roger Deakins as well. They generally shoot on shorter lenses and so do we. We’re very strict about camera movement, although probably not to the extent that House of Cards is; I know they don’t pan or tilt a lot. I personally love the visual structure of House Of Cards and I think what some people might think of as limitations on that show are actually huge opportunities as it really helps cement the look.
“On Fargo there are certain things we just don’t do,” he continues. “But it was funny this year as on the first episode my first shot was a 180mm long lens shot of a truck driving down the road. I’ve never shot anything longer than a 50mm on Fargo before as that’s the visual language we use. It was a good way to start to get the 180mm out of my system but then we went with our discipline, shooting exclusively on prime lenses.” THE GO-TO LENS Again as with House Of Cards the Fargo lensing concentrates on something like the view we all have of the world. They probably shot 75% of the episodes with a 29mm lens. “Every year we seem to find a ‘go-to’ lens that seems to do the job,” says Craig. “This year it was that 29mm. We don’t carry a Steadicam, we do a lot of work off cranes, we shoot off jib arms a lot. Our A camera operator Daryl Hartwell is a master of the jib arm and uses it to be able to dance with the actors and to really keep the frames working so that it doesn’t feel like a jib arm; it doesn’t have that floaty kind of feel. He uses it as a tool to maintain composition AUGUST 2017 DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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GEAR GROUP SENSORS
SENSOR CENSUS
The Gear Group this month looks at what some people call the new emulsions: camera sensors. You used to have just Kodak and Fujifilm to choose from, now you have the choice of many new sensors all with their own character. But should you choose your camera because of the sensor? We say why wouldn’t you…
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SENSORS GEAR GROUP
ARRI ALEV III SENSOR
ARRI A3X CMOS SENSOR
BLACKMAGIC 4.6K SENSOR
As the digital cinematography world approached, ARRI film cameramen and women hung on for their digital product. The rental only cameras D20 and D21 came along which turned out to be just teasers to the main event, the ARRI ALEXA with the ALEV III sensor on-board. This sensor is the great survivor. As ARRI has extended its range of cameras, the constant has been this remarkable sensor. ARRI’s basic philosophy has given it this extraordinary longevity and, of course, has put pressure on what follows. But really it’s basic science. The sensor has bigger pixel buckets that allow larger photosites, which in turn allows for more dynamic range against the cramming of photo sites on a sensor to say it’s 4k or 6k or 8k or higher. You can get more resolution that way but it’s harder to get better dynamic range that way. DOP Kramer Morgenthau commented when shooting Terminator Genisys with the ARRI ALEXA: “I feel like I know the ALEXA sensor pretty well now. I can walk in to a room and know how it’s going to react to the light in the room and it’s a very comforting thing.”
We heard a whisper at the 2014 IBC trade show in Amsterdam that it might be a good idea to visit the Cinec show in Munich shortly after. As it was here that the mighty ALEXA 65 camera saw the light of day. The camera’s sensor is still the largest of any current camera and it was described to us as being equivalent to three ALEXA sensors. The sensor design is based on the same photosite technology as the ALEXA XT, so image attributes such as colourimetry and dynamic range would match well with any member of the ALEXA family. But the proof of any image technology is ultimately how it looks and how much the professionals can get out of it. DOPs like Greig Fraser shooting on Rogue One said, “The format is something I’m quite passionate about – it’s not just for big films either.” DOP Mike Eley who wanted to use the ALEXA 65 for My Cousin Rachel but unfortunately couldn’t said about the sensor: “There was something about the sensor that gave a heightened image.” There are other sensors here that offer more photosites but as we all know it’s the size of your sensor that counts not the number of pixels on it.
When we reviewed the huge and heavy Blackmagic Design URSA camera we liked it and said that it was a proper camera and not a souped-up DSLR. But pointedly we concluded that it was crying out for a better sensor to suit that 12-bit Raw codec. Lo and behold when the URSA Mini camera was launched you could order the camera with this new 4.6K sensor and suddenly you had a customised Super 35 image sensor featuring high resolution of 4608x2592 at 120 frames-per-second and a claimed 15 stops of dynamic range. You could also retro fit it to your URSA as a turret upgrade for a couple of thousand dollars. Ouch! You could always keep the lower performing 4K model with 12 stops of DR. Like previous Blackmagic sensors there is built-in active refrigeration guarding against the heat that 120fps emanates. This will hopefully ensure maximum dynamic range and low noise at those extremes. But the launch unfortunately happened without the promise of the global shutter option. Maybe that was one feature too far for a camera priced at under £6,000 with all those features (listed in the camera section in the back of the magazine).
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
Sensor: Super 35 3.4K CMOS Bayer with dual gain architecture
Sensor type: CMOS
Sensor type: Super35 CMOS
Size: 23.8x13.4mm
Image aperture: 5-perf 65mm
Size: 25.34x14.25mm
Native resolution: 3392x2200px
Sensor active image area: 54.12x25.59 mm (diagonal 59.87mm)
Sensor active image area: 4608x2592
Effective pixels: 2880×1620. Full sensor resolution can be used in the Open Gate mode
Sensor resolution: 6560x3100 photosites (maximum recordable) Open gate ratio of 2.11:1
Dynamic range: Claimed 15 stops
Processing: The Dual Gain Architecture simultaneously provides two separate read-out paths from each pixel with different amplification. The first path contains the regular, highly amplified signal. The second path contains a signal with lower amplification, to capture the information that is clipped in the first path.
Dynamic range: > 14 stops Sensor crop modes: 1.78: 5120x2880 1.50 (8-perf 35mm): 4320x2880
Processing Built-in active refrigeration Base ISO: Should be 800 for the sweet spot, so like the ALEV III sensor. Can go up to 1600 with little noise
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REVIEW FUJINON MK LENSES
ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM Fujinon has an enviable reputation for its cine lenses but is now concentrating on a wider market. We consider the new MK zooms alongside the latest Sony equivalent WORDS MARK MOREVE
SUDDENLY WE HAVE BEEN PRESENTED WITH A WHOLE LINE-UP OF LENSES
have been a cameraman for 25 years now, starting back when 2/3-inch Betacam SP was a popular format, using lenses such as the Fujinon 14x9 Pegasus II – for a wide angle, a Fujinon 8.5x5.5 would be brought out of the crew van! When HD came along Canon stole the march on Fujinon, especially in the UK, where we pretty much all converted. Although 2/3-inch sensors are still very much the norm for outside broadcasts or news applications, many freelancers these days have moved over to using large sensor cameras shooting in the Super 35mm format for both broadcast and corporate work. Ever since the EOS Canon 5D Mark II was launched with its good(ish) quality video, the trend for large sensor cameras and the shallow depthof-field look has become ever more popular. I’ve always embraced this ‘large sensor look and feel’, as I like the
creativity it allows. As a cameraman, being able to choose between shallow depth-of-field or not is a great tool to have in the cameraman’s box of tricks. It allows you to direct the viewer’s attention to the area you want them to see, as well as making that dull boardroom look fabulous when you throw the background out of focus. There are a few issues, though – the main one being the lenses. We can break this down into two parts: cost; and operability. PL mount zoom lenses are inherently expensive, with one of the more popular examples – the Canon CN7 – costing around £17,000. It’s a great quality 17-120mm Super 35mm zoom lens, but at a price that most people can’t afford (or at £300 a day aren’t willing to pay the rental for). OTHER OPTIONS So, what’s the other option? For many people, the alternative has been to use
stills photography lenses. For my part, I’ve used Canon EF stills lenses for quite a while. They’re relatively cheap and are good quality, but once again they come with their own problems. Stills lenses do not have a long focus throw, so they’re not that easy to use with a follow focus system. The focus on a stills lens can ‘breathe’ quite a bit, meaning that as you pull the focus, the frame size will shift – not a desirable effect for video. And they are not parfocal, meaning they don’t hold their focus throughout the length of the zoom range. Stills lenses’ zoom range is usually quite short, like a 24-70mm (2.9x zoom) or 70-200mm (2.85x zoom). If you do get a long zoom lens such as a Tokina 16-300mm then you don’t get a constant aperture, which is imperative when shooting video as you don’t want your shot to change its brightness halfway through! Finally, and this one has bugged me
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FUJINON MK LENSES REVIEW
for an awfully long time, most of these stills lenses don’t have external smooth iris rings. They have stepped internal iris rings, which can mean an exposure pull ‘in shot’ is just not possible without it being noticeable by the viewer, and that is unacceptable, in my opinion. The relatively recent launches and success of the Sony FS5 and FS7 cameras, both affordable 2K and 4K machines, have ticked many of the boxes that operators and productions are looking for, from high frame rates to excellent operability with viewfinders and shoulder mounts in places they should be. But still the old lens dilemma. Until now... Suddenly we have been presented with a whole line-up of lenses aimed squarely at this market from a range of companies, including Canon, Zeiss and Fujinon, Sony, Angénieux
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ABOVE The FUJINON
50-135mm – when you open it up to T2.95. Wow! Lovely, sharp images with a very dreamy soft bokeh.
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4K CAMERA LISTINGS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
DEFINITION’S 4K CAMERA LISTING As the professional video world moves towards 4K production and UHD broadcast we have the camera reference listing you need
Based on the ALEXA SXT Plus, the SXT W will replace the SXT Plus and Studio models with an industrial version of the Amimon chipset for wireless transmission. ARRI has ruggedised the W mainly for feature work. SPECIFICATION
ARRI ALEXA SXT W 200FPS
> 14 STOPS
PL MOUNT
2880X1620
SxS
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
16:9 or 4:3 sensor mode. 4:3 output only available for ARRIRAW and ProRes 2K recording
FRAME RATES
At 16:9 – 0.75–120fps/60fps max when recording 2K ProRes/speeds
LATITUDE (STOPS)
+14
LENS MOUNT
PL
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x2160 uncompressed ARRIRAW
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
16-bit linear internal image processing in full ALEXA Wide Gamut/Log C colour space. Target output colour spaces: Log C, Rec. 709 or Rec. 2020.
WEIGHT (KG)
6.9 with PL mount
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4K CAMERA LISTINGS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ARRI AMIRA 200FPS
14 STOPS
PL MOUNT
2880x1620
ARRI ALEXA MINI CFAST
200FPS
New multicam feature being introduced offers dual 6G UHD-SDI support and improves the SDI output data rate to allow external 4K UHD recording at up to 60fps. Many multicamera productions prefer to record at 4K, even if the content will be down-converted.
14 STOPS
PL MOUNT
2880x1620
SxS
New features include more support for EF lenses including control of focus and iris, and the use of image stabilisers. Big interest to gimbal and drone operators. ARRI Master Grips support has also been extended, with 3-axis control of ENG lenses.
SPECIFICATION
SPECIFICATION
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
Single CMOS, 16:9 (1.78:1), 23.8x13.4mm – S35
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
Single CMOS, 16:9 (1.78:1), 23.8x13.4mm – S35
FRAME RATES
Up to 200fps in ProRes
FRAME RATES
Up to 200fps in ProRes
LATITUDE (STOPS)
14
LATITUDE (STOPS)
14
LENS MOUNT
PL, B4 mount w/ Hirose connector
LENS MOUNT
PL, EF, B4 w/ Hirose connector
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x1620, uncompressed ARRIRAW/1920x1080
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x1620, uncompressed ARRIRAW/1920x1080
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
HD 1920x1080, 2K 2048x1152, 3.2K ProRes 3200x1800 4K UHD 3840x2160
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
3.2K: 3200x1800; 4K UHD: 3840x2160 (up-sampled from 3.2K); 4:3 2.8K: 2880x2160 (up to 2944x2160)
WEIGHT (KG)
4.1 with PL mount
WEIGHT (KG)
2.3 with Titanium PL mount
ARRI ALEXA CLASSIC EV 120FPS
14 STOPS
PL MOUNT
2880x1620
SxS
Even with the new SXT models coming on stream this year, you can still buy or rent this model with the original great performing sensor.
SPECIFICATION
ARRI ALEXA SXT EV 120FPS
14 STOPS
PL MOUNT
2880x2160
SxS/SXR
SXT ALEXAs gets the sensor from ALEXA, the electronics from the A65 and the colour management from AMIRA. In-camera rec is ProRes 4K UHD/CINE.
SPECIFICATION
ARRI ALEXA 65 60FPS
> 14 STOPS
XPL MOUNT
5120x2880
SXR/XR
With a sensor larger than a 5-perf 65mm film frame, ALEXA 65 heralds the start of Digital IMAX. Now shooting as a main production camera.
SPECIFICATION
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
Single CMOS 16:9 (1.78:1) 23.8x13.4mm – S35
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
16:9 or 4:3 sensor mode. 4:3 output only for ARRIRAW and ProRes 2K recording
FRAME RATES
0.75–120fps (120fps with paidfor update)
FRAME RATES
At 16:9 – 0.75-120fps/60fps max when recording 2K ProRes/speeds adjustable with 1/1000fps precision
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x1620 Uncompressed ARRIRAW/ 1920x1080
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x1620 Uncompressed ARRIRAW/ 1920x1080
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
ARRI A3X CMOS sensor, 54.12x25.58mm active image area. Open Gate aspect ratio of 2.11:1 (6560x3100).
FRAME RATES
Capable of recording 20-60fps (open gate) using new SXR media. XR drives allow 27fps.
DIGITAL SAMPLING
1.78 crop mode (5-perf 65mm): 5120x2880. and 1.50:1 crop mode – 4320x2880
AUGUST 2017 DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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