Pulling Stills From Video Shot on the Canon 1DC

The Canon 1DC is a stills/cinema camera that will shoot 4K video in JPEG format (no RAW yet). It should run about $20-30k so it's clearly for the pro market. Future bodies, whether from Canon or other makers, will surely be less expensive, though.

One of the coolest things about the new DSLRs is the ability to pull stills straight out of video. However, the resolution has been too low to meet pro standards. Until the 1DC.

For shooting a movie the Canon 5D III as well as the 1DX will do fine ('Act of Valor' was shot on the Canon 5D II as was many other Hollywood features).

So, I'll wait a bit. I still want RAW capture in a less expensive camera. The 1DC is a step in the right direction, though, to be sure.

The video comes from Untitled Film Works who also have a nice write up.






















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Short Film 'Man and Beast' Shot on Canon C500

This is about Dr. Alan Rabinowitz. Here's a clip from Wikipedia:

• Rabinowitz grew up in Brooklyn, New York. In grade school, he was placed in a special education class due to a severe stutter; which often caused his body to twist and spasm when attempting to speak.^[4] Unable to communicate with his peers and teachers, Rabinowitz became interested in wildlife, to which he could speak. At this point, Rabinowitz made a promise to animals that if he ever found his voice, he would use it to speak in their defense.^[5]

Here's his appearance on The Colbert Report.

The Colbert Report
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The film was shot on the Canon C500 which records 4k (4 x 1080p).

Here's the film.

(Be sure and change the resolution to 720p -- control appears in lower right after (not before) you click play)

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BlackMagic 2.5K Cinema Camera

From EOSHD:

...BlackMagic Design has dropped a bombshell. They have entered the digital cinema market with a $3000 cinema camera that records 2.5K RAW with 13.5 stops of dynamic range to an SSD, with Thunderbolt and HD-SDI. A true next generation camera.

Sensor size is a little like the GH2′s Micro Four Thirds 16:9 multi-aspect CMOS. It sits between Super 16mm and the GH2. It isn’t quite as large as Super 35mm but it isn’t far off. The whole area of the sensor is 16.64 mm x 14.04 mm and the recording area for video is 15.6 mm x 8.8 mm.

This from DPreview:

Blackmagic Cinema Camera Key Features

High resolution 2.5K sensor allows improved anti aliasing and reframing shots.

Super wide 13 stops of dynamic range allows capture of increased details for feature film look.

Built in SSD allows high bandwidth recording of RAW video and long duration compressed video.

Open file formats compatible with popular NLE software such as CinemaDNG 12 bit RAW, Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD. No custom file formats.

Includes no custom connections. Standard jack mic/line audio in, BNC 3 Gb/s SDI out, headphone, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, LANC remote control and standard DC 12-30V power connection.

Capacitive touch screen LCD for camera settings and slate metadata entry.

Compatible with extremely high quality Canon EF and Zeiss ZF lenses.

Supports 2.5K and 1080HD resolution capture in 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 fps.

Thunderbolt connection allows direct camera capture via included Media Express software and supports live waveform monitoring via the included Blackmagic UltraScope software.

Includes a full copy of DaVinci Resolve 9.0 color grading software.

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Rooney Mara shot by David Fincher on the RED Camera

That digital cameras are the instrument of the future can't be argued. For digital work, the RED is currently the camera of choice in Hollywood. It's been used to shoot, at least in part, The Hobbit, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus, and others.

Systems by Canon are very popular, especially when the budget is low. The Canon 5D Mark II (and a couple other models like the 7D) have been used for Act of Valor, Like Crazy to keep costs down, but the rig is also used when there's very little room and larger cameras won't do. Canons have also used in big budget movies like Captain America and Iron Man. Canon has introduced its first digital camera specifically designed for capturing movies, the C300.

However, new images of Rooney Mara by David Fincher puts the RED system in the spotlight today.

Here's a crop:

Film simply can't do this. The level of resolution and dynamic range can't be captured on emulsion, especially in light like this, even if you work with large format.

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