Archive for January, 2006

Review: Proof

It’s Jake Gyllenhaal’s week. I just reviewed Jarhead and I still have to see and review Brokeback Mountain.

Proof differs a lot from the other two movie as it has a heroine at the center – Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow). Another difference is that if there’s a duo in the movie, it’s not entirely on-screen. I’m referring to John Madden working with Gwyneth Paltrow again (Shakespeare in Love).

Proof ft. Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth PaltrowThe story is about a brilliant mathematician, Robert (Anthony Hopkins), who has gone insane at the age of 27 but not before revolutionizing three different fields in mathematics.

His daughter Catherine, also 27, is stressed from years of caring for her sick father and the fear that his insanity could be hereditary.

If you have concerns that the movie will be all about incomprehensible mathematics, you’re only half right. It is about mathematics but the director manages to keep it very accessible. The focus of the film is Catherine’s emotional and intellectual crisis.

The movie opens with a father-and-daughter scene that lets us see the “sane” Robert who turns out to be only a vision, since he just died. His death summons his New York daughter, Claire (Hope Davis), and also his dissertation student, Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Apart from these three, Robert is survived by 168 notebooks full of his ramblings. Jake is attracted to Catherine and his professor’s scribbles in equal measure. He’s convinced there’s a brilliant line somewhere that could lead HIM to greatness. Claire is preoccupied with a myriad tasks, all in a notebook of her own. Taking care of her distressed sister falls somewhere between getting freshly brewed coffee and packing her father’s belongings.

Although there’s conflict in all scenes, it erupts to a Mount Vesuvius status when Catherine shows another notebook (the 169th?) to Hal. The notebook contains a proof that’s clearly not the work of a madman. It could’ve been Catherine who wrote it, or it could be her father, in his nine months of remission. I won’t spoil it for you by providing the answer to the movie’s central question.

The performances are all top-notch. If there’s a problem with the movie, it’s in the fact that it’s an adaptation from a play. Some scenes come as heavy and staged. There isn’t much movement and the transitions are sometimes abrupt. I haven’t seen the original play (I never stay in London long enough), so I can’t comment on the quality of the adaptation itself.

Overall, Proof is a solid movie with excellent performances. I hated Jake in The Day after Tomorrow but I think I’m warming up to him. My girlfriend is teasing me that if I like him in Brokeback Mountain, I could kiss my heterosexuality bye-bye. Yeah, right!

Info: Proof
USA, 2005
Running Length: 1:40
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hope Davis
Director: John Madden
Producer: John Hart, Robert Kessel, Alison Owen, Jeff Sharp
Screenplay: David Auburn and Rebecca Miller (based on the play by David Auburn)
Cinematography: Alwin H. Kuchler
Music: Stephen Warbeck

16:9 anamorphic adapter for minicams

I recently reviewed two minicams that could be used for “trick” photography: Ikegami HDL-20, a native HDV cam with a five-digit price tag, and Sony DXC-C33, an affordable SD cam.

16:9 widescreen anamorphic adapter (Toshiba VT-169) for Toshiba TU-63The key concern when using an SD cam in an hi-def video production is to provide a seamless integration of the SD footage with MINIMUM resolution loss. If your budget allows it, go for Ikegami HDL-20 but as it often happens, you can probably spend those $15,000 somewhere else.

Sony’s PAL version minicam- the DXC-C33P, offers increased resolution (PAL’s resolution is 768×576). Let’s assume that the rest of the video production is shot with Panasonic HVX200 for its range of 720p frame rates.

PAL’s 442,368 pixels should be matched to the 921,600 pixels for 720p. If you look at the pixel counts, a 2:1 ratio is not that bad. Until you take into account that PAL is 4:3 and HD is 16:9. Shooting in PAL and then converting to 16:9 means you lose vertical resolution. How much? Pulling out my calculator… your vertical resolution will be just 432 lines (that’s 768×9/16). You lose a whopping 25 percent. So what do you do?

16:9 widescreen anamorphic adapter (Toshiba VT-169) for Toshiba TU-63Ta-da. Enter the 16:9 widescreen anamorphic adapter (or an anamorphic lens if the camcorder support interchangeable lenses). The way the anamorphic adapter works is to squeeze the widescreen image onto the 4:3 CCDs. The 768 pixels of the PAL format will correspond to 1024 pixels once you un-squeeze it in post. So instead of doing a blow up from 768×432 lines to 1280×720, you’ll be doing a blow up from 1024×576.

As I mentioned in my Sony DXC-C33 review, there are no anamorphic adapters available (at least from Sony). However, Toshiba has pioneered an anamorphic adapter - the Toshiba VT-169 - that fits two of their minicams: Toshiba TU-63 and TU-48.

When shopping around, in addition to Toshiba’s anamorphic adapter, you should also check with Century Optics. They have several types of 16:9 adapters, some of the 37mm ones could work with a minicam with some tweaking.

Hamas wins

I tuned to BBC - just in time to get the confirmation for Hamas’ winning the elections in Palestine. It’s not something that came out of the blue. Most polls indicated that Hamas could score an easy win.

Considering both the USA and the EU have banned Hamas and renounced it as a terrorist organization. The EU subsidizes the Palestinian government with some 500 Million euros which leaves an important question: how will Hamas spend these? A good start for Hamas is “wiping out Israel” as suggested by Iran’s president Ahmadinejad. It’s been on their agenda, they simply lacked the funds.

Iraq’s election yielded a similar result in that the vast majority of the parliamentary parties are religious - some more radical than others. I don’t wanna be the CIA guy who’s looking at the map of the Middle East.

An interesting question is: “what are the chances that Zawahiri will send Hamas a letter similar to the one he sent to Zarqawi?” Something like “does and don’ts of running a successful Al Qaeda franchise.”

Special cameras: Sony DXC-C33

I recently reviewed Ikegami HDL-20 as one of the pioneers in the field of ultra-compact HD cameras, a.k.a. minicams. The downside to being an early adopter though is price and in HDL-20’s case, it’s pretty steep - $20,000+.

Sony DXC-33Sony has a PAL camera (DXC-C33P) which is pretty good and flexible for a minicam but unfortunately it’s not hi-def.

The price is only one-fifth of the Ikegami unit which could save you, if you desparately need a minicam on a budget.

Here’s the company description:

The Sony DXC-C33P is a 3-chip color video camera with Firewire connectivity for limited space applications. It uses 3x 1/3-inch CCDs that output an amazing 850 lines of resolution and are sensitive for f/8 at 2000 lux. A powerful digital signal processor allows great image quality with DynaLatitude and Partial Enhance, special features usually found on high-end broadcast gear. The camera is made up of 2 pieces: the camera head that takes C-mount lenses, and the camera control unit, a control box that gives access to the various video parameters the DSP governs and the on-screen menu system. The 2 pieces are connected by a flexible cable (sold separately) that can be as long as about 90 feet (30 meters).

There are three Sony minicam lenses that come as standard accessories - none of them are anamorphic, i.e. convert from 4:3 to 16:9. You most definitely need an anamorphic adapter as otherwise you’ll be losing a lot more resolution (converting from 4:3 to 16:9 in post).

I haven’t seen a lens adapter that small but the camera comes with a standard c-mount type lens mount, so it which should accommodate other lenses as well.

The GOOD news is that the dimensions of the camera put it in the ultra-compact class (32×38x40mm). The camera head weighs just 48 grams which allows you to mount it on ANYTHING, even on a remote-controlled toy car. If I were you, I would be careful where I mount it though. It’s still a pretty expensive camera ($4,000+).

To put the DXC-C33 into perspective, Sony’s smallest HD cam, the HC1 weighs 680 grams (24 ounces) and Sony’s regular-sized FX1 is 2 kilos (4 pounds).

In terms of camera accessories, you have no choice but to buy a lens and a recording unit. There’s an optional 30 meter cable that links the camera to the control unit which could come in handy as well (if you need to put the camera on a pole). There’s a company in the UK that’s already putting these on poles - not surprisingly, the company’s called Polecam.

It’s interesting to see if some of the new USB 2.0 webcams can deliver an image that’s worth anything.

Review: Jarhead

Jarhead is an ambitious movie. All war movies are, whether they confess it or not.

Arguments like “but there are no A-list actors” ring a bit false because Jake Gyllenhaal’s damn close to A-list status with the crop of 2005 (Brokeback Mountain, Proof, Jarhead). Sam Mendes is definitely on MY A-list (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) and Walter Murch… is on TOP of my best editor’s list (he made Apocalypse Now and The English Patient work so seamlessly).

Jarhead - Swoff is training to become a sniperThe movie opens with a familiar scene - Marines in a boot camp. Too familiar. It’s an almost perfect copy of Kubrick’s superior Full Metal Jacket. Jake’s character - Swofford - perhaps surprisingly is a real person and author of the autobiographical book which this movie is based on. The movie obviously tried to keep the realism of the book.

The Marines undergo training and humiliation in equal measure although we do get to see only the latter. Jake’s invited by Staff Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx) to join a sniper squad. Predictably, Jake is one of only eight to pass the training and become a sniper. His spotter is Troy (Peter Sarsgaard, last seen in Garden State), who’s dream is to become a Marine (duh!).

Jarhead - Swoff is hydrating in the desertOnce Act I is gone and the Marines move to the Saudi desert, we are exposed to the endless boredom and tedium of constant readiness and no action. The days, the sand, the heat… all blend together in a visually stunning but emotionally very dry experience. I didn’t care for any of those. I hoped we’ll get some early frags, KIA’s, MIA’s, or anything else that could spice it up.

Jarhead borrows from several classics yet the scenes fail to match the originals. One example is the appearance of Arabs and camels to be contronted by our protagonist- very similar to David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. If we compare the two scenes, Jarhead’s ark seems to be mundane-buildup-disappointment. David Lean’s famous scene on the other hand starts with a mirage, goes through a bloody conflict and transcends to re-affirm the bond between Lawrence and the desert and its people.

Chris Cooper steals his scene as Lt. Col. Kazinski. In his minute of screen time, he reaches out to George C. Scott’s Patton and gets a nod for his performance.

When the movie finally seems to pick up steam near the climax, Jake gets a cold shower and so do we. I won’t spoil it for you, you might get it on a DVD or as a torrent.

I did find some scenes very funny as they took me back to my days in the military (Disclosure: I’m a lieutenant). My girlfriend found it excruciatingly boring though so it’s definitely not a date movie. From a certain perspective, it’s good that Sam Mendes doesn’t score a 10 with this movie either. That way, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for his next movie.

Info: Jarhead
USA, 2005
Running Length: 2:05
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper
Director: Sam Mendes
Producer: Lucy Fisher, Sam Mendes, Douglas Wick
Screenplay: William D. Broyles Jr., based on the book by Anthony Swofford
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Music: Thomas Newman

Shooting Mini-Me: Ikegami HDL-20

Ikegami HDL-20Recently, when I reviewed Sony HC1, I said it’s the smallest, most compact HDV cam. It would seem I got it wrong, as Ikegami has had a smaller hd camera for some time now.

Ikegami HDL-20 is a ultra-compact HD minicam with some amazing features. It comes with an inpressive price tag but considering you’ll probably rent it for a day or two of “trick” photography, it’s a good option to consider.

If you’re on a low budget, however, you have little choice but to tinker with a Sony HC1 camcorder. Maybe you can remove the recording mechanism or fit it with a lens adapter.

Here’s the description found at the site:

The HDL-20 is a HDTV camera with an ultra-compact camera head incorporating two 2/3-inch 2.2 million-pixel CCDs. As external sync signal input and HD-SDI output are provided, the HDL-20 is suitable for trick shooting in special fields of the broadcasting sector. Despite the fact that it utilizes only two CCDs, the camera incorporates a newly developed ASIC for digital processing to achieve a resolution as high as three-CCD cameras.

It all sounds OK, although the last sentence bothers me a bit. If 2CCDs are just as good as 3CCDs, why am I not seeing MORE 2CCD cameras? Anyway, the important features are as follows:

  • Excellent resolution (pixel count is 1920×1080)
  • 4:2:2 color space
  • Big, 2/3 inch sensors (albeit 2 instead of 3)
  • Ultra-compact (40 x 53 x 65 mm) and lightweight (less than 200 g)

If there’s a downside to using this camera as your next helm cam, it’s the price tag. The MSRP is $30,000. Yep, that’s THIRTY thousand. I didn’t put another zero for effect. So if you’re super-rich and your MTB weighs 2 pounds there’s no reason why your helm cam should weigh more than several ounces.

This minicam is a good option for “trick” photography - as a pole cam or miniatures cam because of its 2/3 inch mount which accepts a variety of professional HD lenses (also very expensive).

If you’re like me, you better stick to Sony - their SD minicam is the Sony DXC-C33. You will need an anamorphic adapter though to make up for the resolution loss.

Review: Kopps

Although Kopps received a limited theatrical release in Europe, you probably missed. It’s one of the freshest comedies of 2003. I saw it recently on TV and remembered how fun it was.

Kopps is a Swedish movie, directed by Josef Fares, a Lebanese-Swedish filmmaker. Variety recently declared him one of ten upcoming directors to watch in 2006.

Kopps posterKopps is about a quite police department in rural Sweden where four police officers, a dispatcher, and their chief are all spending their time in meaningful activities like taking a cow off the main road. There are no crimes and as fate will have it, someone at HQ decided they no longer need a police department if there’s no work.

Fares Fares (Josef Fares’s brother) is one a of the lead characters. He and the other police officers come up with a plan for doing petty crimes in order to change the statistics. The closure of the department is “actioned on” by the beautiful Eva Röse, who’s the “guy from HQ”.

Eva Röse and Fares Fares in KoppsThere’s a wisp of romance between Eva and Fares’ characters but the movie is mostly about being a comedy. There are scenes that are truly funny and others that will get a chuckle. I found the movie very refreshing and I really loved Benny’s character. Both action sequences (Benny being a super-cop) were hilarious.

Considering the limited budget (about 2 Million USD), I think Josef Fares is definitely on to something. Variety could be right about him.

Note: The Kopps DVD (with English subtitles or dubbed) can be ordered here. Alternatively, you might find the Kopps torrent.

Info: Kopps
Sweden/Denmark, 2003
Running Length: 1:30
Cast: Fares Fares, Torkel Petersson, Eva Röse
Director: Josef Fares
Producer: Anna Anthony
Screenplay: Josef Fares, Mikael Håfström
Cinematography: Aril Wretblad
Music: Daniel Lemma, Bengt Nilsson

Producing video for iPod

iPod videoOn October 12, 2005, Apple announced the fifth-generation iPod, a.k.a. video iPod, which featured the ability to play video with resolutions of up to 480 x 480 and 320 x 240 (videos purchased from the iTunes Music Store are limited to 320 x 240.)

Is the video iPod (and handhelds in general) a viable platform for indie producers to distribute shorts and features? As I’ve said in my iPod video review, you won’t be able to play Lawrence of Arabia on your iPod any time soon.

IMAX movies aside, let’s take the U2 iPod video as an example of what you can play on an iPod and make it look great.

Video iPod - Encoding Video

iPod videoThe video iPod plays MPEG-4 and H.264 video - this is all good news as both codecs are very efficient which results in very high-quality video.

When one considers the target resolution, even files encoded at the highest resolution (230,400 pixels) usually end up about 15MB per minute of video.

Most feature-length videos will be between 1GB and 2GB. If you encode them at 320×240, they’ll be in the 500MB range probably. In other words, even the 30G iPod will store 10+ movies.

Video iPod - Screen and Battery

iPod video It has a 65,536 color screen with a 320 x 240 (the pixel count is 76,800) QVGA transflective TFT display. The iPod is also able to display video on an external TV via the AV cable accessory (that’s the only reason to encode at the higher resolution).

16-bit color is OK but definitely not great when you need a dynamic range. Most gradient backgrounds will form strips instead of one smooth transition. Reflections or overexposure create similar patterns. As you can see in the screenshots from the U2 iPod video, there are 3 rules:

  • Rule #1: Underexposure
  • Rule #2: Silhouettes
  • Rule #3: Solid Colors

iPod videoHigh-contrast could be put on the list but it would be a bit misleading. For example, a film noir is high-contrast but it might have too many grays for the display to handle.

Practive makes perfect. However, before you rush out with your new HD camera, you should download a few torrents for your iPod (already encoded) and see what works and what doesn’t.

I’ll return to the subject tomorrow when I’ll review how to convert videos for iPod.

Review: Syriana

I was disappointed with Syriana . It’s not that it’s a bad movie but I did fell for the Soderbergh-Clooney duo - I thought one’s directing, the other one’s playing. I got it wrong.

SyrianaThe movie’s written and directed by Stephen Gaghan (Screenwriter - Traffic). Soderbergh’s contribution is unknown, although he does get an executive producer credit (which doesn’t mean much).

Clooney’s performance as a CIA vet is notable for being subdued and slow. It’s a good performance but unfortunately he doesn’t get a lot of screen time. Thanks go to Matt Damon. He managed to upstage everyone else helming a storyline that was totally preposterous.

Even Ebert confessed he didn’t get all the details so let’s start with some clarifications. The plotlines are three: one is Clooney as an aging CIA operative who is given a mission and then thrown to the wolves; another is Matt Damon as an energy consultant to Prince Nasir Al-Subaai (Alexander Siddig), a next-in-line Emir of some (unnamed) oil country who’s taking a progressive stand.

The third plot line is rather thick - the merger of two oil companies who are being scrutinized by both the government and a law firm who does its own kind of “creative” due diligence. Another (minor) plot line is that of two Pakistani boys who become martyrs by blowing up an oil tanker. There, I summed it in 3,000 words or less.

At the onset the movie packs some serious energy: Clooney is involved in some secret ops. Damon loses a kid. The Pakistani kids get fired. In the next 2 hours though, the energy dissipates in the hot sun and Syriana leaves with a cynical albeit meager message.

The message certainly isn’t new and the ending has NO surprise effect. Harold Pinter’s Nobel Prize Lecture has more punch and the man was in a wheelchair. Any recent interview with Chomsky provides more insight.

Again, it’s not that this is a BAD movie. What’s disappointing is to see that it doesn’t reach it’s full potential by staying close to the ground.

Since this is probably Stephen Gaghan’s fault, I’m going back to a pristine quality Solaris torrent, at least it’s a “true” Soderbergh-Clooney movie.

Info: Syriana
United States, 2005
Running Length: 2:06
Cast: George Clooney, Jeffrey Wright, Matt Damon, Alexander Siddig, Chris Cooper
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Producer: Jennifer Fox, Georgia Kacandes, Michael Nozik
Screenplay: Stephen Gaghan
Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Music: Alexandre Desplat

Kevin Smith touts HVX200

When Steve Jobs endorsed Sony HC1 at the Macworld San Fran 2006, I thought the race for best HDV cam is over. Not so quick, Steve!

Kevin Smith endorses HVX200Kevin Smith went up on the stage too (naturally not at the MacWorld, it’s reserved for Jobs). He’s standing next to Panasonic ’s Joseph Facchini. If that’s not clue enough, hover above the image…

Yep, Kevin Smith endoresed the HVX200. He apparently went too far, tossing vulgarities left and right. He did end his presentation on a high note though - saying he loves Panasonic HVX200 so much, he’d like to take it to his bedroom and get real down and dirty with the HVX200 and his wife. That’s the indie filmmaker’s threesome

I have one question though: If he loves it so much, why did he shoot Clerks 2 on film? So between his wife and the HVX200 … he chose film.

Steve Jobs on Sony HC1

Steve Jobs have captured hearts and minds with his Macworld San Fran 2006 presentation (I got it as a torrent for iPod). I’ve seen posts about it all over the place, some praising his presentation skills (Guy Kawasaki), some commenting on the Intel insides of the new MacBook Pro.

There’s a ton of new stuff coming from Apple, but the interesting bit is below. Steve Jobs included one HDV camera in the presentation: the Sony HC1 .

Steve Jobs presents ... Sony HC1

More robust cameras like Panasonic HVX200 and Canon XL H1 shouldn’t feel threaten though. I’d imagine Steve included it because HC1 is an ultra-affordable HDV cam at the $1,500 range, truly a remarkable achievement for Sony. Apple should really look up to Sony - I want them to take one of Sony’s LCDs and put it on the next generation of video iPods, so that they play movies.

As to Steve, what can I say… great minds think alike. I did a review of the Sony Hc1 just a day before Steve :)

Update: Kevin Smith touts HVX200, so Sony HC1 is not the only “winner”.

Nobel prize winner sparks politics

I’m always the last to hear about Nobel prizes. My last physics award was when I was in the seventh grade… I’ve lost interest since then.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably never paid a second thought to Harold Pinter getting the Nobel Prize for Literature last year (I still can’t believe 2005 is “last” year).

Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize for Literature - LectureI just stumbled upon his Nobel lecture and I thought it’s an amazing piece of writing. The lecture is available as a video as well as text so pick whatever media you prefer. I’m a man of the written word so I read it.

In his lecture, Harold Pinter quotes poetry, tells about writing his plays (screenwriters take notes!), but more importantly talks about truth. Not in literature, but in politics. The lecture might be a bit hard to swallow for some (at one point he send Tony Blair to the International Criminal Court of Justice). Yet, if you write a piece that goes for 40 minutes and “captures the hearts and minds”. I wanted to avoid cliches but I guess I’m not in the same league as him.

I know this post is a departure from my usual babbling about HD cameras and the new Panasonic HVX200, but you gotta bear it with me.

Peace V

Four-camera shootout

Barry Green (from DVXuser) has been teasing us for some time now about a four-camera shootout. The four cameras in the shootout are:

I expect that by the end of the week, Barry will be done. Disclosure: Barry is one of the people behind DVXuser so he faced some “suspicions” from some of the posters there. They expected his report will be skewed in favor of the HVX200. That’s why he has some “witnesses” to verify his findings.

Update: There’s been a major forum war on the finding of the four-camera shootout. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no winner-loser. If you want the raw 40 pages of posts, I have two links: DVX forum and Dvinfo forum.

Cheerleaders in slomo - courtesy of Panasonic HVX200

Panasonic HVX200 is all over the site and for a good reason. I finally got to see some of the 60 FPS footage shot by Jarred Land at DVXuser.


He got amazing CHEERLEADERS in real slow motion!

Cheerleaders in slow motion thanks to Panasonic HVX200

You can download the clip directly - click here. Keep in mind the clip has been resized and compressed.

The original was shot at 720p - 60 FPS. HVX200 supports a whole range of frame rates at 720p but I’ve always found that slow motion is much, much more useful. I’m a bit hesitant to check what Jarred’s next test will be. For all I know, he could decide to switch to sexy babysitters!

Panasonic HVX200: Lens Adapters

I’ve been reviewing HVX200 accessories like tripods, monitors, storage, etc. Once I got to matte boxes and filters for HVX200, I knew I have to include lens adapters.

Panasonic HVX200 is dubbed as the low-budget filmmakers HD camera. Although it has an impressive lens (Leica, 13x zoom lens), the lens is by no means a be-all, end-all lens.


If you’re into extreme sports videos, you probably need a wide-angle lens. If you do skateboards, you need a fish-eye. It has become a standard shot although a bit cliche.

The fish-eye lens for Panasonic HVX200 for extreme sportsThe Super Fisheye from Century Optics produces an “extraordinary degree of barrel distortion with a magnification factor of approximately .55x. Adding the Super Fisheye to HVX200’s 13x Zoom Lens, results in a 92° horizontal angle of view.” The fish-eye works wonders whether you’re shooting from below (someone jumping over you), or above (top of half-pipe).

Wide-angle lenses have an incredible depth of field so you might want to go wide for action shots or tracking shots. If the auto-focus is not 100% spot on, you’ll save your shot by going wide. Robert Rodriguez shot some of the action scenes in El Mariachi with a 5.7 Kinoptic wide-angle lens. He didn’t even need to focus, he just pointed the camera in the direction of the action.

Extreme close-ups: if you need those, there are “achromatic diopter” lenses that you attach to the zoom lens. You’ll probably only need them for a few shots, so you could just rent or borrow these. Apart from shooting flowers and bugs, you can find usage for these by shooting dilating pupils (e.g. Requem for a Dream).

Tele converter for Panasonic HVX200Tele lenses are always popular with amateur filmmakers although not always for the right reasons. The “zoom” factor on a lens has become a marketing gimmick. Get this 400x digital zoom now. Using digital zoom however ruins the quality of the footage. There could be a few exceptions where you might need that extra push but you’ll be better off with a tele converter. There are plenty to choose from but not all are created equal. I think a 1.6x tele converter is about the highest you want to go. The ones that come from eBay are 2x and go for 50 bucks should go to the trash.

Talking of adapters and converters, there’s one important distinction to make. Converters will allow you to use the whole zoom range (i.e. go from wide to tele). Adapters usually only extend your range. For example, a .6 wide-angle adapter will give you a 40% wider angle of view. You can usually zoom a bit before you experience vignetting on an adapter.

Some manufacturers also offer (or plan to do so) 35mm lens adapters for HVX200. The discussion about these is still raging on but maybe I could do a review once the dust settles somewhat. Combining film depth of field with HVX200’s frame rates will make this camera a totally different beast. I mean that in the nicest sort of way.

Panasonic HVX200: More Accessories

When I reviewed accessories for HVX200, I went through tripods and heads. Today we examine matte boxes, filters, lens adapters, and storage. Next, I’ll review lens adapters for HVX200.


Matte Box: HVX200 is a filmmaker’s dream and no dream is complete without a matte box. The matte box is not simply meant to make you look like a filmmaker. It reduces flair and also serves as a way to standardize filters and gels.

For example, Vocas matte boxes accommodate 3X3″ through 4×6″ filters and work with most wide angle lenses in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. Matte boxes usually start below $1,000 but once you add a few flags and masks and you could be in the $2,000+ range.

Filters for Panasonic HVX200Filters: Your spanking new matte box needs some fancy filters. Tiffen has its series of filter sets that supposedly create a “filmlike” effect. Considering the frame rates supported by HVX200, it will be a shame not to go for the film look.

The 4×4″ Film Look set costs about $700 and you’ll probably need more than these. Keep in mind that heavy use of filters will result in a reduction of the light going to the CCDs. In other words, more filters will require bigger lights. Early footage from the HVX200 is pretty dark so you might need quite a few lights to make anything work.

If you shoot in bright sunshine, you might want to get a bunch of softening and neutral density filters of different grades. ND filters will reduce light, softening filters will soften the harsh quality of the sunlight.

P2 storage for Panasonic HVX200Storage: The HDV cameras that are in HVX200’s class all support recording to MiniDV. In order to utilize fully DVCPRO HD, HVX200 records to P2 memory chips. This means if you plan to record anything longer than an hour, you need additional storage. At the very least it could be a laptop - get one with a big HD and fast USB/Firewire ports (USB 1.1 vs USB 2.0). You could also get an external hard drive but that will only serve as a backup recorder.

OK, I think we just spent another $6,000-8,000 easy. No money for lens adapters. You can borrow these anyway. I’ll review lens adapters for HVX200 in a separate post.

You still got to get lens adapters, capture / real-time cards, editing software, editing workstation/server, etc. Not to mention - a ton of lights. But that’s another post!

Panasonic HVX200: Accessories

Most aspring filmmakers (myself included) often assume their camera investment equals the best price at pricegrabber plus shipping. I experienced it first hand in 2001 when I got my Sony VX2000 (successor to the first DV cam, VX1000, and precursor to Sony FX1 and the rest).


The industry’s rule of thumb however is usually “double whatever you pay for the camera.” Double? It might seem excessive but it’s actually a very accurate estimate. Here’s a breakdown of accessories specifically for the new Panasonic HVX200.

Panasonic HVX200 with Vocas Matte box, Vinten tripod, and Manfrotto headTripod: Based on HVX200 specs and the HVX200 test footage, one should definitely consider an excellent tripod. A good tripod is important for ANY camera setup but it’s A LOT more important in the case of HVX200. Why? Because HVX200 supports multiple frame rates. The last thing you want when shooting at low FPS is a cheap tripod with a cheap head. The movement of the camera should be as fluid as possible.

My recommendation is to shop around for a Manfrotto head/tripod or possibly a Vinten tripod with a Manfrotto head. The following Manfrotto combo is priced at $2,300 at B&H:

  • 542ART Carbon Fiber 2-Stage Tripod Legs (75mm and 100mm Bowl)
  • 519 Pro Video Fluid Head

Marshall V-LCD8-PRO 7.9 inch LCD ColorMonitor: Even the best camera LCD (swivel or not) can’t hold up a candle to a professional monitor. Camera LCDs are usually about 200K pixels when true 1080i is 1920 x 1080, i.e. almost ten times that. Good HD monitors start at $999, professional ones could be times more.

We continue with more on matte boxes, filters, lens adapters, and storage in the next Panasonic HVX200 accessories.

BBC releases news archive

BBC has recently launched its pilot service called “Open News Archive” - a free library of video footage. The clips are available for immediate download in three formats: Quicktime, Windows Media, and MPEG1.

Prince Charles - Camilla wedding All videos are under the “Creative Archive Licence” and as such cannot be used commercially but I bet a lot of people will find uses for it that are well withing the license. For example, I could use the Prince Charles - Camilla wedding footage to illustrate my HD for wedding videography post. Or, make a presentation of how Final Cut Pro works on the new Apple Powermac Quad.

If you want to use the videos as part of a commercial video project, you’ll have to get a different license from the BBC and also pay a license fee.

The pilot site is located here - make sure to bookmark it as the BBC definitely has plans for beefing it up with a LOT more footage. Who knows maybe when you come back in a month or two it will offer torrents as well!

Update: Ashley Highfield, BBC Director for New Media, said that he’s determined to “oversee the end of broadcast media as we know it.” It’s interesting to see how the BBC will do versus more traditional media.

Harry Potter merchandise

I was browsing Harry Potter’s merchandise site and in the words of its bestselling item (a t-shirt), “it’s up to no good.”

SS boltsI clicked on a chess image and was taken to another site to shop for some Gold Plated Gryffindor rings. It seems “bait-and-switch” is now an official spell in the dark merchandizer’s book of foul magick.

A bit farther down the same isle, I got a sneak peak at lightning pendands and earrings. Since I was pissed off already, I immediately thought this is a direct reference to the SS brooch. You know, the one with the lightning bolts.

I told you this boy is up to NO GOOD.

Ralph Fiennes NaziHmm, on a second thought, it may be the case that Harry Potter is not a Nazi. It’s Voldemort who is an SS officer! Afterall, he placed his “dark” mark on Harry. Also, since Voldemort was born in 1926, he could’ve easily been influenced by Hitler as a teenager.

This isn’t anything new for Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) who has already played an SS officer (and Nazi) in Schindler’s List.

Disclaimer: This conspiracy theory is really solid. It’s not like other conspiracy theories that rely on facts. This one is pure speculation.

Sony HC1

When Sony’s first HDV camcorder, the HDR-FX1, was introduced at $3,000, I thought that this will be the entry-level HDV cam for some time.


In the year that followed, several new HDV camcorders came on the market (Sony Z1 and JVC GY-HD100U). Sony’s main competitors in the DV field both have announced their HD cams: Canon XL H1 and Panasonic HVX200.

Both Sony and (recently) Sanyo have come up with one CCD/CMOS models that are significantly cheaper than the 3CCD FX1. Sanyo has introduced a mini-cam that’s supports HD (720p) - Sanyo HD1. As a Sony owner though, I’ll start with Sony HC1 review.

Sony HDR-HC1SONY HC1 Review - Chips and Video

The HC1 has a single 4:3 aspect ratio CMOS chip. In comparison, Sony FX1 has three CCDs which are natively 16:9. The FX1 pixel count is lower - 1.12 megapixels per CCD - while HC1 has 1.98 megapixels in 16:9 mode. This matches exactly the 1080i standard - 1920×1080.

The HC1 1080i CMOS chip performs very well in well-lit environments, on par with its more expensive brethren. Colors are crisp and the resolution of the video image is really outstanding. A true HD cam.

SONY HC1 Review - Controls

Sony HDR-HC1Although HC1 is considered a lower class cam, it allows certain control over important functions. Most of these are automated but perform relatively well. For example, the auto-focus is quick and responsive - very similar to the FX1. Speaking of AUTO, the HC1 has a master auto switch that will put the camera in a full auto mode. The only thing you’ll be controlling in this mode is the zoom.

Sony HC1 has a touch screen and supports spot focus and spot metering. Touching the screen will reset the focus/metering to match this specific point. Another nice touch is having AE shift that allows four levels of “correction”.

You can also control the shutter speed, focus, zoom, and white balance but these are pretty obvious and taken for granted. The control over the zoom and the focus are pretty good (for a consumer cam).

All things considered, Sony HC1 is a terrific entry-level HD cam. You can use it as a disposable cam for guerilla filmmaking or as a helmet cam for extreme sports videos. Your “other” option for a “lipstick” cam is the Ikegami HDL-20. It’s a fist-size cam with some impressive sensors that’s designed for “trick” photography. The downside is the price tag (~$17,000), roughly equavalent to 10 HC1’s.

Of course, you can shoot your daughter’s birthday in HD too. Nikita Mikhalkov released a feature-long film about his daughter’s first 18 years (technically, from 6 to 18). You could be next! You should keep in mind you won’t come across as a “PRO” with a cam like that … it’s almost like using a webcam for production.

Update: Sony HC3 is HC1’s successor - read the Hc3 review.




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