102,400 ISO and Canon White Papers

Although the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV isn’t available until later in December, you can start reading its Instruction Manual by downloading the PDF. ISO 102,400 (H3) sensitivity is on page 64. White Papers on CMOS Sensors and the major features of 13 Canon EOS cameras are also online.

Dedo Weigert Lighting Seminar at Abel

Dedo Weigert captivated a standing-room only crowd of filmmakers at Abel Cine Tech with an illuminating lecture and demo of his vast line of dedolight lighting equipment. The two-day seminar (Thursday and Friday, Nov 5 and 6) confirmed a long-standing mantra, and Dedo said it himself: “no matter how long you’ve been lighting, you can always learn more.”

I think Dedo was smiling at me when he talked about “New York and Hollywood filmmakers with their 40 foot trucks of available light — every available light, that is.” I’ve been a fan of his lights since he introduced them in 1984 (same year as the first Mac), but mostly had used them for product shots and effects. Learning from the inventor himself was another dimension. In a series of “here’s the scenario, here’s how dedolights can help” explanations, he demonstrated many setups: how to light a painting evenly with a light hung at a 45 degree angle from the ceiling (graduated ND filter/optical scrim for the light or assymetrical aspherical lens for a DLAD light), how to cut it precisely (his articulating barndoors), how to soften the edge of an eyelight, or how to evenly light a very wide wall in a very narrow room (use one of his wide-angle lens attachments). Dedo began building lights to address situations in his own day-to-day work as a cameraman, and like Ross Lowel, developed a large global company with incredibly innovative tools.

Laszlo and Vilmos Nov 17 on PBS

My lightmeter is bigger than your lightmeter

Cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs, ASC and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC star in “No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos,” a fabulous buddy movie, airing on PBS Independent Lens, Thursday, November 17 at 10pm EST and PST. (check your local listings). The documentary is a seat-of-pants great escape movie, as film students Kovacs and Zsigmond film the Russian invasion of Hungary, and get to the West with the smuggled footage. It’s also a road movie: the two friends make their way to Hollywood, where they help define the American New Wave. Directed by fellow cinematographer James Chressanthis, ASC, with commentary and appearances by a who’s who of colleagues, directors and actors with whom they’ve worked. Required viewing for anyone interested in film.

PhotoPlus Expo

To see where motion picture production is headed, head over to the Javitts Center in New York for PhotoPlus Expo (last day October 24) where over 30,000 photographers converge to lay hands on convergent digital still and motion picture camera equipment. Both Canon and Nikon have raised the bar with new cameras that seem to be more sensitive than what our eyes can see. The Canon 1D Mark IV and Nikon D3S have a low-noise ISO range of 200 – 12,800, and a breathtaking expanded sensitivity to 102,400. The Canon shoots 1920×1080 24P. Scriptwriters: you can write NIGHT-EXTERIOR with impunity, steering  directors to the dark side with cinematographers who will expect 12,800 and 102,400 in more of their cameras.

Best of Show: iDC Follow Focus and Run & Gun Kit. Above: Husband and wife Bruce Dorn and Maura Dutra of iDC Photography. Maura is holding the iDC Follow Focus Kit. Imagine a soft skateboard wheel with white focus-scale ring touching your still camera lens without the need for rods, gears or bulky brackets. Bruce says, “Most Follow-Focus rigs are overkill for use with little cameras like the Canon 7D, 5D MK II, 1D Mark IV or Nikon D3S. The gear-driven versions I’ve tried are generally  cumbersome and far too complex.” Bruce knows what he’s talking about. He’s an accomplished photographer and film director; he and I have worked together on fashion commercials: he as director and I was DP.  Bruce is holding the iDC U-Boat Commander Rig for HDSLR cameras. It has lightweight handles and grips, and a bracket for a viewfinder magnifier.

Maura Dutra is well-known for her work in Hollywood visual effects. In future articles, we’ll talk about some other products Maura and Bruce have designed to make your visuals look great: lighting accessories, brackets, soft boxes and more. Meanwhile, Bruce continues, “With many follow focus rigs, gears need to be purchased and installed on each lens. Alignment is a time-consuming process. These over-sized (below) and overly-complex focusing systems might look butch but they effectively waste the stealthy advantages of a compact capture device like the Canon HDSLR cameras.”

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Just when we thought it was safe to proclaim the recently released sensational Canon EOS 7D the almost-holy grail of the new generation of HDSLR cameras, along comes the totally newer, bigger, faster, stronger and higher-end Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. Complete specs and details on Canon website.

Faster. Its APS-H sized 16.1 Megapixel sensor and advanced processors let you shoot stills up to 10 fps (121 frame burst) and 30p, 25p or 24p 1920×1080 HD video. The 1D Mark IV is also way faster in sensitivity. Imagine shooting from 100 ISO to 12,800 ISO, with an extended, processed and amped sensitivity up to a night-vision-like 102,400 ISO. The picture below was shot with an EOS 7D, set to Hi ISO (12,800) using an 18-135 zoom at 18mm, f/3.5 at 1/50th sec. None of my Kelly Calculators or Lightmeters go that high, but quick math shows what ISO 102,400 would be like. Nighthawks: at least another 3-4 stops, standard lenses and slower telephotos at night. See Vincent Laforet’s video shot with 1D Mark IV in “available, really awful lighting” at night.

EOS 7D, set to Hi ISO (12,800) using an 18-135 zoom at 18mm, f/3.5 at 1/50th sec.

Bigger. The 1D image sensor is slightly larger than the 7D’s. The 1D uses an APS-H size sensor, 27.9mm wide x 18.6mm high (the 7D is APS-C size, 22.3mm x 14.9mm).

Self Cleaning Sensor Assembly

The pixels are slightly larger than the 7D (5.7 microns vs. 4.3 microns). Bigger pixels are usually like bigger water buckets that can catch more raindrops (photons), which is why they can be more sensitive. The 1D has lower noise, and a colleague who wished to remain anonymous said that it looked better at 6400 ISO than most current cameras, still or motion, at 400 ISO. We are entering new realms of vision.

APS-H Size Sensor

Digital Eyemo IV or Motion Picture Camera? It’s a sure bet that the 1D Mark IV will be used in HD 24P mode for motion pictures. The full HD video has similar specs to the 7D. There is on onboard mono mic in front, stereo audio miniplug input, and HDMI output.

Exploded View Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

What I’m not sure of yet is whether this camera will undergo retrofit madness at the hands of machine shops everywhere in the alchemy of attempting to append PL mounts. PL mount lenses are mostly optimized for a 24mm horizontal frame—so will the APS-H sensor have edge fall-off because it is a little larger? We shall see.

Cross Section from Camera Left Side

Faster. Compared with the 7D, this camera handles autofocus more precisely. The AI Servo II technology employs 45 precise focus points and new focusing algorithms to increase the amount of in-focus shots. The sensor can detect more points of focus and makes better decisions on handling moving subjects. This will be especially helpful for sports, news and documentary photographers and cinematographers.

Rugged Magnesium Alloy Body

Stronger. For serious production, this camera is more rugged. The body is magnesium alloy, with 77 seals to make it weatherproof. The 920,000 dot clear-view screen on the back is tempered glass with a scratch-resistant anti-glare coating. It’s easier to see in bright light.

Like previous Canon 1D cameras, there’s a microphone on the rear to record notes about your still shots, and a small speaker for playback.

Dynamic range has been improved. The dual Digic 4 14-bit processors are 6 times more powerful.

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV uses both CF (Compact Flash) and SDHC Cards. For video, you’ll need Mode 6 UDMA–or SDHC cards rated class 6, or better yet, class 10. The camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in late December, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $4,999.00 .

I’m sure the lines to lay hands on it will be long this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Oct 22-24) at PDN Photoplus Expo at the  Javits Center in New York.

Mirror Assembly and Motors

Canon 5D Mark II 24p Firmware Update

A flurry of activity from Canon worldwide: in addition to announcing the 1D Mark IV, Canon Europe announced work on a firmware update to the EOS 5D Mark II to enable the HD 1080p video at 24 and 25fps. 24P and/or 25P are currently available on the EOS 7D and EOS 1D MARK IV. Canon says the firmware update should become available during the first half of 2010.