We ended up returning the Dragon and are currently shopping around for a Komodo for the following reasons. (1) The Dragon isn’t repairable, while the Komodo comes with a 1-year warranty. (2) The Komodo is much smaller and lighter (2.1 lbs vs. 5 lbs) and accepts smaller batteries, ideal for balancing on a gimbal like... Continue Reading →
Samsung Cheats on TV Benchmarks
A must-read article over at flatpanelshd.
Our First RAW Gimbal Shots
This is our very first video shot on a gimbal with ProRes RAW. To mount the Ninja V on the DJI RS 2, we used a SmallRig monitor mount. With the Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM, it's a fairly hefty combo. Graded in Final Cut Pro. https://youtu.be/AOOrn2IwHWk
P3D65 ST.2084 (HDR) Monitoring for LG OLEDs (WRGB)
In the past, we've written about LG's hidden menu that allows users to change the working color space, but frustratingly, the P3-D65 option is cosmetic only. The following is word-for-word from Ted Aspiotis' post over at Lift Gamma Gain, where he explains how to set up your LG TV for P3-D65: LG WRGB OLEDs work... Continue Reading →
The RED vs. Nikon Drama
The news of RED suing Nikon for patent infringement was to be expected, as was the army of drooling idiots infesting the forums and comments sections of the leading websites devoted to photography and video. What the haters fail to realize is how RED completely transformed cinema. At the time the RED ONE was released,... Continue Reading →
Beautiful Noise
"What I’m really liking in the latest RED sensors is that they have an aesthetic texture to the image noise which is so far from the objectionable “video” noise or the plastic look of a noise-reduced image." - Graeme Nattress There really is something about the noise from a RED sensor that is unlike any... Continue Reading →
Some Shots of the RED Scarlet-X Dragon
As you can tell from the photos, it's an EF mount. We ordered a Meike Prime 75mm T2.1 which should arrive in a couple of weeks.
RED Files Lawsuit Against Nikon
RED has filed a lawsuit against Nikon for patent infringement. There’s little doubt as to the outcome. https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/California_Central_District_Court/8--22-cv-01048/Red.com_LLC_v._Nikon_Corporation_et_al/docs/1.pdf
Daejeon Chronicles Sees RED
We’re in love with RED, but $8,000 for the Komodo is just a touch extravagant for an English teacher in Vietnam, so instead we’re eyeing this marvelous beast - a 6K Scarlet X with EF mount for a cool four grand.
Ignorant Takes on RED V-Raptor, Upcoming Arri s35
On ARRI’s announced s35 cinema camera: “Competition is stiff for a new Super 35mm 4K camera. In my honest opinion, ARRI will really need to have “really exciting image quality improvements” to pull people away from the new 8.6K Sony VENICE and RED cameras. Sony and Canon cameras also offer not only impressive pictures and... Continue Reading →
RED Komodo Post Workflow Added to Monster Guide
The past couple of months have seen extensive updates to our Monster Guide and we're proud to say we've achieved our goal of making the most comprehensive and up-to-date manual covering the HDR10 workflow anywhere on the Web. And today it just got even better with the addition of the RED KOMODO post workflow. REDCODE... Continue Reading →
HEVC High Bitrate vs. ProRes 4444 XQ (HDR)
In this test, we compare HEVC bitrate 39,000 kbps (which ended up being 22.6 Mb/s), HEVC bitrate 80,000 kbps (which turned out to be 46.3Mb/s overall bitrate ) and ProRes 4444 XQ. To compare the clips yourself, open up the videos in three different tabs of your browser. As of today, we officially bid farewell... Continue Reading →
HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 vs. ProRes 4444 XQ to YT
If you don't mind the ginormous file sizes and waiting longer for YouTube to finish uploading and processing your video, ProRes 4444 XQ does offer benefits over HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 (using the standard bitrate for web publishing in Apple Compressor): more detail and improved contrast as well as richer color. In the sample clip, there... Continue Reading →
Apple Compressor HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 Is a Memory Hog
Since Apple added HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 to Compressor, we thought we'd look into how it impacts memory pressure on our M1 Max MacBook Pro with 32GB RAM. For the test, all apps were closed except for Final Cut Pro, Compressor and the Activity Monitor. We transcoded a one-minute ProRes RAW clip with minimal noise reduction... Continue Reading →
Create Textural Depth with Depth Map
Grain is one of the key components of the film look but few things are more distracting than seeing clumps of film grain dancing around on the talent's face. One solution is to use the HSL qualifier to isolate skin tones and use the keyer to de-emphasize the grain. An even easier way is to... Continue Reading →
The Ultimate Comparison: ProRes 4444 XQ vs. HEVC 4:2:2 vs. HEVC 4:2:0 (HDR)
In this short clip, we're primarily interested in how Y'CbCr chroma subsampling affects skin tones in HDR video. Y'CbCr results in hue shifts and luminance errors. From our own testing, it appears to make skin tones yellowish-green, darker and oversaturated. HEVC Main 4:2:2 10 is preferable to HEVC 4:2:0. Download the comparison here. If you... Continue Reading →
DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 Depth Map Comparison
We applied the depth map, then went ahead and added some blur.
Thoughts on Nikolaj Pognerebko’s RAW Convertor (Revised!)
https://youtu.be/if7IzD9tl4w Not a few of us have dreamed of being able to work with native ProRes RAW files in DaVinci Resolve, but realistically, it appears as though that’s not on the horizon. We'd been transcoding to ProRes 4444 with variable success for a while when it was announced last year that a Czech filmmaker by... Continue Reading →
Teaching Daily Routines
One of the twenty-eight classes I teach each week in Ho Chi Minh City. I consider myself lucky, since many foreigners had to leave the country because of tightened restrictions on visas or loss of employment opportunities, including a large community of Ukranians.
The Daejeon Chronicles 