Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1127068
www.postmagazine.com 34 POST MAY/JUNE 2019 SPECIAL REPORT: CAMERAS and highly-portable camcorders have a three-inch LCD touch panel screen and user-friendly, tilting, high-resolution electronic view finder. The XA55 and XA45 are well suited for news reporting and documentary shooting, while the XA50 and XA40 are geared more towards broad- casting schools, government agencies and corpo- rate video production. The VIXIA HF G60 caters to advanced amateur videographers who need a 4K UHD camcorder. The XA55 and XA50 camcorders both feature a 1.0-inch sensor, nine-bladed circular aperture and Dual-Pixel CMOS AF with a 15x (25.5-382.5mm) genuine wide-angle Canon optical zoom lens. For natural and realistic life-like imagery, the XA55 and XA50 camcorders feature a Wide Dynamic Range (DR) Gamma mode. This lowers the barrier for focusing, especially when shooting in 4K. The camcorders can record 4K UHD/30p (4:2:0 8-bit) and 1080p Full HD (4:2:2 10-bit) via SDI/HDMI output in XF-AVC and MP4 format to dual-card SD card slots with dual and relay recording. The XA45 and XA40 camcorders both feature a 1.0-inch sensor, eight-bladed circular aperture with the ability to record 4K UHD/30p (4:2:0 8-bit) and 1080p Full HD (4:2:2 10-bit) via SDI/HDMI output) in MP4 or XF-AVC format to dual-card SD card slots with dual and relay recording. Both camcord- ers boast a 20x (29.3-601mm) genuine wide-angle Canon optical zoom lens. The VIXIA HF G60 4K UHD camcorder has many of the same features found in the XA55 and XA50, like a nine-bladed circular aperture, Dual Pixel Focus Guide and Wide DR, but with the budget-conscious user in mind. The XA55, XA50 and VIXIA HF G60 will be re- leased in June for estimated retail prices of $2,699, $2,199 and $1,699 respectively. The XA45 and XA40 are available now for estimated retails prices of $2,199 and $1,699 respectively. RED'S R3D SDK & RANGER Red Digital Cinema (www.red.com) recently released its Red R3D SDK and accompanying Redcine-X Pro software, with accelerated decode and debayering on Nvidia CUDA platforms. By offloading the compute-intensive decoding and debayering of R3D files onto one or more Nvidia GPUs, realtime playback, editing and color grading of 8K footage is now possible. The benefits and efficiencies of this new soft- ware/hardware combination include 8K realtime, 30fps or greater playback performance, and up to 10x faster transcoding. Users will also see improved efficiencies and quality control, and the ability to make use of the R3D files, instead of proxy files. 8K performance is available with Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000 and 8000, GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and Titan RTX GPUs when coupled with a moderately-configured PC. Creators can achieve additional performance improvements with multi-GPU configurations. Red is anticipating support from major NLE mak- ers and other SDK integrators in the near future. Back in March, Red announced the availability of its Ranger camera system, which is designed to meet the needs of high-end productions. The cam- era system is available at select rental houses and includes the benefits of the company's cinematic, full-frame, 8K Monstro sensor in an all-in-one solu- tion that includes three SDI outputs (two mirrored and one independent), allowing two different looks to be output simultaneously. Well suited for studio configurations, Ranger is capable of handling heavy-duty power sources and boasts a larger fan for quieter and more efficient temperature management. The system is current- ly shipping in a Gold Mount configuration, with a V-Lock option available shortly. Ranger captures 8K Redcode RAW up to 60fps full format, as well as Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR formats at 4K up to 30fps and 2K up to 120fps. It can simultaneously record Redcode RAW plus Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD or DNxHR at up to 300MB/s write speeds. ARRI ALEXA MINI LF Arri (www.arri.com) recently unveiled its new Alexa Mini LF camera. Combining the compact size and low weight of the popular Alexa Mini with the large-format Alexa LF sensor, Alexa Mini LF brings new creative possibilities to Arri's large-for- mat camera system. The camera was built to be both robust and reliable, while also providing overall image quality for large-format shooting, and features three internal motorized FSND filters, 12V power input, extra power outputs, a new Codex Compact Drive and a new MVF-2 high-contrast HD viewfinder. Arri's large-format camera system launched in 2018 and is based around a 4.5K version of the Alexa sensor, which is twice the size and offers twice the resolution of Alexa cameras in 35 format. This allows filmmakers to explore their own take on the large-format look, with improvements on the Alexa sensor's natural colorimetry, skin tones, low noise and suitability for high dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut (WCG) workflows. The Alexa Mini LF is built for a prolonged life of tough usage in challenging professional conditions, with a hard-wearing carbon body and a wide tem- perature range of -20 degrees C to +45 degrees C (-4 degrees F to +113 degrees F). While Alexa Mini LF is compatible with almost all Alexa Mini accessories, it brings significant enhancements to the Mini camera design. Among them are extra connectors, including regulated 12V and 24V accessory power; a new six-pin audio con- nector; built-in microphones; and improved WiFi. It also allows internal recording of MXF/Arriraw or MXF/Apple ProRes in a variety of formats and aspect ratios, and is the first camera to feature the new Compact Drive recording media from Codex, an Arri technology partner. Another development from Codex now makes large-format shooting a more practical and bud- get-friendly option: Codex High Density Encoding (HDE) uses sophisticated, loss-less encoding to re- duce Arriraw file sizes by around 40 percent during downloading or later in the workflow. This lowers storage costs, shortens transfer times and speeds up workflows. At the heart of Arri's new MVF-2 viewfinder for the Alexa Mini LF are the same high-contrast HD OLED display, color science, and Arricam eye- piece as in Alexa LF's EVF-2 viewfinder, allowing optimal judgement of focus, dynamic range and color on set. In addition, the MVF-2 features a large, four-inch flip-out monitor that can display the image or the camera control menu, providing maximum flexibility for different camera configurations. NIKON Z SERIES MIRRORLESS CAMERAS At this year's NAB Show, Nikon (www.nikonusa.com) made a statement about its commitment to profes- sional video production and content creators with its cinematic Z Series full-frame mirrorless cameras and Nikkor Z lenses. The company showcased its latest video innovations — its Z6 and Z7 Z Series camer- as that were introduced late last year — as well as