Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/511209
www.postmagazine.com 27 POST MAY 2015 ■ QUICK LOOK Red Weapon — Company's smallest and most lightweight camera brain; boasts a number of improvements and features that include workflow enhancements, cable-free and intuitive peripherals, and integrated mounting points; interchangeable I/O expanders enable users to configure their rig to fit different production types; built–in stereo microphones and speakers allow for easier audio capture and playback; Weapon also supports the Apple ProRes codec, giving users the choice to record in both the R3D and Apple ProRes file formats at the same time; 9-megapixel Dragon sensor can capture 6K motion and stills at up to 100fps; redesigned brain is also equipped to support 1D and 3D LUTs. PANASONIC'S DVX200 Last year, Panasonic (www.pana sonic.com/broadcast) introduced its VariCam 35 4K to the pleasure of shooters. At this year's show, the manufacturer offered an extension unit for it, as well as for its VariCam HS camera/recorders that permits operational separation of the cam- era head from the recorder and will increase the versatility of both models in situations requiring mo- bility, agility and reduced weight. This time around, I was able to see up close the company's new DVX200, and all I can say is, I would really like to shoot with this camera. Unfortunately, it won't ship until the fall. The large-sensor 4/3-inch handheld AG-DVX200, which in my opinion can be thought of as the little brother to the 4K VariCam 35, is a good addi- tion to the 4K playing field. Images are lensed through a fixed Leica Dicomar 4K zoom lens with F2.8 aperture. The DVX200 is another camera I saw at the show that can be thought of as a versatile addi- tion to the 4K workspace. ■ QUICK LOOK Panasonic DVX200 — 4K large-sen- sor, 4/3-inch handheld camcorder; 4K/60p recording, 13x optical zoom; V-Log L gamma curve (12 stops of latitude, target); newly-designed Leica Dicomar 4K F2.8~F4.5 zoom lens (4K/24p: 29.5mm-384.9mm, HD: 28 mm-365.3mm, 35mm equivalent); time-code in/out; 3G HD-SDI and HDMI 2.0 (4K) video outs; easy focus and zooming, and programmable user buttons; will record 4K (4096×2160) 24p, UHD (3840×2160), HD (1920×1080) 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p in either MP4/MOV file formats; two SD card slots. The 2015 NAB show was a great place to be if you wanted to see new cameras. Versatility was a common theme, giving decision makers a great deal of latitude when selecting their next camera. Yet camera and lens selection is a personal choice, based on the needs (and budget) for each production. There were certainly plenty of options to choose from, but ultimtely, it's all about making beautiful pictures. CAMERAS VARICAM 35: IN-CAMERA DAILIES When digital cameras come to market, they are generally evaluated first on image quality, then ergonomics, and then sometimes price. Ironically, the more digital cameras available, the more similar they have become. They say, "Imita- tion is the sincerest form of flattery," and I believe tangible similarities between cameras are largely due to manufacturers imitating each other. But as cinema technology evolves, it's important to create new processes that differentiate from what is expected (or even requested). We don't want every camera to eventually become identical. That would not be in the best interest of creative users. One of the most important perspectives that Steve Jobs left us is a roadmap that could help camera differentiation, and also start a new evolutionary tract of digital development. Jobs said, "If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will." Digging deep into the meaning behind that statement taught me not to fear change, rather to be willing to abandon successful ideas or business practices in order to reveal new paths of exploration. A recent example of this was evident during NAB 2015 with the latest firmware release of the Panasonic VariCam 35. The act of transcoding is a necessary process used on nearly every profes- sional production, whether commercial, episodic or theatrical. We need multiple flavors of formats to serve different departments that don't want or can't work with the original files. So if we use an outside computer to generate those flavors and to add elements such as letterboxing, window burn and watermark, what was stopping us from using the camera's internal computer to generate the same results? VariCam is the first camera in the world to offer five different ways to cap- ture an image (4K Raw, 4K compressed RGB, 2K compressed YUV, HD Pro- ResHQ, and 1K H.264). VariCam enables users to press record once and setup an internal CPU-based encoding process that literally creates the same dailies in-camera as are typically created after footage is downloaded. With a growing UHD market and reduced budgets, the ability to output to editorial, Web and iPad review faster could essentially eliminate the need for external processing of dailies. We can now shoot content and simultaneously capture an online, off- line, and Web file — all with unique gamma and overlay settings. The result is a drag-and-drop offline, Web review, and a simple relink to UHD at the end of the process — effectively creating an automated "self-onlining NLE" that reduces time in the post process more than any other camera in the world. Harnessing the digital horsepower within VariCam gives content creators more variations of customized workflow without having to wait until the camera has stopped rolling. Because Panasonic resisted copying other popular digital cinema cameras, users will find new ways to improve their workflows with fewer hurdles. But I predict we'll continue to see camera imitation — only it will be other manufacturers that flatter Panasonic by imitating VariCam with their own versions of its revolutionary in-camera dailies solution. —BY MICHAEL CIONI, FOUNDER & CEO, LIGHT IRON, LA/NY The Panasonic DVX200