Review: Zacuto Lens Supports for Canon and Zeiss Cine Lenses

Here’s a look at the new Zacuto lens supports for Canon and Zeiss cine lenses (only):

Slide the ‘hook’ rod mount under your lens and attach the four included ‘foot’ connectors to your Canon cinema primes or Zeiss CP.2 lenses. The hook and foot snap into place seamlessly as you connect your lens to your camera for a stable, elegant lens support solution. No more camera twisting on a baseplate or rocking when you pull focus. Quickly and easily change lenses and adjust for different cameras.

Price for both Canon and Zeiss versions is $395 and comes with four ‘feet’ so you can fit up to four lenses on your rig without having to unscrew anything.

Review: Zacuto Lens Supports for Canon and Zeiss Cine Lenses

Hyperlapse Cityscape: Riding the Light

Riding the Light from Andrew Takano on Vimeo.

Take a soaring journey across Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World.

Shot in the winter of 2014-2013, “Riding the Light” presents the Austin skyline as you’ve never seen it before. I’m excited and proud to share this short film, my third solo hyperlapse cityscape project.

Hyperlapse Cityscape: Riding the Light

Incredible Footage as Phantom Drone flies into Volcano

Phantom Drone flies into Volcano:

Check out this incredible footage as a DJI Phantom Drone flies into the Yasur volcano on Tanna island, Vanuatu. The video was recently uploaded to YouTube by Shaun O’Callaghan. Amazingly no phantoms where harmed while filming!

Incredible Footage as Phantom Drone flies into Volcano

Red Giant Universe: Amazing new suite of effects

Plugin creators Red Giant finally have announced Red Giant Universe (public beta). A few days ago Red Giant Software released the teaser video below and had us all guessing as to what it could possibly be. It turns out that Universe is not simply another plugin, it’s an entire “Universe” of free and premium filmmaking, pst production and visual effects tools.

When you join Universe, you gain access to 50 free plugins. These include everything from transitions, to glows and blurs.  Plus, like all Universes it’s ever expanding so more plugins are on the way soon.  Most editing platforms seem to be supported and Red Giant Universe will work on Windows and Mac based platforms.

In addition to the free plugins, Red Giant Universe has a Premium option for which you have to pay a subscription fee. Premium effects include Knoll Light, Factory EZ, Holomatrix, Retrograde, and ToonIt .

Red Giant  Universe Features:

• Tons of New GPU-Accelerated effects and transitions.


•  31 Free Tools includes 22 Effects and 9 Transitions


•  19 Premium Tools includes 12 Effects and 7 Transitions


•  Regularly updated (using our dev tool, Supernova)


•  Porting of some existing Red Giant products to Universe (Premium)


•  Voting on new tools to decide what gets made next


•  Invitations to private betas for new tools (Premium)

OS Requirements:

• Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5


•  Mac OS X Mavericks 10.9.0 and later


•  Windows 7 with Service Pack 1


•  Windows 8 and 8.1

Host App Compatibility:

• Adobe After Effects CS5.5, CS6, CC


• Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, CC


• Apple FCPX


• Apple Motion 5

Hardware Requirements:

• A GPU-accelerated graphics card.

Pricing & Availability:

Red Giant Universe (public beta) is available free starting today, with Premium membership available for purchase in the next few weeks.

• Basic Membership: Free


• Premium Monthly: $10


• Premium Yearly: $99


• Premium Lifetime: $399

Learn more at http://redgiant.com/universe

Red Giant Universe: Amazing new suite of effects

Chinon Bellami HD-1 8mm Camera: First Footage Emerges

For a few weeks Japanese Camera maker Chinon has been teasing us with photos of a tiny 8mm camera called the Bellami HD-1. Finally the very first video clips have been delivered to YouTube. It’s also being reported that in addition to a 4mm, F1.2, D mount lens attached to the camera; Chinon will make M42 C, CS mount adapters to be sold separately.

Bellami HD-1 + P.Angenieux 17-68mm F2.2 shooting test:

Shibuya Intersection:

 

Yellow Card Stock Footage Taken From The Bellami HD-1 8mm Camera:

Head over to Chinon for more information about the Bellami HD-1 8mm camera.

Chinon Bellami HD-1 8mm Camera: First Footage Emerges

Nikon Behind the Scenes Video Series

Nikon USA has just joined the Google+ community, and eager as they are to make a positive impression the company has debuted a new 15-part instructional video series.

Nikon has launched the “Nikon Behind the Scenes” video series, dedicated to empowering and entertaining intermediate level photographers by equipping them with the skills they need to take their photography to the next level. The video series follows a diverse group of leading photographers into the field, including Nikon Ambassadors Joe McNally and Corey Rich and Nikon Professional Photographer Tamara Lackey. These pros provide insight on subjects ranging from lighting, lensing, posing models, shooting landscapes, working with different subjects and gearing up for a shoot. 

Nikon Behind the Scenes

Starting with Nikon Ambassador and lighting expert Joe McNally, each featured photographer will focus on their area of expertise. In “Nikon Behind the Scenes: Light It Up with Joe McNally,” McNally will be exploring what is possible with Nikon Speedlights and off-camera flash techniques. Over the course of five videos, he will show viewers how to make the most of lighting in whatever situation a photographer may find themselves in.

“Nikon Behind the Scenes: High Altitude Adventure with Corey Rich” will focus on Nikon Ambassador Corey Rich’s techniques for shooting portraits, time lapse, action stills and video while high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Whether suspended from a sheer cliff face or braving the elements, Rich’s penchant for adventure can inspire others to capture their extreme shot.

Finally, the series is rounded out with Nikon Professional Photographer Tamara Lackey, “Nikon Behind the Scenes: All in the Family with Tamara Lackey.” Lackey is well known for her family photography, and shares some of her secrets to a successful portrait, whether it’s coaxing an elusive smile from a rambunctious toddler or capturing a couples’ true personality.

The first video in the series will be go live on March 11 on the Nikon YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/nikonusa) and the new NikonUSA Google+ page. A new video on a different topic will be posted every couple of weeks to both the YouTube channel and Google+ page for viewers to check out. The new Google+ page will feature work from Nikon Ambassadors and Professional Photographers, and serve as a hub for passionate photographers to share favorite photos, insights on techniques and behind the scenes stories. On this page, Nikon aims to help advanced, professional and aspiring photographers looking to further their craft and take their passion to the next level. Please find the official NikonUSA Google+ page at: plus.google.com/+NikonUSA

Video Series Schedule (subject to change)         

Launch Date	Video Segment	Pro Photographer
Tuesday, March 11	Nikon BTS: Reading Light	Joe McNally
Thursday, March 20	Nikon BTS: Golden Hour Expedition	Corey Rich
Tuesday, April 1	Nikon BTS: Photos with the Family and Pets	Tamara Lackey
Monday, April 14	Nikon BTS: Small Lighting, Big Results	Joe McNally
Thursday, April 24	Nikon BTS: Extreme Action Shooting	Corey Rich
Monday, May 5	Nikon BTS: Capturing an Authentic Smile	Tamara Lackey
Thursday, May 15	Nikon BTS: Using Light to Tell a Story	Joe McNally
Monday, May 26	Nikon BTS: Packing for an Outdoor Shoot	Corey Rich
Thursday, June 5	Nikon BTS: Romantic Portraits	Tamara Lackey
Monday, June 16	Nikon BTS: Dramatic Portrait Lighting	Joe McNally
Thursday, June 26	Nikon BTS: Starry Night Time-Lapse	Corey Rich
Monday, June 30	Nikon BTS: Little Kids, Big Personalities	Tamara Lackey
Thursday, July 10	Nikon BTS: Advanced lighting	Joe McNally
Monday, July 21	Nikon BTS: Action with Video	Corey Rich
Thursday, July 31	Nikon BTS: Lenses for Great Portraits	Tamara Lackey

Nikon Behind the Scenes Video Series

World's First 50MP Smartphone Camera Leaked: OPPO Find 7

Just when you thought the megapixel war was over it sounds like shots are being fired once again, this time from smartphone manufactures.

Looking a the dimensions of the images captured with OPPO’s upcoming Find 7 smartphone, it looks like they may have just thrown down the gauntlet to Nokia by packing a FIFTY megapixel camera into the phone.

The Chinese company has been trying to keep its latest device under wraps, but with a string of “leaked” product images, as well as these photos, more and more information about this megapixel monster seems to be coming to light.

The EXIF data of the leaked images show 50MP, with the OPPO Find 7 named as the device used to capture them at f/2 aperture wide open.

The phone itself is said to come in two variations, both featuring Android Jelly Bean (4.3) and a screen-size of 5.5-inches. It’s set to be released in Beijing on March 19th, so we won’t have to wait long to see if this is the real deal.

You can see (and download) the entire gallery of high-res photos over on GSM Arena

World's First 50MP Smartphone Camera Leaked: OPPO Find 7