KitPlus | Articles

Is it my eyes, is it in focus?

by Graham Reed Issue 100 - April 2015 Is it me or as I get older, and my eyes not as good as they were, are viewfinders getting smaller and less sharp?When I started as a cameraman the cameras were large (EMI 2001\'s) as were the viewfinders. They were large format cameras with a 30mm 4x3 sensors and the normal aperture was f 3.5, so a shallow dept...

Submitted by graham reed

Published 01 May 2015

DOPs discuss minicams, lenses, 4k and all

by Mel Noonan Issue 100 - April 2015 If anyone knows about the practical reality of using minicams and lenses it has to be the DOPs who are out there using them. We are now seeing minicams used in all areas of production, some with 1080p and 4K capability at prices you would not have believed possible a few years back. I spoke to some of the DOPs I...

Submitted by Mel Noonan

Published 01 May 2015

The Autoue Motion Pro camera stabiliser

By Matt LyneThe Autocue Motion Pro camera stabiliser is a brilliant piece of kit for getting high movement shots whilst also maintaining the ability to pan/tilt with ease. It is light compared to similar functioning stabilisers however prolonged use will quickly tire out your arm due to the manner in which you hold it with one hand at almost arms l...

Submitted by Matt Lyne

Published 01 January 2015

Miniature cameras on the move

by Kieron Seth Issue 95 - November 2014 Using cameras in-car has always been problematic. Most importantly, the size of camera is crucial: sit a camera operator in the vehicle with a camcorder and the natural sense of intimacy is lost. Mount the camcorder within the cockpit and it is sure to obscure the driver\'s view of the road. The alternative i...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 December 2014

Capture and Produce

Issue 94 - October 2014One of the hot topics at this year’s IBC was undoubtedly the growing adoption of end-to-end IP production and the imminent death of SDI. During a panel session, hosted by Mediasmiths and Cognizant, and including representatives from BBC, Sony and more, the key point made was that the adoption of IP production technology and w...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 November 2014

News

Issue 94 - October 2014The most complete, compact multimedia studio in the World NewTek™ have unveiled TriCaster Mini™––the world’s most complete and compact multimedia studio. The ultra-portable system allows anyone who doesn’t speak or understand the technical language of video production or broadcasting to transform an ordinary presentation into...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 November 2014

Professional Media Card Readers

by Greg Laporte Issue 94 - October 2014 You\'re on location and you\'re done shooting for the day and you have a sizeable stack of fully recorded memory cards. It\'s a complex shoot, perhaps with multiple cameras from different vendors recording on different memory card formats. Now, how do you get the raw video files from all of those cameras into...

Submitted by Greg Laporte

Published 01 November 2014

Capture and Produce

Issue 93 - September 2014 Amongst all the new cameras, support and other production kit being touted prior to IBC, it was a less tangible announcement that really captured the imagination: Atomos’ announcement that it wants to standardize its Start/Stop Trigger connectivity for HDMI by making it available to other manufacturers. Locking SDI interfa...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 October 2014

Shooting Cinematically

by Ben Baldwin Issue 93 - September 2014 One Monday morning in July I headed to Pinewood Studios to spend an hour in the company of Den Lennie and Philip Bloom for a Sony Webinar - Shooting Cinematically. Both DOPs share a passion for helping aspiring filmmakers grow their skills and confidence and both have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to c...

Submitted by Ben Baldwin

Published 01 October 2014

From the frontline to the finish line

by Paul Sargeant Issue 88 - April 2014 Dakar Rally: Frontline to Finish Line first hit our screens on 16th April 2013. It followed the exciting journey of a team of seriously injured servicemen from Britain and the US as they took on the worlds toughest rally. The Dakar Rally is the ultimate test of man and machine versus the elements as drivers ra...

Submitted by Paul Sargeant#

Published 01 May 2014

Cutting the cord

by Will Strauss Issue 87 - March 2014 Wireless cameras are not new. In fact, they date back to the 1970s. But its only been in the last ten years that this technology has really blossomed, with engineers working out how to adapt the digital terrestrial transmission technology so that it can be used efficiently for programme-making. From that tippin...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 April 2014

Rising to the occasion

by Kevin CookIssue 83 - November 2013 I must admit I wasnt really in the market for a camera crane until I set eyes on the iFootage M1 Mini Crane. Sure, I love seeing craning shots in a film - and I understand perfectly how these types of shots give the viewer an additional and otherwise unavailable perspective to A scene but it all seemed like a l...

Submitted by Kevin Cook

Published 01 December 2013

Bob Pank looks at shooting 4K TV

by Bob PankIssue 82 - October 2013 Not unexpectedly IBC was full of buzz and products for 4K the new image format for television. This is generally taken to be a 2x2 version of HDTVs 1920 x 1080, i.e. defining a 3840 x 2160 pixel picture. But there is nothing new about big pictures like this. Back in late 2004 a draft of the Digital Cinema Initiati...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 November 2013

Preparing for the future in television and film

by Kieron SethIssue 80 - August 2013 We prepare students for a career in television and film, says Sean Thornton of Anglia Ruskin University. As such, the technology we use has to be real-world and broadcast standard The Media Services team provides equipment to under- and postgraduate students and operates facilities that include TV and photograph...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 September 2013

EditShare hits the back of the net for french football gi...

by James RichingsIssue 80 - August 2013 Three times winners of Ligue 1, Frances highest football division, LOSC Lille is one of the premier professional sporting clubs in the country and have a sizeable following drawn from across Northern France. Live home games are broadcast for national TV and the club creates content for its own in-house televi...

Submitted by James Richings

Published 01 September 2013