Mamiya Rz & Phase One IQ

We have updated our Digital RZ Camera range with the new IQ Phase One backs.

Three really cool advantages have come with this camera platform update.

Firstly it requires no sync cables, not a single cable is needed for the ‘RZ Holy Trinity’ * to work together. Previously sync cables and the RZ system would simply refuse to sync. Cue a mad scrabble to swap over cables and camera bodies etc with out knowing for sure which part was at fault, nasty.

Secondly, if you ever use the left hand grip you will know the shutter release button would never work with digital backs as the port would be taken up by a sync cable! No longer a problem.

Thirdly and perhaps the most revolutionary  you can rotate from landscape to portrait in about 1 second with the flick of a switch and simply twisting the IQ back. (just like you always could with film)

This feels like a very stable and smooth camera system. Its defintely recomended and if you had moved away from the RZ format, perhaps a fresh look would be a good idea.

*(Camera,Back & Lens)

K5600 Alpha – The best fresnel on the market

A new light comes along every now and again and you can tell its just simply a massive improvement on whats currently out there. The  K5600 Alpha daylight fresnel 4kV2 or 18 (availible in 6,12, & 18K) are both a truly stunning upgrade on anything else the HMI / Fresnel industry can currently offer.

Starting with the actual light source, a technology never before used in the lighting industry. A single white ceramic quartz bowl sits behind the bulb creating a superior shadow quality, while at the same time producing a softer more forgiving light quality. On top of that the versatile nature of the design creates possibilities that have never been consider possible in one product. The size difference in the design between that of the Alpha and its main competitor are very clear to see. Standing all coy to the right of this picture is the Alpha 18.

The new size which is simply revolutionary creates new possibilities from that K5600 have gone to town. For instance fancy using it hanging from the ceiling as a space light? Not a problem! This is currently the only MSR that you can point down at 90 degrees with the light not melting!

There are many ways to use the Alpha 4 V2. From the standard use of a daylight fresnel and the pre mentioned spacelight there is also the option to add or removing the 2 fresnel lenses. The results have to be seen…

The Aplha’s 4V2 and 18′s are currently being used on two blockbuster feature films in the UK that will be released next summer. Point being these are tried and tested lights, we are not preaching about a unproven product, this is a light that is being used at the high end of the film industry.

They have been field tested as pictured below!

The Revolution Will Not Be Revolutionary

Believe the hype, well most of it. SSD storage devices are the future for Pixipixel.

They’ve made an initial appearance in our MacBook Pros and the difference they make is immediately obvious, even to a jaded tech that has seen it all. We were forced however, to look at third party vendors in order to find the kind of performance we think is needed.

The numbers are pretty impressive, sustained read speeds in the region 250MB/sec for our particular drives.  It’s not just that, they’re lighter, less of a drain on batteries and the heat generated is way less than that from standard drives. As an additional plus, they have no moving parts, which means that these drives are largely shock proof and operate silently.

In keeping with our determination to stay at the edge of new technology, we have also just taken delivery of  2011 MacBooks with the new Thunderbolt port.

Now Mac are promising PCI Express performance from this shiny new port. We’re told it will be 20 times faster than USB. We will be testing the truth in that when compatible peripherals become available.

M

New Year, New Toys

Before I go on, Happy New Year! A little late I know.

Ok moving on, what’s the new app/hardware that’s grabbing everyones attention this year?
I don’t know about the rest of the universe, but it seems that planet photography is very curious about the new Capture PilotTM feature available in the latest incarnation of Capture One.

If a client wants to review the handy work of the hardworking photographer but not get too far from the biscuits this is ideal.
All you do is log on to a server created in Capture One 6 from the iPad using Capture Pilot and browse the images held in a shared folder on the workstation.

This is good for a few reasons -

1. The photographer/digi op will be able to work without a crowd round them

2. No more fingerprints on the expensive Eizo screens…

3. Did I mention not being too far from the biscuits?

In the interest of supplying the demand, Pixi have made the leap, put the hardware in place, installed Capture PilotTM and can now offer that additional piece of functionality to your shoot if you so desire it.

We love our toys, though we recommend that this isn’t used as a replacement for a second screen due wireless speed limitations.

Steadicam Merlin

You have to love the names our American cousins come up with for gear. Presumably the idea is that the Merlin allows such smooth camera moves that you’d swear they’re magical and the work of a wizard.

Luckily, you won’t need to study for years in a damp forest in order to get results from the Merlin that you’ll like. No, you can click through the numerous user videos online or even visit the Steadicam website and check out their information.

So what does it do? Basically, with a little practice, the Merlin will help smooth out unwanted movement whilst keeping the camera level. In the hands of a skilled operator Steadicam say you can get results similar to more expensive rigs.

Using one of our 5D MkII cameras and completely ignoring the cookbook for setting it up, we had the Merlin working in about fifteen minutes. Not bad for our first time. We would recommend using the manual, just to get an idea of what the Merlin requires in terms of tweaking for any given camera.

Primes are the lenses of choice for this kind of work for the obvious reason that a zoom lens will change the balance when you alter the focal length. This also applies when you change lens, but it’s the same for top end film kit so we don’t expect to hear any grumbling.

The Merlin is only meant for lightweight cameras; up to 5lbs, which is plenty if you’re a 5D or 7D shooter, but it also covers the Sony Z1 and similar.

We reckon the Merlin is the best of the entry level steady mounts for handheld work.

Briese 4KW HMI

Yeah okay we weren’t the first to have Briese. We were however the first to have Briese Lights working with Profoto flash packs. Now we can proudly say we are the first lighting company in the whole of Old Blighty to have 4KW Briese HMI. The 2.5kw is impressive on 140cm upwards Focus Briese system, but the 4kw packs an almighty punch. With Briese’s unique reflector material the 4kw light produces a light that is beautiful in front and behind the camera.

Power To Go

Summer season in full swing, productions are taking advantage of the incredible weather and location kits are in high demand. This year we have a couple of new options to help your shoot run a little more smoothly:

The HyperMac 222Ah allows digital operators to plug in on location and work even longer without changing batteries. The official line is that these will last up to 32hrs, but we all know that there’s a healthy air gap between what manufacturers claim and what actually happens. That said, even if a HyperMac only lasts half of the time claimed, it still does what it needs to do – keep a MacBook powered throughout a long shoot and probably in the crew car on your way home!

No don’t thank us, thank HyperMac you lucky people.

Profoto Pro-B3 1200 AirS is the latest battery powered offering from those clever Swedes. As you can tell from that mouthful of name, Profoto have adopted the same Air Remote slave found on the 8A mains packs.

They’ve done more than just repackage the older B2 however; the pack is teamed with top end power storage in the form of the latest LiFe batteries. The company literature tells us that the dedicated LiFePO4 battery technology has integrated electronics that optimize performance. In English this means that they weigh less, have increased stored power and reduced recycle times compared the B2.

The whole pack with battery now weighs in at 8.8kg (19.4lbs) compared to 11.4 kg (25lbs), good news for anyone’s baggage allowance.

So if mobility and endurance are what you need for location work this summer you should definitely consider adding these to your kit.

New Macbook Pros

With the release of the new Macbook Pros we are keeping our stock bang up to date with Apple’s shiny new Pro laptops. Things to note are the new Intel Core i7 processors, boosting performance by 50%. The new processor has a turbo boost which pushes processor speeds from 2.66GHz to a staggering 3.33GHz while using processor intensive programmes like Capture One and Final Cut. Improved screen resolution for the 15″ & 17”models bumping it up from 1440×900 to 1680×1050 meaning more pixels than ever before to showcase the sharpest and most vibrant of images. Last but not least for location shoots battery life has been improved up to 9 hours. If your shooting where electricity is scarce this is the laptop to use.

Final Cut Pro

Further enhancing our moving image capture packages, we can now offer Macbook Pro’s with Final Cut Pro. Final Cut is the top tool for editors, with a comprehensive set of trimming and customisation options. Enabling easy on location, or post production editing of HD video. This editing suite is perfect to edit footage shot on Canon 5D Mark2 into broadcast quality material.

Canon 5D MKII Firmware Update

Our Canon 5D MKII all have the new firmware update, which improves the video and sound performance when shooting HD video. Enabling 1080p Full HD footage at 24fps– the optimum frame rate for cinematic video. 25fps support at both 1920×1080 and 640×480 resolutions will allow users to film at the frame rate required for the PAL broadcast standard. The audio sampling frequency has been increased from 44.1KHz to 48KHz, providing the optimum audio signal typically required for professional or broadcast material.

Improved audio functions also allows users to set sound record levels manually. At Last!