Home » Posts by Michael Britt

Robotic Arms for HDSLR

January 31, 2012 by Gear

I came across this site called ServoCity after following a link to a PT785-S pan and tilt servo head. This looks like a very cool and affordable solution at $350 for the arm mechanism with plug and play wired remotes starting at $50 and a wireless controller for $80.

This precision, closed-loop system is designed to manipulate cameras/devices up to 6 lbs even though the entire head only weighs a super-light 1.8 lbs. Each axis can operate up to 400° of … Continue Reading

Canon C300 at Samy’s DV & Edit

On Tuesday, February 7th from 11am to 3pm, Samy’s DV & Edit is proud to welcome our special guest Pulitzer-Prize and Cannes Lion winning photographer / filmmaker  Vincent Laforet to help us introduce you to the new game-changing Canon C300 Cinema EOS . Seats are sure to go quickly,  reserve your place now!

We’ll fill you in on all the new features and operating specifics of this revolutionary new camera. A full size Super 35mm chip in concert with great design, utilizing Canon’s long history in elite photography, make the C300 the first camera in its class that can get your movie to the big screen with no compromise whatsoever. Choose between your Canon EF lenses or PL Mount glass; either camera will provide stunning Cinema-Quality HD footage.
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Movies at Sundance More Timely Due to Digital Filmmaking

January 23, 2012 by News

The NY Times has an interesting article about how technology is changing the programming content.

“Sundance films have roughly had a gestation time of three to five years, chances were high that the cultural moment they were examining had already faded…..That has now changed. Because of advances in digital moviemaking, a notable number of this year’s selections took less than a year and a half to come together. Some of the entries this year, using the latest gadgets and stripped of studio bureaucracy and complex scheduling requirements, took only four months or so to be made.

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Tascam iM2 iPhone Recorder

January 12, 2012 by Audio, Gear, News

There are a lot of cool gadgets coming out right now and we’re usually pretty selective with the “look at this” type of posts here on PCN but since I’ve covered using an iPhone as an audio recorder in the past I thought this would be of interest to our readers.

The Tascam iM2 attaches to an IOS device (iPhone or iPad) giving you a serious recording tool. I really like the idea of carrying a microphone to use with my iPhone around instead of another full sized electronic device in my laptop bag. Here’s a video from Tascam:
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Canon G1X Video

January 12, 2012 by Cameras, Gear

This camera is stirring up things on the intertubes. I was happy to find out it has a larger sensor than was originally suspected. I’ve had a couple of conversations where I wished out loud for a G12 style metal bodied camera with manual knobs and dials that has a bigger chip and interchangeable lenses. I got most of that wish with the new G1X but no interchangeable lenses. I don’t think I need a fixed lens carry camera when there are so many great choices of small M43 and APS-C cameras like the new Fuji X1 Pro and the Sony Nex-7 that have interchangeable lenses. I guess interchangeable lenses are both a pro and a con because good lenses can easily set you back another grand. I’m sure this camera will find it’s place among photographers wanting an all-in-one compact solution.

Here’s a video from Canon Europe about the G1X:
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Slow Motion FPS Comparison Shot on Fantom

I feel a little behind the times because I haven’t seen these videos from the British team calling themselves the Slo Mo Guys. This film shows the difference in shooting a coffee mug breaking at 500fps, 1000fps, 2500fps, 5000fps and 10,000fps. Of course you can only get these results with a Fantom camera but it’s great to see the differences when shooting actual slow-motion instead of 60fps processed in post.
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