First ProRes files from the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera released

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The BMCC 2.5K EF and mFT cameras are now in-stock at Hot Rod Cameras, where you can also pre-order the Pocket Cinema Camera

John Brawley has released a few ungraded ProRes files from his card, shot with the Pocket Cinema Camera and SLR Magic 35mm F1.4.

Read moreFirst ProRes files from the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera released

It lives! 5 year old $350 Canon 50D becomes raw cinema monster

Avoid the inevitable price rises and buy your 50D now on eBay

It seems the 50D is the best Super 35mm DSLR for raw video from Canon.

The sensor resolves very clean highly detailed raw video with hardly any moire or aliasing, at a higher quality than the Rebel lines does.

Read moreIt lives! 5 year old $350 Canon 50D becomes raw cinema monster

Digital goes back to the 70’s – 1st impressions of Dog Schnit Optiks Flare Factory 58 lens and sample photos

The Flare Factory 58 is modified lens by fellow British filmmaker Richard Gale, and a regular member of the EOSHD forum. A few weeks go Rich sent me one of the first of the lenses, a Flare Factory 58 (serial 004). Humorously branded Dog Schidt Optiks (the ‘n’ is silent), Rich is modifying Helios 44-M 58mm F2.0 lenses making versions with a unique character which can be customised on order. They are hand assembled and modified in England.

Read moreDigital goes back to the 70’s – 1st impressions of Dog Schnit Optiks Flare Factory 58 lens and sample photos

New Leica M with 1080p out in the wild – and first look at video quality

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/61304882[/vimeo]

Catch the EOSHD interview with Leica’s Jesko von Oeynhausenand and hands-on with the Leica M type 240 here

The new Leica M (dubbed type 240) has a CMOSIS full frame sensor, and a first for a Leica camera – video. Not since the Leicina 8mm camera (EOSHD article) has a Leica product been viable for cinema.

The Leica M of course is primarily a photography tool, but it is interesting to see if Leica have taken the same no-compromise approach to image quality in video mode as they have always done with stills.

Furthermore Leica are a company with no high end cinema camera range or video camera market share to protect from themselves (yes – never did make sense that did it?)

Read moreNew Leica M with 1080p out in the wild – and first look at video quality

Johnnie Behiri shoots professional work on Sony A99 – sample videos and review

An exploded view of the A99 at Photokina

Whilst I was able to record some footage from the Sony A99 at Photokina I didn’t really have any spare time to do much with one. The camera to me seems a little bit disappointing on the image quality front with line skipping resulting in quite heavy moire and aliasing. Not acceptable in 2012.

Johnnie (who I had the pleasure of finally meeting at Photokina) is a freelance BBC cameraman and editor based in Vienna. His comments on the new A99 are mixed (as are my feelings about the camera).

Read moreJohnnie Behiri shoots professional work on Sony A99 – sample videos and review

Shooting with the new SLR Magic 35mm T0.95 and T1.4 prototype lenses

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/50210718[/vimeo]

One of the highlights of Photokina 2012 was meeting up with SLR Magic, the small but nimble optics company based in Hong Kong. They brought out one of the first proper fast wide lenses for Micro Four Thirds (the 12mm F1.6) by listening to demand and acting swiftly. Now they are building high end super-fast primes which are optimised for filmmakers as well as photographers.

Read moreShooting with the new SLR Magic 35mm T0.95 and T1.4 prototype lenses