Just received this email from our BeachTek rep friend:

I found a Dealer that has stock of 6 DXA-5D adapters with phantom power. You can contact Nick at Roberts Distributing at 800-726-5544. They are selling them for $333.33 each.

The newer cheaper model  (DXA-5Da) does not have phantom power so this might be a good opportunity for you to grab on if you need it and save over the new DXA-SLR model we talked about earlier.

First, I would like to correct myself. Contrary to what I said in my initial post, it is possible to buy a digital version of the app. You just need to download the demo and on the opening screen, just click on the buy button and it will lead you to a store page where you can either buy a digital version of the app (basically, just a serial number) or order the standard DVD box. But before doing so, I think you should read the whole post…

Note: watch update at the bottom of the post…

Continue reading…

If there is one thing no one was expecting this week, it has to be the release of a new HDSLR camera. Yet, that is exactly what Canon did. The new Rebel T2i is, on paper, an incredible package priced ridiculously low.

For the photographer

18mp on a 1.6x crop factor, I will have to see some real life sample shots to judge image quality but it is interesting to see the ISO going to 6400 (extendable to 12k) for an entry level toy. That is quite good if image quality is at the rendez-vous.

It also benefits from a lot of features that used to be restricted to the double prosumer bodies like improved auto focus and light metering. From a photographer perspective, it should be considered a decent upgrade for any 50D or older camera owner (if you dont need the burst rate). At least, from a specs sheet perspective.

For the videographer

Remember how 5DMrkII owners felt when the 7D was released? Well, 7D owners are now feeling the same! The new rebel can shoot video full manual and has variable frame rate (24p, 25p, 30, 50p and 60p), something to make 5DMrkII owners jealous. I know because I am!

Of course, the camera will probably not have the same low light image quality as the 5DMrkII (and maybe the 7D) and it is not full frame so it does have its limitations. Yet, it is a fraction of the cost of its ‘better’ alternatives. Continue reading…

Finally out! It was about time.

I will not list all the new features (over 200), if that is the kind of stuff you like reading about, head over the official Apple page. Instead, I will list the features that mean the most for us.

First, facial recognition. I already talked about it in my Aperture 3 prediction about 8 months ago. This is a big thing if you are often shooting the same people. I am just worried about how long it is going to take to pass over my 192 gigs of pictures…

Next on the line is Places. Another feature that most travel photographers will love. I know because I had to geotag over 2000 pictures when I came back from Vietnam. Not a fun experience! At the local scale, it is also going to be useful to organize pictures when doing on a location scouting day. I used to import them in iPhoto just for that and it was a real pain.

Video import and playback directly in Aperture! I love this one for two reasons: first because it is going to be useful to do everything in a single operation and also  because it shows how Apple recognize HDSLR as a trend and not a novelty. As soon as I finish the download, I will see if it if possible to batch process video files automatically for conversion to ProRes.

Slideshows. I never used these in Aperture. I preferred working within either Lightroom, Animoto or Motion. But, with the new slideshows, I just have one thing to say: wow! I am impressed. 95% of the work I used to do in Motion is doable in Aperture and it looks even easier!

Finally, Brushes. It was about time Aperture got these! None destructive editing at the pixel level has been the reason why I moved to Lightroom (ok, also because it was faster!). I am glad the feature is now in Aperture since it saves a round trip to Photoshop for 95% of the image corrections.

While waiting for my review, you can read what Chase has to say about it. He was on the beta list so he probably knows more than me!

Note: You can upgrade to Aperture 3 from the Academic version of Aperture 2!

Note2: I havent found an electronic version for the full product, so I had to place an order and download the demo.

We talked about it earlier and now it is official. You can read the press release here. The interesting part is Canon talking about a 2x gain in speed for Prores 422 HQ transcoding compared to Compressor. Then again, if you are using MPEG Streamclip, the speed gain should be about the same.

This last sentence sound a bit weird to me:

Additionally, users will also be able to add timecode, reel names and metadata to footage quickly and easily – further enhancing the experience of EOS MOVIE users when editing their footage.

This could mean that we will not have access to the camera metadata, something that was part of the original product developed by Gluetool.

Release date, for the free beta, will be in March so new features might pop in until then.

Note: Thanks to Peter Wiggins for the link on this one, almost missed the announcement!

A lot of people talked about the announcement of the EOS E1 plugin for FCP yesterday so I feel like I have to talk about it too. As far as we know, it is all vaporware so far since the software is not released yet. Old time blog readers might remember this post from Vincent Laforest testing a similar tool developed by Glue Tools (which has not been released yet, hence my lack of faith in unreleased software!).

So, what is all the fuzz about anyways?

Why do you need a tool to import files from the CF card to your computer? The finder/Explorer is already doing a fine job. Well, the first reason is to make the file importing task part of the FCP workflow. When using the Log & Trans window, you can attach other process to the import action, for examples sending the file to compressor for transcoding, make a backup copy on another drive, add meta tags, etc… Pretty cool and a nice time saver, especially if you are working on a set.

Now about what it cant do…

I have seen  a few cut&paste reports of people saying the plugin would allow users to start the edit with the video still in the camera/CF card. Sorry but this sounds more like a sentence taken from the generic Log & Transfert feature description than what you can expect to do from this plugin. You still need to transcode to ProRes if you want real time editing, and it is not like we are shooting 45 minutes long clips with the 5D, we are limited to 12 minutes so no real need to partial file import. Actually, I dont even know if it is possible with the H.264 codec to do partial import without re-encoding the whole clip.

So, is this a big announcement or not?

Yes it is because the Log & Trans tool is part of a professional work flow. Pros are used to it and expect it. While not a show stopper, it was keeping the 5D away from being seen as a ‘real’ tool on a production set.

The plugin is not out yet so we can’t confirm its features but I hope the file metadatas include exposure settings,  lens used, camera id, etc…

Once released, the plugin will be available here.

A while ago, we announced that the BeachTek DXA-5D was discontinued and confirmed that a new version of the product would be out ’soon’. Soon in this case sounds like the end of February /March. Just got an email from BeachTek announcing these:

I know a lot of people prefer to use en external recording device such as the Zoom H4n but being able to record (and monitor) directly on the 5D means no sync in post which can be a real time saver and less clutter in your bag.

The conference was not over this afternoon and I had already received a few emails and SMS from friends telling me how great of an external screen the iPad could be. And now even Philip Bloom  talks about it.

I am currently downloading the iPhone SDK3.2 to investigate the possibility but if it is doable,  I am not the one who will do it! Way too complicated!

M. Jobs might call the iPad a magic item, transforming the iPad as an external monitor would require massive coding skills. Why? You would have to port the Canon desktop SDK to the iPad which is near impossible unless you are Canon and have access to the source code. OnOneSoftware did it for the iPhone with their DSLR Remote app by using a little trick: they use a computer as a proxy so they could piggyback on the existing Canon API. The next part would be to resize the feed in real time so it fits on the iPad screen, something I doubt the iPad has the CPU power to do. So you see, it is not really possible in the current context.

It is too early to tell, but one thing is for sure: if it is possible, it will be done! The market for such a product is too big for a developer to ignore! And who knows, maybe the solution will come directly from Canon! (wishful thinking!)

By the way, I am looking for a cocoa/Objectif-C dev for a totally unrelated top secret project…

Finally, someone realized that pressing the start/stop button is a pain when using a shoulder rig. While Red Rock Micro already has a solution to this problem, it is not elegant or practical since you have to place the remote in front of the camera. The solution proposed by Switronix is better (since you can position the remote at the back of the camera), yet not perfect. Before going further, lets look at their press release.

NEW FLEX DSLR Remote from Switronix Inc.

January, 27th 2010
Rockville Centre – NY: Switronix Inc releases the FLEX DSLR Remote. The FLEX is a patent-pending, handle mounted DSLR remote unit that triggers HD video start and stop recording for Canon 5D/7D. The FLEX’s unique gooseneck arm houses an optic to be positioned within line of sight to the remote sensor on the Canon cameras (transmits up to 1m away, 135deg spread). Once positioned, the remote transmits a signal through the optic when the button is depressed.
The arm can be extended up to 12″ and coils down to approximately 3″ in diameter. The FLEX’s all metal construction will standup to the everyday rigors of HD DSLR video production. Max clamp diameter 1.5″. Powered by 2 included AAA batteries. The FLEX DSLR remote will have a street price of around $150.
Shipping week of 2/8/10
For more information Visit: www.switronix.com

150$?

Yes, that is a little steep and it does not look super ergonomic to me. While I applaud the idea, I hope someone comes up with a more refined solution. Actually, I know someone who is working on a similar issue: me!

Should you get this?

Unless there is a use case I did not think about or you really have to position the camera in an awkward place, I think it would be better to wait and see what the competition is coming with.

Came back from the electronic store yesterday and got these parts. Anyone guessing what I am working on?