Camera
Here's Shogun's cinematographers on their Emmy-winning process
Image: FX |
Shogun, the FX show set in feudal era Japan, has broken the record for the most Emmys won by a show in a single year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show won 18 awards, including the one for ‘Outstanding Cinematography For A Series (One Hour).’
The cinematography nod is particularly interesting, especially for cinematography and camera nerds. Even if you’ve only watched the trailer, it’s clear that Shogun has a distinct visual style. The show is shot on anamorphic lenses with lots of character; in many shots, the frame is filled with aberrations, the background has a strong swirling look (fans of vintage lenses will be familiar with the effect), and the edges of the frame are blurry or even downright vignetted.
The show uses a lot of shallow depth of field and interesting bokeh.
Image: FX |
Thankfully, the show’s creators have gone into a lot of detail about the how and (perhaps more importantly) why of the aesthetic decisions that impressed the Television Academy. FX’s website even has a page dedicated to the show’s cinematography, which mainly focuses on the choices made around lighting a show set before the advent of electricity.
American Cinematographer provides a deeper look into the technical aspects of how they shot the show. According to the feature, the cinematographers relied heavily on the Sony Venice and FX3, outfitted with several varieties of Hawk anamorphic lenses. The article also goes into even more lensing and lighting choices and contains a plethora of interesting details. For example, the show was apparently shot at 6K but cropped to 4K to meet FX’s delivery standards while maintaining a 2.0:1 aspect ratio.
The American Society of Cinematographers also had Sam McCurdy, who shot five episodes of the show, on its interview series. During the conversation, he talks about the lightning and grip setups (complete with diagrams), ‘butchering’ light bulbs to get a convincing simulation of firelight, and how the story informed the show’s aesthetic, down to which aperture was used for certain shots.
Shogun’s look has its detractors, with some commenters going as far as saying it made them think something was wrong with their TVs. But even those who didn’t like it would likely agree that it’s great to live in a time when we can get such an in-depth look at the creative process behind such a critically acclaimed show. Television hasn’t always gotten the behind-the-scenes treatment that movies have, but fans of the medium or even people looking to get a job in the industry now have great resources available from the people out there making it.
Camera
Canon teases 410MP full-frame, but not for photographers
Image: Canon |
Canon has developed a 410MP full-frame sensor, which it says is primarily designed for markets such as surveillance, medicine and industrial applications.
Canon doesn’t typically disclose details of sensors it plans to use in its cameras prior to those cameras being announced, which is another strong hint that this won’t be the basis of the next R-series model. Still, it gives and insight into where Canon’s sensor design and technology has got to.
The 410MP chip is a Stacked CMOS design with some signal processing circuitry built into one of the layers of that stack. This design allows it to read all its pixels at a rate of 3,280 megapixels per second. This is sufficient to let it deliver 24K ‘video’ at up to eight frames per second.
Alternatively, Canon says a monochrome version of the chip can bin the output of four neighboring pixels to deliver “100MP” video at up to 24 fps. These numbers suggest the company is talking about full-sensor, ‘open-gate’ 12K footage from the full 3:2 sensor region. Given this is its maximum output rate, it’s reasonable to assume it would have a rolling shutter rate not much quicker than 1/24 sec (ie: around 40ms), which wouldn’t be optimal as the basis of a cinema camera.
Thiose frame rates suggest a sensor that would be well-suited to machine-vision tasks that prioritize resolution over speed, such as checking detailed circuit boards during production, rather than on high-speed production lines where global shutter’s ability to freeze movement might be more valued.
The use of the 3:2, 36x24mm ‘full-frame’ format means the sensor could be used with the vast range of lenses designed for that format, rather than having to specify something custom or very low-volume, by adopting a larger, medium-format size.
Camera
Canon's new RF16-28mm is a less expensive F2.8 zoom
Image: Canon |
Canon has announced the RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM, a fast wide-angle full-frame zoom that’s meant to be a more budget-friendly option for people looking to shoot photos and videos. The lens is lightweight and compact, coming in at a very similar size and weight as its sibling, the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM.
The 16-28mm is explicitly designed to pair with that lens for enthusiasts wanting constant F2.8 capability on a budget.
The lens’ optical formula includes 16 elements in 13 groups, with 2 aspherical lenses and 4 UD elements. Like many of Canon’s RF lenses – including its higher-end L-series models – the 16-28mm uses of digital corrections as part of its design. At its long end, it has a minimum focusing distance of 0.2m (7.9″). The lens is weather sealed to provide some protection against dust and moisture, though there aren’t gaskets on all of its various buttons, switches and rings.
Canon |
As its name implies, the 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM uses a lead-screw type stepper motor for focusing, which the company says will provide “fast and accurate” focusing. It also features optical image stabilization, rated for 5.5 stops of compensation at the center of the lens, which gets bumped up to 8 stops when paired with a camera body that can coordinate its sensor stabilization with the lens’.
The lens weighs around 445g (15.7oz) and is 91mm (3.6″) long when retracted. It uses 67mm filters and can be paired with an EW-73E lens hood, though it is sold separately.
The 16-28mm F2.8 becomes Canon’s fourth wide-angle option, sitting between the $550 RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM and the $1400 RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM. The new lens has better weather-sealing than the variable aperture zoom but, is less well-sealed than the slower-but-wider F4 ‘L’ series lens. Above all of these sits the $2400 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM.
The RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM will retail for $1149 and starts shipping on February 11th.
Canon RF 16-28MM F2.8 IS STM Specifications
Principal specifications | |
---|---|
Lens type | Zoom lens |
Max Format size | 35mm FF |
Focal length | 16–28 mm |
Image stabilization | Yes |
CIPA Image stabilization rating | 5.5 stop(s) |
Lens mount | Canon RF, Canon RF-S |
Aperture | |
Maximum aperture | F2.8 |
Minimum aperture | F2.8 |
Aperture ring | No |
Number of diaphragm blades | 9 |
Optics | |
Elements | 16 |
Groups | 13 |
Special elements / coatings | 2 aspherical, 4UD |
Focus | |
Minimum focus | 0.20 m (7.87″) |
Maximum magnification | 0.26× |
Autofocus | Yes |
Motor type | Stepper motor |
Distance scale | No |
DoF scale | No |
Physical | |
Weight | 445 g (0.98 lb) |
Diameter | 77 mm (3.03″) |
Length | 91 mm (3.58″) |
Sealing | Yes |
Colour | Black |
Power zoom | No |
Zoom lock | No |
Filter thread | 67 mm |
Hood supplied | No |
Hood product code | EW-73E |
Tripod collar | No |
Camera
Panasonic's latest firmware updates bring all its latest cameras up to speed
Photo: Brendan Nystedt |
Panasonic has announced a suite of updates for its latest cameras, designed to make sure the S5 II, S5 IIX, GH7, and G9 II are all on level playing field with each other and the S9 in terms of what features they support.
All four cameras will now be able to display multiple frame guide markers at once, which can help if you’re trying to frame a shot that will eventually be edited into multiple aspect ratios. The markers are heavily customizable – you can choose different colors for each aspect ratio and position and resize the lines on your screen.
The ability to have multiple frame guides debuted on the S9’s v1.1 firmware but is now available across Panasonic’s modern lineup. |
The updates also add support for Panasonic’s “MP4 Lite” codec, which records 3.8K open-gate footage at a lower bitrate, making it easier and faster to transfer to a phone via Wi-Fi. For the S5 II and S5 IIX, the video will be in the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the S9, but for the Four Thirds cameras it’ll be in a taller 4:3 aspect ratio.
Speaking of transferring footage to your phone, Panasonic is also bringing full support for its new Lumix Lab app to all the cameras. That means you’ll be able to use it, instead of Lumix Sync, to remotely control shooting, transfer images to your phone, and more.
The S5 II, S5 IIX, and G9 II are also getting the enhanced subject detection that the GH7 launched with, meaning that they’ll also be able to recognize planes and trains and zero-in on a specific part of a recognized subject, such as a car’s driver or a motorcycle rider’s helmet. They’re also getting the Crop Zoom feature from the GH7 and S9, which will automatically punch in by a selectable amount. In stills mode, this means that the JPEGs will be taken from a center crop of your untouched Raw. In video you’ll only be getting the cropped version since there’s no Raw. How cropped it is will depend on your shooting resolution.
‘Part priority’ is now available on all of Panasonic’s phase-detect-equipped ILCs. |
The full-frame S5 II and S5 IIX are also getting the Hybrid Zoom system from the S9, which combines your lens’ optical zoom with Crop Zoom, giving you more reach the further you twist the zoom ring.
There are a few smaller changes as well; each of the cameras will get improvements to operational stability, as well as the ability to save pictures in an “Extra Small” size.
Features being removed
While the updates are obviously full of new features, they also take away some things. European S5 II and S5 IIXs will no longer support wireless image transfers to PCs or RTMP streaming – you’ll have to use RTMPS when livestreaming from your camera. While those features will still work in other markets, such as the US, the S5 IIX and the GH7 are losing the ability to act as a RTP/RTSP network camera over a wired internet connection globally. While Panasonic didn’t give an specific explanation of why these features were being removed, the company did say they came as part of a security enhancement to the cameras.
Another change that will affect all S5 II, S5 IIX, GH7, and G9 II users: when directly connecting the camera and your smartphone, you’ll now have to enter the password each time if you’re using the Lumix Sync app; Lumix Lab isn’t affected, since it handles authentication over Bluetooth. These changes also won’t affect the cameras’ Frame.io integration.
The new firmware files – v3.2 for the S5 II, v2.2 for the S5 IIX, v1.3 for the GH7, and v2.3 for the G9 II – are available for download on Panasonic’s website.
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