- large sensor and lens options match industry training needs

Sydney – 31 January, 2012 – The Sony PMW-F3 Super 35mm digital cinematography camcorder has struck a chord with Australian educators looking to equip their students with industry standard systems to meet current and future requirements.

Sony’s first professional handheld digital production camera with a Super 35mm imager was the right acquisition tool at the right time for three of the country’s leading tertiary institutions.

Faced with students trending to DLSRs, tutors were looking for a large sensor camera that could deliver the desired shallow depth of field ‘look’ without breaking their budgets.

F3 kit delivers DOF for Griffith Uni
“Students were chasing a 35mm aesthetic but DLSRs don’t provide enough functionality or sound recording options to make it practical option for a film school so we looked for an alternative,’ explained Dean Chircop, a lecturer at Griffith Film School, part of Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art.

“We were stuck with cameras with 2/3” chips or 16mm frame sizes but the students were after DSLRs because the chip size has a shallower depth of field. After discussions with local cinematographers to see where the industry was going and what the trends were, we looked at options ranging from ARRI to a fully kitted DSLR. Then we heard of the Sony F3 and set it up in a benchmark test against a Sony HDCAM HDW-750 and other cameras from Panasonic, Canon and ARRI.”

Based on the outcome of the shootout a PMW-F3 camera kit complete with three Sony prime lenses was ordered in May 2011 through local reseller Videopro. The decision was announced to third year students about to commence their graduate short film work and seven out of eight projects planning to shoot on DLSRs moved to the F3.

“Shortly after it arrived the F3 went straight into seven weeks of work, going from one student production to the next. Some of these projects were quite ambitious - one was shot 12,000 kilometres west with no quick back-up available but the camera came through without problems,” said Chircop.

“As an out of box solution that can be quickly built into a production camera for single camera acquisition it performs really well in terms of integration with existing accessories. The ability of the F3 to marry a full 35mm sensor with the PL prime lenses was a beautiful combination to curb students gravitating to DSLRs and I have no doubts the F3 will service the film school well.”

AFTRS adds F3s
At Sydney’s Australian Film and Radio School (AFTRS) the Head of Cinematography, Kim Batterham ACS, also noticed the industry’s move to large sensor cameras.

“In the last two years the television landscape has radically changed and there has been an acceleration of big sensor shooting, especially in Australia. AFTRS has been at the mercy of these changes and part of our teaching philosophy is that we need to have a certain industry currency where we reflect what is happening in the industry.

“We bought a RED camera in December 2009 because it was the cheapest to buy but in mid 2011 we bought two Sony F3s because we saw the opportunity to expand our large sensor offerings at reasonable cost and they fitted our teaching needs very nicely.”

Batterham explained that the F3s have enabled AFTRS to continue to provide training for feature film makers in the face of the declining use of film due to increasing costs. “It was becoming hard for students to practice in large format shooting but the F3s have maintained that teaching opportunity without the cost of film.

“Staging and lens choice with the F3s is very similar to 35mm film cameras. We have new Zeiss lenses and are also using Zeiss primes from 20 years ago which have a nice look. Panavision lent us older Cooke zoom lenses which work well with the F3 too.”

Batterham believes the Sony F3 represents the meeting of 35mm film with the handycam revolution of the late 90‘s where a lightweight, portable, shoot anywhere camera can be handheld or shoulder-mounted and deliver high resolution images.

“It also means we are giving students a camera that they can shoot with outside of workshop environments - the F3s don’t require professional technicians to take care of them.”

The F3s were first used for a one week television directing module and have since been utilised on an in-house project to interview well known AFTRS alumni including Alex Proyas. “The F3s were a natural choice for that - the images looked good and the cameras were easy to use,” said Batterham.

WA finds F3 advantage
At c at Edith Cowan University, Director John Rapsey
also selected the Sony F3 to teach cinematography to his students.

The Screen Academy has a relatively small intake of local and international students with industry experience and offers them specialist classes in cinematography taught by leading local DOP Jason Thomas.

“We set up in 2005 with Sony Z1 camcorders then upgraded to the EX1s but a big issue was that we needed to have cameras with interchangeable lenses. We know the RED camera has made an impact in our industry but we understand it has limitations - it’s big and bulky and takes a lot of infrastructure to support it. So we began talking to Sony to find a camera that was light, portable and easy to use,” said Rapsey.

Working with Perth reseller Vizcom Technologies, the Academy put the F3 through three days of testing under a wide variety of conditions before ordering the camera and its three prime lens kit which was delivered in September 2011.

“The lenses supplied with the camera are surprisingly good considering other lenses cost much more. We are also waiting for the new Sony SCL-Z18X140 14x zoom lens. It is important that we have equipment that appeals to prospective students as they want to learn using the best cameras so they will go where the best cameras are. It has been a real advantage to us to have the F3,” explained Rapsey.

As the convener of the Academy's graduate third year production slate, he has already seen his students’ work gain international attention. After projects were screened at an international student short film festival in France, seven short films and six documentaries were selected for a festival of film schools in Russia.

SONY OFFERING BONUS GEAR WITH NEX-FS100PK SUPER 35MM CAMCORDER

Throughout February and March, Sony (Australia) are offering bonus accessories with the NEX-FS100PK Super 35mm camcorder, making this very affordable model for large sensor shooting even better value! Purchasers can claim a free HXR-FMU128 Flash Memory Unit and 2NP-F970 twin battery pack, total retail value of around $1,300.
See http://pro.sony.com.au for more details or contact any Sony Authorised Production Dealer.

Sony OLED Monitors- Gearhouse Broadcast Australia installs OLEDs in four OB trucks

Sydney – January 3, 2011 – Sony has continued to roll out its professional OLED monitors with placements across the country including the latest installation at Gearhouse Broadcast Australia, a leader in HD Outside Broadcast technology.

With Seven Network, Fremantle Media and Fox Sports as principle clients, Gearhouse Broadcast Australia is keen to keep its 18 month old fleet of OB units updated with the latest equipment. As part of this process the company has taken delivery of 16 PVM-1741 17-inch Professional OLED Picture Monitors and installed them in the largest four trucks of its outside broadcast fleet.

“I’ve been waiting for years for LCD to be superseded and was right on Sony’s door when OLED’s were released,” said Ray Martin, General Manager, Gearhouse Broadcast Australia. “I believe OLEDs are the first true grading monitors since CRTs and they have matched the hype - they haven’t disappointed and have met all our expectations.

“I first saw Sony’s 7 inch OLED monitors at NAB 2010 and the larger production models in 2011. I also saw them during a roadshow where OLEDs were show in a side-by-side test with LCDs and CRTs - you could definitely see the quality of the OLED monitor.”

The PVM-1741’s have been installed in CCU/grading and monitoring positions of Gearhouse’s HD-1 and HD-2 double-expanding semi-trailers and into TD/grading positions for the HD-3 and HD-4 single-expanding trucks.

Sydney – 14 December, 2011 – Lemac Film and Digital has become the first Australian rental house to commit to the new F65 camera, through Sony Australia.

Lemac Managing Director Sue Greenshields said “Lemac have always been the first to provide the latest in production technology and we believe the Sony F65 represents a very exciting addition to our high-end camera fleet. We are very pleased to be among the first in the world to offer this ground-breaking camera, as well as provide solid backup and support for on-set and post production workflows. Lemac will be rolling out new training programs that will start with an F65 course for Lemac customers.”

The AbleCine Blog released details of the new firmware for the NEX FS-100. Due in March 2012.

Sony will be releasing an major update to the popular AVCHD Super35 NEX-FS100 by early 2012. One of the most requested features is the ability to switch between NTSC and PAL recording, which Sony has added to this free update. In addition, you will be able to:

Save and load camera profiles to and from a memory card
Additional 4x and 8x Expanded Focus magnification
Selectable ISO or Gain sensitivity display
Selectable focus indication in feet or meters (E-Mount lenses only)
Selectable shutter indication as exposure time or shutter angle
Added the following Aspect-Ratio markers: 2.35:1, 1.85:1 and 1.66:1
Display ON/OFF button enables Zebra and/or Histogram overlay onto video output

The new firmware will also allow you to use the new Sony LA-EA2 Alpha to E-mount adaptor with full support for continuous phase-detect autofocus, auto iris, and lens metadata on most Alpha mount lenses.

Nov 2011. Sydney, Australia.
Sony is continuing to expand its range of options and lenses for the PMW-F3.
An RGB and S-LOG Gamma output option, the CBK-RGB01 is now available to deliver uncompressed 10-bit RGB 4:4:4 1080p, over industry-standard Dual-Link or 3G HD-SDI.

This signal can be recorded on units such as Sony's SRW-1 HDCAM-SR recorder or the SR-R1 SRMaster recorder due in December - both are capable of up to visually lossless 880 Megabits per second image capture.

From November the SCL-Z18X140, 18-252mm, 14x power zoom lens and the CBK-3DL01 3D Link option will be available. The 3D option enables users to operate two PMW-F3 cameras at the same time via one camera remote controller.

January 2012 will see the arrival of the SCL-P11X15, an 11-16mm 1.5x wide angle zoom lens.

From Sony (Aust).

Melbourne-based director/editor Will Horne (williamhornes.blogspot.com) is representative of a new breed of image makers who have moved up to the F3 via the DLSR path.

Having started out as a Final Cut Pro editor who began shooting his own material, he has made the most of digital cameras to quickly gain recognition in the very competitive advertising industry. His recent work for Myer has attracted a lot of industry attention for its lush, cinematic look.

“I started shooting using handycams but bought a Nikon D90 DLSR while travelling overseas, then used a Canon 5D for online content when I got a job with an advertising agency,” said Horne.

He then moved to his current job with ONE20 creative services and photographic studio and was given the task of going on location to shoot behind the scenes for the 2010 Myer Spring/Summer campaign.

“I shot that with the Sony PMW-EX1 which had previously been used for online content and everyone loved it. Our TV work was expanding so I suggested we needed a better quality camera and Videocraft Melbourne suggested the Sony F3 would be a good option. It was a more expensive camera than what we had used before but I convinced my boss it was worth it.

Pieter de Vries’ (ACS) (www.pieterdevries.com.au) first foray into digital formats was with the introduction of Sony’s Digital Betacam and his DVW-970 camcorder is still in use today. However he began looking for a new camera late last year amid a lot of interest in large sensor cinematography.

“Most cinematographers have been waiting for large sensor cameras to come along so they can work the same way they did with 35mm film - we are used to that level of production value and the cinematic look we got,” said de Vries. “DSLR cameras have helped turn the tide in favour of this as they can process the large amounts of data the chips generate.

“I wanted to avoid any interim developments and was after something that was more expandable and practical than some of the camera systems out then. When the F3 arrived I looked at it quite closely because it seemed to nail all my requirements in a very practical camera.”

Practical benefits
de Vries points to the benefits of the F3 where, unlike many smaller cameras, the camera body is big enough to have sensible spacing between its operating buttons and can accept a multitude of fittings.
“The F3 has enough real estate so the buttons
are easy to find and use. What that means is that you can pick it out of the box and go out and shoot - I was right at home with the menu system because it is a very familiar XDCAM EX structure. (continues)

Workhorse solution for drama, TVCs, behind-the-scenes and corporate shoots
Sydney – 25 October, 2011 – The Sony PMW-F3 Super 35mm digital cinematography camcorder, the company’s first professional handheld digital production camera with a Super 35mm imager has been rapidly adopted by Australian camera operators for a wide variety of roles.

The F3 camera was introduced in February 2011, in both a body-only version and also with an affordable PL lens kit of 35/50/85mm T2.0 prime lenses.
Three of those cameras were bought on the recommendation of Laszlo Baranyai ACS/HSC, (http://web.mac.com/lbaranyai/Site/Welcome.html), a seasoned DOP currently leading a crew shooting the family drama series “Conspiracy 365” in Victoria.

With a full spectrum of feature, documentary and series projects behind him, Baranyai was well qualified to judge the new camera for the demanding arena of television series production.
“When I first met the producers we discussed the six month shoot and I recommended using small, high quality cameras. The Sony F3 was very new at the time so I rented one from Videocraft to test and we all loved it,” said Baranyai.

“In the middle of the night I went to a shopping strip to test available light - I was blown away because you can use this camera with 12db gain with low lighting. I thought I wouldn’t get anything but it delivered a very good quality image. I have worked with Red cameras before and they were not even close to what the F3 can produce. In an emergency you can go up to 18db gain and the picture is still useable - it’s a bit grainy with some texture but it’s better than nothing and if you record in 4:2:2 at 10-bit there is plenty of room to grade with.”

In a move that reflects the F3‘s competitive sub $16k pricing (without lenses), the production team took the unusual step of buying the cameras when research revealed the six month hire cost would be three times the cameras’ purchase price.

XDCAM Transfer software PDZ-P1 V2.13.0 has been updated for use in Max OSX Lion.
Not suitable for FCPX as yet.
Release Notes:
What's New:

This version of XDCAM Transfer is qualified to run under Mac OS X v10.7 (Lion). However, this version is still not compatible with Final Cut Pro X (read the associated release note).

Note to Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, or Compressor 4 users:

Summarizing from Apple's tech note HT4714 (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4714)
After installing Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, or Compressor 4, be sure to run Software Update to download and install Pro Apps QuickTime codecs.
This update adds the following video codecs needed by certain Sony products for use by QuickTime-based applications:

HDV
XDCAM HD / EX / HD422
MPEG IMX

This update is recommended for all users of Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, or Compressor 4.


General Notice:
The installer for XDCAM Transfer software version 2.13 no longer installs the Mac i.Link FAM driver. Please download and use the standalone Mac i.Link FAM driver installer.

Provides support for 32/64-bit Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Includes Optical FAM driver v2.30 for Mac - 32/64-bit Snow Leopard.

Sony Downloads