Tag: video

New Battery Plate Brings Added Functionality to C500 Mark II and C300 Mark III Cameras

Posted on by TMS Staff

As any videographer will tell you, with the rate of technological advancement a new camera can become outdated within a year or two of its initial release, but good glass is a lifetime investment. One other long-term investment that gets its due much less frequently are batteries. 

A career’s worth of batteries can represent thousands of dollars. Thousands of dollars that can become valueless if you decide to switch to a different camera system. Because of this, many shooters turn to V-mount or Gold Mount batteries for a truly brand agnostic power solution. However powering off these batteries can sometimes entail kludge-y rigs with wires hanging every which way and nothing but Velcro and hope holding 3lbs battery bricks in place. 

Enter the Full Frame Camera Co V-mount Plate for C500 Mark II and C300 Mark III. A high quality way to bring your old collection of batteries to your brand new Cinema EOS camera. 

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Our story begins with the founder of UK based Full Frame Camera Corporation: Alex Stone. Upon receiving his Canon C500 Mark II and realizing that the OEM solution to power the camera from V-Mounts, the EU-V2 Expansion Unit, was on back order he simply decided to make his own instead of waiting around.  

The V-mount plate is manufactured in small batches and is compatible with Canon C500 Mark II and C300 Mark III cameras. A Gold-mount option has been introduced as well, if that’s more your flavor. 

The Compact V-Mount plate is machined from aluminium (Ah-loo-mini-um if wish to pronounce it in the manufacture’s native tongue), attaches to the camera via two captive M4 bolts and powers the camera via a low profile right angle xlr connector. 

The plate features one D-tap port for supplying 10A to any other accessories on your rig. The port is located on the side of the plate at an angle so that all the rear buttons and SDI outputs are still accessible. 

An additional feature of the plate is that in its default mounting position the Canon A60 battery slot is unobstructed, which allows you to hot swap batteries. 

The plate is compatible with any V-mount battery and can be mounted in a lower position for a more streamlined setup (if you are using taller V-mount batteries). One drawback of this though is that in this position, the plate blocks the A60 slot making the aforementioned hot swapping impossible. 

If you are looking for robust and relatively inexpensive way to take all your old V-Mount batteries to your brand new Cinema EOS camera the Full Frame Camera Co. Compact V-Mount plate is the solution for you!

The plate has dimensions of 60 x 95.3 x 29.3mm (2.36″ x 3.75″ x  1.15″) and weighs 256g

Related Items

Compact V-Mount Plate

Canon C500 Mark II Camera

Canon C300 Mark III Camera

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Canon BP-A60 Battery

Canon C500 Mark II captures Jaguar Luxury

Posted on by TMS Staff

Recently Canon Europe interviewed filmmaker Brett Danton after he used Canon’s new C500 Mark II to shoot a commercial for Jaguar to promote their new luxury SUV. 

Here are some of the advantages he found while using the camera.

Brett was a convert to the Full-Frame shooting capabilities of the Canon C700 FF. The large sensor mated to fast prime lenses at wide apertures – aided by built-in ND filters for exposure control, provided a unique look that Brett trusts for prestige brands. 

 The new Canon C500 Mark II shares the same 5.9K sensor as the C700 FF, with the added benefit of being able to record Cinema RAW Light internally to dual CFexpress cards and recording Canon XF-AVC with 2K 4:2:0 8-bit simultaneously to an SD card to use as a proxy. 

Brett relies on the flexibility of the Cinema RAW Light codec to be able to dial in a precise look in post to satisfy discerning clients. “Jaguar has a very specific list of cameras it will allow its commercials to be shot on, and it doesn’t want silver cars to look grey. I had to get everything right first time.” said Brett. 

The small form factor and modular nature of the C500 Mark II provided other advantages over its larger counterpart the C700 FF. The C500 Mark II could be rigged up with monitors, follow focus rigs, the whole shabang to make it a decked out cinema camera, or stripped back to make it as light and compact as possible for use on a drone or gimbal.  

For the Jaguar shoot the C500 Mark II was attached to a Russian Arm mounted to the top of a separate Jagaur  F-PACE to get chase shots of the ‘hero’ car. The camera was also used in a Ronin 2 gimbal and flown up in a drone to get more dynamic images as the F-PACE zoomed through the Spanish mountains. 

Another distinct advantage of the C500 Mark II is its user swap-able lens mount. For the Jaguar commercial Brett used Canon Sumire Prime lenses. “The Sumire Primes bring a filmic feel and give nice flares. Using a Sumire to shoot the car coming towards you at dusk with its headlights on softens the image. The highlights on the metalwork gleam and there are flares from the headlights – just what I wanted.” Brett explained. 

Brett did not have a full kit of Sumire Primes on set so for the drone shots he had to use a Canon CN-E14mm T3.1. The CN-E14mm had an EF mount instead of the PL mount of the Sumires. In a matter of minutes the crew was able to swap the cameras mount from PL to EF and keep on trucking. 

The benefits of this system became even more apparent when Brett swapped onto some of Canon’s super-telephoto prime lenses, the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 IS II USM and the EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM. The advantage of this interchangeability is that you are able to use canon stills glass on the C500 Mark II while maintaining auto-focus functionality. 

Here’s a video that goes into more detail about the swap-able lens mounts:

 “It was amazing,” Brett says. “We were tracking the cars charging up mountains and the autofocus just kept everything sharp. I don’t care how good a focus puller you are, if you’re using a 300mm or 600mm lens wide open, it’s a hard thing to get right – especially on a full-frame sensor.”

The C500 Mark II also supports face detect AF. Brett noted that  “The C500 Mark II doesn’t suddenly stop focusing when the shot is sharp; the focus has a roll-off which gives it a more traditional look, like a focus puller feel. You can really notice it – it just makes it look right.”

With a quick turnaround on the commercial Brett was able to wow the clients with just a quick color grade and LUT. The footage he was able to pull out of the camera exceeded all of his expectations. 

“I shot everything in 5.9K as I wanted to see it on a big screen, and taking it down to 4K cleans it all up. The dynamic range is crazy, over 15 stops for sure. Filming in Cinema RAW Light, I shot at the base of ISO800 the entire time and in the edit added no noise reduction, yet I can’t see any noise at all. The camera performed and made my life easy.”

Brett came away from the shoot thoroughly impressed with the C500 Mark II’s capabilities and versatility.  

“The C500 Mark II has the same sensor as the C700 FF, so there’s consistent quality,” he says. “You can build the camera to the shape you need to make it work for that particular environment. I’d use the C500 Mark II for 90% of my work now and go to the C700 FF with its RAW recorder for SFX work when I need to pull out every last bit of data if the post house requests it, or if I need more choices on SDI output to send more signals out on set.

“The C500 Mark II is a camera I would now happily use for everything, either on its own or with the C700 FF – everything matches up beautifully.”

CANON EOS C500 MARK II 5.9K FULL FRAME CAMERA 3794C007 $15,999

CANON EOS C500 MARK II 5.9K FULL FRAME CAMERA 3794C007 + EXPANSION UNIT 2 $17,598

CANON EOS C500 MARK II RENTAL KIT BUNDLE: EXPANSION UNIT 1 + EXPANSION UNIT 2 + OLED VIEWFINDER + EF CINEMA MOUNT + PL MOUNT KIT $22,594

RED Ranger: All-In-One Camera System

Posted on by TMS Staff


MONSTRO 8K VV

HELIUM 8K S35

GEMINI 5K S35

No matter which amazing sensor you choose, the RED RANGER camera system will feature the same compact, standardized camera body, weighing around 7.5 pounds (depending on whether the user chooses the V-Lock or Gold Mount variant). RANGER comes complete with a comprehensive I/O array to satisfy power-hungry studio configurations, and boasts a large fan for quiet, more efficient temperature management.

RED Ranger Features:

• Integrated I/O’s
• Three SDI outputs (two mirrored and one independent)
• Support for wider input voltage (11.5-32V)
• 24V & 12V power outs (two of each)
• 12V P-Tap port
• Integrated 5-pin XLR stereo audio input (line/mic/+48V selectable)
• Genlock, timecode, USB, and control
• Shimmed PL mount
• Large diameter fan provides improved thermal performance
• Available in V-Lock or Gold Mount variants

RED Ranger prices below for the Monstro, Helium and Gemini sensors.

RED RANGER MONSTRO 8K VV Kit V-Lock 710-0321 $79,500
RED RANGER MONSTRO 8K VV Kit Gold Mount 710-0322 $79,500
RED RANGER HELIUM 8K S35 V-Lock 710-0330 $29,950
RED RANGER HELIUM 8K S35 Gold Mount 710-0329 $29,950
RED RANGER GEMINI 5K S35 V-Lock 710-0332 $24,950
RED RANGER GEMINI 5K S35 Gold Mount 710-0331 $24,950


*PL Mount is supplied with the Ranger. EF Mount is optional.

*ETA for new orders is 2-3 weeks.

*Trade-In Pricing for older RED Brains available soon.

The New Canon C500 Mark II Camera

Posted on by TMS Staff
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Its no secret that 2019 has been the year of the camera. It feels like a new camera has been either announced or released almost every month this year, and Canon looks like it is going to cap it all off this December by releasing the new C500 Mark II.

With the bevy of new DSLM cameras that have blurred the line between pro-sumer stills camera and professional video camera Canon’s Cinema EOS line has been given an increasingly intense run for its money.  Canon looks to be re-asserting it’s status as King of the Heap by releasing the C500 Mark II. The new camera offers some truly impressive specs and a high degree of modularity at a very competitive price point (compared to other similarly capable and similarly modular camera systems).

Limited Offer: Free SanDisk CFexpress 512gb Memory Card and Card Reader. A $649 Value!

Here is a list of official features that Canon has announced for the camera:

  • 5.9K Full Frame CMOS Sensor, with support for Super 35mm and Super 16mm crop modes
  • User Changeable Lens Mounts which gives users freedom to use the lenses they desire
  • Newly developed DIGIC DV 7 Image Processor, which powerfully processes high-resolution image data
  • Canon RAW Light and XF-AVC Recording
  • Proxy Recording
  • Compatibility with EF and PL* Lenses
  • Anamorphic Lens Support
  • Electronic Image Stabilization
  • Modular Design with three available Expansion Units allows a high level of connectivity and interoperability
  • 3” LCD Touch screen Monitor LM-V2
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF with support for Touch AF and Face Detection AF
  • Canon Log 2 and 3 Support
  • 4 Channel Audio Recording
  • Support for Custom User LUTs
  • 15 stops dynamic range
  • Cinema RAW light internal
  • Drone and gimbal size and weight

Let’s break down what some of these features mean.

  • 5.9K Full Frame CMOS Sensor, with support for Super 35mm and Super 16mm crop modes
  • User Changeable Lens Mounts which gives users freedom to use the lenses they desire
  • Compatibility with EF and PL* Lenses
  • Anamorphic Lens Support
 
These features taken together point to Canon’s effort to make this camera just as comfortable shooting high budget narrative films as it is shooting run and gun docs and commercial work. The drone/gimbal sizing means that you with the right drone you can send this 100ft in the air while still maintaining all the advantages of the full frame sensor and advanced video codecs. The crop modes, user swap-able lens mounts, anamorphic lens support and EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) make this camera truly lens agnostic.  As Canon’s own literature states, this camera can take anything from old servo zoom B4 lenses to vintage stills glass to PL cinema glass (especially their own Sumire Prime Cinema lenses, because y’know, synergy).
 

1  CANON GR-V1 Camera Grip 2420C001 $239**

2  Thumb Rest**

3  Canon CM-V1 EF Cinema Lock Mount 3937C001 $2199*

4  Canon PM-V1 PL Mount Kit 3936C001 $1599*

5  Canon MO-4E B4 Mount Adapter for EF Lenses 1788C001 $1999*

5  Canon MO-4P B4 Mount Adapter for PL Lenses 1788C002 $1999*

6  Mic Holder Unit**

7  Canon LA-V2 LCD Attachment Unit 3942C001 $249**

8  Canon LM-V2 LCD Monitor 3941C001 $749**

9  Handle Unit**

10  Canon CL-V2 Clamp base for EVF-V70 2419C001 $349*

11  Canon EVF-V70 OLED Viewfinder 1753C001 $5999*

12  Canon EVF-V50 OLED Viewfinder 3938C001 $699*

13  Canon EU-V1 Expansion Unit 1 3939C001 $749*

14  Canon EU-V2 Expansion Unit 2 3940C001 $1599*

15  Canon RC-V100 REMOTE CONTROLLER 9660B001 $1999*

16  Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver 6363B001 $390*

17  Canon SU-15 Shoulder Support Unit 1752C001 $1499*

18  Canon SG-1 Shoulder-Style Grip Unit 1754C001 $1999*


* Optional Accessory

** Included with Canon C500 Mark II


With Canon’s excellent Dual Pixel AF, EIS system, and support for custom user LUTs the C500 Mark II is a big boy cinema camera that still provides exceptional user assistance. The camera supports Continuous, Face Detect, and One-shot AF modes when using appropriate lenses. The EIS system is basically just Canon’s way of saying this camera has 5 axis IBIS, so you can use any non-OIS lens with impunity. 
  • Newly developed DIGIC DV 7 Image Processor, which powerfully processes high-resolution image data
  • Canon RAW Light and XF-AVC Recording
  • Proxy Recording
  • Canon Log 2 and 3 Support
  • 15 stops dynamic range
  • Cinema RAW light internal
 
The C500 Mark II is a lean, mean, media recording machine. The new DIGIC DV 7 Image processor allows you to record in a variety of frame rates, resolutions, bitrates, and codecs depending how much color flexibility you need in post or how much space you have on your hard drive. The ability to record 2K 8bit proxies to standard SD cards lets you streamline your transition into post-production and make your editor’s life just a little bit easier. With 15 stops of dynamic range and Cinema RAW light internal this camera is capable of producing footage that will make the hardest part of color grading be deciding what ‘film look’ best fits your quirky indie dramady about deconstructing the manic pixie dream-girl trope.
  • Modular Design with three available Expansion Units allows a high level of connectivity and interoperability
  • 3” LCD Touch screen Monitor LM-V2
  • 4 Channel Audio Recording
 
This one goes out to all you multi-cam users out there. The C500 Mark II system features a variety of expansion units that enable features to make the C500 Mark II a capable broadcast camera. The stand-outs in this section are the EU-V1 expansion unit and the EU-V2 expander. The studio-centric EU-V1 adds Ethernet ports for live-streaming, RS244 remote camera control, and genlock/sync-out. If the EU-V1 is the nerdy indoor kid little brother, the EU-V2 is the beefy, out on the football field big brother expansion unit. The EU-V2 adds a V-Mount battery plate, two additional XLR audio inputs for 4-channel recording, a lens control port, 24V and D-tap power outputs, Genlock, an additional RS422 port and an Ethernet port. 

Oh! and also this camera supports IP streaming. You can pair the camera with a separately available transmitter or stream to your computer via Wi-Fi or Ethernet to allow an off-set producer or a nosy client to view your capture at rates of up to 1080p XF-AVC at 9 or 4 Mb/s.

Getting down to the nitty gritty, the Canon Cinema C500 Mark II is scheduled to be available in December 2019 for an estimated retail price of $15,999.00. 

If you are are in the market for a camera system that can do everything from low budget docs to real cinema work and have a spare $16k burning a hole in your pocket the new Canon Cinema C500 Mark II is a pretty solid value proposition. 

 For more information, including accessory prices and availability, call or email us today!

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Focusing With The New Blackmagic Design Pocket 6K Camera

Posted on by TMS Staff

Focusing With The New Blackmagic Design Pocket 6K Camera

Just finished-up becoming a bit more familiar with the latest ‘Pocket’ offering from Black Magic Design… It’s incredible that even before the new has worn off the awesome Pocket 4K, here comes the brand spanking new and more powerful BMD Pocket 6K! Complete with a 6K Super-35 sized sensor and a native EF mount. First off, I wanted to try out the one-touch autofocus feature to see how intuitive it is to ‘point, touch & focus’, so I slapped on a Canon 16-35mm L 2.8 and started pointing’ and pressing.

It actually works quite well and the lens snapped right into focus when I pressed and released the focus button (The face of GI Joe was my subject… See photo)… Just point, press, and presto, your focus is ‘Auto-pulled’… that, coupled with the focus assist made for some nice sharp hand-held shots… so far everything is looking good (At least with Canon L lenses)… And the price?: $2495.00… Wow! Want to learn more details about the BMD Pocket 6K and available accessories? … Call us at Texas Media Systems. Our number is: 512-440-1400… and here’s a link to the Pocket 6K page on our website: 

https://shop.texasmediasystems.com/Blackmagic-Design-Pocket-6K-Cinema-Camera–CINECAMPOCHDEF6K_p_7445.html 

… Seriously, this camera rocks!


Ross Grasse
Media Consultant
Texas Media Systems

Blackmagic Design Pocket 4K Cinema Camera

Posted on by TMS Staff

Introducing the next generation handheld 4K digital film camera!

The revolutionary new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is the camera you’ve been asking for! It features an all new handheld design that puts the latest advanced digital film technology into the palm of your hand! The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has a 4/3 size sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range and dual native ISO up to 25,600. That means you get stunning HDR images and incredible low light performance! The external controls give you quick access to essential functions, while the large 5 inch touchscreen makesit easy to frame shots, focus accurately and changecamera settings. Images are recorded ontostandard SD/UHS-II or CFast 2.0 cards in Blackmagic RAW and ProRes at up to 120 frames per second! In addition, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has an MFT lens mount, built-in microphones, mini XLR input, full sized HDMI, 3D LUT support, Bluetooth, USB-C Expansion Port and more!

 

Blackmagic RAW added to Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

The new Blackmagic Camera 6.2 update adds support for Blackmagic RAW to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, giving you the quality of full, visually lossless camera RAW images, with the size and speed of traditional video file formats! Because the files are so small, you’ll be able to record much longer programs on the media you already own. You’ll also be able to change parameters such as exposure, saturation, midtone detail, and more. Best of all, just like traditional RAW formats, these changes are completely non-destructive! You’ll be able to choose between 3:1, 5:1, 8:1 and 12:1 constant bit-rate recording or between constant quality Q0 and Q5 recording. With Blackmagic RAW 12:1, you can record more than 2 hours of 4K DCI footage to a single 256GB SD UHS-II card, giving you stunning cinematic quality images on incredibly small, inexpensive cards!

Elegant Modern Design

The portable handheld design of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K gives you incredible mobility without sacrificing features. The highly compact form factor features a carbon fiber reinforced composite body that makes it extremely durable and lightweight so you can take it anywhere. You get a super bright 5” screen, 4 built in microphones, built in recorders and external buttons and dials that give you fast access to the most important functions. That means you can quickly check framing and focus, capture audio andrecord your files without having to carry around extra monitors, microphones, recorders and cables. You also get lots of mounting points, a mini XLR input with phantom power, Bluetooth control and more. With the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K you get a fully featured portable digital film camera that’s flexible and expandable!

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Bundles / Kits In Stock!

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Now you can shoot anything in 4K!

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K gives you the professional features you need, all in a portable and affordable design that can be used anywhere. It’s perfect for shooting independent films and documentaries, fashion shows, travel blogs, web videos, weddings, corporate video, sports and more. The incredible image quality, advanced Blackmagic Design color science and Blackmagic RAW recording features let you shoot images that rival professional digital film cameras costing tens of thousands more. That means you get the image quality youneed to seamlessly mix footage from the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K with other types of cameras used on high end Hollywood feature films and episodic television shows!

Shop Blackmagic Design Now!