Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Tascam DR-100 Mk II bundle for $250!

The great Tascam DR-100 Mark II is being marked down. Perhaps due to the introduction of the DR-60D - or maybe there's a DR-100 mark III in the works - whatever the reason, this is good news for shooters on a budget who need high quality dual system sound.



This starter bundle comes with a 16GB SDHC card, a carrying case, tripod and cables - and is now on sale for $250 from Sonic Sense through Amazon Prime - that's $10 less than they're selling the same bundle for on eBay and just $50 more than today's price for the DR-40. The DR-100 Mark II is a fabulous pro quality recorder for a prosumer price.  Only 10 left in stock as of this post.

Friday, April 26, 2013

First Footage from the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera - 13 Stops of Dynamic Range for $995!

John Brawley, pro cinematographer from Australia (and Blackmagic Design's most trusted camera tester), has posted what seems to be the world's first test footage from the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera.  Talk of the show at NAB 2013, this camera has the dynamic range of a film camera in a body the size of an NEX-5 - with a native micro 4/3 lens mount!  Here is what John shot casually at his local market:



Note the exposure match between the foreground subjects, the sky and the people in the background. The Dynamic Range from the $1000 BPCC is clearly wider and more "film like" than any 8 bit consumer camcorder or DSL camera (even my $1300 GH3).  Case in point - see the blown-out backgrounds/skies in this otherwise wonderful little GH3 test film:



And the skies in this Canon HF G10 test:



The BPCC delivers a very similar look to the 16mm film cameras I shot with in the 70s - at a much lower price in 1970s dollars - with the addition of internal sound recording, lens stabilization, focus peaking and a headphone jack - and without the hassle and expense of film processing and splicing.

This test footage was what I was waiting for. I just pre-ordered my BPCC from Adorama!

Really looking forward to what this little camera can do when it gets the CinemaDNG RAW upgrade.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Like Gold, price of Panasonic G5 w kit lens plummets!

Okay, so it's not that dramatic.  But $359.99 for a Panasonic GH-5 with the 14-42mm kit lens is an unbelievable deal!  That;s $138 less than the $498 price for the body alone.

If you're in the market for a great micro 4/3 still/video camera, it's time to snap one of these up.  If you don't need the lens, you can sell it and net a G5 body for less than $300.


Monday, April 15, 2013

$50 Off New Panasonic HC-X920 Camcorder at Amazon Until 4/20

The brand new Panasonic HC-X920 is 5% off at Amazon until April 20th.  The X920 improves on the low light performance of the X900 with a backlit sensor. It also has built-in wi-fi and improves on the X900s in-camera stabilization.  I have the TM900 from a couple of years ago, and it was a great camera - this looks to be better. Here is Panasonic's promo video:


The camera is backordered as of this post, but Amazon will hold it at this price and will not charge your credit card until it ships.



 

Classic Canon 60D Marked Down to $649 at Amazon until 4/27

Canon's first flip screen LCD camera, the 60D, is now on sale for $649 (body only) at Amazon. Get one before they're gone!

This is a great APS-C still camera - essentially a smaller and lighter 7D with a flip screen.  Not bad for video, either,  for the price.



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Now that March Madness is over - back to Camera Madness! NEX-7 for $998 at Amazon until April 27th




The Sony NEX-7 was the first hybrid still//video camera to shoot 20+MP stills.  I looked very seriously at this camera when it was first released - but at $1199 body-only, it was a little too rich for my blood.  Now, we're starting to see it marked down below $1000 to $998 body-only at Amazon.

This is $300 less than list for the 16MP Panasonic GH3 (if you can find one on stock) - and a pretty good deal for a 24.3MP APS-C camera with an OLED viewfinder and 1080/60p.


 

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Blackmagic Does It Again!

They were the talk of last year's NAB - and it looks like they're going to do it again. Blackmagic looks set to announce TWO revolutionary new cameras tomorrow:

1. The "Blackmagic Production Camera", a $3995 EF mount, Super 35 4K camera with a global shutter (!), and

2. The "Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera",  a $995 (!!) Micro 4/3 mount (!!) Super 16 camera with 13 stops of dynamic range (!!!) that shoots RAW, and records to SD card (!!!).

The BPCC seriously undercuts the GH3, 5D MkIII and D800 - while the BPC takes clear aim at the F5, the RED Scarlet and others farther up the food chain.

Pic here: https://twitter.com/michaelkammes/status/321082752566964224/photo/1

More info as the official announcement hits the streets.

I'll say it again, these are great times to be a filmmaker!

If you can't wait for Blackmagic to ship these new cameras, you can always get a the "old" 2.5K BMCC for $2995.


Monday, April 1, 2013

Lowest price for an APS-C Camera with lens - Sony NEX-F3 for $369!

Today's Amazon Gold Box deal - a whole lot of bang for the buck - the Sony NEX-F3 for just $369 (while they last!)


Here is an example of what this little camera can do:




If you're looking for a large-sensor pocket still/video camera, the F3 is good value for your money - especially at this price!