Canon has announced the development of a plug-in that will allow EOS MOVIE footage shot on EOS DSLRs to be edited more quickly and easily in Apple’s Final Cut Pro editing package.

Canon has revealed that a free Beta release of the plug-in will be available to download for testing and evaluation in March 2010.

What’s known as ‘EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro’ is being developed to provide an even smoother workflow for EOS MOVIE users who edit using the Final Cut Pro software suite. The plug-in will enable the ‘log and transfer’ of video footage from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS-1D Mark IV DSLRs – all of which offer full 1080p High Definition video recording.

The plug-in will convert EOS MOVIE footage to Apple’s high quality ProRes 4:2:2 codec at approximately twice the speed of Apple’s standard conversion. 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.

In true cinematic fashion Phil Bloom (Top right hand corner) is shot during the making of the last Filmfellas…see how good an actor Mr Bloom is… watch closely at his twitching eyebrows…guess who pulls the trigger ?…will Fairy get the blood stains out ?…Phil Bloom the Autopsy filmed with the new Canon 550 coming to a screen near you …watch the last webasode NOW…

http://philipbloom.co.uk/2010/02/11/filmfellas-dp-edition-the-end-of-filmfellas/

Canon E-1 Plugin (From Planet5D)
Canon releases a free EOS E1 video plug-in for Apple’s Final Cut Pro. The plug-in is compatible with Final Cut Pro 6 or higher and currently supports Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS 1D Mark IV cameras.

This new plug-in allows simple and easy transfer of video content from Canon’s EOS DSLR cameras directly into Final Cut Pro. The EOS E1 video plug-in takes advantage of Final Cut Pro’s powerful Log and Transfer feature, which allows users to select and mark the video directly while it is still on the camera, add custom metadata and ingest the clips in the background so the editing can begin immediately.

The EOS E1 video plug-in is a free download and will be available here but so far, they haven’t posted it yet. We’ll let you know when they do.

http://blog.planet5d.com/2010/02/canon-announces-eos-e1-video-plug-in-for-apples-final-cut-pro/

Canon Introduces MPEG-2 Full HD Codec
Canon on Tuesday said it would be releasing an MPEG-2 Full HD (4:2:2) file-based recording codec that would debut in an unannounced but upcoming professional video camera from the company. The MPEG-2 Codec would bring with it twice the color resolution of the HDV profile format and be compatible with industry-standard editing and processing software. The codec would also have 50Mbps data recording speeds.

The new format would let users record 1920×1080 HD videos and include the open-source Material eXchange Format (MXF) used by broadcasters to edit recorded content. To make the system widely and quickly accepted, Canon is working with Adobe, Apple, Avid Technology and Grass Valley.

File-based recording, including the one in Canon’s new codec, is flexible as it can be used across a wide range of editing software and applications.

http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20100202_mpeg2_full_hd.html

Canon UPDATE : New camcorder to be 1/3″ and will NOT have interchangeable lenses but will be at a very competitive price range and is the hand held mock us seen here. http://www.hdwarrior.co.uk/2010/01/13/canon-miss-a-great-opportunity-to-compete-with-red/

Expanding media choice for XDCAM EX family

Sony’s innovative XDCAM EX professional product range is specifically designed to exploit the ultimate high speed performance and reliability of SxS PRO and SxS-1 media. However, SxS media is a professional format and not available from retail outlets, so in situations in the field where additional media is required or for cost-conscious users, where this ultimate performance is less important, Sony have developed the MEAD-SD01 adaptor to enable the use of consumer SD Card media.

The MEAD-SD01 adaptor is the same shape as SxS memory cards so as to fit within the media slots on XDCAM EX camcorders, with no protrusions, allowing the media cover to be in place during shooting. The adaptor can accept one high speed SD Card which simply slots inside.

At the time of writing (January 2010), Sony Professional recommends only the latest Class10 SDHC cards. Using 8-, 16-, or 32-GB media, approximately 35, 70, or 140 minutes of recording (in SP mode) can be achieved.

Please note, it is not recommended to utilise the Slow Motion recording function due to speed limitations of SD Card media. The nature of the adaptor and SD Card media will also mean slightly less reliability than SxS media – caution should be exercised when turning off XDCAM EX hardware during recording. XDCAM EX hardware will need a firmware upgrade to use MEAD-SD01 – please see specifications for more information.

HDW : Fantastic news this will bring a lot of hesitaters into the EX field…Sony are finally listening and responding to end users…the death nell sounds for the expensive, overrated …’Memory Stick’ !

Hot off the wires that Canon are to donate a Canon 5D Mk11 camera with the new firmware update at the San Francisco SuperMeet 5th February 2010. That should give you 24p and 25p frame rates.

Well once again the boys at RED DIGITAL CINEMA have done it again and set the cat among the pigeons for the amazing price of £5000 (UK conversion) you can own a RED SCARLET camera which will be a far better investment for everyone who likes the film look than tinkering with any HD SLR. This in my opinion spells the death nell for what has been an interesting but stupid phase in global HD development. If you add in the price of an HD SLR plus a couple of  Canon ‘L’ lenses you are past the £5000 mark !

New inboard video recording options

In HD mode, Sony’s NXCAM records H.264 in AVCHD format at a maximum bitrate of 24 megabit per second in best mode (“FX”). Fortunately, NXCAM offers full-raster 720p and full-raster 1080i/p (in addition to subsampled 1080 formats, and SD formats encoded with MPEG2). If you live the USA or other (ex-)NTSC country, this first NXCAM will start out (“off-the-shelf”) with the standard ±60Hz-derived formats:

Full-raster 1080 (1920×1080) at 59.94i, 29.97p (truly native), or 23.976p (truly native)

Subsampled 1080 (1440×1080) 59.94i

Full-raster 720 (1280×720) at 59.94p

Standard definition (720×480) at 59.94i

Standard definition (720×480) at 29.97p recorded over 59.94i (not native)

Standard definition (720×480) at 23.976p recorded over 59.94i (not native)

If you send a NXCAM to Sony for a WorldCam upgrade, it will also offer you:

Full-raster 1080 (1920×1080) at 50i or 25p (truly native)

Subsampled 1080 (1440×1080) 50i

Full-raster 720 (1280×720) at 50p

Standard definition (720×586) at 50i

Standard definition (720×586) at 25p recorded over 50i (not native)

If you live in a 50Hz, (ex-)PAL location, simply reverse the two above lists to understand your “off-the-shelf” and after WordCam upgrade capabilities.

I welcome the native versions of the HD 23.976p, 25p, and 29.97p recordings. I know from personal experience with a client’s Panasonic AG-HMC150 that 720p29.97 is unfortunately recorded over 720p59.94 in that camera. In addition, according to Panasonic’s European spec sheet of the AG-HMC151 (which is the European version of the AG-HMC150), only 23.976p is recorded natively, which implies that 25p and 29.97p in that camera are unfortunately recorded over 50i and over 59.94i respectively. I am glad to see that Sony is offering the desired native modes for AVCHD.

New inboard audio recording options

According to Juan Martínez at Sony, NXCAM is the first AVCHD camcorder ever to offer the option of recording audio in linear PCM for higher quality, instead of the more common Dolby Digital. As many other Sony camcorders, NXCAM offers dual balanced XLR inputs which can be individually set for line, microphone, or microphone with 48-volt phantom power. The headphone output has a selector switch to choose among monitoring channel 1, channel 2, or a mix. There is also a menu setting to tell the camera whether the headphones are stereo or mono, which makes the switch work properly in each case.

NXCAM sensor and optics

The first NXCAM uses the same renowned 1/3” EXMOR sensor and G lens as Sony’s Z5camcorder. For details about the sensor and optics, see Adam Wilt’s review on that camera. NXCAM takes this image beyond the Z5 (which can only record sub-sampled 1080), since NXCAM can record full-raster 1080. When recording in 720p mode, NXCAM oversamples the video before recording (as the EX1 and EX3 also do in 720p). Also, NXCAM has a much improved image stabilizer.

Dual solid-state recording options

NXAM offers recording either to Sony’s Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HD Duo, or a new NXCAM flash memory unit. I received the prototype with a 128GB version of this new NXCAM flash memory unit. This will be optional, and Sony has not yet set the price for it. NXCAM offers the option of creating identical or different types of recording on the NXCAM and on Memory Stick.

Output flexibility for monitoring and external 4:2:2 recordings

NXCAM offers both HDMI output and SD/HD-SDI output. When the camera is in live mode, the HD-SDI output is true 10-bit 4:2:2. Unlike some other cameras, which output a live HD-SDI signal at 10-bit which has been derived from an 8-bit signal, NXCAM (as the EX1 and EX3) output a true 10-bit signal over HD-SDI when live. The HD-SDI signal fortunately includes RP188 metadata, which means that a ideal recording can be made with a recorder like AJA’s KiPro (10-bit) or Convergent Design’s nanoFlash (currently 8-bit) with like timecode.

Multicam with matching timecode

Although this NXCAM model does not include genlock input, it does include a timecode i/o, which allows synchronizing the clock in multiple NXCAMs after making a temporary wired connection. Using the same connector, there is a switch to indicate whether it is being used as an input or an output.

Use NXCAM with a video mixer (“switcher”)?

As stated above, NXCAM does not include any genlock input. However, many recent HD video mixers (“switchers”) have a built-in frame synchronizer on their HD-SDI inputs, which means that NXCAM is a candidate! Some of these video mixers also include a built-in audio delay to compensate the video delay, which is a necessary evil in a frame synchronizer. (I’ll be covering some of those video mixers in upcoming articles.)

Although NXCAM includes a wireless remote control, for a multicam installation with a video mixer, a wired remote is much more appropriate. Fortunately, NXCAM is compatible with Sony’s RM-1000BP. In addition to zoom and record start/stop, the RM-1000BP allows access to iris, gain, and all of NXCAM’s menu adjustments. Third parties offer very long LANC cables, which will work to extend the RM-1000BP to wherever the video mixer is located, to facilitate matching cameras.

GPS

NXCAM includes a built-in GPS, which adds geo metadata to its video recordings. This information is already available in applications like Apple’s iPhoto ’09. I imagine that it will probably be in iMovie ’10 soon.

More details

For now, Sony is not releasing exact model number information or pricing. More details about that should be available in January. In the meantime, I will be publishing more articles about AVCHD workflow with different NLEs in the coming weeks.

www.provideocoalition.com

Click here to see Alister Chapmans video review.. http://www.sony.co.uk/biz/view/ShowContent.action?site=biz_en_GB&category=BC&contentId=1237476734950&sectiontype=BC&preserveContext=true

The new Sony EX-1R

Remember the EX-1R does not have an interchangeable lens.

Strangely we seem to be getting a revamp of the EX-1 rather than the EX-5. Specs are rumoured to be…

SD recording

HDMI output

A new viewfinder

Cache recording

One push mode for slow and quick recording like the EX3

Quicker start up, better ergonomics.

SD will supposedly be .AVI files

Possibly record’s 4:3

Camera holding improvement

One push mode change for S&Q

Quicker Start Switches

Jog Dial improvements and firmware version up by users

NB. Will the new EX-1R allow the MxR adapters this would be a serious blow if Sony have been stupid enough to exclude this archive “feature”.

I still don’t understand Sony’s logic in naming this camcorder the EX-1R, if it is better than the EX-3 and by all accounts it should be streets ahead then are we for the 1st time in history going to see EX-3s being sold for EX-1Rs. Where does this leave the EX-3 you aren’t going to seriously tell me we are going to see an EX-3R. As we all know the EX-1 & 3 are the same camcorder with some enhancements on the EX-3 so to call a further enhanced EX1/3 an EX-1R is silly and very confusing.

I do realise that I may have played a part in this by predicting the EX-5 with this chipset back in July and further back on the 1st of April announcing the EX-7 so maybe I stole Sony’s numbers !

Philip Bloom was the 1st blog to mention the EX-1R.

Sony will be announcing the full specs on Tuesday 20th October 2009