A bargain for anyone with a Lumix GH4 this mint condition battery grip for sale at £55. PayPal only. Send me an email smallvideo@me.com

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

The world’s smallest three-axis stabilized camera is made for your travels, family events and adventures

November 28, 2018 – DJI, the world’s leader in creative camera technology, today announced Osmo Pocket, a highly compact three-axis stabilized camera created for everyone. Designed to be incredibly easy to use, Osmo Pocket offers a host of intelligent features to help capture creative videos and photographs in a portable form factor.

“Innovation is at the heart of every product we create and DJI Osmo Pocket is here to change the way photos and videos are captured, not just by professionals but by parents, couples, adventurers, travelers, and everyone in between,” said Roger Luo, President at DJI. “Osmo Pocket is a portable personal camera crew and we can’t wait to see how people use it to capture their stories and share them with the world.”

 

Small yet powerful

At just over 4 inches tall, Osmo Pocket is DJI’s smallest three-axis stabilized camera. It redefines DJI’s family of handheld gimbals offering features never before seen in a product this compact. A 1/2.3-inch sensor records 12-megapixel photographs and 4K video up to 60fps at 100Mbps in stunning detail. Osmo Pocket also uses built-in dual microphones and advanced noise-canceling algorithms to ensure you capture high quality audio to match your footage. Furthermore, a battery life of up to two hours shooting video in 4K, 30fps means you can always rely on Osmo Pocket to capture your story no matter where you are at the very best quality.

Smooth, stable video

Building on DJI’s experience creating gimbal technology, Osmo Pocket helps capture stable video for all of life’s moments. The state-of-the-art three-axis mechanical gimbal compensates for movements and smooths these motions so you can focus on composition and subject matter. Whether you are taking videos of your vacation or documenting special holiday moments, Osmo Pocket helps ensure your video comes out smooth.

Simple and smart

Designed with ease of use in mind, Osmo Pocket doesn’t just let anyone shoot cinematic footage; it empowers creativity. The gimbal camera uses a 1-inch integrated touch screen that provides a high quality live view as well as the ability to toggle through the various shooting modes, adjust settings, review footage and gain access to a full suite of creative features including:

• ActiveTrack- DJI’s image recognition algorithms allow Osmo Pocket to recognize and follow subjects of your choice, perfect for capturing family moments easily with the tap of your finger.
• FaceTrack– FaceTrack takes ActiveTrack one step further. With enhanced ActiveTrack algorithms, FaceTrack automatically recognizes a human face and locks the subject in center of the frame at all times. It does not identify individual faces, but keeps the camera centered on one. To initiate FaceTrack, simply select selfie mode and the camera will detect your face.
• Timelapse & Motionlapse– If you’re looking to turn minutes into seconds, Timelapse is perfect for capturing unique content with the effect of the world moving faster around you, while Motionlapse adds the dynamic element of camera movement to your Timelapse.
• FPV Mode– FPV Mode lets you capture your greatest adventures by recording video from your perspective. Instead of locking the gimbal to maintain the horizon, FPV tells the camera to follow your every tilt and lean, shooting dynamic footage exactly as you experienced it.
• 3×3 & 180° Panorama– For capturing breathtaking wide-angle photos, Osmo Pocket offers two Panorama modes. 3X3 takes an expansive 9 images in total while 180° mode captures 4 images. Osmo Pocket software stitches them together automatically so you can focus on the framing of the scene.

Unlock the full power of Osmo Pocket

A universal port under the touchscreen allows users to connect their mobile devices that use iOS Lightning or USB-C. Upon connection, the new dedicated DJI Mimo app will automatically open and serves as a monitor, while in-app menu offers a variety of intelligent features and recording modes:

• Story Mode – Bring creative editing to your video with a host of preset music, video transitions and coloring. Choose one of 10 fun templates and Mimo will handle the camera movement for you. After finishing, Mimo automatically generates your very own short story, ready to be shared.
• Pro Mode – If you want even more control over your content, “Pro mode” gives you access to camera setting adjustments and exposure settings to let you create exactly how you want, from rich video in bright conditions to a perfect handheld long exposure photo at night. Whatever you want to shoot, Osmo Pocket and DJI Mimo let you explore and expand your creativity. Osmo Pocket automatically detects and illuminates low-lit scenes into bright photos. This helps eliminates the need for a tripod, and you can rely on the gimbal to keep the camera still for a shutter speed of up to three seconds. Illuminate the dark, or capture the movement of light in a “light painting.” You’re only limited by your imagination.

A versatile tool with a range of accessories

An ecosystem of accessories unlocks the potential of Osmo Pocket:

• Accessory Mount- The accessory mount makes Osmo Pocket compatible with action camera accessories so you’re able to capture your adventure footage, such as when mounted on a helmet, backpack or your wrist.
• Wireless Module- The wireless module supports Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth transmission between Osmo Pocket and your smartphone, providing remote access to the camera feed and control of Osmo Pocket; perfect for setting up a Timelapse or Motionlapse on a busy city street.
• Controller Wheel- The wheel allows you to precisely control gimbal movement (left-right or up-down) enabling you to easily adjust the composition of your shot. Re-center the gimbal or switch to selfie mode easily with dedicated buttons on the handle.
• Expansion Kit- The expansion kit includes the Accessory Mount, Wireless Module and Controller Wheel.
• ND Filters Set**- Specifically designed for Osmo Pocket, ND filters attach to the front of the camera to reduce the amount of light entering the sensor. The ND Filter Set offers several levels of filter darkness and allows for more control over the camera’s aperture, exposure time, and sensor sensitivity settings.
• Waterproof Case**- Bring a unique underwater perspective to your footage using the Waterproof Case which can be placed at a depth of 60 meters.
• Extension Rod**- The Extension Rod attaches to the Lightning or USB-C port and provides 31 inches of reach to Osmo Pocket, opening a world of new creative angles that are normally difficult or impossible to get. A gimbal control joystick and camera button on the handle were designed for remote control when using the Extension Rod and a tripod was added to the bottom for expanded use cases
• Charging Case**- This dual-purpose case not only protects Osmo Pocket while in transit but charges it as well. Dedicated sections were added into the case for your MicroSD card and ND filters so you can quickly grab your Osmo Pocket and know you’re ready to capture those moments and adventures.
• 3.5mm Adapter**- The 3.5mm Adapter allows you to connect an external microphone if you prefer to capture audio using a separate device.

**coming soon

Price and Availability

Osmo Pocket retails for $349 USD or £329 and will be available for pre-order at store.dji.com, DJI Flagship Stores, DJI Authorized Retailers and additional retailers beginning today, November 28^th 2:15 PM EST. Pre-orders will start shipping in December. For more information on all the new features and capabilities of Osmo Pocket, please visit www.dji.com/osmo-pocket.

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

Phone Prestons on 01684 575486 or email jpreston@hpreston.co.uk

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

As I was installing a further free update (10.4.4) to FCPX I got a notice about Legacy Media not being supported in further upgrades to this software.

This is not good news for television stations that rely on media being ingested from anywhere at anytime let alone archive houses who rely on media being stored from various sources, especially older material.

I think this is a very stupid move once again by Apple who like to dictate trends like HD-DVD production not to mention UHD-DVD production.

Apple decided many moons ago that the world was no longer going down the road of DVD production especially Blu-ray DVD production forcing many of us to switch to Adobe Encore.

Now they are deciding what can be viewed and can’t be viewed in future updates of FCPX like Sony HDCAM-SR footage, GoPro shot in the CineForm format and Avid DNxHD/DNxHR format and their vague comments about “footage shot with many other older cameras or files modified with older software.”

I love this platform and would be very sad to have to switch to the likes of Resolve but Apple are deciding this for us rather than making a workaround to keep everyone happy.

As it stands FCPX never gave you an option to ingest older SD footage and you have to rely on Blackmagic’s Media Express if you want to ingest from tape.

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

I love Olympus lenses, especially their PRO lenses with my Panasonic GH5, here is a link to their latest digital magazine.

http://eng.olympusmag.co.uk/issue60/

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

Having had a few micro four third lenses over the past few years and been asked what is your all time best lens, I could not answer this question till now.

The answer has to be the 12-100 f4 Olympus PRO lens which gives stunning optical performance and the best news for GH5S owners is it also comes with image stabilisation (IS) built into the lens.

I bought this lens specifically for my documentary on Arran in July this year as I wanted a lens that would sit on the camera without the need to keep transferring from one focal length to another, this helps the sensor, keeping dust to a minimum.

This is a cracking lens for any micro four third mount camera and converting it to an equivelant 35mm its a 24-200mm constant f4 lens.

• Professional 8.3x travel zoom lens
• Constant 1:4.0 aperture
• Dust-, splash- and freezeproof
• 1.5cm minimum working distance for extreme close-up performance
• Combines up to 6.5 EV steps** compensation when used with compatible Olympus camera and built-in 5-axis Sync IS
• Z Coating Nano to significantly reduce flaring
• High-precision, very fast AF
• L-Fn button and focus clutch
• Weight: only 561g

The JVC LS300 has been missing a good all round zoom lens and onto the super 35mm sensor this 12-100 f4 Olympus PRO lens is perfect. Please remember the JVC LS300 has a super 35mm sensor with a micro four third mount and you use the VSM (Variable scan mapping) to adjust for the MFT lens.

Using the lens with the LS300 you get all autofocus and image stabilisation functions, though the great design of this lens lets you quickly move from AF to manual focus at the touch of the front lens flange by pulling it back.

Its also not very front heavy as I was first expecting and remember you also get the ability to zoom into the 4K sensor using the camera in HD mode as if you had a servo zoom, great feature with no loss in picture quality or “f” stops.

 

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

New fancy offices for CVP at Newman Street in the heart of London, not far from the British Museum, very 221b Baker Street looking.

CVP, one of the leading broadcast and professional video solutions provider in the United Kingdom and Europe, is excited to announce the opening of a unique showroom in Newman Street, London. The Fitzrovia townhouse offers five floors of production equipment from leading manufacturers, including ARRI, RED, Sony, Canon, Zeiss, Panasonic, Blackmagic Design and many more, presenting an experience that enables visitors to identify a technical solution that will deliver on their creative vision.

“The concept behind the Newman Street facility is to provide visitors with an engaging, personalised experience in an environment designed to connect creative vision and technology. This permanent display of equipment is a playground where people can come to see, handle and test every single bit of kit required to bring their project to life,” said Jon Fry, Sales Director, CVP. “From an HDMI cable all the way to large format cameras and everything else in between, this creative space gives everyone in the industry a place to learn new skills and get hands on all the latest kit, all year round.”

CVP’s exceptionally knowledgeable team will be on hand at the new premises to advise visitors about the features, functions and compatibility of the equipment for their unique requirements.

The CVP Creative Experience currently houses:

• A dedicated Canon floor with a selection of the main Canon PRO and Consumer cameras, plus third party manufacturer accessories, and a separate room with Canon DP monitors
• A floor exclusive to Sony with a selection of the main Sony PRO and Consumer cameras, along with third party manufacturer accessories
• Europe’s largest display of Zeiss lenses; visitors may bring their own cameras to test them with, or choose from the selection available in the showroom
• A Blackmagic Design suite with a DaVinci Resolve editing space and other Blackmagic Design products such as switchers, converters, recorders, adapters and more
• Cameras from ARRI, RED, Panasonic and Blackmagic Design
• Lenses from Angenieux, Leica, Canon, Sigma, Sony, Kowa and more
• Gimbals and accessories from partners such as DJI, Freefly, eMotimo, 1A Tools, Cinemilled
• Camera accessories from Wooden Camera, Vocas, Zacuto, Small Rig, Miller, Sachtler, Ronford Baker, OConnor, Manfrotto, Anton Bauer, Hawkwoods and more

In addition, visitors can utilise the Camera Testing Area to rig and test their newly purchased kit, or any custom solution they may have built with the showroom’s equipment, to ensure they are happy with the whole package before investing in it.

There is also a Motion Room filled with the main gimbals to explore the most suitable for specific needs, and a Monitor Wall with the best 5” and 7” monitors the industry currently offers, all displayed side by side and synced via a video router to enable like for like comparison. Visitors can plug-in any camera or video feed and the same image will be displayed across all 20x monitors at the same time. This is a unique way to test a variety of monitors to really see which best fits the customer’s needs.

The Creative Experience is also designed to be used as an event space, ideal for product and skillset training by manufacturers and industry professionals, as well as networking, seminars and screenings. There are already a number of events taking place at the facility; for more information about these, to visit the Creative Experience or to speak to one of the CVP team about booking your event here, please visit CVP Events.

27 Newman Street
Fitzrovia, London
W1T 1AR

Monday to Friday 9am till 5.30pm

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

Finally this weekend we will get to see the one hour comedy called Uncowed filmed during July 2018. I had been asked to produce a behind the scenes documentary for Chris and his production team.

As you would expect on a picturesque island like Arran the local village hall was to be the venue for the red carpet night.

A big thanks to JVC for lending the production a 4K video projector to show the film on called a DLA-RS540. This is a high performance, fully-customisable home theatre projector that produces exquisite quality images with class leading 130,000:1 native contrast ratio. This THX 3D and ISF certified projector accepts native 4K 60P (4:4:4) material through full speed 18Gbps HDMI/HDCP 2.2 compatible inputs and displays it with stunning 4K e-shift 5 3840 x 2160 precision.

The screen reproduction in 4K was fantastic thanks to JVC and better still the one hour comedy went down a storm with the audience.

No red carpet evening is complete without the guests arriving and being interviewed, Lewis the young star of Uncowed being interviewed by Frank.

The 76 member audience were enthralled with the film.

Cast and crew picture. Right to left, Jan, Chris, Philip, Frank, Graeme and Richard all of us worked for Chris and Jan 30 years ago.

And now for my contribution to the evening the documentary of Uncowed…

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

Panasonic issued new firmware updates for its popular GH5, GH5s and G9 cameras today. The updates are supposed to fix some minor issues in the current firmware and improve the autofocus performance on all three cameras, which have been criticized for their AF performance being somewhat behind on the competition. Panasonic has been eagerly pushing firmware updates to the cameras since their release, this marking the sixth version of the GH5’s firmware.

Updates to the GH5 (firmware 2.4)

• Improvement of tracking performance and minimizing of backfocusing in continuous AF mode with 225 AF points
• Fix of a One-Push-AE bug in Creative M mode, when SS/Gain-Operation is set to Angle/ISO
• Fix of bug that sometimes caused timecode to be reset upon battery change
• Fix of a bug that caused showing all footage, instead of just the intended frame in 6k/4k Photo mode

Updates to the GH5S (firmware 1.2):

• Improvement of tracking performance and minimizing of backfocusing in continuous AF mode with 225 AF points
• Fix of a bug that caused the camera to not react appropriately to brightness changes under fluorescent light
• Fix of a One-Push-AE bug in Creative M mode, when SS/Gain-Operation is set to Angle/ISO
• Improvement of image quality when using V-Log for VFR recording in Creative Mode
• Improvement of image quality when using the Intelligent Dynamic Range Controlfeature

Updates to the G9 (firmware 1.2):

• Improvement of tracking performance and minimizing of backfocusing in continuous AF mode with 225 AF points
• Fix of a bug that caused the camera to not react appropriately to brightness changes under fluorescent light

GH5 firmware 2.4

GH5S firmware 1.2

G9 firmware 1.2

 

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions

I was taken in by the Lilly Kickstarter campaign where you got a drone for about £300 and to this day nothing ever appeared. Luckily I got a heads up from the campaign that things were badly delayed and would I like a refund. I got my refund but was very lucky and this gave me an insight not to enter these campaigns ever again.

In August Net SE, the company behind Meyer Optik Görlitz, Emil Busch, C.P. Goerz, Ihagee, Oprema Jena, and A. Schacht products, was removed from the German stock exchange and subsequently filed for insolvency.

Now, the fears of Kickstarter backers of the Meyer Optik Görlitz products who have not received their lenses yet have turned into a reality: The reward will not arrive and you won’t get your money back either. Net SE is completely dead. This was first reported by German photo publication Photoscala after an official notice was published, asking to direct claims to a law firm.

Insolvency proceedings have been opened which means all hopes for backers to receive rewards or their money back have evaporated. Net SE’s lack of assets means nothing can be expected from the company and Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms reject all responsibility in such cases.

This isn’t the first crowdfunding project ending up in a mess but given we are dealing with several campaigns here the number of affected photographers is likely higher than usual. It’s a reminder that backing a crowdfunding project isn’t the same thing as pre-ordering and there’s always some risk of losing your money.

My thanks to DPREVIEW for this.

For all your video production needs in Scotland, get in touch with Small Video Productions