an open letter to canon

This was just too good not to post.

"Talent? Good ideas? Experience? A committment to the craft? Wait a minute...you mean the simple act of buying a camera isn't enough to take professional pictures?! You mean I actually have to "work" at it? Read about it? Eat, sleep and breathe it? Practice it? Hone it? Perfect it? And you mean to tell me it's an ongoing thing? As in, I have to continue doing all those things...forever? Damn. I was hoping there was magic fairy dust in the box with my new camera to handle all that for me..."

Well...yeah.

Cheers

canon c300 | a new era in cinema

HDSLRs were born a little over 3 years ago – and my life and that of many others has forever been changed as a result.  

What an incredible time  it’s been for many of us!   And that is about to change again today…

The number "3" seems to have an unusual relevance to this short film "Mobius":  

I was asked 3 months ago to shoot a short film for Canon to highlight the new Canon C300 camera.

We wrapped our 3rd day of shooting on what turned out to be exactly the 3-year-anniversary of the release of "Reverie."  (I received a tweet about it that night which was a cool surprise and made me pause for a few seconds on set – what a strange coincidence right?! )

Canon is making this "historic" announcement on November 3rd.

This is the 3rd prototype camera Canon has asked me to test (Reverie / Nocturne / Mobius)

We used 3 C300 bodies for the shoot.   And this post is 4 posts shy of the 300th post on this blog.

And finally 3 is the natural successor to the Canon 5D MKII …

A downloadable version of the final film (5GB) will be made available shortly courtesy of Apple and iTunes.

SPECS: For those of you who are dying for the specs here they are - with my commentary in italic:

Sensor:  New Canon 8.29 Megapixel Super 35mm Cinema CMOS Sensor – 3840 x 2160 effective pixels

Native 1920×1080 capture with 3 separate 2.0 megapixel color channels – 2.0mp G, 2.0mp R, 2.0mp B) without the type of interpolation required by most cameras in this price range.

Ergo this is in effect a 4K sensor creating a 1080p image.  This results in what I would say is easily one of the best digital cinema sensors on the market  - at least that I have worked with (I have worked with all of the digital cinema cameras released within the past 2-3 years.*)   The camera’s only competition right now are the Arri Alexa and Red Epic– although each of the 3 sensors and cameras have distinct advantages over one another  - there is no perfect camera.  

The Canon C300 produces an INCREDIBLY sharp image at 1080p on a 60 foot screen.   There is ZERO aliasing or moire – goodbye forever!!!

It should be said:  DSLRs are FAR FROM DEAD.   Their price point, size, and accessibility to the "masses"  will allow them to thrive for years to come in my opinion.  The above mentioned cameras are in a different price league.   I have not heard of an official price yet from Canon, but it is safe to say that the price will be north of the Canon 1Dx.

*(I haven’t tried the Sony F65 and I haven’t been able to test the new Phantom Flex – the Phantom Gold’s sensor is quite impressive.)

New DIGIC DV IIII Processor

This proccesor allows for unbelievable low light performance and color / image quality.   If you love the Canon 5DMKII’s image quality – prepare to be blown away by this sensor.   Both in terms of dynamic range and the richness of the image.    The image quality coming from this camera is incredibly organic – alpha channels show a noise pattern incredibly reminiscent of film.   In fact I had to walk up to the 22 foot screen at EFilm during the grading session on several occasion to examine what I swore looked like a Tri-X negative being projected onto the screen.

Low light performance:

High Sensitivity/Low Noise – Peak Dynamic Range of 800% or 12 stops (using Canon Log Cinema Mode at ISO 850 and higher.)

Signal Processing equivalent to a 3-chip RGBCamera system without the need for any debayering algorithms.

Although I have not had a chance to do en empirical test at this point with side by side results – it’s fair to say that this camera performs better than the Alexa and perhaps even the Sony F3 in low light.   It’s hard to compare the F3 because the noise of that camera is different (I have done side by side tests  - but the C300′s noise pattern at high ISOs is so organic that it looks like film and isn’t  a distraction.)  I would say that the C300 is 1&1/2 to 2 stops better than the Alexa in low light – which is incredible.   That being said – the Alexa is top dog in terms of highlight retention – and likely has a 1-2 stop advantage in retaining highlights (Again, given that no empirical tests have been done yet – take this paragraph as a whole with a grain of salt.  Alexa does claim a 14 stop range versus the C300′s 12.  The Red Epic has been reported at around 13.5 stops.)   The RED Epic is hard to judge against these as well given that the resolution of its sensor naturally makes noise more apparent (due to the higher resolution.) I have processed the 5K imagery with post noise reduction software and gotten impressive results.   Comparing a 5K camera to a 1080p camera is not something I’m willing to do at this point – to me the two are like Apples and Oranges.    Comparing the two would be the equivalent of comparing the same lens on a 1080p vs 5K sensor – the 5K sensor will show every optical flaw of that lens in crystal clear detail due to the incredible relative resolution.

Resolution and frame rates:

1~30 fps at 1080p

1~60 fps at 720p

The lack of additional faster frame rates at 1080p is one of the few disappointments of this camera – but expected given its expected price point.   This is one of the areas where the Red Epic shines at up to 300fps at 2K, and up to 120fps at 5K.  The Alexa also will also eventually go up to 120fps at 1080p.  

ISO Range:

320-20,000

We shot the entire film at 850 ISO to get the maximum dynamic range.   The image is incredibly clean.   Once we pull up the shadows the blacks have a pleasing granular structure to them.  More to come on that in the next few days.  I did do some tests at 3200 ISO and 6400 ISO and was amazed by what I saw.  One of the films Canon is showing today had a few scenes shot at 20,000 ISO – and the footage holds up on a 60 foot screen (with obvious grain/noise.)

Manual Gain: -6dB to 30dB

EF and PL versions

I wish that there were interchangeable lens mounts as with the RED Epic.   Choosing between the two models is going to be incredibly difficult for all out there… in fact that is probably going to cause many to debate which camera to buy – for days…. if not weeks.   I love my Canon EF lenses.  But Canon’s new PL Lenses as well as the current lineup of available lenses will likely have me go to the PL version first.

Rotatable and removable handgrip.

Monitor Unit/Control Panel can be mounted on the camera’s accessory slot or in a variety of different ways.

4-inch 1.23 Megapixel LCD is rotatable and removable.

We found ourselves using Zacuto EVFs with the camera and the new Marshall monitors with built in waveform graphs with excellent success.

Body weight:

EF Version – 3.2 lbs

PL Version – 3.6 lbs

Don’t overlook this spec.   This is HUGE – or in this case small and light.  The size and weight of this camera is incredible.  This will be a huge factor when choosing between this camera and the Epic and Alexa.  This is a significant advantage that Canon has notably over the Alexa in my opinion.   You can literally pick this camera up with your index finger… and ii is noticeably smaller than the Sony F3 for example (in length.)  It is also noticeable lighter than the Epic.  I should also mention that we shot with the C300 camera for 3 days in 95ºF + temperatures in the desert on RC Helicopters and Russian arms and we never had a single issue with the camera that I can recall.   Impressive given that these were prototype cameras…

XLR Inputs and audio control

We used a dual system for audio (i.e. a separate audio deck to record audio) on this project – but all of the bells and whistles appear to be there.

Output:

HD/SD-SDI

HDMI

Timecode in/out

Genlock

Sync out (3D)

XLR (2 Channel)

3.5mm Mic Jack

Heaphone 3.5 stereo monitor

FINALLY!!!! Need I say more!  Production-ready camera!

Media:

2 CF Card Slots

Relay record from one to another

Hot swap cards while shooting uninterrupted

Shooting simultaneously to both cards

HD/SD-SDI Output to external recoders

It’s wonderful to be able to record to CF Cards that you already have available.  CF Cards are dependable and cheap.  The dual record function is a superb function that gives you a tremendous amount of peace of mind. 

Codec:

Canon XF Codec:

MPEG-2

4:2:2

50Mbs

MXF Wrapper

Love the codec.  We shot 18 hours of footage and copied it all on a 500GB drive w/ audio and production stills.  Image quality is superb and it grades wonderfully.   For most- this will be more than enough.  It blows the 5DMKII away.  Completely.  That being said the RED Epic’s and Alexa’s RAW support will allow the digital image to be pushed further especially when aggressive color correction/grading is desired.  We edited out entire short in Premiere and After Effects without a single hiccup.   I am told the codec is supported by Avid as well.   At the time of production neither Final Cut 7 nor Final Cut X supported this format – though I’m sure that will change for Final Cut X at some point of course.

Power:

Long battery life - 

Included BP-955 up to 205 min

Optional BP-075 up to 310 min

A waverform Monitor and Vectorscope for exposure analysis built in.

The battery is excellent – never a factor on our shoots.   

Focus Assist:

Magnified Focus

Two Peaking modes to check and confirm critical focus

Wireless Remote (WFT-E6):

802.11 a/b/g/n/

Secure – user assignable IP address and password

Control over: Start/Stop, Shutter/ ISO/ WB etc.

Iris and focus control when using Canon EF Lenses

Metadata input remotely

Approx 150 ft range.

Operates using standard Web-browsers on WiFi-engable devices:

iPad/iPhone/iTouch 

Computers / Android Tables

Sound incredibly neat – we didn’t have these to test during our shoot.

New Canon EF Cinema lenses:

24mm T/1.5L F

50mm T/1.3L F

85mm T/1.3L F

With more to come…

Lenses have 4K image quality

300º Degree focus thrown

Mechanical 11-blad iris

Consistent matched gearing

These support the full size image cifcle of the the EOS 5D MKII and EOS-1D X

These lenses have the potential to be very disruptive… but until I see one I’m just speculating… but based on the zoom lenses below… Canon has the potential to shake up the lens world if their prime lenses are as good as their Zooms…

EF Cinema Zoom lenses:

14.5~60mm T/2.6L SP

30~300mm T/2.95-3.7L SP

The support the 35mm image circle of the EOS C300

I love these lenses and would love one of each from a very rich Santa from Xmas.   I  may just have to buy the 30~300mm because it was outstanding and a lens one can travel the world with.   The optical and mechanical performances were beyond excellent.   It is smaller (by approx 6 pounds!)  than the Angenieux 24~290mm T2.6  Optimo and much more compact – the Optimo is one of the godfathers in the zoom lens world…

So where does the camera stand in relation to the other cameras?  What about RED’s Scarlet announcement today? 

Ryan

tower classic tattoo | dmg

Meet SeanBaltzell, the proprietor of Tower Classic Tattoo, AKA the sickest tattoo parlor I've ever stepped foot into. Best part is, I didn't get thrown out of the back door into the alley. It's the kind of place that you wanna hang out in, hear stories, watch people work, and drink. The guys at Tower Classic did a stellar job putting this establishment together. They even found antique barber chairs for each artist's nook. Sean traveled the world for years piecing together the idea behind tower classic, and it shows. Every decoration appears to be an original from a far corner of the US with hand crafted signs on every wall. Every inch of the shop has been well thought out and the artwork on the walls speaks for itself, original. Tower Classic has quickly established themselves as a genuine tattoo destination in the US, not to mention a fantastic addition to the developing Grove area in St. Louis. Our hats are off to you Tower Classic. Looking forward to your awesomeness. 

Gary

mastermind einstein | dmg

This is a follow up post to a previous shoot with Mastermind Einstein, a former STL resident and current citizen of Atlanta, GA. Keep a look out for this kid and check out his work.

Gary

steve | DMG

Tim Cook sent us this message yesterday:

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much."

Everyone that currently works for DMG also works for, or has worked, for Apple. Gary is an Expert, Ryan is a Creative, Kraemer is a Business Specialist, Franco is a Family Room Specialist, Stew is a Creative, and Tim was a lead Creative. We all use Apple products to create, to work, to learn, and to inspire. Without it, we wouldn't produce the art we do. We are thankful to work for such an innovative company, and are even more thankful for what Steve did for our creative sides. He was a true Creative Genius.

You will be missed, Steve.

DMG

behind the scenes | dmg

We've been doing what we do for awhile now, and almost every time we shoot we snap lots of behind the scenes shots. Our trusty iPhones are usually the camera of choice for these shots, so they stay trapped in our pockets for months. Today I had some extra time, so several of them have been freed.  Enjoy.

Ryan

daddy long legs | DMG

He makes and excellent point. This video contains nothing about photography, but the man is absolutely correct. Even more so, his passion for the word is inspiring. Nothing short of fantastic.

Gary

the zimmers | DMG

I spent the Sunday after they got hitched with these two beautiful people. The day was all about location shooting, so we loaded a ton of gear in the car and headed out early in the morning. 6 locations, 2 wireless receivers, 3 CF cards, and 7 hours later, we had managed to shoot 450 images I'm really digging! More to come from this shoot as time allows.

Ryan Walters

welcome to the dark side | dmg

Meet Muhammad "Mo" Austin, a very talented music producer and musician out of St. Louis. Mo has been on the scene promoting and producing for a few years now and is preparing to move to Atlanta to build his momentum and make his footprint on the scene. We ran into Mo at the G-Eazy concert last weekend at the Gramaphone and set up a last minute shoot Tuesday night before his departure. It was a pleasure working with this young talented mastermind and we hope to hear more of his music. Check out his stuff at his website. We will be publishing more from this shoot in the coming weeks.

Gary Winchester

motivation | dmg

This is such an interesting idea behind changing the way we work and our approach to the 9-5 grind. The book is defintely worth reading.

Gary

jack white | dmg

Ridiculous Talent

Gary

mary beth revisited | DMG

If you've followed the DMG blog for long, you may remember seeing Mary Beth Sales once before. She's the talented, beautiful girl from LA, who's diving head first into west coast real estate for young chic-savvy professionals. At DMG, we like to keep things fresh, and we've been wanting to develop a new aesthetic style to add to our repertoire. Mary Beth seemed like a great candidate for our project!

We shot against white seamless in the studio, knowing we would focus our efforts around creative post production. A lot of what we do stays very clean, so we wanted to push these images in a very different direction. The white seamless provided a blank canvas to work from, and diminishing the contrast lent a chalky, sort of smokey vintage look. The background was then manipulated and created, giving the images a very distiguished aesthetic. We're digging the results and I'm sure you'll see more work with a similar approach!

These two shots are a couple of my favorites from our time with Mary Beth. Her skin is flawless!

Ryan

brutal | dmg

This dude was intense! I didn't even get his name, so we affectionately refer to him as "Brutal". It's obvious why. He's one of the many motely crew currently playing on the first men's roller derby team in St. Louis, the Saint Louis GateKeepers. Check them out, and watch out for this guy skating through the back alleys of the city!

Ryan

bleached | dmg

I stopped this guy on the street and agreed to buy him some food in exchange for letting me take his picture. When I asked what he wanted, he responded with "something delicious." I went around the corner afterwards and bought him cold milk and oreos. He was pretty excited to get down on some double stuffed cookies midday afternoon. But then again, who wouldn't like that?

-Gary

whatever | DMG

I asked this guy if I could take his picture and he said "whatever." I like your style man. Whatever.

-Gary

San Francisco | DMG

During my time here in San Francisco, I observed quite a bit of characters trolling the streets 24/7. This town is seriously ripe with photogenic people. Last Sunday I had the opportunity to set up some gear on the corner of Haight & Ashbury and snap some photos of the local street folk as they passed, which I found to be very rewarding.  Above is just one shot of the people that were kind enough to stop and oblige me. The above photo was the first and sparks the begining of my street photography character album. More to come and big thanks to everyone I met here in SF. 

Gary

jeff white

This is Jeff White. A Fox 2 cameraman, and an avid Apple fan, Jeff and I met when he set out to learn Final Cut Pro. We met at the Apple Store, West County, and soon began talking shop about photography. We spent several months working in Aperture together, and I showed Jeff my blog and the portraits I had been shooting. He started following the blog, and it only seemed fitting to add him to the project. Maybe we can add a few of your colleagues, as well! Thanks for your interest, and I'm looking forward to our next shoot! 

Ryan

dmg | songsforjoplin.com

DMG recently partnered with Zach Becker and his songsforjoplin.com campaign that promotes awareness and raises funds through music for the people of Joplin, MO. We were thrilled at the opportunity to work on this campaign and are half way complete with the video & stills of many of the artists on the Songs for Joplin CD. We are looking forward to posting some more live performances filmed on-location in St. Louis, Nashville, and Los Angeles. Stay tuned for more blog work.

Gary

Sandro Miller | Butterflies

Simply Amazing. Simply Inspiring. 

Gary

Washed Up | DMG

This is the first of a series of live music videos shot with Dropkick the Robot. These guys are phenomenal musicians! They are dedicated to their craft, and their music reflects it. We had the opportunity to collaborate with them to produce a series of seven songs, which were all performed and captured live.  This is the biggest video project we've shot to date! It involved several months of planning, production meetings, putting a solid team of operators together, innovating some lighting methods for a relatively small recording studio, and executing a nine camera shoot in full 1080p!! We shot everything at 24fps to lend a film look to it, and I lit the studio with a cinematic style in mind. Everything was captured in color, but this piece was converted to black and white in post production. This project couldn't have gone as smoothly without the following people's dedication and willingness to help:

Tim Kotthoff | Producer, Co-Director, Editor

Ryan Walters | Producer, Co-Director, Director of Cinematography

Eric Becker | Camera Operator

Cari Smick | Camera Operator

Gary Winchester | Camera Operator

Michael J. Kraemer | Camera Operator

Eric Witthaus | Camera Operator

Big thanks to Dan and the band as well!

Ryan