The Canon C500 MKII is the impressive new camera in the Cinema EOS line. It touts a 5.9K Full Frame sensor with internal 12-bit CinemaRAW Light recording, an expandable modular design, better slow motion, interchangeable lens mounts and much, much more in a small, compact size. There is so much to talk about with this camera! Whenever I look at a new camera for myself, I want to put it through its proper paces. I like to do extensive tests to know exactly how it will handle both in the field and in post. I also want to know all the ins and outs of the menus and ergonomics so when I begin shoot ..read more

Welcome back to “In-Depth with the C500 MKII” blog post series. In this post, I will be covering footage analysis. If you haven’t checked out the rest of the series, I highly recommend starting with Part 1, where I outline all the topics covered from beginning to end. Scaling Sharpness Since the C500 MKII has so many options to choose from in terms of Codec (RAW Light and XF-AVC), Sensor Size (Full Frame, Super35 and Super16) and Resolution (DCI 4K, UHD, 2K and HD), I found it important to compare how these various formats handle when paired with another in a particular resolution. I see mysel ..read more

Welcome back to In-Depth with the C500 MKII. In this post, I will be going over the internal specifications of the camera. This post will look at most of the main features of the camera, as well as show you how to get your camera set up and ready for a shoot. If you are just joining the series, I recommend checking out “In-Depth with the C500 MKII: Part 1: Physical and External Features” where I break down the methodology of my insights and tests, as well as walk you through the outline of the full series. Without further adieu, let’s get started. Menu Structure Canon has updated the menu stru ..read more

Welcome to the final installment of the “In-Depth with the C500 MKII” series. Now that we’ve gone over the outer and inner workings of the camera, it’s time to see what to do with all this footage in post. Working with Cinema RAW Light Canon’s Cinema RAW Light works a little differently from other RAW files you might be used to working with. Depending on the software you are using, you will have more or less adjustment tools at your disposal. If you are working with Cinema RAW Light clips directly in an NLE like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere or Avid, these clips will handle exactly the same as ..read more

Introduction There is a huge chasm between knowing lighting tools and knowing them intimately. Regardless of the approach, it takes a long time and a lot of experience to get to the latter. There is a wide array of options on the market, so how do you know what to use and when? I have been shooting for some time now, and assisting those better than me for even longer. I have had the opportunity to work with a wide array of lights and lighting augmentation, but its only been a few items at a time, sometimes spread over many months (or years) before seeing them again. Many cinemat ..read more

The last Behind the Lens post is here. Canon’s new “hybrid” cinema zoom, the Compact-Servo 18-80mm T4 zoom lens, is an EF mount lens with a load of features, like auto iris and auto focus, Image Stabilization, and a zoom servo that communicates directly with your Canon camera through the lens mount. See the full post here, or tune in to tall the other episodes at Abelcine.com and newsshooter.com ..read more

Take a deeper look at the new Fujinon Cabrio 20-120, the economical choice to their high end Cabrio line of lenses. See how this lens is a great all-around documentary lens, or the perfect B camera lens to the Cabrio 19-90. You can see the post here, or see all the posts in the Behind the Lens series at AbelCine or newsshooter.com ..read more

In this edition of Behind the Lens, we look at the Canon Cine-Servo 17-120. This lens is a beautiful, cinematic servo zoom lens whose focal range is hands down the best of the lot. See how this lens can fit into your production needs in the post here. You can also see all the lenses in the series at AbelCine or newshooter.com ..read more

Take a deeper look at the Sony E PZ 18-110 hybrid zoom lens for Sony E-mount Super35 / APS-C cameras. See how this lens fits with your production to give you everything need in one lens. See the post here, or tune in to all the other episodes at AbelCine and newsshooter.com ..read more

In this post, we test the Canon EF-S 17-55 and L-series 24-105. Get a detailed look at why and how these lenses fit in to the toolbag of a documentary cinematographer. Check out the post here, or all the lenses in the Behind the Lens series at AbelCine and newsshooter.com ..read more