News from Here & There

Canon XF305
The XF305 has been out for a while (the big brother to the forthcoming XF100/105's) but Bruce Johnson at Provideo Coalition posted a review of it a couple of weeks back.

All new products should work this well right out of the gate. The XF305 is available now for a street price of $7499 (if you don’t need HDSDI, time code or genlock, the XF300 runs $6499.) Are there things I’d change? Sure, main among them the 1/3” chipset - you really miss the depth of field control you get with 2/3” or even 1/2” chips - but on the whole, the XF305 is one hot piece of gear. Great controls and LCD panel, excellent battery life, reasonably priced media (especially compared to P2 or SxS cards,) stable workflow and beautiful high-bitrate pictures add up to a package that makes a very worthy successor to the Canon cameras that came before it.

ProVideoCoalition: REVIEW: Canon XF305Camera



Video On Demand Distribution
Filmmaking Stuff posts an interview with David Allen from Rapidfire Productions, an Australian company that develops, produces and distributes their genre specific titles through their own distribution arm.

There is such a valuable lesson to be learned here especially with the social networking explosion on the Internet… Success is all about the relationships both online and offline.
[...]
In my opinion this is the key to being successful in offline and online business and film distribution. Over time your followers will come to trust you and believe you, so when you have something to sell they will be far more likely to buy because they feel like they know and trust you.

Filmmaking Stuff: Filmmaker David Allen Talks Modern Moviemaking and VOD Distribution



Peter Jackson to use 30 RED's to shoot The Hobbit!

The Hobbit will be amongst the first productions in the world to use the EPIC and at least thirty cameras will be required by the 3-D production. The EPIC'S small size and relatively low weight, makes it perfect for 3-D - where two cameras have to be mounted on each 3D rig.

Jackson has a long history with RED, dating back to when he directed the short film 'Crossing the Line' as a very early test of prototype RED ONE cameras. "I have always liked the look of Red footage." he says, "I'm not a scientist or mathematician, but the image Red produces has a much more filmic feel than most of the other digital formats. I find the picture quality appealing and attractive, and with the Epic, Jim and his team have gone even further. It is a fantastic tool, the Epic not only has cutting edge technology, incredible resolution and visual quality, but it is also a very practical tool for film makers. Many competing digital systems require the cameras to be tethered to large cumbersome VTR machines. The Epic gives us back the ability to be totally cable free, even when working in stereo." 

RED Press: Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" To Be Shot On EPIC!



Panasonic GH2
You can download a copy of the GH2 Instruction manual in English from Panasonic's site; Panasonic GH2 Instruction Manual (English)



Panasonic AG-AF100
Philip Johnston at HD Warrior plans to get one of these cameras, and is already thinking about lens choices: Prime lenses on the AG AF101



Sony PMW-F3
Andy Shipsides at CineTechnica does a hands on video with the PMW-F3 (you have to go to the page to see.): Hands-on with the Sony PMW-F3

Alister Chapman (who has ordered a PMW-F3), offers thoughts about lens choices: Lens Choices for the PMW-F3

The following video from SchweizervideoAG has some nice close-ups of the camera; but it's in German!