The campaingn’s founder, Ryan Stout, claims that Arsenal is an intelligent camera assistant. The DSLR add-on helps you capture the perfect shot every time with the help of image analysis and machine learning. With the accompanying app for your smartphone you end up with an actual smart DSLR. Let’s have a look! Meet Arsenal There is a new gadget in town. Well, almost – but if you happen to be brave enough for another Kickstarter campaign, the Arsenal might be worth a closer look. The so-far very successful campaign is about to hit the home stretch and the product itself looks very promising: a tiny device which is connected 1) to your DSLR via USB and 2) to your smartphone wirelessly. The unit is programmed with thousands of images which are then compared to the current framing of your DSLR. It adjusts several settings accordingly in order to get the perfect shot, so all you have to do is frame your picture and the Arsenal will take care of the (technical) rest – just like an actual camera assistant. Too good to be true, right? Different Modes The Arsenal is capable of several shooting modes: HDR stacking, long exposures, focus stacking, you name it. The good thing is, you don’t have to think about it. All you have to do is let your creativity flow while Arsenal takes care of the technical execution. Here is a list of things the Arsenal algorithms process while striving for that perfect shot: Compares current scene with thousands of past images using a convolutional deep neural network (the same algorithm used in self driving cars) Optimizes settings based on 18 different factors Avoids settings that produce weak images on your specific camera and lens Uses image recognition to identify subject-specific needs (e.g. fast shutter for birds) Shows safe ranges for each setting based on situational constraints (e.g. vibration) Gives you the ability to change the settings you care about most Controlling the Arsenal is easy: just download the android or iOS app and you’re good to go. All the settings can be accessed and changed via the app, and you’ll get a live preview from your DSLR and a convenient viewer for the pictures you’ve already taken. And since we’re living in a social-media world, you can upload your hero shots straight from the app, of course. The most interesting feature for me personally is the ability to create fully-automated timelapses. Even the so-called holy grail (transition from day to night or vice versa) is supported. I’m very curious how well the Arsenal handles that tricky type of timelapse! Specifications, Pricing and Availability The Arsenal supports a whole range of DSLRs. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, they are all aboard. Check out this webpage and search for your DSLR make and model. The campaign is live until Thursday, June 22th 2017 4PM CEST. While writing this, the “Get Arsenal – Kickstarter Exclusive” tier is still available. That one will set you back $150. The estimated delivery date is January 2018. Just a word of warning: This is still a Kickstarter campaign, not a retail offer, so naturally there are risks. I had a few disappointing Kickstarter experiences myself, so be advised! If you love the thrill, go get one. If you want to play it safe, wait until the actual product is ready and check if it still pleases your needs. If so, go and get one for a slightly higher price. links: Kickstarter campaign | Website What do you think? Does this look like the gadget you were waiting for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Chinese manufacturer Venus Optics has just released a new lens adapter called the Laowa Magic Format Converter. With it you can use your existing full-frame Canon or Nikon glass on the mighty sensor of the medium format Fujifilm GFX 50S camera. Let’s have a look! The Laowa Magic Format Converter The Medium Format Fujifilm GFX 50S Camera is Finally Here and Shoots Video. That was the headline of our first article about this stunning medium-format beast from Fujifilm (check out the article here). Unfortunately, that superior sensor has a major downside built right in: it’s sheer size renders your existing full frame glass useless since the smaller image circle would produce massive vignetting. The solution? Well, meet the Laowa Magic Format Converter by Venus Optics. You might think of calling it a Speed Booster, but that is not quite the case here since it’s actually more of a Speed Shrinker. A Speed Booster will shrink the image circle produced by a full-frame lens in order to fit, say, a Super 35mm sensor, acting as a magnifiyng glass which is why the image becomes brighter. As a a result, you gain an extra stop of light hitting the sensor. Conversely, the Magic Format Converter is designed to increase the size of the image circle a full-frame lens is capable of rendering, allowing it to cover the huge medium-format sensor of the Fujifilm GFX 50S camera. The downside is a decrease in incoming light because the same amount of light needs to be spread out over a larger sensor area. As a result, you’ll lose one stop of light. Image Quality Although the Magic Format Converter isn’t quite ready for shipping, the results already look very promising! There’s no visible vignetting and the overall sharpness seems to be very decent. Oftentimes, the peripheral image sharpness gets pretty degraded when using low quality adapters. No vignetting! Read all about this new Magic Format Converter over at venuslens.net. You can find lots of comparison shots there and you can even download the RAW files for further inspection. Pricing and Availability Pricing hasn’t been set yet but the Magic Format Converter should be ready soon, and is expected to start shipping in July 2017. The Adapter will be available in two versions: Canon EF to Fujifilm G and Nikon AI to Fujifilm G. Several Laowa lenses on the Fujifilm GFX 50S using the Magic Format Converter. Also, the engineers over at Venus Optics seem to be eager to improve the adapter even more. Therefore, they are seeking Fujifilm GFX 50S owners in order to gather feedback: We are currently inviting volunteers who owns a Fujifilm GFX 50S to test and jointly make this adapter a better one. If you are interested, please send us more information about yourself via email. marketing@venuslens.net What do you think? Is it time to jump on the medium format train? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The most common cause for messed-up drone shots (or even accidents) is still human error. So what about taking the human part out of the equation when it comes to pulling off a mighty drone shot? MIT researchers are on the quest for developing the perfect software drone operator. Kick back, relax and have a look at the future. credit: Kaleb Kendall | unsplash.com/@kalebart The Software Drone Operator These are crazy times indeed. Not long ago shooting an aerial was a dearly task to pull off. You would need things like a giant helicopter and a dedicated stabilization system like a Tyler mount. The chopper pilot didn’t come for free, nor did the gasoline or the mandatory airport fee, all of which added up pretty quickly! Nowadays you can do all this on your own. All you need is a small drone – or not so small, depending on your setup – and you’re all set. If you want to go extra fancy, you’ll hire a two-person crew: a drone operator and a dedicated gimbal operator. This could get you pretty close to the results achieved with the chopper shots of decades gone by. But one thing was – and still is – present at all times: the human error. Enter the MIT researchers who are aiming to revolutionize the whole concept of flying and operating a drone. They claim to have developed nothing less than a software drone operator. Have a look at the video below for a glimpse into the future: As you can see, this is still a concept, but a working one at that. A proof of concept, so to say. This “real-time motion planning for aerial videography” system works a bit differently than operating a drone in real time, as it requires knowledge of several parameters of the shot prior to shooting it: How wide or how tight should the target of the shot be within the frame? What should the target’s position be within the frame? Which viewing angle is desired? How many targets are there? These settings can be altered in realtime while the drone is airborne, and the system will take care of dynamically avoiding obstacles both stationary and moving. A key to the system, according to MIT researcher Alonso-Mora, is that it continuously estimates the velocities of all of the moving objects in the drone’s environment and projects their locations a second or two into the future. This buys it a little time to compute optimal flight trajectories and also ensures that it can get recover smoothly if the drone needs to take evasive action to avoid collision. The system updates its position projections about 50 times per second. Work in Progress The team behind this software drone operator still depends on some tricks like bright-colored shirts in order to work properly. However, this seems to be just a small hurdle towards the goal of letting the drone acquire the perfect shot completely on its own. Sure, the system still isn’t perfect. What about complex shots like a smooth transition from a super wide shot towards a tight shot of a face, for example? What about circling around an actor before pulling back up in the sky, revealing the landscape? The MIT researchers are not quite there yet, but they’re certainly on their way and it’s hard to spot any limits in this development. credit: Kaleb Kendall | unsplash.com/@kalebart Drones like the DJI Mavic already have several autonomous systems on board such as obstacle avoidance, auto follow, auto clearance and so on. This software drone operator developed by MIT researchers is one step ahead in terms of complexity, but I would guess it’s only a matter of time until these things appear in commercially-available products. Source: The Verge | MIT What do you think? Is cramming for a drone exam still worth it or would a degree in integrated circuits be the better choice? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Alongside the major announcement of DaVinci Resolve 14, Blackmagic Design also revealed some nice software updates for their URSA Mini Pro and the Video Assist line of products at NAB. Let’s have quick look at what’s new. Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro The Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro has one feature you probably didn’t know about: it actually has Bluetooth built in. Blackmagic Design will release a software update in June which will enable you to connect an app to the camera via Bluetooth. You will be able to edit metadata without having to touch the camera, among many other features. The app also allows you to control multiple Mini Pros, making it possible to pull off a whole live setup with multiple cameras but limited crew. I would personally prefer one skilled operator behind each camera, though.   The company will also release an accompanying API, making this announcement even more exciting if you happen to be gifted with coding skills. By giving you access to the whole source code of that app, Blackmagic allows you to dive in and learn how they handle the Bluetooth control protocol so you can program your own custom app tailored to your needs. Very nice move I would say, and I’m curious to see the kind of results we will get from this. Blackmagic Design Video Assist Two upcoming software updates have been announced at this year’s NAB show. Version 2.4, available as of now, enables multiple language support for the Video Assist line of monitors/recorders. You just have to hook up the device to your computer via USB in order to choose the preferred language.   The next update, version 2.5, is a little more exciting and is all about scopes: waveform, RGB parade, histogram, vectorscope, you name it. It’s even possible to keep a smaller version of the live image on screen or, what’s even better, you can blend the opacity of the scopes over the live image. Unfortunately, Version 2.5 will only support the Video Assist 4K model and you’ll have to wait a bit longer as it will only be available from June. Although it’s a great update for the 7″ model and really expands the fields of application for this recorder/monitor, I’m not really sure what this means for the 5″ model. Maybe version 2.4 is the last update for the little one in the current lineup. Read all about these updates here: URSA mini pro | Video Assist Are you a proud owner of a Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro or a Video Assist? Can you see your workflow benefitting from these updates? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

At this year’s NAB, we had a little chat with FUJIFILM’s general manager Toshihisa (Toshi) Lida about their current product range, and especially about their plans regarding video-related cameras. Let’s see what they have in store for us filmmakers. State of Play FUJIFILM clearly wants to take aim at the cinema market. With the introduction of their FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.9 manual zoom lens (you can read our review of that lens here) they followed the concept of developing a product as compact and lightweight as possible. This meant making a few compromises. Firstly, they choose to limit the mount options to X-mount end E-mount only, as they require a very small flange distance. The chances of an EF mount version becoming available in the near future therefore seem to be very small, but who knows? FUJIFILM also seem to be very aware of their customers’ needs and wishes. The FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.9 X-mount manual zoom lens at NAB 2017 Delivering a compact product at an affordable price also means that the lens is currently a fully-manual device without any electronic connections. For now, this means no data flow between lens and camera, although FUJINFILM intends to implement an electronic interface for this purpose in the future it will be reserved for the X-mount version only. This makes the FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.9 and MK 50-135mm T-2.9 an entry product with a lot of potential for future versions. The (Video) Future of FUJIFILM The company has been quite busy for the last 6 years developing a variety of cameras such as the FUJIFILM X-T2 (read our review here), XT-20 (read our review here), or the X-Pro2 (review here). Though all three can shoot video, they are clearly aimed at the stills photography market. However, one thing is clear: FUJIFILM is capable of building very decent lenses. They have a massive lineup of X-mount lenses but, as mentioned above, they keep exploring new fields with products like the freshly-introduced FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.9 manual zoom. A new FUJINON MK50-135mm T2.9 is also in the works and be ready to ship soon. As Toshi Lida puts it: The customers love our glass, the lenses.” That claim is mostly related to their lineup of still lenses. But with such an expertise in making quality glass, there’s a lot of potential for upcoming (indie) cinema lenses, as well! More Video Features The FUJIFILM GFX 50s is the latest and greatest (and actually biggest) FUJIFILM mirrorless camera, featuring a massive 51.4MP medium format sensor. What’s interesting about it is that, despite being a stills camera, the GFX features Full HD video recording and, even more astonishing, an audio input jack. Why would you need an audio jack in such a stills camera who’s video capabilities is not a priority ? And if this beast is supposed to be a video camera after all, then can it do in the future better then Full HD? FUJIFILM GFX 50s. Maybe the fine folks at FUJIFILM have yet to make up their mind about developing a proper video camera with all the features you could ask for, but I think that little audio jack might be an indication of the path FUJIFILM is willing to explore regarding the video side of things. Actually, they already have everything that’s needed, they just have to put these things together. Maybe the solution is a more diverse lineup with more options, following the model established by Sony, who are leading the way with their line of a7 cameras: an entry-level model, an R model for stills photographers, and an S model for video shooters. Conclusion Granted: since FUJIFILM has made no concrete promises yet, the future of their video-related products is speculative at best, though there does seem to be a silver lining. Toshi Lida seems very positive about their future as far as video-capable cameras and lenses are concerned. Hopefully we’ll see some killer products at some point soon that will compete with established products like the Sony a7 / a9 line. What are your thoughts about the current line up of cameras and lenses by FUJIFILM? Share your ideas in the comments below!

Panasonic unveiled a new action camera at NAB 2017, a POV type of device. It consists of two parts, the actual AG-UCK20GJ Panasonic POVCAM and the portable AG-UMR20 recorder. Let’s check out what we know so far. Quick snapshot from Panasonic’s live event at NAB 2017. Panasonic POVCAM AG-UCK20GJ Camera Head If you need high quality in tight spaces, then a good option might be this new Panasonic AG-UCK20GJ compact camera head in tandem with the Panasonic AG-UMR20 portable recorder. The new Panasonic AG-UCK20GJ camera head is capable of capturing UHD 4K video at 29.97 fps, along with stereo audio. For full functionality, you need the accompanying AG-UMR20 portable recorder, which uses a proprietary multi-pin cable that carries all video, audio, and control signals. The lens is a 20x zoom which features a 29.5mm equivalent field of view, and it’s even stabilized in order to prevent shaky or wobbly footage. The camera even sports built-in ND filters and autofocus, which is pretty impressive for such a small camera head. Panasonic AG-UMR20 Portable Recorder At the other end of this combo package, the AG-UMR20 portable recorder writes HD and UHD 4K video to SDXC cards. There are actually two SD card slots, providing both relay and backup recording. The unit can also serve as a control for the AG-UCK20GJ camera head, and provides several video input and output options such as SDI, HDMI, USB and even Ethernet. This means you can connect this control unit to various kinds of studio equipment such as monitors, video switchers, FTP servers or computers. AG-VBR and VW-VBD batteries can be used for powering up this camera head & recorder combo. As a bonus, you can feed the AG-UMR20 with an external SDI video source so you can use it as an extra backup device in the field. One thing to note, though. The above press image is somewhat misleading because the camera is actually a little bigger than you might expect it to be, have a look at this snap we took from the actual product in real life: Actually, the Panasonic POVCAM is not exactly tiny. Both products should be available soon, so stay tuned for more information! What do you think? Is this camera/recorder combo worth a closer look for your production workflow? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Tailing the all new Light Storm C300d LED light, Aputure has announced new accessories for its Light Storm line of powerful LED lights here at NAB 2017. Meet the Light Dome mini and a new spacelight attachment. The Aputure Light Dome mini Aputure really tries to improve and expand their line of Light Storm fixtures and accessories. Alongside their new C300d light Ted Sim runs us through a bunch of new accessories. One thing to mention in order to avoid confusion: All these accessories are compatible with the new Light Storm C300d, too. Thanks to the dual-fan system heat is not an issue here. Basically, it’s a mix’n’match system. First up is the new Light Dome mini which is basically a smaller version of the already available original Light Dome. It’s way more compact than the orignial one which enables yout to put in tight spaces and still get a pleasantly soft light source. Also, now there is a grid available for the Light Dome mini. It’s a 45° grid which helps you controlling the spill of the light. The whole dome is made out of very durable fabrics normally used for parachutes. Included with the Light Dome mini itself comes a fitting speedring. That is really good news because normally you have to source that kind of accessory for yourself, increasing the actual price for a decent light dome. Aputure is able to bundle the speedring because the whole Light Storm ecosystem is based on the popular Bowen-S mount and therefore every accessory fits on every fixture. Nice! They’ve managed to design the translucent fabric of the Light Dome mini in a way that it won’t produce a green of magenta color shift. As obvious as it sounds, it’s good to see that the engineers got this essential yet very important feature right. A New Kind of Spacelight Another cool product is the Aputure Spacelight attachment. It’s simply the outer fabric of a spacelight which fits the Light Storm line of fixtures by just strapping it onto the bare light itself. Since the Light Storm lights have a very wide 120-degree beam angle if nothing is attached to the Bowen-S mount, they’ll fill out the whole spacelight attachment easily. It’s made out of the same tough yet color accurate fabric as the Light Dome mini. The Light Dome mini will be retailing for $99 (the original Light Dome is $150) and it should be ready for shipping in about one month. The Spacelight attachment is even more competitive in terms of pricing: It will be available for under $50 (assumingly $49). What do you think of these new accessories? Ready to do some serious lighting? Let us know in the comments below!

Here at NAB 2017 Cooke Optics has its brand new Cooke S7 line of Full Frame Plus prime lenses on display. We caught up with Les Zellan to get to know these true cinematic lenses a little better. Cooke S7/i Cinema Primes We originally covered the release of the new Cooke S7/i cinema primes just about a week ago in this article, but now that we are strolling through this year’s NAB show in Las Vegas, we thought we would catch up with Cooke at their booth to have a closer look at these new cinema lenses. The big news lies within the term Full Frame Plus. The Cooke S7/i line of lenses render a massive image circle of 46.31mm, which is actually more than enough to cover the sensor of the RED Weapon 8K camera, a camera installed at the Cooke booth for demonstration. The Cooke S7/i 32mm T2 lens at the Cooke booth. The range of the new S7/i lenses includes 18, 25, 32, 40, 50, 75, 100 and 135mm focal lengths for now, but as Les Zellon puts it, there will be more over time – just as the line of S4 primes has grown from the original 6 lenses to a massive 18 lenses. Since these are serious cinema primes, all Cooke S7/i lenses sport a T-stop range of T2-T22. The /i in S7/i indicates the ability to capture digital metadata about each and every recorded frame in order to pave the way for a smooth post-production process, and FX workflows especially. Speaking of workflow, you will like the consistent 110mm front diameter, too. The weight of these lenses ranges between 3,0kg (6.6 lbs) and 3,7kg (8.16 lbs). Pricing and Availability According to Les Zellon, Chairman of Cooke Optics, these new Cooke S7/i prime lenses should be shipping within the next two months. Each lens will set you back just a little more than $20,000. That’s a steal, isn’t it? Read all about these new lenses over at cookeoptics.com. Are you after that “Cooke Look”? What do you think about this new release? Let us know in the comments below!