360 video is still very much the talk of NAB, and Panasonic is not one to be left behind. First announced late last year, the AW-360C10 – AKA the Panasonic 360 camera –  features four cameras shooting at 3840×1920 resolution and uses real-time active stitching. It’s aimed at the live event 360 world and we have all the details below:  Image Credit: Graham Sheldon We first announced the Panasonic 360 prototype camera head (AW-360C10) and its base unit (AW-360B10) back in November of 2016 at Inter Bee. The four cameras mounted along the head of the unit shoot 4K video at up to 29.97fps in a 2:1 image format ratio, a.k.a equi-rectangular video. Panasonic is hoping that their low latency system will find a home with sports, concerts, and other live, stadium-based events. Panasonic 360 Camera Base Unit The camera will automatically control exposure and white balance as shooting progresses, though we haven’t had any confirmation from Panasonic regarding if the exposure and white balance controls can be overridden by an operator mid-shot during a live event. The ability to do that would obviously be a major plus. According to Panasonic, as stitching is done in-camera and in real time, the stitching position will automatically change to create the most accurate and “natural” feeling image. The entire system can be controlled from iPad devices over WiFi. Technical Highlights:  360-degree Live Camera Unit  Weight: 620g Sensor: 1/2.3″ type MOS x4 Lens: Fixed focal length F2.4, f=1.83mm Interfaces: HDMI Out Type D x4 4 channel internal microphone micro SD card slot (for firmware upgrade) Live Camera Base Unit   Weight: 1110g Power: DC12 V (11V to 17V) Compression: Motion JPEG x1 HDMI Output: 3840×1920 @ 29.97p, 25p SD card slot (for firmware upgrade) Much of the success of this camera may hinge on how Panasonic’s auto exposure tools actually work in practice in a live environment. There is no word yet on pricing, but Panasonic says the camera will begin shipping in August of 2017. What do you think of the camera? Is this the perfect tool for 360 video in a live setting? Comment below!

SIGMA just unveiled four new lenses from their ART line that will have many photographers and filmmakers check their wallets and bank accounts in order to pick one of these up. 14mm F1.8, 135mm F1.8, 24-70mm F2.8 and 100-400mm F5-6.3. Launched in 2012, the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM was the first lens in the Art line. We reviewed the 20mm F1.4 a while ago and found it was a superb choice even for video shooters. This popular series of lenses now features an extra four siblings. All SIGMA Art lenses come in various mount options: SIGMA, Nikon or Canon. We have summed up the details of announcements for you. First, let’s look at the 14mm F1.8: SIGMA 14mm F1.8 DG HSM The new  SIGMA 14mm lens has an incredible speed of F1.8. Among interchangeable lenses for Digital SLRs this is the world’s first and only F1.8 ultra-wide angle lens. The SIGMA 14mm F1.8 covers 35mm full-frame sensors. Ultra-wide lenses usually suffer from chromatic abberation. In order to minimize this, the Sigma 14mm lens includes three FLD (Low Dispersion) glass elements as well as four SLD (Super Low Dispersion) glass elements. The ultra-wide angle lens also includes HSM (Hyper-Sonic Motor) autofocus, which according to SIGMA offers “highly responsive autofocus photography”. 16 elements in 11 groups Minimum aperture: F16 Minimum focusing distance: 27cm / 10.6inches The SIGMA 14mm F1.8 will soon be available for pre-order: US: LINK EU: LINK Price has not been announced yet. SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM SIGMA first model of similar specifications, the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 EX AG ASPHERICAL DF, launched back in 2001. SIGMA has now brought out a new and improved version that incorporates optical stabilizer funcionality in a larger-diameter standard zoom. The lens features an aspherical lens element, which helps achieve extremely high resolution. The hypersonic motor HSM offers 1.3 times the torque of its predecessor. 19 elements in 14 groups Minimum Aperture: F22 Minimum focusing distance: 37cm / 1.5inches The SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 will soon be available for pre-order: US: LINK EU: LINK Price has not been announced yet. SIGMA 135mm F1.8 DG HSM The 135mm lens is usually considered the foundational telephoto lens, the first one to add to a lens collection. The SIGMA 135mm F1.8 lens renders high resolution suitable for even 50MP or higher megapixel cameras (That is “8K ready” then it seems). 13 elements in 10 groups Minimum aperture: F16 Minimum focusing distance: 87.5cm / 34.4 inches The SIGMA 135mm F1.8 will soon be available for pre-order: US: LINK EU: LINK Price has not been announced yet. SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM The SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 zoom lens features a new and improved optical stabilizer. It also has an incredible minimum shooting distance of 160cm and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.8. This means, the lens can shoot either from a distance or up close. The Nikon mount version of this lens includes an electromagnectic mechanism that receives the approprate signals from the camera body. This ensures precision control and stable Auto Exposure performance during continuous shooting. 21 elements in 15 groups Minimum aperture: F22 Minimum focusing distance: 160cm / 63inches The SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 will soon be available for pre-order: US: LINK EU: LINK Price has not been announced yet.

Whether you’re shooting handheld with a small mirrorless, or operating a top-of-the-range cinema camera package, ergonomics should be an important consideration in our profession. Do yourself a favor and invest in accessories that will mean less pain at the end of a 12-hour shooting day. If you don’t, you may find that money goes into expensive massages instead! Here are ten products that will keep you healthy and filming for decades and decades to come. In 2008, the DSLR revolution took the camera op world by storm, with large sensor cameras like the Canon 5D MK II offering features at a very manageable weight.  Today, DSLRs are still fantastic, but as manufacturers pack more and more features into them, the result is steadily increasing weight. Weight = increased stress on the camera operator, and increased stress means injuries and early retirement from the profession we all know and love. Here is a list of products to get you thinking in the right direction: 1) Wheels Okay, although not necessarily a product, it is something all your products should have. After a shoot in Missouri earlier this week, I checked a large hard case with United Airlines, containing two Kino Flo Diva lights, two stands, cables, lamps and various modifiers adding up to 70lbs. Can you imagine lugging this thing around without wheels on it? Neither can I. Only purchase cases, backpacks and bags that have wheels that add to the overall ergonomics. The new Manfrotto Pro Light Reloader is a great option and my cinema5D colleague, Tim Fok, wrote all about it HERE. 2) Apple Box  The trusty apple box is your best friend while on set. You can stand on it, sit on it, and rest your camera on it — all while saving your back and staying rested for the next take. As a bonus, you can upgrade your apple box with this cushion from FilmTools. There is no reason to keep a large camera on your shoulder when you’re not filming. Putting the camera down is not laziness, it is saving your shoulder and back for the most important thing: your health and finally, nailing the shot. Picture Credit: HipShot 3) Hipshot Camera Support   For some reason, I’ve filmed two series this year that involve children, lots of children. I’m 6′ 1″, a fair bit taller than most children. The hipshot keeps the camera at the eye level of shorter talent and keeps the weight of the camera on the operator’s hip. This type of device is absolutely essential for filming ergonomically at hip level with anything larger than a Canon C100 mk II. 4) SmallHD Sidefinder 502 EVF or Zacuto Gratical HD EVF   Why include an EVF on this list? Simply put, all necks are different and camera designers don’t always put the attached viewfinder in the most ergonomic position. For example, when mounted on my shoulder using a SHAPE branded shoulder rig, the Canon C300 mk II  is slightly too far to the right when I lift it onto my shoulder. This forces me to constantly lean my head to the right while shooting handheld. With the help of an EVF and an articulating arm I can easily solve that problem and reduce neck pain. cinema5D Editor Nino Leitner operating the Movi gimbal with the Easyrig support system. 5) Easyrig  This Swedish product has been floating around sets since 1994 and is designed to take the weight of the camera and transfer it into the middle of your back.  I’ve been a major fan of the Easyrig systems with two tiny caveats: 1) Your shoulder doesn’t get sore, but the middle of your back will with prolonged use and 2) this makes your profile much higher, making the Easyrig tricky to use in smaller locations with lower ceilings such as residential houses. 6) Alan Gordon Camera Comfort Cushion   There are a few different camera cushions on the market, and none of them look sexy when you wear them, but we don’t buy camera gear only for the style points. This product straps a pad on your shoulder that prevents some of the bruising that comes from shooting long days with cameras like the Sony F800, popular in the reality side of the industry. Picture Credit: Tilta 7) Tilta Armor-Man Gimbal Support  Gimbals are heavy and difficult to manage over long shoot days. The Steadicam guys have vests, so why shouldn’t gimbal operators? This is where the Armor-Man rig from Tilta comes in. The Armor Man helps support some of the pressure on your forearms and distributes it throughout your core. Beyond that, it looks really, really cool. Like, space age Call of Duty stuff. 8) Atlas Camera Support This support system is aimed primarily at gimbal users and is designed to take some of the weight off your arms and transfer it to your core/back. One major plus is that it is significantly cheaper than an Easyrig system — thousands of dollars cheaper. The most expensive Atlas system will run you $949.00.  The Easyrig is more comfortable, but you’ll need a specifically modified type of Easyrig to handle gimbals that will cost you upwards of $5,000.  The Atlas Camera system is fine for gimbals while the Easyrig systems are more useful in a wider variety of shooting situations, but look out for those door frames with both! Check out our review of the Atlas Camera Support system HERE. 9) Microfiber Eyewear Kup  This makes it feel like you’re placing your eye against a pillow when holding your face up against the viewfinder. This ridiculously comfy little accessory is cheap and takes 10 seconds to add to any camera as long as you have purchased the correct size. Can’t recommend this enough. It. feels. great. Picture Credit: SHAPE 10) A Reliable, Ergonomic Shoulder Rig Most cameras these days, whether you are shooting documentary or narrative, require a shoulder rig of some type. I’m a big fan of the SHAPE, Wooden Camera, Tilta and Zacuto branded shoulder rigs. You really can’t go wrong with any of these in my experience. All of them are comfortable on the shoulder and provide an abundance of 1/4″-20 mounting options so you can put the EVF in the most comfortable place for your body. It is also very important that you balance the camera on your shoulder correctly for proper ergonomics. If you find yourself being pulled forward by the lens then add a larger battery to the back and so on, until you find equilibrium. Did I miss any accessories that make shooting more comfortable? Let me know below!    

Kickstarter is an incredible platform to fund ideas that could improve your shots, manage your media or in this case manage your gear. GearEye are looking to fund their gear tracking system, which is based on Radio-frequency identification tags (RFID) and helps you manage your gear easily. They have almost reached their goal of $60,000, with over 50 days left! Here are some of the features of GearEye. It happens to everyone. You forget a battery or a card or a lens and you can’t get your incredible shot. Or you leave the shoot only to find later that some gear is missing. GearEye is a smart gear tracking system that manages your equipment using Radio-frequency identification tags. What is RFID? RFID is an abbreviation for radio-frequency identification, which uses a electromagnetic field to automatically identify and track tags that contain electronically stored information. There are various versions of these tags. Some contain an on-board battery supply system, and are known as active tags. The one used by GearEye is a passive tag, which collects energy from a nearby RFID reader. RFID tags are used in many day-to-day workplaces, from tracking a car’s production progress on an assembly line, to positive identification of live stock and various endangered wildlife species, such as rhinos and elephants in Southern Africa. How does GearEye work? GearEye allows you to organize and track anything that you place an RFID tag on. Depending which bundle you buy, you get a certain amount of RFID tags in various shapes and sizes. These RFID GearTags are stuck onto the items you would like to keep track of. With the GearEye app, you scan the individual gear items and name them accordingly. The stored items can then be organised into groups, such as shoot specific groups. For instance, a timelapse shoot group would encompass a camera, various lenses, a tripod and a motion control unit. A documentary shoot would need a camera, a tripod, some lenses, a reflector and some lights. The app allows you to customise the gear lists to your needs, and will also let you know when equipment that is not designated to the specific group is in your bag. A life-saving feature about this gear tracking system for me personally is that if  you don’t have all the gear on you on your way home after a shoot, GearEye will notify you and allow you to locate the missing item. GearEye will come in two versions: as a dongle that links your RFID tags to your smartphone, or a Smartphone Cover that also acts as a battery-pack. The retail price starts at $199, and includes the dongle or the smartphone cover as well as 20 RFID tags in all shapes and sizes. The price goes up depending on how many RFID tags you need. The applications for this product are pretty much endless. The most crucial one for me, though, would be to RFID tag my passport, so that I never forget it when going on an away shoot. What do you think of this gear tracking system? Would you buy it to keep track of your equipment at all times? Please let us know in the comments below.

The FilmRiot crew has a great giveaway going on right now, with over $40,000 in filming gear to be won. It’s really easy to take part: just post a link on Twitter and/or Facebook to their short movies together with a #bloodtober hashtag. There will be two #bloodtober short movies in total. One movie called Chainsaw was already released on the 12th October and you can watch it right here. The next movie – The Ghost House – is being released today. You can share links to both movies on Facebook and Twitter, just don’t forget to add the hashtag #bloodtober in order to qualify for the giveaway. Please note that you are limited to 3 posts a day per account and the Facebook and Twitter accounts must be real: accounts identified as bots will be disqualified. Check out the details video below for more information. A summary of the deadlines together with the exact giveaway rules and prices can also be found on FilmRiot website under “giveaways”. There is a huge amount of prices to be won, including a new Black Magic 4.6K URSA Mini camera, an HP ZBook studio laptop and bunch of other gear from manufacturers like Aputure, Rode and many more. Upcoming schedule of the #bloodtober giveaway: October 19th – GHOST HOUSE is released. Start Tweeting and Facebooking the film with the hashtag #Bloodtober. October 21st @ 7pm CST, FilmRiot will announce the next three winners, which will be chosen at random from both Facebook and Twitter. October 28th @ 7pm CST, Filmriot will announce the final three winners, which will be chosen at random from all the tweets and facebook posts that shared a link to one of the films and used the hashtag #Bloodtober, between Oct 12th and 28th.

Canon introduced their first servo-driven Cine Zoom Lens with autofocus at NAB 2016. But the new Canon CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 compact servo zoom comes with an odd trait for a cine lens: it has no focusing hard stops. Here is Canon’s response. No Hard Stops on Canon CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 COMPACT-SERVO The new 18-80mm is a very welcome lens for documentary style, large sensor shooters. Just like the newly announced Sony 18-110mm lens, it has a lightweight design, super35 (and APS-C) coverage, features autofocus and servo zoom functionality with a price tag of just over $5,000. We first noticed the missing hard stops when we took the lens for a spin at NAB 2016. The lens has a gear ring for focusing with a follow focus or remote focus, but the lack of hard stops is reminiscent of traditional Canon photo lenses. Video shooters and cinematographers alike will have a more difficult time controlling focus, especially when using focusing tools. According to the response from Mr Yuya Suzuki we got at IBC this year (see video above), in order to achieve the much applauded Dual Autofocus functionality they had to incorporate soft stops on the lens. The lens is clearly positioned as a professional tool for (indie) filmmakers and marketed as a cine lens, so the missing hard stops will probably leave some questions open. On the other hand, follow focuses are rarely used by single operator shooters, and this might just be the perfect lens for those looking to equip a Canon C300 Mark II documentary style. The lack of hard stops might justify the competitive price tag of the Canon CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 lens, but could be a tradeoff that some are not willing to accept. What do you think about this issue? Dealbreaker, or worth overlooking for the Dual AF functionality?

Samyang has been quite busy lately. Among other mostly photo-related lens announcements, they have just unveiled the newest addition to their cinema lens line-up: the Xeen 16mm T2.6. The Xeen 16mm T2.6 Cine Lens Samyang keeps adding lenses to their current Xeen cinema lens line-up, with their newest addition just unveiled at this year’s Photokina. Sitting in between the 14mm T3.1 and the 24mm T1.5, the new Xeen 16mm T2.6 could become your new favourite wide angle lens. Due to its faster aperture, it might also prove to be much more versatile than the 14mm T3.1 option. Samyang’s Jeon Min, Shin claims that the decision behind introducing a model with these specs is that the former wide angle option, the Xeen 14mm T3.1, may be just a little bit too wide (and more importantly, too slow) for most cinematographic needs. This newest addition brings the whole Xeen range of lenses up to a grand total of 7 primes to choose from: 14mm T3.1 16mm T2.6 24mm T1.5 35mm T1.5 50mm T1.5 85mm T1.5 135mm T2.2. Maybe we’ll even see some more focal lengths to choose from in the future? At this rate of development, this might just be the case. the Xeen 14mm T3.1 , maybe the new 16mm T2.6 is the better option? The Xeen range of cine lenses are improved versions of Samyang’s previous line of VDSLR lenses for cine use,  but are enhanced in a variety of ways, such as with newly formulated coatings, a stronger housing and shared aperture and focus gear position. It’s worth mentioning that in the case of this particular lens, it also improves upon its cheaper VDSLR-line version by covering a full-frame imager, rather than being Super35mm-only like its earlier counterpart. Pricing and availability The new Xeen 16mm lens will be available at the end of this year, and will be the same price as other Xeen cine primes at around $2,495.  Just as all the others, the Xeen 16mm prime will be available in various mount options, such as Canon EF, PL, MFT, Sony E and Nikon F.  

Parachut.co is a new online equipment rental service, aimed at shooters wanting to try something new. Due to launch in late spring of this year, their subscription model makes it more convenient and affordable to get your hands on modern professional equipment. For only $149/month, will it shake the foundations of equipment hire as we know it? An Introduction to Parachut At first glance, it seems too good to be true. The Parachut subscription service allows you to rent the latest photography equipment to your heart’s content for just $149/month. And the best part? No late fees. That’s right; you can keep the gear for as long as you pay your subscription. For real. Parachut.co is mostly aimed at photographers and DSLR/DSLM shooters so you won’t find any URSAs, Varicams or Alexas in their catalogue. However, their current gear list shows Canon and Nikon DSLR’s of all ranges, as well as a plethora of mirrorless models (including the A7xII series from Sony) and m4/3 cameras from Panasonic and Olympus, in addition to plenty of analogue cameras. You will also find a wide array of lenses, and accessories such as flash units, different sorts of tripods, on-camera microphones, gimbals, small drones, sliders and so on. It is mind-boggling to imagine the vast quantities of kit they would need to have in stock to satisfy the demands of the many shooters who might want to get shiny new gear for a low cost and an indefinite length of time. But before you register to put in your order for that newest camera and lens combo you’ve been drooling over for the last few months, it is worth mentioning that their website hints that you will not know for certain what you get until your package shows up at your door. Wait… what? You see, in-house experts at Parachut will research your profile based on a subscription questionnaire, and put together a ‘Chut drop (“parachute” + “shoot”… see what they did there?) based on any gear you already own and the style of shooting you are interested in. You will be able to fill in a gear wish list, but how likely it is that you ever get any of the stuff on it will remain to be seen. Although the site’s initial phase will cater only to U.S residents, they claim to have plans to expand in the very near future. Parachut will also offer a very comprehensive service: shipping is included in your monthly subscription with a pre-paid return label included in every ‘Chut drop, and they will also provide different insurance options for the gear. Even though at first glance Parachut seems very innovative — and indeed offers an advantage over rental houses for shooters wanting to experiment — it seems unlikely it will pose a threat to the traditional rental model at the highest levels of professional equipment hire. The whole point of renting quality gear is the peace of mind of paying for reliable equipment, and not knowing what you are going to get is quite literally the opposite of that. But this is not to say that Parachut is completely outside the scope of professional use. Their no-contract, month-to-month subscription can make it easy and convenient to acquire gear for certain times of the year: for example, getting a small drone or gimbal ahead of a busy wedding season for a very low price. With a launch date later this season, we still don’t know exactly when parachut.co will be open for business. You can, however, reserve a spot here and fill in your questionnaire to be among their first customers, and receive $50 off your first month. You can also enter their giveaway here for the chance to win a year of Parachut for free! Could a rental model like this for you? Let us know in the comments below!