No problem man.. can't wait to see it. For some reason I had trouble uploading to Philips group. The first time it failed all together, the second time the title and video information didn't show up. Which is weird because if you to go my vimeo page, all that info is there...

just upload and let me know and I will add to group. Let me see who is entering, if there is no aquarium i will have to remove them! rules are rules.

Just put two new shorts up on my website/blog at philipbloom.co.uk

One called Return to Siberia, the other Grand Canyon.I have yet to make my (non eligible to win) entry!

just upload and let me know and I will add to group. Let me see who is entering, if there is no aquarium i will have to remove them! rules are rules.

Just put two new shorts up on my website/blog at philipbloom.co.uk

One called Return to Siberia, the other Grand Canyon.I have yet to make my (non eligible to win) entry!

HI Phil, what do you compress your movies to coming out of Compressor for the best results on Exposureroom? I have been faphing around with a 1280x720 4 minute movie in mp4 using H.264 to upload and it seems far too big at 450 Mb, though the quality is great.

Done a new blog detailing all the main gear I recommend and more importantly use myself.
http://philipbloom.co.uk/2008/11/08/my-favourite-things/

Hi Phil.

I'm very surprised that in regards to the brevis35 you say "if you want the most flexible, lightweight, quality 35mm adaptor out there you can’t go wrong with it" when many of the active EX1 & Brevis users on this forum seem to be having issues with it.

Is yours really free of vignetting / light fall off in lower lighting situations when zoomed to z70?

I feel quite mislead by reports of the cfXL curing all EX1 / Brevis related issues and your write up seems to be doing the same. It may have helped with edge softness, but even that isn't completely fixed.

I'd be nervous about recommending the Brevis to any EX1 owner at the moment, it's a big investment and unfortunately Cinevate do not see these issues as being a compatibility issue with the EX1, they blame it on the EX1's "inconsistent lens" so there's no refund path should you not be happy.

Hi Phil.

I'm very surprised that in regards to the brevis35 you say "if you want the most flexible, lightweight, quality 35mm adaptor out there you can’t go wrong with it" when many of the active EX1 & Brevis users on this forum seem to be having issues with it.

Is yours really free of vignetting / light fall off in lower lighting situations when zoomed to z70?

I feel quite mislead by reports of the cfXL curing all EX1 / Brevis related issues and your write up seems to be doing the same. It may have helped with edge softness, but even that isn't completely fixed.

I'd be nervous about recommending the Brevis to any EX1 owner at the moment, it's a big investment and unfortunately Cinevate do not see these issues as being a compatibility issue with the EX1, they blame it on the EX1's "inconsistent lens" so there's no refund path should you not be happy.

That's disappointing to hear. Because of my alignment being out I was zoomed to z79 and had no issues with fall off. Are they really not saying there is a problem?

Paul,

Are you using your Brevis with the flip now? and are your results the same with and without?

Dan

Are they really not saying there is a problem?

Cinevate understand that there is a problem with light fall-off, but they blame it on the EX1's lens. the cfXL was designed to correct edge-edge sharpness issues alone, and the closest it comes to doing that is at z70. The trouble is you need to zoom in a lot more to get past the light fall off and in the process the edge-edge sharpness is lost too. Unfortunately this in not made very clear in their advertising, which states "Designed to address the Sony EX1 optical issues" and "the sharpest edge to edge EX1 solution in existence".

From various tests I've carried out it seems the image projected onto the brevis by the 50mm lens is fine, this can be seen by zooming out and recording some footage at around z60 - z65. Once you zoom up the frame however the light fall off appears. This light fall off is not present in the EX1 without the Brevis though so it definitely has something to do with the light path through both.

Here's some examples of how the light fall off looks on my camera. Excuse the terrible images, I really wasn't thinking about what I was pointing the camera at!

http://www.olikai.com/forum_images/brevis/z60.jpg
http://www.olikai.com/forum_images/brevis/z65.jpg
http://www.olikai.com/forum_images/brevis/z70.jpg
http://www.olikai.com/forum_images/brevis/z75.jpg
http://www.olikai.com/forum_images/brevis/z80.jpg
http://www.olikai.com/forum_images/brevis/z85.jpg

Paul, Are you using your Brevis with the flip now? and are your results the same with and without?


yes I use the flip, I haven't tried without, I think I'd need an additional achromat to do that.

it's a shame that they didn't look at fixing the light fall off, think it would need a special achromat like the one on the letus...Perhaps they will bring out a new achromat for the flip that will do this. It is billed as the EX1 fix.

When I first got the Letus Extreme had the same light fall off you are experiencing and it wasn't until they brought out their new achromat that this disappeared. Are you sure they def won't give you a refund so you can try a different product?

phil

I have to say that Dennis,Hubert and co offer some of the best customer service I've experienced, they respond quickly and personally to emails. Unfortunately after several emails trying to solve the issues it became clear that that there was no cure though, other than using a different camera. I asked if I could get a refund and the answer was an explanation that it's the EX1 that's at fault and not the Brevis which I take as a gentle no. I haven't pushed any harder as yet.

Paul, etc.,
After talking with Dennis the other month about the same light falloff issue as yours he thought it might be my specific camera. So on Friday I did a test with 2 EX-1s and a Brevis and a Letus Extreme. Did every combination: no adapter, brevis on each, letus on each, and filmed a lit white surface. The results show that it is not my camera, as my buddy's cam looked the same and our results were identical to the stills you posted. With the Letus you can zoom past the dark edges (and maintain "good enough" edge sharpness) but with the Brevis I still see falloff even zoomed to 85 (or 99 for that matter). It is a shame, because I do think the Brevis works great on other cams, but the Letus is certainly the winner for the EX-1.
I can post stills or video of these results when I get a chance.

B

Hi Benjamin, thanks for confirming what I already suspected. it would be great to see some of your results although Phils thread probably isn't the right place to keep talking about this issue, how about we take it over to http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/sony-xdcam-ex-cinealta/129136-anyone-use-new-brevis-cfxl-ex-1-fix.html

regards

paul.

video contest is over, time for the nervous part! :)

Philip Bloom Blog Archive 3rd Film Competition! Great Prizes!! Fantastic Sponsors!!! (http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/01/14/3rd-film-competition-great-prizes-fantastic-sponsors/)

Win a Letus Extreme and loads of other prizes!!

I just want to say, although I am having a torrid affair with the Panasonic HPX301e, I still am married to my one true love the EX3. Being a french national I believe I am allowed to take a mistress...I couldn't help it! She had a sleek body and promised me a more voluptuous figure of 4:2:2 than the waif like 4:2:0. Her brain is a bit smaller, but I can cope with that! ;-)

I just want to say, although I am having a torrid affair with the Panasonic HPX301e, I still am married to my one true love the EX3. Being a french national I believe I am allowed to take a mistress...I couldn't help it! She had a sleek body and promised me a more voluptuous figure of 4:2:2 than the waif like 4:2:0. Her brain is a bit smaller, but I can cope with that! ;-)

A torrid affair is just what the doctor ordered and oh so French but don't let your better half go cold. She'll rear up and bite you on the arse!

i did suggest a menage a trois, but it seems the bits don't fit in the right slots. Just incompatible. Damn!

Hi guys,

In case you didn't know I do have a twitter account. philipbloom (philipbloom) on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/philipbloom) that appears on my site. I use it to drop latest news and also work opportunities so check it out!

Phil

In case you didn't know I do have a twitter account.

Nice one, always looking for video related twitterers. Mine is Paul Joy (pjoy) on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/pjoy)

regards

Paul.

I just want to say, although I am having a torrid affair with the Panasonic HPX301e, I still am married to my one true love the EX3. Being a french national I believe I am allowed to take a mistress...I couldn't help it! She had a sleek body and promised me a more voluptuous figure of 4:2:2 than the waif like 4:2:0. Her brain is a bit smaller, but I can cope with that! ;-)

Phil

To satisfy your "needs" you could buy a "device" for your seemingly inadequate EX camera. Convergent Design makes a "box" that will "put out" 4:2:2 at native resolution!! Imagine, one "girl" who can fulfill all your desires!!

Phil

To satisfy your "needs" you could buy a "device" for your seemingly inadequate EX camera. Convergent Design makes a "box" that will "put out" 4:2:2 at native resolution!! Imagine, one "girl" who can fulfill all your desires!!

am half French. One girl could never fulfill all my desires!

New tutorial section launched on my site. I hope it is of use to people.

Philip Bloom Tutorials (http://philipbloom.co.uk/tutorials/)

Thanks Phil, the Letus looks interesting. Just one small question (the video terminated before it reached the end so maybe you dealt with my question) can you use Nikon wide angle lenses with the Letus, (35, 24 or 20mm) and still acheive a wide angle view.

Thanks Phil, the Letus looks interesting. Just one small question (the video terminated before it reached the end so maybe you dealt with my question) can you use Nikon wide angle lenses with the Letus, (35, 24 or 20mm) and still acheive a wide angle view.

how did it terminate before the end? i need to check that...widest lens I use is 17-35mm. Wide angles look great with it.

Just tried the video again and no problem this time, maybe it was just a spike in the stream.

Thanks for the info on wide angle lenses.

Thanks so much Phil for both those tutorials. I really appreciate the effort you put into helping out others trying to learn this stuff. I bought an EX1 last summer, have only used it once, I bought a Letus Extreme at the same time and that has yet to be used. All this is sad I know, what a waste. Good news is I have several projects about to start so I'll finally put this stuff to work. That's a lot of hard earned money I have sitting in a closet.

Any more tutorials you pass down the line are always appreciated.
Thanks again.

all three of you demanded it....so have started a "test" video blog. Starting with my trip to NAB, Las Vegas. Enjoy...hopefully!!

The humour (as is the spelling of the word humour) is very English so you may not "get it"!

Bloom’s “DAILY” video blog from the USA…VEGAS (http://philipbloomblog.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/blooms-daily-video-blog-from-the-usavegas/)

My first footage to go onto 35mm film from the EX3 and Letus will be shown in cinemas very shortly.

Please read my blog here to learn more! Philip Bloom NT LIVE (http://philipbloom.co.uk/films/35mm-films/nt-live/)

Awesome footage Philip!!
I'll be very interested to see how the EX looks on the big screen.

That's REALLY nice Philip! I bet it was fun to shoot that. Can you give us any details on how the project moved along? How many people involved? Etc.... (I'm very jealous)

Hi guys

I directed the NT Live shoot, which was done in quite a hurry in order to meet cinema deadlines etc. I only really had one full day to prep due to other commitments but it came together okay.

In the UK we are printing around 250 35mm prints and also delivering digitally to many more screens. It is also going worldwide, including the Europe, US and Canada where projection will be totally digital. All the cinemas involved have at least one digital screen because it is obviously a requirement for the HD presentation of the actual theatre shows.

We shot over 2 days, mainly due to the timings of filming in the theatre spaces. I edited natively, mixing in the HDCAM helicopter footage which I convert to Prores HQ. I exported uncompressed quicktimes for the final finishing at MPC in London and delivered as uncompressed targa sequences. The uncompressed quicktimes started showing some colour banding even at 10 bit which was strange. The targas were clean though.

I approved the final print last week at Framestore and it looks great on the big screen. It was obviously a fresh print and you'd have presumed that it was shot on 35mm. Web video doesn't do it justice at all!

Although we used a fair amount of 720p in order to give the option of over cranking, the shots did not look soft at all - maybe partly due to the nature of the shots (mainly ECUs).

Oh yeah... and Phil broke his EX3 and tried to blame me :)

My first footage to go onto 35mm film from the EX3 and Letus will be shown in cinemas very shortly.

Please read my blog here to learn more! Philip Bloom NT LIVE (http://philipbloom.co.uk/films/35mm-films/nt-live/)

Really loved the helicopter shots especially! Were those clean EX3 or with the adapter attached? Nice!!

-EDIT-
Oh! Sorry, reading from Mike's post it seems to have been another camera? Looks great though all the way through!!
-/EDIT-

I get so many questions to my blog and I’m truly flattered that so many of you ask my opinion and ask for my help.

I’ve always been very happy to offer my thoughts on all aspects of film making and how to go about creating the elusive film look. However my filming and presenting schedule has become increasingly busy this year and as such I just don’t have as much time as i would like to answer every question in as much detail as I would like.

So I’ve teamed up with a good friend and fellow cameraman Dennis Lennie and we’ve set up F-Stop Academy.

This is going to be an online training resource for Videographers, event videographers, cameramen, indie film makers and photographers of every level. We are both really proud of this and hope it will become an invaluable one-stop site for learning and improving every aspect of your film-making.

Probably the most common question we’ve been asked is ’How do I create the film look using video?’


So in response to all the questions and indeed so that I don’t let any of you down by not replying fully to a question we’ve created a pre release website called Learn to Create the Film Look (http://www.learntocreatethefilmlook.com) which is going to teach you, well how to create the film look!

If you register then we’ll send you a free 54 minute audio interview where Den ‘interviews me’ about what aspects define the film look.

We are currently working behind the scenes creating a course that will be a comprehensive set of modules covering every aspect of creating the film look using your HD video camera.

So click on this link and you’ll be asked for you name and email address so we can keep you updated with progress before the course becomes available to buy. In return we’ll send you a Free audio report and more cool free stuff. You are not obligated in any way to buy the course once you have signed up! Eventually there will be a paid part of this site but there will always be free content and tutorials, much like my site has now. It's all free for now and there will always be a free part!

In this free audio report you will learn what components are vital to effectively creating the film look and you’ll also discover:

* What defines the ‘film look’,

* How you overcome the limitations of small sensor cameras,

* How important shallow Depth of Field is?

* The 5 Fundamental factors Phil uses when creating the ‘film look’,

* What is absolutely essential kit,

* How significant grading is in the overall process.

It’s really important that we create a course that matches your wants and needs. So please leave feedback after you’ve listened to the interview.

Don’t worry am not going anywhere, am still totally dedicated to this website and will always endeavor to answer as many questions as I can, the blog will continue to be updated constantly, reviews will still be as prolific, this is just a way for me to really take what I know and share it in the best possible way! It also gives me a way to dedicate a lot more time to teaching which is currently a bit of a struggle with all my filming commitments!

http://www.learntocreatethefilmlook.com

Listening to it now! This is great Phil. Also, side note, I just purchased a Miller DS20 w/ Carbon Fibre legs! I might also be renting a letus / b4 relay kit from Zacuto for this 48 hour film festival I'm participating in. Thanks to your great reviews.. I think I'm on the right track!

Thanks,

James

I get so many questions to my blog and I’m truly flattered that so many of you ask my opinion and ask for my help.

Don’t worry am not going anywhere, am still totally dedicated to this website and will always endeavor to answer as many questions as I can, the blog will continue to be updated constantly, reviews will still be as prolific, this is just a way for me to really take what I know and share it in the best possible way! It also gives me a way to dedicate a lot more time to teaching which is currently a bit of a struggle with all my filming commitments!

Learn to Create the Film Look (http://www.learntocreatethefilmlook.com)

Holy cow, is this thee Philip, the Philip from Vimeo ?

I am such a fan of your work. The composing of shoots and choice of music you use, together create for powerful and compelling images! It was a couple years ago I stumbled upon your video of random london shoots, in HD, that made me a believer.

I would use your videos to show otheers and justify my purchase of this camera. Will be purchasing the EX1 this week so watch out, I hope to dethrone you as the EX1 champ and have the student become the teacher :)

I'm a big fan of this website and you, and it's great to know (two years later) that you have a blog here.


PS - you're blog link is dead

Holy cow, is this thee Philip, the Philip from Vimeo ?

I am such a fan of your work. The composing of shoots and choice of music you use, together create for powerful and compelling images! It was a couple years ago I stumbled upon your video of random london shoots, in HD, that made me a believer.

I would use your videos to show otheers and justify my purchase of this camera. Will be purchasing the EX1 this week so watch out, I hope to dethrone you as the EX1 champ and have the student become the teacher :)

I'm a big fan of this website and you, and it's great to know (two years later) that you have a blog here.


PS - you're blog link is dead

thanks Andy

The old blog link changed many moons ago and is now part of my main website. I can't change the original post as it is so old. This isn't my dvinfo blog. This is my main thread about using the Ex1 and 3 here...

Best

Philip

It's true that the EX family are great cameras and you can get some great stuff out of them. But in the end of the day it really depends on the creativity of the person behind it. For me more than anything when I watch the videos of Philip Bloom it is the notion that he is really a great camera person who knows how to achieve amazing footage no matter what kind of tool he uses (as he demonstrates so successfully in his blog). But I would not justify or be convinced by his capabilities on purchasing a camera, like I wouldn't buy a brand of shoes just because some athlete endorses or uses them.
the technology in the last few years has developed in such a fast pace that just a few years ago felt not affordable for most independent film makers, now there is a lot of choice. If you are creative and talented then many cameras will do the job, there are films made with dirt cheap cameras but look amazing and films done with the ex3 that look like crap.
Philip does a great job but it isn't solely because of the camera and people shouldn't expect that just because they have a great piece of equipment their footage will look great. having good gear makes life easier but the real hard work to make the footage look good takes years of experience and a lot of trial and error..

ecause of the camera and people shouldn't expect that just because they have a great piece of equipment their footage will look great. having good gear makes life easier but the real hard work to make the footage look good takes years of experience and a lot of trial and error..

While I agree whole heartedly with the spirit of your msg, I disagree with the logic. You are only as good as your tools. Why I consider myself a fairly good cameraman, been doing it for many years. If you gave me a $50 Walmart special tripod and ask me to do sweet and gently pans and tilts with sexy fluid movements, best as my skills and intentions were, i'd deliver crap. I've been on gigs where the client has brought substandard gear and it's severely hampered my performance.

Same thing with a camera. You can compose a great shot - doesn't mean it's going to look cinematic. I challenge Philip, or yourself, to create cinematic looking images with an OK camera, like the PD170 with no lens adapters. I'm sorry, but you just can't. You're right that there are other choices in the EX1 price range and I've done my homework. Without getting techie I believe it's the best value for money, wonderful features and seeing Philips videos was the final push.

On the flip side I've watched a lot of 'artistic' videos shot on EX1 played via Vimeo and the vast majority those clips are heaping pile of crap. Philip has a good eye AND the right tools. His shooting reminds of Ron Fricke Films ( who is just a crazy genius ).

By the way Philip, where you guys are staying in SF top-notch. Top artist and celebs stay their while in town, and my Union works many gigs in that place. Hopefully I get a call there so I can crash it and say hello, buy you a beer, pick your brain (only if it doesn't disturb the other participants). And as always, really enjoyed the little SF video. Please, please make one of SF like you did the South Bank. That would be almost as cool as when Dave Matthews preformed 8 blocks from my house, and nothing is cooler then that.

I have to disagree with you Andy. A camera is only a tool. On a corporate training day last year we had 6 teams that had to produce a video. There were 6 camera operators and 6 cameras. The cameras ranged from a SD $200 cheapie camcorder to XDCAM EX's and F350's. The teams had a budget for the productions that they could spend on equipment, props, crew and other sundries. At the end of the day the 6 videos were judged by both a panel of experts and the students. The winning video was miles ahead of the rest in many ways, including the overall look. The camera that won... the cheapie. It was a clear example of the skills of the crew out weighing the technical capabilities of some of the other cameras.

Don't get me wrong, operator skill is extremely important, as is having the right camera for the job, It's when you get the combination of skilled camera operator with the right kit that magic happens.

Don't get me wrong, operator skill is extremely important, as is having the right camera for the job, It's when you get the combination of skilled camera operator with the right kit that magic happens.

I believe we're all making the same argument just from a different vantage point. Content is KING ! No doubt about it. And in your example, where you have less then a day, you don't have the time to properly create, dress and rehearse it doesn't matter what you use. If I was in that class i'd opt for the camera cell phone and blow my budget on Daniel Craig!

And there are examples like Crank 2 that use sub 3k cameras (although slight disingenuous to the solo canon owner because scenes utilize anywhere from 3 to 8 cameras!)When we bring up these examples, I'll argue they're the exception, not the norm. They'll do great once, but unlike Mr. Bloom who makes hit after hit.

Lastly, I apolgoise for hijacking this thread and if we continue this lively debate we should create a thread of our own.