Follow me at NAB 2010 on TWITTER (Requests Welcome)

[RichardVClark]

"Hello. How 'bout that ride in? I guess that's why they call it Sin City. "

I will be updating my account live from the show floor (including the Red event) with the latest information (including pictures and video). In addition, I will be taking requests for booths and/or products that you would like more information about. I ask that you send the requests to my twitter account or my email.

For the attendees:
I will be staying at the MGM with my girlfriend (sorry ladies) if you want to grab a beverage. Or you can ask me for one of my brand-spanking-new-clear-plastic-directors-viewfinder business cards.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=443&pictureid=3075


Twitter ID: RichardVClark
http://twitter.com/RichardVClark
Email: RichardValar(at)gmail.com
Website: www.onelastframe.com

[Will Clegg]

That business card is wicked.

[Kegan]

That is such an awesome business card haha...I want one.

Kegan

[RichardVClark]

Thanks for the compliments. It turns out that I am a shi*ty show blogger but I thought I would share some thoughts about the show through out the next couple of days.

[RichardVClark]

I will start with the red event. All I can say is WOW. These cameras are small. Smaller then you would expect. Incredibly well designed and no more need to use a cooling pack. Jim said that they will have fan options for even hottest environments. He also said that the cameras low light performance will be similar to the nikon d3x but capable of shooting 120fps. The vf is amazing for the price and size. The new lcds blow the old ones out of the water.

The most excitng part of the event for me was having the camera explained by Jim to a small group of 10 or so people at the end of the event. I am not Peter Jackson or even Philip bloom (who I finally met for a few moments at the show). He took about 30 minutes to answer any questions we had. He even told us how he started Oakley and about the trials and tribulations of his first goggle design. I could not have been more impressed with the man. He was completely down to earth with a quick wit.

The best news I heard was that the scarlet s35 will have almost an identical picture with slower frame rates and codec then Epic. The new panasonic camera will be no where near it. Mark my words. It will have a smaller less capable sensor wrapped in a plastic shell. Not to mention a codec that comes no where near red raw. You also will benefit from every software advance that red has made and will make.

Some might say I am drinking the cool aid. I am fine with that, just as long as its red.

[zeke]

Yes, the Red 1 was just a warmup it seems. Not only Jim, but Jarred and others were walking around the event with working prototypes. Anyone could touch, hold, check it out. The live room showed just how good the camera is in lowlight.
When Peter Jackson was presented at 4K at the beginning of the new reel, it was the first time I felt Red footage looked as organic as film, but with vastly better resolution.
With newer, expanding, and ever more affordable 4K workflow tools coming around, the new larger sensor cams from Panasonic and Sony will have a hard time competing.
It's not just about the resolution anymore.
It's going to be another interesting year.

3D stuff.
Panasonic had several prototypes of the new 3D camera for people to check out. Not bad, even if the chips are 1/4". Like others have posted, 3D was everywhere and I got a little tired of it toward the end of the show. One thing is for sure, shiny looking shot on video shows do NOT benefit from 3D. The shiny video look combined with 3D looks totally unnatural.

A lot of live event type footage was being displayed around the show using various types of 3D technology. But after a while, it was like....so what. It starts feeling like a gimmick after a short while. Because of color and resolution issues, it does not feel like you are actually there, watching it in person. Until it does, just a gimmick.

[RichardVClark]

I picked up an LCDVF at the show. I love it. It fits the camera body very well and does exactly what you would want it to do. I would say it's strongest attributes are its light weight design and the comfort of the eye piece. Origanlly I was going to buy the hoodman, but after using it for a few minutes at their booth I noticed that the entire LCD screen wasn't sharp when I looked through it. Deal breaker for me. I would spend the extra money on it. The zacuto viewfinders are also nice and they really are built to last. For me it wasn't worth the extra 125-200 bucks.

I also picked up a Cinebags backpack. It has a great design and is very comfortable. It even has a raincover that is stored in it's own compartment under the bag. I talked to two guys from cinebags during the show (I can't remember their names) who were extremely helpful. They even gave my girlfriend a shirt and threw in a bunch of extra goodies. They are definitely a company I would purchase from again.

[RichardVClark]

3D stuff.
Panasonic had several prototypes of the new 3D camera for people to check out. Not bad, even if the chips are 1/4". Like others have posted, 3D was everywhere and I got a little tired of it toward the end of the show. One thing is for sure, shiny looking shot on video shows do NOT benefit from 3D. The shiny video look combined with 3D looks totally unnatural.


I was underwhelmed with panasonics 3d presentation. The 153" plasma was clearly made up of 4 screens that were put together. I'm fine with that, but it really didn't show off the footage very well. There were a few locked down shots that looked great. But any shot where the camera started to move had staccato like motion to it.

Where Panasonic really did well was their 3d production monitors. They were jaw droping. If I was shooting 3d I would be using one of their monitors. Sonys just didn't have the same clarity.

I think 4k projection is amazing. If there were more theaters that had 4k projection I don't think the 3d push would be so great. Sony kind of pushed them to the back of their booth. Which I think was a mistake. These projects are the real deal. They are sharp as a tack. You have to stick your face an inch from the screen to even start to see a pixel. They have a 3d quality to them without the glasses and the skin detail being lost.