NEWS • REVIEWS • FEATURES • ARTICLES • TUTORIALS ... · inverting the follow focus gearbox which houses a matched pair of left hand, cross cut helical gears enabling the necessary

Issue 14 • May 2010 • www.dvuser.co.uk • £3.50

NEWS • REVIEWS • FEATURES • ARTICLES • TUTORIALS • TECHNIQUES • TIPS • COMPETITIONS

FOR THOSE WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCTION & NON-LINEAR EDITING

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London and South East

Calumet Photographic Tel: 020 7380 1144 www.calumetphoto.co.uk

G.V. Multi-Media Ltd Tel: 020 8814 5950 www.gvmultimedia.com

Gearhouse Broadcast Tel: 0845 820 0000 www.gearhousebroadcast.com

H Preston Professional Video Tel: 0208 979 9281 www.hpreston.co.uk

HHB Communications Ltd. Tel: 0208 962 5000 www.hhb.co.uk

Mitcorp Tel: 020 8380 7400 www.mitcorp.co.uk

PEC Video Ltd Tel: 020 7437 4633 www.pec.co.uk

Proactive UK Ltd Tel: 01442 292929 www.proav.co.uk

Prokit Tel: 0208 995 4664 www.prokit.co.uk

Top-Teks Ltd Tel: 01895 825 619 www.topteks.co.uk

Visual Impact UK Ltd Tel: 020 8977 1222 www.visuals.co.uk

WTS Broadcast Tel: 020 8594 3336 www.wtsbroadcast.com

South West

G.V. Multi-Media Ltd Tel: 01392 499 399 www.gvmultimedia.com

Visual Impact Bristol Ltd Tel: 0117 939 3333 www.visuals.co.uk

Visual Impact Cardiff Ltd Tel: 02920 464656 www.visuals.co.uk

Midlands

Creative Video Tel: 01527 854222 www.creativevideo.co.uk

GV Multi-Media Ltd Tel: 01455 221587 www.gvmultimedia.com

H Preston Professional Video Tel: 01684 575486 www.videokit.co.uk

Jigsaw Systems Ltd Tel: 0870 730 6868 www.jigsawbroadcast.com

North


Canford Audio PLC Tel: 0191 418 1122 www.canford.co.uk

D&P Multimedia Products Ltd Tel: 0113 257 3005 www.camerakit.tv

G.V. Multi-Media Ltd Tel: 01942 884 433 Tel: 01642 240 770 www.gvmultimedia.com


Visual Impact North Ltd Tel: 01606 42225 www.visuals.co.uk

Scotland



Visual Impact Scotland Ltd Tel: 0141 4270434 www.visuals.co.uk

Northern Ireland

Calumet Photographic Tel: 02890 777770 www.calumetphoto.co.uk

Republic of Ireland

D&P Multimedia Products Ltd Tel: 00353 149 24374 www.camerakit.ie

Eurotek Tel: 00353 1295 7811 www.eurotek.ie

For more information please call 0870 60 60 456 or visit www.pro.sony.eu/dealer

Specialist_Dealer_Ads_A4_MASTER.indd 6 27/4/10 14:25:28

Hello DVuser subscribers and welcome to issue 14. Well it’s time for me to have a moan about Apple. I’m a big fan of Apple Mac computers and have been

for about 10 years now. I own a high end Mac Final Cut Pro editing system and it has never let me down. But recently I’ve found myself wishing that another company made an equally good system that I could use instead; but they don’t. So, for now, I’m stuck with this system because nobody else makes hardware/software for editing that works as well as this for the money. So, why do I suddenly have a dislike for Apple? Well, it’s not about Apple products, it is the greed of the company. Apple always were, and still are (for now anyway) about innovation and good design and products that work to perfection. But I see this changing as Apple become more about annual turnover and profit, about iPhones, iTunes with poor quality audio downloads (yes, AAC at the bit-rate they offer is poor compared to CD, which in turn is even poorer compared to vinyl), and now the iPad. It all started a week ago when I enquired with Vodafone (my mobile network supplier) about buying an iPhone, only to find out that the iPhone tariff is £5 more per month than every other tariff. Reading between the lines could this be because Apple has Vodafone (and the other networks) by the short and curlies. Is it that Apple is forcing networks to pay them a monthly rental fee for the privilege of using their iPhone product? Imagine how you would feel if you went to Comet and bought a Bosch Fridge/Freezer, got it home, only to find out that you had to pay Bosch £5 per month rent for life; Hmmm. It’s almost as if you have a leasehold on your phone and you are paying a monthly ground rent. This is why I am sticking with my Samsung mobile. However, I am thinking of writing a so-called ‘iApp’ for the iphone called ‘Medical Thermometer’, or ‘Anal Temperature Reader’ to be exact, this way everyone can stick their iPhones where I won’t be able to hear the ridiculous ring tones that some users see fit to download.* On another note, I’d like to bring to your attention a little place called ‘Europe’. We Brits seem so reluctant to drive anywhere further than the local corner shop in our cars. Our friends in America on the other hand will think nothing of driving 5 hours in each direction just to go shopping. From where I live near Cambridge I can be at the Eurotunnel in Folkstone in 90 minutes, drive onto the train, sit in my car for the 25-minute crossing, then drive off the train into France. From here I can be in Milan, Italy in less than 12 hours, via Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Places that can be driven to within two and a half hours are Western France, Belgium taking in the beautiful Bruges and even Southern Holland. There are some incredibly picturesque places to film and it only cost £50 return in your car via the Eurotunnel train. If you live in the South of England, you can drive through 5 countries in less time than it takes to get to Scotland (not that there is anything wrong with Scotland of course). I highly recommend Bruges, which is on the west side of Belgium and can be reached in about an hour from the Eurotunnel entrance in France. Bruges is known as the Venice of the North, it’s quite quaint and beautiful with some amazing photogenic scenery and architecture. So if you want to add some real production value to your next production; consider Europe.

~Nigel Cooper Founder/Editor DVuser magazine

*No offence meant to any iPhone owners – this is simply meant as a bit of light humor.

CONTENTSNEWS4. TLS (True Lens Services) amazing new

products; read all on the news page.

REVIEWS6. Glidecam X-22 review by Simon

Wyndham

12. Ianiro LED 54 review by Nigel Cooper

17.Libec RS Series tripod review by

Nigel Cooper

24. Sony NX5 review by Nigel Cooper

REGULAR ITEMS32. HD Camcorders Buyer’s Guide (new)

34. Advertisements

Editor: Nigel Cooper - [email protected] Editor: Louise Wessman - [email protected]

Contributors: Simon Wyndham, Nigel Cooper.Published by: DVuser UK. Tel: 01480 213229

Advertising: 01480 213229 or 020 7193 1955 Subscribe: www.dvuser.co.uk/magazine.php

w w w . d v u s e r . c o . u k

The independent magazine for independent HD video producers & filmmakers

www.dvuser.co.uk • DVuser Magazine • May 2010 • 3

Opening Scene

©2008-2010 DVuser. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by means of electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any publishing errors or inaccuracies, or for any other loss, direct or consequential arising in connection with any information contained within this publication. The views herein are not necessarily those of the publishers. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply recommendation by the publisher.

DVuser product review star ratings – how we star up our reviews.1 star = poor, pitiful, appalling, atrocious, inexcusable - 2 stars = mediocre, second-rate, just average 3 stars = good, decent, fine, above average - 4 stars = great, first-rate, excellent, amazing, brilliant

5 stars = outstanding, exceptional, sheer brilliance, perfection, pure genius

Our final ratings are based on a combination of: build quality - durability - ruggedness - features controls - functionality - usability - cost of ownership i.e. tapes/media cards/servicing costs etc.

Cover photo by Nigel Cooper

4 • May 2010 • DVuser Magazine • www.dvuser.co.uk

During its ten year existence, True Lens Services (TLS) has become a renowned lens service facility extending its customer base worldwide within the film and broadcast industries. The in- house mechanical engineering facility which supports the lens service has, in the past,

developed a range of matte boxes and other ancillary equipment which is constantly being updated.Given these capabilities TLS were delighted to be invited to produce a new matte box for use within the rental department at Procam Television. Using a detailed design outline, supplied by Procam, TLS were able to design and manufacture a lightweight but rugged matte box capable of being fitted to a wide range of cameras and lenses. Christened the ‘Kite’, this new model compliments and enhances the existing range of TLS matte boxes and also enables Procam to offer their clients a single solution which is totally adaptable and configurable for use with equipment ranging from the new Canon J14 x 4.3 to the Sony EX3. Designed to hold up to 5.65” x 5.65” filters, one static and one fully rotational, the Kite is useable either as a clip-on unit via a lens adaptor ring, or fully bar supported using standard brackets from beneath the camera. The Kite is fully manufactured at True Lens Services in Leicestershire, England using aircraft grade aluminium, industrial machinable plastic and stainless steel fasteners. It was imperative for Procam to be assured of a fast, reliable after-sales service with spare or replacement components being readily available. The distinctive colouring of anodised parts make the Kite easily identifiable as coming from the Procam stable and with the sound design and construction of the matte box offering long term reliability and service, Procam will be able to hire out the Kite with complete confidence. Follow focus systems have become increasingly popular over the last couple of years with both professional and amateur camera operators looking for better and more convenient control over the lens focus movement available on DV and DSLR camera rigs.Once again TLS were approached, this time by Genus, to develop a cost effective follow focus system that could be used to control a variety of lenses and cameras. To be incorporated in the design were:1) A quick release 60mm x 15mm bars clamp2) Backlash elimination system3) Invertible drive to allow the direction of some stills lenses to be reversed so enabling focus from minimum object distance to infinity in the normal direction.This is achieved by inverting the follow focus gearbox which houses a matched pair of left hand, cross cut helical gears enabling the necessary direction change to be achieved. The follow focus system is supplied complete with 1 off 0.8 MOD pitch gear which will drive most film, stills and aftermarket lens gear rings plus an Acrylic marking disc. Fujinon video 0.6 MOD gears and Canon video 0.5 MOD gears are also available.

For further details of any of our products contact True Lens Services on 01455 848411 or visit www.truelens.co.uk

FOLLOW FOCUS DEVICE & MATTE BOX FROM TLS

REVIEW €€€

www.dvuser.co.uk • DVuser Magazine • July 2007 • 5

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An addiction to movementMy name is Simon Wyndham, and I’m addicted to camera movement. There, you have my confession. A number of years ago when I moved up from DV cameras to working with full sized 2/3” jobs there was one element missing from my arsenal of imaging capabilities. Movement. Unfortunately, while a nice big shoulder mount camera looks great and impresses clients, the accompanying Steadicam or stabiliser unit becomes correspondingly more expensive than it does for the smaller cameras. An order of magnitude so. Certainly I used dollies of various types, along with jibs and cranes, but while those types of devices have their place not one single one of them comes even remotely close to the versatility and production value enhancing nature of a Steadicam.

My schizophrenic purchasing decision processI have been procrastinating over the decision about purchasing a camera stabiliser for some time now. I eventually came to the conclusion that purchasing a full sized rig which could take anything that could be thrown at it (within reason) would be pointless. Such a rig would require an entirely new business plan and career path, and would be based upon a skill I simply don’t have. Yet. Renting a large rig is always an option, but the trouble with that is that as a new operator there is nothing to practice with, and as a newbie you really do need to practice; all the time. Instead I decided to purchase a smaller, affordable rig that could still take a full size camera when required. Then, if I practiced hard enough and gained enough skill then perhaps I could rent a beefier setup when required and perhaps even purchase one. Originally I wanted to go for a Steadicam Flyer LE. It had the Steadicam brand name - more important than you might think in the fickle world of production - and the arm was legendary. It is also known to be able to take a fair bit more weight than the official figures suggest. Steadicam are a bit like the Apple of the stabiliser world; they are wonderful pieces of engineering. The main competitor that figured into in my decision-making was Glidecam. Now Glidecam has been around for a good while now and their Gold system is very well respected. Unfortunately their older lower priced rigs were far from ideal. They went a long way to rectifying this with the V-25, which is now discontinued, although it can be bought in updated form with the new X-45 arm. The V-25 also has a very good reputation and can carry around 30lbs of payload. The latest addition to the Glidecam lineup is the X-22, a rig that builds on the success of the V-25. The X-22 offers a brand new arm and sled, although it carries a few Pounds less in weight. This appears to be a limitation of the sled rather than the arm, since the latter is

rated at 36lbs capacity.

So why didn’t I go with the Flyer LE given Tiffens great reputation? The first reason was price. I was made an offer that I couldn’t refuse. Further I had a few jobs that required such a device fairly quickly. I was also convinced, given various murmuring that an update to the Flyer would surface at this years NAB exhibition. I wasn’t prepared to put down the money for a Flyer only for them to release an all singing and dancing fully adjustable bottom stage version not long afterwards. Of course equipment will always be updated, but the current Flyer system doesn’t offer many options for achieving dynamic balance. The Glidecam X-22 on the other hand allows forward and aft adjustment of both the monitor and batteries, so it would be easier to achieve dynamic balance with. Additionally the X-22 can carry, officially, 6lbs more in weight than the LE. That’s one and a half PMW-350 bodies to you and me. Quite a bit of extra leeway if extra accessories need to be mounted. Weight capacity alone shouldn’t be the deciding factor when

Photo: Nigel Cooper


REVIEW µµµ

purchasing a rig, but on balance (pardon the pun) the X-22 seemed like the better option for me to go for at this particular point in time.

Build quality and setupWhat struck me when I first set eyes on the X-22 at the initial demo that was set up for me at CVP Mitcorp was the build quality. Everything is nicely machined, and is clearly very robust. The camera dovetail plate is beautifully anodised in red, and the no tools trim adjustment allows smooth adjustments of the top stage. It is all a far cry from the rather crude set up of previous Glidecams such as the V-16. The gimbal has a really nice knurled grip, and the gimbal itself is, from what I can tell, totally friction free with absolutely zero play. An engineer I was with on my first shoot with the rig commented in disbelief at how smooth it was.The gimbal arm handle is padded, which is a nice aesthetic touch, although makes it a bit more of a pain to securely attach accessories such as zoom controls to. The post is a two stage telescopic construction, which is standard for this price of rig. Helpfully Glidecam have provided accurate numbered markings so that it is easy to note down extension settings for various setups. There is also a guide-line to ensure that the bottom stage is always perfectly aligned with the top. Assembly of the sled was a straightforward affair. If I had one gripe about the sled in general it would be that Glidecam only provide a single BNC video cable through the post. It would have been nicer to have a power cable too. This is something I will need to add myself. The provided 500nit monitor is fairly basic. It is standard definition, but will accept an HD signal via SDI and doesn’t have frame-line capability. The single screw-mount for the monitor is a weak spot, especially with a battery mount attached to the back of the monitor, I will be modifying this with a central pivoting bracket. This mod will also allow the viewing angle to be changed without affecting the rigs balance. Lets face it, I don’t really know of any stabiliser owner who hasn’t modified their rig in some way or another. It is all par for the course. Overall the build quality of the sled is exceptional, and should last for a good many years with proper care.

The X-22 armThe arm is the heart of the system. A great sled is no good without an arm that can do the business. As I mentioned earlier the X-22 arm is rated to be able to carry 36lbs of weight. That’s quite a bit of heft, and gives the X-22 some rather interesting mod/extension possibilities for budding home builders. The arm on the X-22 is a dual section construction, and consists of two titanium springs in each, with a separate tension adjustment for each one. This adjustment is made by using allen screws situated at the ends of each of the sprung sections. This is one of the differences between the X-22 and the Steadicam Flyer. On the Flyer these adjustments are made using a single tools-free knob, and can be made while the camera is being flown.

I

s h o u l d note that Steadicam operators have for years had to use the allen screw method on arms such as the 3A. It does make set up time slightly slower because you have to dismount the rig and detach the arm before testing to see if the tension is correct. If you have to make several adjustments it does become slightly irritating. But as one becomes used to the arm and the way that it behaves it becomes easier to gauge at which tension point the springs should be placed for any given setup. Because the arm section that is connected to the vest has to take both the weight of the sled and the gimbal arm section, the tension needs to be higher here. I found that the vest arm section needed to be set to around one mark higher in tension than the gimbal section. The arm action is very smooth, and doesn’t require much force to boom up and down. Operationally the arm movement is pretty much silent. Quite often inexpensive arms can be noisy, but not the X-22. It’s as smooth as butter.

Setup and balancingSetting up and balancing the rig is fairly straightforward. As I mentioned previously the fact that both the monitor and battery section can be adjusted fore and aft means that there are a lot of options for dynamic balance adjustment. This proved crucial when I was adjusting for an EX3. The EX3 is


µµµ REVIEW

a

bit of an odd design, and I found that I had to have the monitor

section moved much further forward than the batteries in order to achieve dynamic balance. My PDW-510 was much easier to adjust for. With regard to the act of actually adjusting the sled, the tools free adjustment of the gimbal placement along the arm, and the lower telescopic section made some adjustments easy. Likewise the worm screw based trim adjustment on the top stage (where the camera attaches to the sled) were also easy to make, and allowed for very fine adjustments. Where the X-22 falls down slightly is on the lower section. The monitor and battery plate sections are easy to adjust, but can be slightly cumbersome and difficult to make fine adjustments with. I would much prefer the monitor and battery to be mounted on rod-based brackets. The design of the rig is such that this is a modification that I may well make in addition to adding a J and D box for better connectivity. The X-22 is a budget rig however, so I would be foolish to expect all these features as standard. One of the things I like about the X-22 is that such modifications are made easy because the various screw points are all conveniently placed and solid enough for such things to be done. Lets face it, who doesn’t modify their rig? When setting it up for dynamic balance - ensuring that the camera can freely spin 360 degrees without tilting in any direction - I did find that the docking bracket did not allow enough distance from the stand

t o allow a full spin

when the monitor section was moved forward. I could get a pretty good idea of dynamic balance, but needed to wear the rig in order to spin it fully.

The vestThe X-22 vest is a fairly simple affair but it is very well constructed, and for my body type (slim) perfectly comfortable. I could perhaps do with slightly more adjustment on the shoulders, but once broken in and with the weight of the rig loaded on it performed very well.Like most budget vests the X-22 uses buckles and pull through strapping to adjust tightness. This means that putting on the vest when tightened properly can require some muscle, especially on the lower back connector. This is in contrast to the direction that pricier models are now taking with ratchets and sprung loaded clips. With those you can put on the vest and attach the connectors, and use the sprung loaded clip to ‘snap’ the vest back to the proper tightness. Once again this type of mod can be made, and many have done such a thing to other makes of vest. This isn’t Glidecam specific. It is a budget vest, what do I expect? It is important to make sure that the vest is properly aligned. When I first started using it I felt fatigued in my lower back muscle as I expected, not being used to the weight of the rig. It takes time to build up endurance. However after a while of use I looked down at the vest and noticed that it wasn’t quite aligned straight with the chest plate directly on my centre. Once I corrected this I could fly the X-22 for extended periods with a lighter camera such as the EX3 without feeling anything

Photo: Nigel Cooper


REVIEW µµµ

in ‘that’ muscle; nice. A clear demonstration that, when properly adjusted, the X-22 vest is doing exactly what it should.

Flying the rigNow before I start commenting on what the X-22 feels like to fly I feel that I must reiterate that I am only just starting out in this field. I have however used, albeit very briefly, the entire Steadicam range all the way up to the Ultra 2, as well as other makes. So I am able to compare the feel of the X-22 somewhat with those rigs.One of the first tests I did with the X-22 was to try out the booming action of the arm. As per recommendations on various forums I set the tension so that it hung very slightly downwards in neutral position (no force with the arm hand). Apparently most 3A style arms perform better this way. Booming was easy and smooth. There was no judder or friction as the arm reached its extremities. The force needed to move the arm up and down was fairly light, although at the extreme ends of movement more force was needed, but still fairly light compared to the weight on the sled! As I mentioned previously the arm is silent in movement. With the latest version of the arm (see notes at the end of this article) there is minimal flapping around when moving at high paces. This is a trait that bugs a lot of budget arms, so it is good to see that Glidecam have this under control. Movement away from and towards the body was also very smooth with absolutely no play or friction apparent in the bearings in the arm connecting sections. The gimbal on the sled was similarly smooth. By setting the camera into a free spin it would keep on going, even at slow speeds, until I stopped it. I haven’t noticed any play, stiction, or friction at all. In the ideal position in relation to the body, assuming the operator is walking forward, the monitor can often be obscured by the gimbal handle, especially with a heavier camera where the post may be extended to certain positions. For this reason I believe it to be important to have the monitor on a bracket that can be slid further up the post when required. This is a minor niggle and it is absolutely by no means specific to the X-22. But as a general observation I think that a height adjustable monitor bracket may well be essential, especially when trying to keep good skeletal form while operating, especially as a newcomer when it is tempting to hunch the head forward to see it. The gimbal bearings are sealed at the top, but not the bottom, so if you were in a dusty environment it would be advisable to purchase a cover of some kind. This also goes for the arm too, but this is the case for any type of video equipment if you wish it to last!

ConclusionA lot of people will want to see the sort of footage that can be shot

with the Glidecam X-22. However I will not oblige (you think I’m going to post up my wobbly efforts?!) You simply cannot tell a thing about how good a stabiliser is by watching somebody’s footage. A rubbish operator will make even a Pro GPI rig look bad, while an exceptional operator such as Charles Papert or the late, great Ted Churchill could take a brick with a camera mounted on it and make it look good! Using a camera stabilisation device takes dedication and practice in equal measure. Not only that but it takes correct practice. We have a saying in martial arts, “practice makes permanent”. That is to say incorrect practice will lead to bad pictures, and to habits that will be very hard to unlearn. Before planning to purchase a rig of any make, especially body-mounted rigs, go on a course of some kind that is run by experienced operators. You will get to try out different rigs, and you will also find out if operating such a thing is for you. Some people are naturals, while others discover that they never want to wear one again as long as they live!

Expect it to take a year of constant, daily practice before you are remotely

Photo: Nigel Cooper

competent. Yes, really, that long! When you purchase and dedicate yourself to a rig you are not only investing in your gear, but also your skill. You need to take it seriously.Okay, so I have gone off on a tangent, but I felt it important that I mentioned all of that before I gave you my conclusion on the X-22. As a budget rig the X-22 is a fantastic piece of equipment. It lacks some of the bells and whistles of its main competitor, the Steadicam Flyer LE, such as the tools free lift adjustment, but as I mentioned it is you who is the most important part of the equation.The X-22 is exceptionally well built and robust, it looks fantastic, and it can carry more weight than the Flyer. At 25lbs pure camera gear capacity (in addition to sled weight) there is plenty of playing room for a Red with a couple of accessories on it. You don’t have to strip it down quite as much as you might have to with the Flyer. I am predicting that the Flyer will be upgraded at the 2010 NAB event, perhaps with increased capacity and a redesigned bottom stage. But as a perfectly capable budget rig the X-22 is certainly up there and comes very highly recommended by me.

NotesWhen I first purchased the X-22 the arm initially had a slight problem in that it was far too springy. The arm tended to move far too much, and after halting a movement it kept bobbing up and down a bit. This resonated into the image slightly. A better operator than I would be able to compensate, but I am not yet at that level. The arm also tended to flap around a lot during fast walking and running. Apparently on the first batch of arms this was the case, and it appears that I had an early one. I was told that Glidecam have now modified and tuned this out of the newer batches. So my arm went back to Glidecam for the mod to be performed free of charge.

My hat goes off to David Stevens at Glidecam for dealing with my enquiry about this matter on a Sunday after he had just had a very long trip back from Amsterdam! I can’t fault Glidecams service or dedication to their customers at all! The mod involved replacing the bushes at the spring pivot points. When I first received the arm back I was a little disappointed because I could hear a lot of noise in the springs. David Stevens at Glidecam helpfully suggested that I adjust the arm sections to full tension and boom it up and down to its limits a few times. This did the trick and the springs became seated nicely. I could also feel some friction in the arm, so I lubricated the spring pivots with teflon based lubricant. This seemed to work somewhat, although I could still hear and feel a lot of resonance that “sang” through the springs at slow boom speeds. I was told that this was most likely due to the new bushings breaking in. However I am rather impatient so I took the advice from a few other operators to get hold of some ACF-50, a different kind of lubricant that is often used on motorcycles. This stuff has the added benefit that it protects all metal surfaces from corrosion. Quite an issue apparently as sweat lands on the steel parts of these types of devices. So I received my order of ACF-50 and gave the arm a good spray, and as advised by one operator tried to get it where there was any possibility of something rubbing, such as on the spring plugs where the springs can sometimes resonate.At first there wasn’t much effect, but I took the rig out for a long practise session, and low and behold at the end of it most of the noise was gone. There was ever such a slight trace left, but not enough to be bothersome. So now my X-22 arm is as smooth as butter again. That is not all however, with the arm now up to the latest specification the springiness is gone and it is now possible to move very quickly with the rig, even running, without the arm flapping around. As far as I am concerned the arm now performs every bit as well as any competitor in the market.

For those purchasing new rigs, your X-22 arms should be the latest specification. However if you can I would try the rig out at your dealer, or get an assurance that they will replace it at no charge if you happen to receive an earlier version. How will you know what arm you have? Simple. Set up the rig, put it on, and make some large jiggling moves. You’ll look really silly, but if after a few large pelvic thrusts (!) the arm keeps moving a few solid bounces after you have stopped you will know that you have an early arm. Alternatively, as long as you can do it safely, try a short run to see how much the arm flaps around. If it moves a lot you have an early arm. As I mentioned, most new purchasers shouldn’t have this problem, but be aware none the less.


µµµ REVIEW

www.dvuser.co.uk • DVuser Magazine • December 2009 • 11


It’s been a while since I reviewed any lighting kit so when Nick at Ianiro UK offered to loan me some of their latest LED lights to use on an SIV (Special Interest Video) I was shooting, I was excited, and a little

sceptical and nervous at the same time; after all, these are LED lights I’m talking about. Why so nervous you might ask. Well, the only experience with LED lights I’ve had over the past few years were the ‘on-camera’ type. I won’t mention any brands here, but I’ve tried three from the well-known manufacturers and they were all total mince. The issue with LED lights is that they have absolutely no ‘throw’ whatsoever, and 95% of the time, the colour temperature is way off the spectrum causing all kinds of vomit-green spikes or horrible blue-cold casts etc, all of which cause major issues with white-balancing; something I try to avoid personally as I like to get the colour temperature to match that of the cameras pre-sets; sometimes with the aid of colour correction gels. With LED lights that are just not ‘cricket’ when it comes to what their so-called colour temperature should be, even if you hit the white-balance control on your camera, you can be left with some ‘awkward’ looking colours that are difficult to fix in post, and unless you are shooting on high-end kit like HDCAM that can handle being pushed and pulled all over the place in post-production, you are in for trouble; especially with low-end formats such as HDV and AVCHD, both of which can’t be pulled anywhere in post. So, full of scepticism and a large helping of ‘s**t scared’ thrown in, I agreed to use these latest generation Ianiro LED lights to light my latest training DVD production. The said production is for an SIV entitled “Bead Skills”, a training DVD on how to make jewellery etc from, erm, beads.

Anyway, the lighting set up was a fairly simple 3-point lighting affair; key light, fill light, back (hair) light and a small spot light, which put a small pool of light on the table in front of the demonstrator to illuminate the 12-inch area that she was working in with her hands. The background was a black velvet floor length curtain with no background light on it at all as I wanted it to be ‘crushed’ into total black.

Ianiro LED Models Used:The models I used in this set up were the ‘Ianiro LED 54’, which is a 3-head kit consisting of an 18, 36 and a 54 LED light; the numbers standing for

LED 54 kit consisting of three heads.

All photos: Nigel Cooper


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the amount of LEDs in each head. Each head can be used separately on three separate stands, or they can all be connected together to make one powerful bank of LEDs. The small spot light I used was a ‘6600’ model, which is a small 6 LED light about the size of a pack of smokes. The LED 54 kit cost £1,850 plus vat and it comes with three yoke mounts enabling mounting onto a standard light stand, three lenses, all of which are ‘medium’ flood, erm, that’s it I’m afraid. No, it doesn’t come with power supplies for either mains or battery, it doesn’t come with any light stands and it doesn’t even come with a padded lighting case. This is disappointing considering the price. I would have liked Ianiro to have bundled three budget (Manfrotto type) stands, after all they only cost a few quid each to manufacture in China. Also, a cheap £20 padded gig bag would have been handy also. Ianiro leave you the choice of how to power them. The mains leads with transformers cost around £125 each. I’d imagine the V-lock battery adaptors and leads cost about the same. The small spot (model 6600) is also optional for a cost of £542. Remember, if you go for the V-lock system, you’ll have to spend a grand or so on three V-lock batteries and a charger, which suddenly makes this system cost over £3,600 with add-ons. Other accessories available are a ‘Frosted Filter’ and a ‘Clear Gel Filter Holder’ priced at £55 and £45 plus vat respectively. The Ianiro Cordura Softbag cost £300, but it does look great.

Setting up:Setting up the lights was fairly quick and painless. The four lights came in a relatively small padded ‘gig bag’. The lights themselves are quite small and very lightweight. They actually fit inside each other like Russian Dolls. The idea is that you can have one very powerful light, or three separate ones. As the diameter of each is about 2 inches smaller than the next, the LED lights form three rings inside each other. The largest is about 12-inches in diameter, and the smallest about 8-inches. The fourth light is simply a small spot light about 3-inches across. Also included with my demo kit (though not included in the price of the kit) where three V-lock professional batteries. These Ianiro LED lights can be powered off V-lock batteries or the mains. Nick at Ianiro told me that you can run these lights all day off

j u s t one V-lock battery; yeah right, we shall see. More in this later, but let’s just say I was totally blown away by how little power these lights actually consume. I decided to use the V-lock batteries to power the lights; for two of them anyway, the other two were powered by mains. I wanted to test both methods to give a more valuable review; after all, I had four lights so why not. The lights themselves come with three medium flood lens attachments. However, different attachments for medium flood, wide flood and narrow spot are available also. It’s simply a case of attaching them via the two knurled screws on each edge. Personally I would have liked to have seen a more ‘quick release’ way of attaching/detaching them; speed is of the essence at the end of a days shoot; you just want to get home for your tea. A magnetic device would have been much better, and probably cheaper to manufacture too. However, this is a small point and I would not let it put you off in any way. Hooking them up to the mains, or battery is simply a case of plugging in the 2-pin plug onto the back of the light unit, at the other end is a transformer, which then goes off to the mains outlet. Or in the case of V-lock batteries, at the other end of the 2-pin plug is a V-lock plate to attach the V-lock battery; simple.

Positioning:So, once the lights are plugged in and on stands, it was time to position them. As they are small, moving them around is easy and there is plenty of scope for pan and tilt of the head to almost any angle. However, I’d like to see Ianiro introduce a device that enables you to clamp the V-lock battery to the light stand, this way, when you pick up the stand to move it across the floor, the V-lock battery and it’s holder don’t unplug and get left behind; this happened to me several times and I had to keep plugging it back in again. I know, I shouldn’t have dragged it across the floor like that, but who likes to actually bend down to pick things up; lighting sets should be made easier, not harder. Once I had all the lights in a standard 3-point configuration I found the

LED 54 kit is ideal for confined spaces like this low-budget living room set.


a c t u a l ‘quality’ of light to be pretty

good. I didn’t have any soft diffusion on them at all, just straight off the LED via the wide and medium attachments. It was not too hard and harsh, yet it was not overly soft either; it was about what I like personally. As I expected the light fall off was very sudden and the throw was very short. But this did not matter in this instance as the lady demonstrator in this production only had to be lit from a short range. She was sitting at a small table with beading products on it. All three lights were approximately 5-feet away from her; key to the front left, fill to the front right and backlight at the back opposite the key. The throw was so short that the key light did not even hit the black velvet curtain that was only 4-feet behind the demonstrator; nothing significant anyway. Personally, for this type of shoot

(think corporate CEO

interview) they are perfect as you don’t want Jurassic style Redheads or Blondes spilling light all over the set uncontrollably; oh my god, I can’t believe I just said that word, here it is again “REDHEAD” Yuk! Thank goodness lighting technology has moved on. The Ianiro LED lights have a couple of colour temperature settings; I set them to the warm setting, which was close enough for this production. Flicking the setting to ‘daylight’ gives off a nice 6400K (or thereabouts) daylight colour temperature, but I didn’t bother putting a colour meter up to them as I was somewhat hurried; I was on an ‘actual’ production shoot after all. The guys at Ianiro UK assure me that the colour temperature is bang on; but if you are ultra fussy I’d check this with your own equipment to be 100% sure. As you can see by the frame grabs that I yanked out of Final Cut

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Base of LED light with various control settings. These are inconveniently placed on the bottom, which means you have to flip the head downwards to make adjustments.

Power connector. Polarity can’t be mixed up as the two pins are different sizes; smart.


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Pro, the light is nice and even with no real ‘hot spots’ to worry about. If you are non-skilled in the art of light and you simply like to throw up a few lights and switch them on; these Ianiro LED lights will work wonders for you. Even a novice lighting guy (or girl) will not be able to screw things up with these; they are very forgiving lights indeed. However, just remember that the throw is not that great so don’t expect to be able to light something that is more than 10-feet away as it simply won’t happen. Personally, I think LED lights have some way to go before they can be taken seriously; about 2 years perhaps. Also, I feel that the Ianiro LEDs are a bit expensive at £1,800 for a basic 3-head kit with no batteries, stands or accessories. I’m told that LED technology is expensive to produce, this might be so; in the meantime, personally I’d rather buy Dedolights as they are more versatile, just as portable and lightweight and they are cheaper too. But, you can’t really compare Dedolights to Ianiro LED lights as they are a different technology, one (the Dedo) uses filament tungsten bulbs, a somewhat old technology, whilst the other (the Ianiro LED) is a state-of-the-art LED system that has advantages in abundance when compared to filament tungsten affairs such as Redheads; read on.

Advantages:The Ianiro LED lights do have a few advantages. If you can live with the short throw and the price of course they are excellent for several reasons.

Firstly, I personally think that the days of the antiquated ‘filament’ tungsten light such as the Redhead are numbered. I would suspect that 5 years from now the ‘Health & Safety’ guys found on professional productions sets across Europe and the US will be banning such equipment. Instead I suspect production companies will be forced to move over to LED lights, which are totally safe with no heat or fire hazards, not to mention burned fingers when us Lighting Cameramen can’t be bothered to put on our ‘riggers’ gloves before making fine adjustments to the lights. LED lights don’t get hot, they remain cold even after 8-hours of continuous use; because they are LED. So, at the end of a days shoot, you can pack your lights up immediately; unlike Redheads (oh no, I said it again) or Dedolights, where you have to sit around for an hour and wait for them to cool down, or you’ll melt the inside of your lighting case. Also, something like 70% of the power from regular tungsten lights is dissipated as heat; not light. With LED lights such as these approximately 98% of it’s power goes directly into actual light. If you are into the whole ‘Carbon Footprint’ nonsense you’ll be wetting your pants with excitement. Another advantage is the fact that the Ianiro LED lights run off V-Lock batteries as well as mains. I had my key and fill lights powered by medium sized IDX batteries and after 7 hours of continuous use, the battery indicator on the side of the IDX batteries was still 80% full. At the end of the second days shoot, they were still over 50% full; wow! I suspect I could have run a single light off a single IDX V-lock battery for about 2-days. This is incredible; crazy in fact. So if you are shooting on location away from power, this is a huge benefit. As I’ve already mentioned, if you are a novice lighting guy, you simply can’t screw this up if you tried. It is so easy to achieve a nice evenly lit set with no hot-spots and virtually zero light flooding all over the set. They are also tough. I took the liberty of accidently (on purpose) knocking one over. As I watched it ‘slam’ down on the floor from a height of 6’, it didn’t even blink; a Redhead would have gone bang. If you are considering going the LED route, I would advise you to take a look at these. I suspect you’ll either love or hate LED lights. For me, there are pros and cons and I think LED technology has a little way to go yet; but they are getting there.

Full details can be found at: www.ianiro.com UK distributor is: www.ianirouk.com

Narrow Spot lens attachment.

INTRODUCING THE RS SERIESThe Libec RS series are the latest professional tripods from Libec. What’s different about the RS series is that they have a ‘continuous balance’ system; and unlike lesser tripods, it works as it should and to perfection. I’ll be talking more about ‘balance’ and how it works later in this review as it would appear that there is a lot of misunderstanding of what ‘perfect balance’ actually does; even some dealers either don’t understand it, or are misinformed.

There are three RS models in the series; all of which are 75mm ball diameter. Libec UK were kind enough to loan me all three of them for a month; I like to spend time actually using equipment on productions whenever possible, which allow me to really test the products. For me, this is the only way find any little annoyances. The primary difference between models is the payload they can carry, but there are a few other tiny differences too.

The three models are as follows:RS-250 with a balance range of 1.8 to 5kg and costing £699 plus VAT.RS-350 with a balance range of 3 to 7.5 kg and costing £899 plus VAT.RS-450 with a balance range of 4.5 to 10.5kg and costing £1,099 plus VAT.

The actual payload for each tripod is as follows:RS-250 = 6kg / 13lbRS-350 = 9kg / 20lbRS-450 = 12kg / 26.5lb

The actual physical height/weight of these tripods is as follows (based on mid-level spreader versions, which are slightly heavier than the floor-spreader versions):RS-250 = Weight 5.6kg / 12.3lb. Height 80 to 164.5cm / 31.5 to 65”RS-350 = Weight 5.8kg / 12.8lb. Height 81 to 165.5cm / 32 to 65”RS-450 = Weight 6.8kg / 14.9lb. Height 81 to 166cm / 32 to 65.5”

Starting with the top of the range RS-450 working down the series, the differences are as follows:The RS-450 has 3 step of drag control for both pan and tilt, plus a zero setting with no drag at all. It also has a button for illuminating the spirit-level bubble. The RS-450’s balancing range is from 4.5 to 10.5 KG. The RS-350 also has 3 settings for drag control for both pan and tilt, with a zero setting for no drag whatsoever. However, although the 350 has a spirit-level bubble, there is no button next to it so it cannot be illuminated; shame

a s I’m sure this is only a cheap commodity at the manufacturing stage. The RS-350’s balancing range is from 3 to 7.5 KG. The RS-250 has just 2 settings for drag control for both pan and tilt. There is no zero setting for no drag on the 250 at all, so there will always be drag on this model, either setting 1 or setting 2. The 250 also has the spirit-level bubble, but like the 350, it also has no button to allow illumination of it when shooting in dim conditions; again, a shame, but not the end of the world. The RS-250’s balancing range is from 1.8 to 5 KG All three models are available in Mid-Level spreader or Floor spreader versions. The Mid-Level versions simply have the letter ‘M’ at the end i.e. RS-350M. The Mid-Level version comes with a neat Mid-Level spreader as well as three additional rubber shoes that clamp tightly and securely onto the bottom spikes via the usual industry standard thick industrial strength rubber lever. The mid-level spreader version is my personal preferred option. I can’t see the point in having to get down on your hands and knees in the dirt while you fanny around with floor spreaders; it’s beneath me ;) The RS-450 is the top of the range model and is aimed squarely at the professional ENG cameraman with a typical shoulder-mount camcorder weighting between 4.5 and 10.5 KG; to give you an idea think Sony PDW-700 or DSR450 and the like. If you are familiar with the Vinten line-up, the Libec RS-450 is equivalent to the Vinten Vision 8; only the Libec cost over a grand less The RS-350 is also aimed at the ENG cameraman, as well as the corporate and independent filmmaker who still has a shoulder-mount camcorder, or a larger semi-shoulder mount model such as the Sony EX3, Canon XL H1 or JVC GY-HM700 (though this model is actually shoulder-mount, it is quite small and lightweight),


JVC GY-HM700 on Libec RS-350

maxed out with large batteries, matte box etc. The RS-250 is aimed squarely at those using smaller camcorders such as the Sony NX5/Z5, Panasonic AG-HPX171 for example. What is unique and special about the RS range is that they have a ‘continuous’ counter-balance system. Unlike the very twitchy ‘step’ balance systems that have a dial that simply switches in the counter-balance in ‘steps’ be it 4, 6, 8 or 10 steps, all are inaccurate and somewhat twitchy at best and you will never achieve ‘perfect counter balance’ with these step systems. This is one reason I’m a massive fan of Vinten’s Vision 6 and 8 tripods and more recently their 5, 8 and 10AS systems; and now the Libec RS series are on my list of favourite ‘continuous’ counter-balance tripods that work as they should. You really do have to be aware of cheap imitations claiming to have a counter-balance system; many do, but most just don’t work properly. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Vinten, Sachtler and Libec tripods, and for good reason too. I like my tripods to be build like the proverbial brick house, with little if no leg twist or ‘torsional rigidity’ issues, beautifully engineered heads with a silky smooth action, total reliability year-in-year-out, no flimsy plastic parts to fall off, well laid out levers and dials for pan/tilt drag controls and a nice balancing system that does what it is supposed to do. It is for this very reason that my professional tripod of choice has always been the Vinten Vision 8 single-stage carbon model; not cheap at £2,400, but it is a beautiful piece of engineering with ‘‘continuous’ counter-balance’ that really is perfect, that just continues to work after many years of abuse. So, with my usual high expectations I asked Libec UK if I could hold onto these three RS models for a month. I don’t like to just play around with a tripod for 5 minutes. To make a valid evaluation of a tripod it has to be used in anger on an actual production, unless of course the tripod is so cheap and nasty that you can tell from across the room, which has been the case with some of the truly ‘mince’ examples I’ve looked at in the past; usually very low budget irrelevant Chinese brands that simply don’t count. Quality engineering doesn’t come cheap, and yes, I’m afraid it ‘is’ rocket science; something certain manufacturers simply don’t get. You can’t take a beautifully engineered design and ‘cheaply’ copy it and expect it to work the same; especially when they only cost a few Renminbi each to manufacture and produce. So, as a Lighting Cameraman with over 15 years experience of using most cameras and tripods from mid-level to high-end and an avid fan of the Vinten Vision 8, would this new Libec RS series tripods coming in at less than half the price of their Vinten equivalents measure up to my high standards?

INITIAL TESTINGThe three camcorders I used to test these tripods were a Sony DSR450 (with RS-450) a JVC GY-HM700 (with RS-350) and a Sony NX5 (used with RS-250). I also borrowed an engineering weight/balance system to test the weight range of the counter balance on these three tripods as accurately and

scientifically as possible; the results of which are later on in this review. Out of the box my first impressions of the RS series tripods were very good indeed. The overall build quality is as absolutely excellent. All the fixtures and fittings are precise and well engineered, while the aluminium legs feel solid and workhorse like. The drag settings for both pan and work to perfection. When in use, one gets a sense of pure Japanese fastidious engineering. All RS models use a ‘fluid’ drag system for both pan and tilt. Some other budget brands cut corners and have a ‘friction’ system for the tilt, which is absolutely useless when it comes to tilting up/down while panning left/right at the same time, it just fights itself and causes a ‘stepping’ effect during the move; totally unusable footage is the final result. On the RS-450 and 350 drag settings 1, 2 and 3 are well-spaced and silky smooth in operation with no ‘dead spots’ at all. It is one hell of a tricky process vacuuming out any tiny air bubble in the fluid. Using these RS series there is no evidence of air bubbles whatsoever; Libec have really pushed the envelope with these heads. The drag settings are ‘tight’ with absolutely zero take-up ‘slack’ at the beginning of a pan or tilt movement. To be honest, 3 settings plus zero is more than enough for anyone (RS-450 and 350 models only). Some manufacturers might be quick to say you need

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JVC GY-HM700 on Libec RS-350

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6 or 8 settings, but this is rubbish. I’ve never known any ‘professional’ Lighting Cameraman who required such an infinite number of adjustments for pan and tilt drag. What is usually required is a zero (off) position for quick ‘whip’ pans, a ‘light’ position for fast motion work, a ‘stiff’ position for those smooth Hollywood movie ‘block and stage’ type moves, and a ‘medium’ setting for general work such as your average corporate or ENG affair; the RS-450 and 350 both have all these settings, and above all, they work absolutely precisely with fastidious engineering of the highest Japanese standards. Note, the RS-250 only has the two settings for drag over pan and tilt with no zero. Oh yes, all three RS models are ‘Made in Japan’, which should inspire total confidence in build quality, usability and total reliability. For me, these three RS tripods are the ‘Lexus’ of the Tripod world, the ‘RS’ part of the series even sounds like a flash Japanese car. There is a spirit level bubble built right into the head with all three models, with a decent (easy to find in dim conditions) button to press for a temporary light to allow you to level the head in dimly lit conditions (RS-450 only). This temporary light remains on for exactly 11 seconds; I tested it 3 times in a row; total accuracy from the internal Japanese quartz timing electrode. The RS-350 and 250 have the bubble, but no light. Levelling the heads on all three models is very smooth and easy, just as smooth as the Vinten Vision 8 in fact. The pan bar is just the right length; none of that silly telescopic nonsense, which simply adds take-up ‘slack’ to any serious pan due to the typical tiny movement that one usually finds at the joint of the telescopic pan handle. It is for this reason that I prefer single-stage legs as apposed to 2-stage, the latter simply adds another joint in the legs, which makes torsional rigidity less effective. Why bother screwing up the perfect ‘torsional rigidity’ just for the sake of saving 6-inches of space for your tripod case in the boot of your car; does ever Lighting Cameraman in the UK drive a Mini Cooper? Unfortunately, the RS range only come in 2-stage leg versions; so Mini Cooper owners will be pleased, but the professionals amongst us are ‘ever so slightly’ disappointed about this quality reducing factor. Please please please Mr Libec, bring out single-stage versions of these beautiful RS series tripods.

FILMING WITH THE RS SERIESApart from shooting a stack of ‘stock footage’ over the course of a week with these tripods, I also have some other methods of testing, some scientific, some rather unorthodox. Either way, my methods for testing tripods are the only ones that ‘really’ work. As I’ve already explained, shooting an actual production or other ‘real’ footage is paramount to testing, it’s the only way to find any shortcomings. During the week of ‘stock footage’ shooting I found myself in safari parks filming Cheetah’s, an indoor tropical butterfly house, in the country filming windmills and lots more. During all this, I spent most of my time with the RS-350 with a JVC GY-HM700 perched on top. This camera and tripod are a marriage made in heaven. The JVC sits perfectly at the RS-350’s mid-balance point. After finding the camcorders ‘mid balance point’ setting up and balancing the RS-350 is very quick and easy. I like my footage to look very smooth so I chose the drag settings of 3 for both pan and tilt to give me a very stiff setting; which is the kind of setting I am used to working in. Executing a move that

i n v o l v e s tilting down while panning across is a breeze due to the superbly engineered fluid head; it really is smooooooth. I also did some filming with drag settings 1 and 2 for comparison purposes; all work equally as well. Whatever the drag setting, there is virtually zero ‘drift back’. Drift Back is what can happen with certain tripod heads when you get to the end of a slow (or fast) pan, stop, and then remove your hand from the pan bar. At this stage, the head will ‘drift back’ a millimeter or so, which shows in the footage and ruins the shot. The Manfrotto 503HDV525 is notorious for having this flaw. The ‘drift back’ on the RS series is simply non-existent from what I could tell, in fact I’d even go as far as saying it’s on a level with the Vinten Vision series in this regard. These RS heads are quite remarkable considering the low retail price; you simply won’t find better at this price; not even close so don’t even bother looking.

THE STICKS As for the sticks (legs), they are almost as awesome as the heads. They are made from tough lightweight aluminum that is finished in a very dark brown/grey colour. All RS models are 2-stage i.e. three sections to each leg with two locking levers. When fully extended with the mid-level spreader extended to maximum, the ‘tortional ridigity’ is very minimal. Let me explain. A little known attribute of tripods is “torsional rigidity.” The best way to explain this is to imagine your tripod legs were made of rubber. Now, consider setting the feet of this rubber tripod into the


Libec RS-450

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earth, locking the head off and then applying panning pressure to the pan handle. The twisting force against the pan handle would be absorbed by the rubber legs of the tripod, which would twist, storing up that energy until you let go of the handle. The result would be a powerful “snap back” action as the stored energy in the legs is released. The twisting motion is called, “torsion.” Tripod designers, employing new, lightweight alloys and carbon fibers, which are flexible by nature, attempt to engineer as much torsional rigidity into a tripod as possible, in order to eliminate the ‘snap back’ effect. Torsional snap back can be seen, quite clearly in most tripod legs, even though they are obviously not made of rubber. To test your equipment, examine the image of a camera equipped with a telephoto lens, mounted on your tripod. Using a moderate amount of pan drag, execute a long pan to a specific target and then release the pan handle. Most tripods will exhibit a small degree of snap back, such that your image will not center on the target, but will settle a few degrees back along the pan path. This is because your tripod’s legs have stored up torsional energy, which is released when you let go of the pan handle. These Libec RS series tripods exhibit virtually no snap back; at least none that I could see. I always do the ‘lorry driver’ test on tripod legs, which involves removing the head, then extending the tripod to its maximum height and then grabbing the bowl with a tight grip and then turning it as if you are turning a lorry’s steering wheel. If the legs twist and creak under this test, there is something seriously wrong. Even under this unorthodox tripod torture (something you would never encounter in any shooting conditions) the RS series show only very minimal (and I do mean minimal) twisting, and I was really ‘leaning’ into it. Many budget tripods would have simply broken at the joints under the pressure I was exerting onto the RS. This superb tortional rigidity is virtually on a par with the Vinten Vision series, but it is so close many won’t be able to tell the difference; I’m very fussy about these things and I felt that if the Libec RS series had a slightly better (more ridged) mid-spreader, they would be 100% equal to the Vinten Vision series.

A MATTER OF BALANCEIt’s amazing how many people don’t understand what a ‘counter-balance’ feature on a head is supposed to actually do. Vinten have their ‘perfect balance’ system, now Libec have their ‘counter balance’ system; both are different names for the same thing. Counterbalancing a tripod head has nothing to do with drag settings; it also has nothing to do with preventing the camera from tilting forward under gravity and banging into one of the tripod legs; though it does prevent this. It also has nothing to do with the camera sitting perfectly horizontal on the tripod. It is something else entirely. If you know what it is, please forgive me, if you don’t, prepare to be educated. Basically, you find your camcorders centre of gravity by holding it with just one or two fingers by its handle. You move your finger back/forth along the handle until the camera hangs from your finger perfectly horizontally; your finger is now at the cameras central balancing point. Next you draw an imaginary line from this ‘finger’ point down the side and to the bottom of the camera. Then mount the tripod plate so the middle of the plate is in the middle of your centre of gravity line. You then fit the camera to the tripod and set the drag settings for tilt to zero (or the minimal setting available) and make sure the counter-balance dial is turned down to minimal (anti-clockwise on the RS series). Next you move the camera back/forth within the tripod head by fine-tuning the sliding plate a few millimeters until the camcorder sits perfectly horizontal without falling back/forth. With this done, you then tilt the camera down about 45-degrees and hold it there to prevent it falling, and with the other hand you dial in the counter-balance spring until there is just enough spring tension to prevent the camera falling. When you tilt the camera down forwards, or up towards the sky and remove your hand from the pan handle, the camera will stay in that exact position without falling or ‘creeping’ up or down. Now you can set your drag for pan and tilt. With the counterbalance set this way, you can tilt up or down into a shot (like those establishing shots on the TV news) and remove your hand from the pan handle and the shot will hold by itself. Tripods that don’t have this feature require you to hold on for grim death as steady as you can for the duration of ‘handle’ that the clip requires; very hard indeed. The RS series of tripods balance to perfection and work just as well as any Vinten or Sachtler I’ve ever tried, which makes the Libec RS series about as good as you can buy in the counter-balance sector.

CONCLUSION: Comparing the Libec RS series to Vinten’s and Sachtler’s is a real compliment. For me, the latter two are the best tripod makers in the world so anything that comes close deserves to be commended highly, which is what I’m doing with the Libec RS series. They beat the Manfrotto range by a mile, the are better built and work so much better than the Cartoni models and the heads and legs are ahead of Miller; by light-years. If you are in the market for a new tripod, or if you want to be introduced into the wonderful world of counter-balance (from which there will be no turning back), look no further. The Libec RS range is a world-beater. Incredible state-of-the-art innovation and engineering. They are lightweight, tougher than Ray Winston and smoother than Pierce Brosnan. What’s more, they are incredibly affordable with a surprisingly low retail price and they are Made in Japan and not some cheap labour saving country where quality usually takes a nose-dive. There is also a range of accessories for the RS series tripods including two superb wheeled dollies, a LANC controller, cases and floor or mid level spreaders and feet. I’ve never done this before, but I’m going to give all three of these amazing RS series tripods 10 out of 10; this is a first for me and DVuser. The price/quality ratio is spot on..

UK distributor: www.ianirouk.com

Libec RS-450

TheUltimateCameraSupport

RS-450• 12kg capacity

• Continuouscounter balance

• Free plus 3 stepdrag mode

• Weight 6.3kg

RS-350• 9kg capacity

• Continuouscounter balance

• Free plus 3 stepdrag mode

• Weight 5.8kg

CAMERA SUPPORT SYSTEMS

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Tel. 01527 596955Fax. 01527 [email protected]

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Back on 10th November 2009 Sony Professional UK invited me over to their HQ to see their new prototype of the first NXCAM branded solid-state camcorder. They allowed me to take the only

prototype in the UK away with me so I could evaluate it and try it out for a few days. Since then I’ve spent a few more weeks with the HXR-NX5E NXCAM camcorder. Actually I’ve been in the USA for 3 months so Sony were kind enough to FedEx an NX5 over to me in Hays, Kansas, where I have been shooting with the camera. After spending more time using the NX5, I’m

now in the position to give you a more comprehensive review in full; so here goes.

WHAT IS NXCAM?NXCAM is brand new so I’m going to give you a brief low-down on what it is. NXCAM is Sony’s all-new product name for their entirely new Sony digital video production system. It’s not DV or HDV, it’s not XDCAM EX, it’s something else entirely. NXCAM is Sony’s AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) camcorder system, but there’s a difference: this is Sony’s ‘Professional’ AVCHD camcorder system. Until now Sony haven’t had any serious-level AVCHD products; quite surprising considering Sony jointly invented the AVCHD codec with Panasonic. But all that is about to change with their first professional hand-held AVCHD camcorder; the HXR-NX5E, under the all-new NXCAM brand.

WHAT IS AVCHD?If you’re not familiar with the new AVCHD codec I’ve outlined some of its

technologies with some direct

comparisons to the HDV codec.

Announced in 2006 by Sony and Panasonic, this new industry-standard format is now supported by more than 30 companies and implemented in numerous camcorders, NLE systems, and consumer HD playback devices. The AVCHD codec is considerably more modern than the older HDV codec. It uses a variety of techniques to achieve greater efficiency than

MPEG-2, especially at low bitrates and when dealing with difficult material. AVCHD should be

capable of delivering really amazing results but we’ll get into real world performance later on. What’s beyond debate is that HDV has a resolution of 1440x1080 and uses the MPEG-2 compression codec, while NXCAM on the other hand uses full 1920x1080 HD with the more modern MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec (H.264 is what Blu-ray and Sky HD broadcasts use). And of course AVCHD’s efficiency makes it ideal for tapeless operation: it uses SD (Secure Digital) and SD/HC (High Capacity) cards, Sony Memory Sticks and other solid-state flash drives such as Sony’s dedicated HXR-FMU128 128GB flash drive. AVCHD has twice the compression efficiency and

considerably improved video performance, especially at lower bitrates, over the older MPEG-2 compression algorithm used in the HDV codec. HDV uses a “constant” bit rate of 25 Mb/s whereas AVCHD camcorders such as the NX5 use a more efficient “variable” bit rate, with a maximum quality setting of 24 Mb/s. In contrast with MPEG-2 (HDV), in which inter-frame compression based on the correlation between adjacent frames uses fixed blocks of 16x16 pixels, AVCHD divides the blocks into multi-sizes as small as 4x4 pixels along with 4x8, 8x8 and 8x16 also, and every variation in-between using these block structures. With this method, it is able to use large blocks to process images that show only slight changes on the screen, and smaller blocks to process images that have considerable change. This raises the

Filming on the NX5 in Colorado, USA.


accuracy of motion compensation, which in turn, boosts the quality of fast-motion images while increasing compression efficiency.

The recording capacity using the Sony HXR-NX5E onto a single 32GB Memory Stick or SD/HC card is as follows:HD/FX (24Mbps) 1920x1080 HD = 170 minutes.HD/FH (17Mbps) 1920x1080 HD = 255 minutes.HD/HQ (9Mbps) 1920x1080 HD = 385 minutes.HD/LP (5Mbps) 1920x1080 HD = 605 minutes.

WHO IS NXCAM FOR?So who is NXCAM aimed at and where will it fit into the current marketplace? Having got up to speed with NXCAM and the new NX5 camcorder I would say that it is aimed at a somewhat varied marketplace including those who are currently using cameras such as Sony’s own Z5 or Canon’s XH G1s for example, but who want to move over from tape to an affordable solid-state system, DVCAM users looking to move over to HD, those stepping up from consumer camcorders, event and wedding videographers, corporate video producers, SIV (Special Interest Videos) producers, independent low-budget filmmakers, and even TV ENG work and various documentary productions. With regard to image quality, the new NX5 has a very high quality Sony G-lens, superb Exmor ClearVid CMOS sensors, and of course the more advanced AVCHD codec, this trio of factors adds up to a very impressive image at this price range; more on this later.

HXR-NX5E CAMCORDER:In a nutshell the NX5 is basically a Z5, but solid-state only. The cost is similar too; the NX5 cost £3,450 inc. There are three key differences. The body is slightly shorter and stockier at the back end due to the fact that the NX5 has no tape-drive mechanism. On the back of the NX5 there are two card slots for Memory Stick cards (these slots also accept SD/HC cards too: nice). Also, on the side of the NX5 there is an area that accepts the bolt-on HXR-FMU128 flash drive. The FMU28 is a solid-state flash drive with a capacity of 128GB. This drive is an optional extra. Without it, the camcorder simply comes with a heavy-duty plastic cover that locks securely into place

n e a t l y covering the socketry from the elements. Other differences include an HD/SDI output and a GPS (Global Positioning System). From what I can gather, all the little buttons and dials are slightly larger and less fiddly than on the tape-based Z5. I suspect this is because there is no tape mechanism so there is more room on the body for a ‘neater’ and more ‘logical’ layout of switches. I’m glad to see that Sony has used slightly larger switches and buttons on the NX5. Low-light shooters will be glad to know that the NX5 is approximately 1.5 stops better (minimum illumination 1.5-lux) than the older tape-based Z1. Even though the physical ‘form-factor’ of the NX5 is only slightly different from the Z5, overall, the lines of the NX5 just look sexier with sleeker lines and nicer curves; she’s a modern girl; oh baby! The NX5 is the very latest in camcorder technology; it’s bang up to date with some superb state-of-the-art technologies and features. Depending on who you speak to, different people have different views on what makes a decent image. Some will say it’s all about the bit-rate, others say it’s all in the glass, while some might even tell you it’s all in the sensors. Well, they are all wrong. It’s actually an amalgamation of all three - and other things. Sony recognises this fact and this is why the NX5 is so darn good; especially at this price range. It has a brand new lens, Sony’s own in-house designed G-lens. This lens first hit the market with the Z5. Then it has the very latest Exmor CMOS Sensors with ClearVid technology. Then finally the very latest AVCHD MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec, which has the job of processing the images taken from the G-lens and onto the Exmor sensors. Add to this Sony’s fastidious circuitry and it all adds up to a great image that is simply untouchable by the competition at this price level. Just to clear up the confusion with the two models on the Sony web site. There is an NX5E and an NX5M; the latter need not concern you as it is not available in the UK or USA. The only difference is that the NX5M has no ‘GPS’ system built in. The reason is simple, in certain countries like Syria and North Korea any device with GPS built in is banned; after all it is used in the military; think about it!

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Clear design layout of buttons, dials and switches.

All Photos: Nigel Cooper

BUILD QUALITY:The HXR-NX5 is ok with regard to build quality. Overall it feels lightweight – possibly because it doesn’t have the bulk factor of a tape transport mechanism - and a bit on the ‘plastic’ side. I’ve always said if I’m spending £3,500 on a camcorder I expect it to feel a bit more substantial than this. I feel that JVC are slightly ahead of Sony in build quality with their more budget priced camcorders. However, I feel that the NX5 is marginally tougher than the EX series; even though it is actually cheaper. But don’t worry; I’m just a fussy bugger when it comes to build quality. The NX5 won’t fall apart anytime soon and the plastics it is made out of are the tough polycarbonate type, which is designed to ‘flex’ as apposed to ‘crack’ when it takes a knock. It is in fact slightly better built than the Z1 and its replacement, the Z5; in my opinion. If you are used to using a Z1/Z5 you won’t be disappointed. As a comparison, the NX5 is far superior in build quality over Panasonic’s HMC151. Just to inspire confidence, I personally would buy an NX5 tomorrow and have no serious concerns with its build quality. Oh, the NX5 is ‘Made in Japan’; so expect reliability to be of the highest order.

THE SENSORS:The NX5 features the very latest 1/3rd inch Exmor CMOS sensors with ClearVid technology. What is ClearVid I hear you ask? The ClearVid system optimises both resolution and low light sensitivity versus more traditional pixel-shift CCD’s. It does this by interpolating additional resolution from diagonally-set pixels, on each individual R, G and B sensor, rather than interpolating horizontally and vertically across the three sensors. This ensures maximum resolution, in a smaller sensor, whilst the larger rotated pixels give you that all-important sensitivity. The NX5 also utilises the revolutionary Exmor noise reduction processing, which is a highly advanced noise reduction system that gives a much cleaner image.

THE LENS:The new NX5 has the same Sony G-lens 20x Zoom, offering an amazing wide angle of view from 29.5mm (great for filming in tight spots) right through to a whopping 590mm (great for wildlife filming). The 20x zoom G-lens is a recently developed piece of glass coming from the Sony-acquired Minolta lens division; so it is developed and built in the house of Sony; and what a cracking lens it is too. The optics are super sharp with amazing colour reproduction.

This new G-lens boasts not only a focus and zoom ring, but an aperture ring too. However, all three are of the ‘servo’ type, which have no end stops. They feel a bit vague when focusing and zooming. I found it easier to focus by hitting the ‘PUSH AUTO’ focus button. This lets the camera automatically focus as long as you hold the button down (though the camera is rather slow to do this), then when you release it, it retains that focus spot. The servo aperture ring is slightly more accurate in its ‘feel’ and I found it to be perfectly usable in full manual mode, which is the only mode to work with for any serious applications. If you want the camera to take a ‘best guess’ at the exposure for you, simply hit the ‘IRIS’ button and let the camera set the exposure, then hit it again to revert to manual and tweak with the aperture ring and the use of zebras (I set zebras at 95% and watch for blown-out highlights). The zoom ring (again, vague) works well enough for setting a new focal length, which (again in my opinion) is all it should be used for. I tend to treat a zoom lens as a set of primes and not for horrible nauseating so-called zoom shots. The lens hood is Sony’s usual nice design with built in lens cap that is opened and closed via a little lever on the side of the hood. This is far better than the competition’s affairs that have to be physically removed from the camera and stuck in your back pocket. I also particularly like the


µµµ REVIEW

Sony’s superb G Lens.

Dual card slots.

fancy ‘Gold’ line painted around the lens, but then I do go a lot by nifty appearances like this. That’s about it for the lens, apart from it’s superb built-in optical image stabiliser; more on that later.

THE CODEC:The NX5 uses the AVCHD codec, which is an efficient long-GOP codec using the MPEG-4 H.264 compression algorithm (as used on Blu-ray HD DVDs and Sky HD broadcasts), albeit at a much higher maximum bit rate of 24 Mb/s (variable) with Linear PCM audio ensuring great images and sound. This AVCHD compression does end up offering better all-round picture performance over the older HDV codec, although there is an impact in the editing process as it requires a higher level of processing power and therefore you may need to upgrade your editing system! Also, as the AVCHD codec is so new, some editing systems don’t yet support it so we will have to wait for the software companies to catch up with the AVCHD technology. So far Sony’s Vegas Pro 9, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 (for Mac and PC) and Edius Pro all support AVCHD natively. Apple’s Final Cut Pro and AVID MC do not. Final Cut Pro uses, don’t despair. Simply import using the log and transfer and transcode into Apple ProRes 422. Hopefully Apple will support AVCHD natively with a future upgrade.

RECORDING MODES:The NX5 has more recording modes than you can shake a stick at. There’s plenty for everyone in both HD and SD; those shooting in the past, the present and the future, those who are hanging onto ‘interlace’ like grim death and those who are shooting their way ‘progressively’ into the future; that would be me then.

Recording options and frame-rates include:

AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1920x1080/50i, AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1920x1080/50i, AVCHD HQ (9Mbps) 1440x1080/50i, AVCHD LP (5Mbps) 1440x1080/50i, AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1920x1080/25p, AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1920x1080/25p, AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1280x720/50p, AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1280x720/50p, MPEG SD HQ (9Mbps) 720x576/50i, MPEG SD HQ (9Mbps) 720x576/50i (25p Scan)

So there you have it, virtually every recording mode and frame-rate you could wish for.

ADVANCED ACTIVE STEADY SHOT IMAGE STABILISATION SYSTEM:The NX5 uses a brand new ‘Active Steady Shot’ system. This offers an extremely stable picture without blur. More powerful stabilisation is made possible by increased coverage of the optical lens and the improved motion detection with state of the art compensation algorithms. The new Super Steady Shot takes it to the next level. Sony claims that this new system removes the need for a body-mounted stabilizing system; I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it is pretty darn good and way better than anything else up to this point in technology. Sony seems to have increased the coverage of the floating optical lens, which gives better hand-held stabilization; the optically damped lens compensates for hand movements. However, there is more. When you switch the feature in via the menus you also have the option to improve things further by switching in even more settings. With the second option switched in at the same time you’ll notice that the image on the LCD screen zooms in ever so slightly (by aprox. 5% or 6% as per my best guess). It then uses these spare pixels outside the recorded frame area to allow the system’s software to cleverly hold the central pixels still. It then ‘trims’ the wobbly bits off the edges. A very simple idea, but one that works very effectively with virtually zero loss of detail or image quality. Ok, if I have to nit-pick, this system might lose you 5% or 6% of picture quality; on paper at least, as I could not see any notable difference whatsoever. Having tried the Active Steady Shot system, I found it to be more effective than the lens damped version alone, but this isn’t going to be putting Steadicam operators out of a job anytime soon. You still need to hold the camera steady because it will only compensate for minor nudges and knocks and general wavy hand-held work. Any more than that and it will still show up on in your footage. It’s designed as an aid, not a replacement for a body harness stabilising system; a good move by Sony in the right direction none-the-less and one that produces far superior results to any other system built into any other camcorder currently on the market.

AUDIO:Being a classical pianist at heart and a very keen audiophile I’m kind of fussy about audio. In fact I prioritise audio over the images. To me quality sound is more beneficial than quality images. Your eyes are a lot more forgiving than your ears. The NX5 uses Linear PCM 2 channel, 16bit, 48kHz top quality audio recording as well as Dolby Digital 2 channel, 16bit, 48kHz. This is superior to the HDV audio standard, which uses the heavily compressed MPEG 1 Audio layer II and has a bitrate of just 384


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Playback controls neatly hidden away under foldaway LCD screen.


Kbps, not ideal for postproduction sound editing such as EQ adjustments and the like. The NXCAM’s audio format of Linear PCM 16bit, 48kHz is the equivalent in quality to DAT, which is what professionals are accustomed to. Recording rock or classical concerts no longer require a dedicated DAT recorder; yeah! The NX5 has the usual small built-in stereo mic, which is only good for picking up iffy ‘wild track’, but the included ECM-XM1 XLR mic is another story. Don’t underestimate this mic. Sometimes videographers are all too keen to rush out and buy a Sennheiser K6/ME66 combo as it has the reputation as being the weapon of choice for low-budget filmmakers. But before you do, try the included Sony ECM-XM1 mic, it’s a budget mic for sure, but it packs a punch for the money. Personally, I think you will have to spend more than £350 for any serious worthwhile upgrade. I always find with mics like this, and the aforementioned Sennheiser that I always have to do post work on the sound using Apple’s Logic or Soundtrack Pro anyway; with the ECM-XM1 it’s possible to tweak and modify the sound in post resulting in excellent sound; considering the cost.

GPS (GLOBAL POSSITIONING SYSTEM):The NX5 is the first camcorder in its class to bring to market the all-new GPS (Global Positioning System). That’s right, I’m talking the same GPS as that you use in your cars Sat-Nav system. Why would you want this in a camcorder you might ask? I’m sure people will be discussing the endless possibilities on the forums, but to name a few, you could for example be shooting documentary footage all over Europe or the USA, or just plain England perhaps, with the exact geographical location being essential to the programme. With the NX5’s built-in GPS system you will have extra metadata within the file that you can simply convert into Google Earth KML format, then type into Google maps; this will find the exact location to within approximately 25 feet of where you are standing with the camcorder at the time you shot the clip. This feature can be switched on/off via the switch at the back of the camera.

The GPS system records time, latitude and longitude in local time or UTC (universal time coordinated) time. This data is recorded directly to the AVCHD stream for approx. 0.5 seconds. Other great benefits to this all-new built-in GPS system include: Location reconnaissance, Estimate travel time after reconnaissance, Identify location easily for re-shoots, Natural History shoots - animal sightings, Police & Intelligence Gathering - reconnaissance etc. I feel like nicknaming the NX5 the ‘CSI Camcorder’.

SLS FRAME ACCUMULATION:It also has Sony’s superb SLS (slow shutter) function, like that found on the higher end XDCAM HD camcorders. Frame accumulation is also known as Slow-Shutter, or SLS. SLS is a variable setting on the NX5 that lets you decide how many frames worth of light you want to accumulate before it is laid down to the disc. 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/25 sec. can be accumulated using the SLS function. What effect will this have and what advantages are there? When shooting in low-light levels, SLS produces sharp and clear images with no picture noise whatsoever. For scenes with minimum movement this is a great alternative to switching in the gain. When shooting video with any sort of motion it provides a very artsy and out of this world ghostlike image that simply has to be seen to be believed. This is an amazing effect for music videos or haunting images. It’s quite hard to explain, and is easier to understand if you see it in action, but once you’ve used it and seen it you will find yourself looking for scenes or even writing scenes just for this effect. SLS at 1/4 produces the most dramatic effect. If you know anything about stills photography, think of a photo of a waterfall taken at ½ a second exposure from a tripod. The water has a neat soft blur to it. Well this effect is also produced with the SLS function when shooting waterfalls.

SOLID-STATE RECORDING:We’ve established that the NX5 is a solid-state HD camcorder, but what are the options? The answer to that is “many”. You can record to a wide range of media. On the back of the NX5 you will find two card slots: A and B. In these slots you can put Sony’s own Memory Stick Pro Duo, Pro-HG Duo, Pro-HG Duo HX, any brand of SD/HC (Secure Digital High Definition) - class 4 or 6 are recommended, or even Sony’s dedicated 128GB flash drive (HXR-FMU128). This has been made specifically for the NX5, fitting flush to the side of the camera perfectly with no dangling FireWire cables either. This 128GB unit is about the size/weight of a compact mobile phone. It has two female sockets on the side, one to connect it to the camera, the other, a small USB receptacle, is to connect to a computer. Both are bus-powered so no battery is required. If you chose to use SD/HC cards, I’d recommend the Class 6 type. They come in class 2, 4 or 6, which simply stands for MB/s per second transfer speed. Class 2 (i.e. 2 MB/s) simply can’t keep up with the camcorders data stream to the card. As class 6 are the same price as class 4, you might as well buy class 6 SD/HC cards as they will perform best and I’ve even heard that they don’t get warm as they have so much headroom in the data-stream capacity. If you want full-on gigabyte capacity then Sony’s own HXR-FMU128 dedicated flash drive will give you a whopping 700 minutes in full FX 24Mbs 1920x1080 HD quality. The HXR-FMU128 costs £750 inc VAT. A 32GB card on the other hand will give you 170 minutes recording time in full FX 24Mbs 1920x1080 HD quality and as there are two card slots on the NX5 two 32GB cards, this equates to 340 minutes of continuous recording time. Cards are hot-swappable and when one card fills up, recording continues un-interrupted on the second card. However, once the second card is full you will need to change cards; the camera won’t go back to card slot A and start recording over your footage again. Remaining recording time is ever-present on the LCD screen and in the viewfinder. There are some clever recording options on the NX5. For example, the camera has the capability of recording to both card and the Sony Flash

Detachable 128GB HXR-FMU128 ‘Flash Memory’ recorder.

Drive simultaneously; this means you can give your client the low cost memory cards at the end of the day’s shoot, then return to your edit suite with the flash drive to get on with your edit. Another great option is that you can set the camera up to record to one or the other storage formats in numerous ways. For example, pressing the record button on the side grip will record to the card slots, while pressing the record button on the top handle will record to the flash drive: great! And you can set it up to record HD to one and SD to the other. I love it!

OTHER FEATURES:The NX5 has a few other tricks up its sleeve. Unlike other similarly priced AVCHD camcorders the NX5 has an ‘Slow Motion’ feature; admittedly, it’s limited to 12 seconds maximum in any one take, but a slow-mo feature none-the-less. It shoots 200 fields per second with improved Smooth Slow Record (picture resolution is reduced during slow-mo recording). You can select 3, 6 or 12 seconds for slow-motion recording. During slow-motion recording the camera automatically sets the shutter speed to 1/215th of a second. The final footage is stretched 4 times. As for a Time-Lapse feature; there isn’t one, disappointingly, as this is something I personally use a lot. There are the usual Sony Picture Profiles settings, which can be selected in the menus after pressing the ‘PICTURE PROFILE’ button on the side of the camera. There are six customizable settings with seven preset Gammas including STANDARD, CINEMA TONE1, CINEMA TONE2 etc. In each setting you can customize the GAMMA, BLACK GAMMA, KNEE, COLOUR MODE, COLOUR LEVEL, COLOUR PHASE, COLOUR DEPTH, WB SHIFT, DETAILS, and SKINTONE DETAIL. There are lots of options. If you are not happy with one of the six presets, simply go into any one and modify the various parameters; either way it should be easy to achieve the ‘look’ you want from the NX5. The addition of a HD/SDI output can only mean that Sony is aiming the NX5 at professionals as well as prosumers. The HD/SDI outputs 4:2:2 colour space so if you wanted you could potentially attached a separate recording device like the Flash-Nano for example, and record 4:2:2 at 50Mbps variable bitrate for even more possibilities.The NX5 also has a HDMI output, which means you can buy any regular

HDMI LCD monitor or TV and use that for low-cost monitoring options. Great!The built-in LCD screen is nice and sharp and is certainly good enough for composition purposes and checking white-balance. It is ok for focusing


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Inputs/Outputs, including professional HD/SD SDI output.

2 x professional XLR outputs.


w i t h the aid of the

‘EXPANDED FOCUS’ option, which is a pre-set assign button (assign button 7) next to the zoom rocker on the side grip. The LCD is also a touch screen for making selections and changes. But don’t worry; if, like me, you don’t like getting greasy fingerprints all over the LCD, simply use the menu select buttons instead, which are neatly laid out under the LCD screen. The HXR-NX5E is equipped with three built-in ND (Neutral Density) filters – 1/4, 1/16, 1/64 – which help to vary the depth of field with iris control as well as achieving perfect exposure in bright sunlight. Now for a bad bit; a very bad bit. The NX5 cannot be set up to use one of its ‘Assign’ buttons to ‘last clip delete’ like you can on the EX1/3 and XDCAM HD cameras. This is a major pain in the butt as it really slows up productions, and the whole point of solid-state is to make things faster. People often think that solid-state only speeds things up in post. Not true. I shoot lots of corporate and SIV videos where the presenters are often not professionals and they often need several takes. With an EX1 I can set up one of the assign buttons to ‘delete last clip’. This means when the said presenter screws up his/her lines I can simply hit that button and the bad take is gone. Then when it comes to editing, I simply import ‘every’ clip, knowing that they are all good; no marking in/out points for hours on end like with tape. But as the NX5 does not do this, to delete a last clip you have to change ‘modes’ and go into the menus and mess about with several clicks of the menu wheel/button etc. This takes approximately 1 minute out of your production shooting time. If this has to be done 100 times during the course of a days shoot, well, you work out the maths: very slow and time-consuming and annoying. Sony seriously needs to fix this with a ‘fast’ firmware update.

PICTURE QUALITY:Having now spent a good few weeks with the NX5 I can report my findings: they are everything that I expected. I did some brief filming in England, then some more in the USA. Overall, the image quality is pretty much identical to the tape-based Z5, only the NX5 shows ever so slightly better control over compression artifacts, which is due to the more advanced AVCHD codec I suspect. Moving shots over foliage also looked slightly smoother; but the difference is very small and you have to look really hard to see it. With regular shooting i.e. on the streets, inside museums, in the park and in varying lighting conditions, the NX5 produces beautifully sharp (yet smooth) images with plenty of deep saturation in the colours. It’s a pleasing image and one that I am more than happy with at this price range. I did some brief filming of some Amateur Dramatics rehearsals in what can only be described as ‘just adequate’ lighting conditions hence

I had to switch the gain in to 9db, even then I was working at full aperture. However, the final results were surprisingly smooth and virtually noise-free. Anyone looking to shoot event or wedding videography will be thrilled with the low-light capabilities of the NX5. Shooting in low light with the gain switched in at 9db produced perfectly usable images with little noticeable noise. Even at 18db the noise was acceptable; not as smooth as 9db, but it could certainly be cut in with regular footage. Overall the image quality produced by the NX5 is a ‘trifle’ better than the tape-based Z5, but it is not quite at EX series image quality; the latter producing nearly 1000 lines of resolution. The NX5 produces just over 800 lines: outstanding at this price. Comparing the NX5 to the competition. It is way ahead of the Panasonic HMC151, which produces around 600 lines, and the JVC GY-HM 700, which produces around 700 lines. The NX5 also beats the Canon XL H1 in the

resolution stakes, though only just. Image ‘feel’ is a personal thing. I personally like the ‘look’ of higher end Panasonic models such as the AJ-HPX3700 for example, as well as Sony’s own DigiBeta and HDCAM range. However, with more modestly priced cameras I have mixed feelings. Years ago I preferred the look of JVCs over Canons and Sonys, but these days Sony have really come into there own with their ‘PICTURE PROFILE’ settings. Sony has not only caught up with the competition with regard to picture ‘feel’, but they have overtaken. Considering the price of the NX5, it is incredible how you can fine-tune the ‘feel’ of the picture, and even the preset picture profiles are absolutely outstanding. Comparing the NX5 to the Panasonic HMC151 is chalk and cheese. I owned a 151 for a few years and I had some clips I shot from outside my house. I shot the same clips on the NX5. I know they were both shot at different times, but nonetheless, the difference is obvious. The said shot was a ‘wide’ landscape shot with a small cottage in the distance with some surrounding treas. On the 151 you cannot even see that the small window in the cottage has a large cross pattern as part of the frame. This cross is clear as daylight when viewing the NX5 footage. Also, the surrounding trees in the distance look like the entire trees were dabbed on with a thick paintbrush with the 151, whereas with the NX5 you can make out the leaves and individual branches. Overall, the 151 is soft, with no definition or detail at all. The NX5 on the other hand is sharp with plenty of punch and resolution. Comparing the NX5 to the JVC GY-HM700 (though the JVC does have interchangeable lenses), the difference is not quite as obvious, but it is clear. The JVC suffers from lots of noise and serious compression artefacts. The JVC’s resolution is also notable with the same ‘landscape’ shot. The trees have no detail via the JVC and the foliage has way too much artefacting and ‘marching ants’. The NX5 is by no way free of artefacts, but it is way ahead of anything else at this price range. There is also something else about the picture quality and ‘feel’ of the image of the NX5 that I can’t quite put my finger on. I just appears to have that extra “Je ne sais quoi”. Somehow, the images produced by the NX5 don’t appear to be quite so ‘digital’ in ‘look’, which I really prefer. Independent low-budget filmmakers will love this.

PLAYING BACK CLIPS DIRECT FROM CARDS:For simple playback on many consumer devices and players (from computers and video game consoles like the Sony PS3 to Blu-ray players and flat panel displays with SD card slots), with AVCHD it is easier and quicker to view your footage on other devices without having to edit, burn, or plug your camcorder into the HDMI socket of your TV. Sony’s PS3 for example has a USB slot right on the front. Simply remove the card from your camcorder and pop it into a USB card reader, then into the PS3. Once the card is in the USB slot via USB/SD card reader on the PS3, you simply select

µµµ REVIEW

Expanded focus button conveniently positioned.


‘ U S B Slot’ from the PS3’s menu and hit play. You can then flick through clips and play them as you would a DVD. In this instance, the PS3 is acting like a regular solid-state playback deck. You can play back AVCHD footage off SD/HC cards or Memory Sticks on many other regular games consoles and domestic Blu-Ray players that have the SD or MS card slot.

EDITING:I’m an Apple Final Cut Pro user, which means it is time to complain. Really complain. Apple’s Final Cut Pro does not support the NX5’s native AVCHD codec. FCP has to transcode the AVCHD codec into Apple’s own ProRres format, which takes a long time. Did I say a long time? Sorry, I meant to say a bloody long time. It’s long. Painfully long. I took the opportunity to shoot my latest SIV (Special Interest Video) with two cameras; one NX5 and an EX3. Importing the AVCHD clips from the NX5 involves using FCPs Log & Transfer window. I had 76 minutes of clips, 30 clips in total ranging from 20 seconds to 14 minutes and everything in-between. Well, 6 hours later FCP was still importing clip 11; Hmm. It took over 12 hours to import just 76 minutes worth of clips. That’s about 10 times slower than real time tape. 20 years ago I could have got 8mm Cine Film sent off and processed and delivered back to me via courier bike in less time than that. This is a backward step, a very backward one indeed - and it is for this reason that I personally would not buy an NX5. It’s not Sony’s fault of course - this is an Apple issue, but I edit with Apple, which means the NX5 is out of the question for me as I refuse to pay ‘Adobe’ prices for the Mac version of Premiere Pro, which does support AVCHD on the Mac. Sony’s Vegas and Canopos Edius also supports AVCHD natively, but as I don’t have any of these Windows-based editors I could not comment on how long importing would take.

FINAL VERDICT:I have to admit I’m quite enthused by this new NXCAM hand-held camcorder: it’s the hand-held camcorder that I’ve been waiting for! (Apple FCP update support for AVCHD permitting) Reasonably priced at £3,450 inc., with low-cost media cards, and outstanding picture quality for the money. It’s a real world-beater! On a final note, the NX5 is not a replacement for the HDV tape-based Z5, it’s an entirely new system (the NXCAM System) designed to fit into a solid-state marketplace. There are still thousands of videographers out there who are committed to tape for various reasons and Sony fully intend to support the HDV tape-based system for as long as there is a market for it, as well as augmenting it with the new Hybrid system for recording to tape and/or CompactFlash. Having said that, I personally think, wait, let me rephrase, I personally ‘know’ that tape is dead. Once you’ve worked in a tapeless environment you’ll never turn back. I believe that this is the best camcorder available for under £4,000. Nothing else compares. Sony has produced the perfect balance with the NX5. It has a superb G-lens, great ClearVid CMOS Exmor sensors, and the cracking AVCHD codec. These three ingredients all add up to one amazing piece of kit. The quality of the NX5’s images suggest a more expensive camcorder. Add to that the multitude of recording formats and options and the low-cost solid-state recording media and we have a real world-beater for just £3,500 inc. I’d like to give the cute little NX5 top marks, but the lack of ‘last clip delete’ as an assignable button and poor native support for AVCHD from the likes of Apple (athough this is no really fault of Sony’s) I’ll give the NX5 8 out of 10.

REVIEW µµµBright LCD is clear to see outdoors in daylight.

CANON HF11

CANON XH-A1

CANON XH-G1

CANON XL-H1

CANON XL-H1A / S

GRASS VALLEY INFINITY

JVC GY-HD110 / 111

JVC GY-HD 200 / 201

JVC GY-HD 251

JVC GY-HM700

PANASONIC HDC-SD100

PANASONIC AG-HMC171

PANASONIC AG-HMC151

PANASONICAG-HVX201

PANASONIC HPX500

PANASONIC HPX301E

PANASONIC AJ-HDX900

PANASONIC AJ-HPX2100

PANASONIC AJ-HPX2700

PANASONIC AJ HPX3000

SONY HVR-A1

SONY HVR-V1

SONY HVR-S270

SONY HVR-Z5

SONY HVR-Z7

SONY HXR-NX5E

SONY PMW-EX1

SONY PMW-EX3

SONY PMW-350K

SONY PDW F335

SONY PDW F355

SONY PDW 700

SONY PDW F800

SONY HDW-650P

SONY HDW-790P

SONY HDW-F900R

CAMCORDER CODEC SENSOR SIZE CCD Res REC Res MEDIA TYPE LENS FEATURES / COMMENTS PRICE WEBSITE

AVCHD

HDV

HDV

HDV

HDV

JPEG 2000

HDV

HDV

HDV

QuickTime

AVCHD

AVCHD

AVCHD

DVCPRO HD

DVCPRO HD

DVCPRO HD

DVCPRO HD

DVCPRO HD

DVCPRO HD

DVCPRO HD

HDV

HDV

HDV

HDV

HDV

AVCHD

XDCAM EX

XDCAM EX

XDCAM EX

XDCAM HD

XDCAM HD

XDCAM HD422

XDCAM HD422

HDCAM

HDCAM

HDCAM

1xCMOS

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCMOS

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xMOS

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

1xCMOS

3xCMOS

3xCMOS

3xCMOS

3xCMOS

3xCMOS

3xCMOS

3xCMOS

3x CMOS

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

3xCCD

1/3

1/3

1/3

1/3

1/3

2/3

1/3

1/3

1/3

1/3

1/6

1/3

1/3

2/3

2/3

1/3

2/3

2/3

2/3

2/3

1/3

1/3

1/3

1/3

1/3

1/3

1/2

1/2

2/3

1/2

1/2

2/3

2/3

2/3

2/3

2/3

1920x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1920x1080

1280x720

1280x720

1280x720

1920x1080*

1440x1080

1920x1080•

1920x1080•

1920x1080*

1920x1080*

1920x1080

1280x720

1920x1080*

1920x1080*

1920x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920X1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

SD/HC Cards

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

REV PRO & CF

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

SD/HC Cards

SD/HC Cards

SD/HC Cards

SD/HC Cards

P2 Cards

P2 Cards

P2 Cards

DVCPRO Tape

P2 Cards

P2 Cards

P2 Cards

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

HDV Tape

Sony MS Pro

SxS Pro Cards

SxS Pro Cards

SxS Pro Cards

Professional Disc

Professional Disc

Professional Disc

Professional Disc

HDCAM Tape

HDCAM Tape

HDCAM Tape

Palmcorder

Hand-Held

Hand-Held

Semi-Shoulder

Semi-Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Palmcorder

Shoulder

Hand-Held

Hand-Held

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Palmcorder

Hand-Held

Shoulder

Hand-Held

Hand-Held

Hand-Held

Hand-Held

Semi-Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Shoulder

Fixed

Fixed

Fixed

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Fixed

Fixed

Fixed

Fixed

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Fixed

Fixed

Interchangable

Fixed

Interchangable

Fixed

Fixed

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

Interchangable

1920x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1920x1080

1280x720

1280x720

1280x720

1280x720

1440x1080

960x540

960x540

960x540

960x540

1920x1080

1280x720

1280x720

1280x720

1920x1080

960x1080

960x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920X1080

1440x1080

1440x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

1920x1080

* Up-sampled from 1280x720


CAMCORDER CODEC SENSOR SIZE CCD Res REC Res MEDIA TYPE LENS FEATURES / COMMENTS PRICE WEBSITE

1920x1080 Full HD (24Mbps), Dual Flash Memory – 32Gb internal plus memory card

1080i, Custom presets, Cine gamma, XLR audio outputs

1080i, HD/SDI output, Custom presets, Cine gamma, XLR audio outputs

1080i, 50i/25f, HD/SDI output, Genlock input, Timecode I/O, XLR audio outputs

1080i, 50i/25f, HD/SDI output, Genlock input, Timecode I/O, XLR audio outputs

720/60p - 1080/60i, records to REV PRO media & CF cards

720/24p, 720/25p, 720/30p, XLR audio outputs

720/24p, 720/25p, 720/30p, 720/50p, 720/60p, XLR audio outputs

720/24p, 720/25p, 720/30p, 720/50p, 720/60p, XLR audio outputs

35Mbps QuickTime recording in full 1920x1080 to SD/HC cards

AVCHD recording to SD/HC cards, 6/9/13Mbps, Leica Dicomar Lens

AVCHD budget shoulder type, Leica lens, XLR audio outputs

AVCHD semi-pro hand-held, solid-state AVCHD replacement for DVX100b

1080i/720p, Leica Dicomar wide-angle lens, DV to tape or HD to P2 card

50/60 Hz selectable, variable frame-rate function, P2 only

10-bit, 4:2:2, 2.2MP Imagers, 3-MOS, AVC-Intra 100 & AVC-Intra 50

1080/50i, 25p, 1080/60i, 24p, 30p, 720/60p, 24p, 30p, 720/50p

1080i/50, 720/50p, records to P2 only

2/3rd-inch native HD resolution, 1080 & 720 with 4:2:2 10-bit sampling in AVC-Intra 100

Native 1080p HD recording to AVC-Intra with 4:2:2 10-bit sampling in AVC-Intra 100

Single 3 mega-pixel chip, Carl Zeiss Sonnar lens with 10x zoon, Cine mode

1080/50i with 1080/25p progressive shooting mode, Carl Zeiss lens

Budget shoulder-mount camcorder with Z7 type interchangable lenses

Replacement for the Z1, new G-lens, better chips and more up-to-date technology

1080i/50, 1080/25p, DVCAM SD mode, Zeiss lens, Audio XLR inputs

Solid-state Z5, AVCHD, Memory Stick Pro, semi-pro hand-held, variable framerate, 1080p

1080i/50, 1080/25p, 720/50p, 35Mbps variable frame-rate, timelapse, pre-record, Cine gamma

1080i/50, 1080/25p, 720/50p, 35Mbps frame-rate dial, interchangable EX-mount lenses

Professional shoulder-mount version of EX3, 2/3rd inch, 1080/25p, 35Mbps, lens included

1080/50i, 1080/25p, 18/25/35Mbps rates, records to 23GB or 50GB dual-layer Optical Discs

1080/50i, 1080/25p, 18/25/35Mbps rates, 23GB or 50GB XDC AM discs, HD/SDI output

1080/50i, 1080/25p, 720/25p, 4:2:2 sampling, 2/3rd-inch, 14-bit AD records to 23GB or 50GB

1080/50i, 1080/25/24p, 720/25p, 4:2:2 sampling, 2/3rd-inch PowerHAD, 14-bit AD

1080/50i, 1080/25PsF, 14-bit A/D converter, Power HAD FX CCDs

1080/50i, 1080/25p, 12-bit AD, picture cache, upgrade to the HDW 750 range

1080/50i, 1080/25p, 12-bit AD, Gamma curves, frame-rates up to 30p, replacement for F900

£695

£2,400

£4,500

£5,400

£4,200 - £5,200

£19,000

£3,800 - £3,995

£4,350 - £4,550

£6,150

£4,600 (body only)

£650

£1,200

£2,800

£3,350

£9,500

£9,800

£13,500 (body only)




£1,700

£2,700

£6,200

£3,300

£4,100

£3,300

£4,700

£6,300

£12,500

£9,500 (body only)







www.canon.co.uk

www.canon.co.uk

www.canon.co.uk

www.canon.co.uk

www.canon.co.uk

www.thomsongrassvalley.com

www.jvcpro.co.uk

www.jvcpro.co.uk

www.jvcpro.co.uk

www.jvcpro.co.uk

www.panasonic.co.uk

www.panasonic-broadcast.com









www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

www.sonybiz.net

Note: The prices below are including vat and are street prices i.e. the price that known UK professional video retailers would sell them for. These prices were obtained via the usual UK shops (regular advertisers in DVuser), however, prices can change on a regular basis so be sure to call your regular dealer for a firm price.

Thank you, Nigel Cooper - Founder/Editor DVuser magazine.


A DV E R T I S E H E R EEmail: [email protected]

ABSOLUTE

We’re offering 24 months 0% finance on virtually all of Sony’s XDCAM EX, XDCAM HD and HDCAM SR products and accessories, as well as selected monitors until 31st July 2010*

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*Subject to status. Terms & conditions apply. Call us for further information.

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NEWS • REVIEWS • FEATURES • ARTICLES • TUTORIALS ... · inverting the follow focus gearbox which houses a matched pair of left hand, cross cut helical gears enabling the necessary