All tests were done with the lenses set at their widest, also to test the focus at infinity.

Carl Zeiss Distagon 25mm/2.8 (Click to see the test at 1024×512)

Focus at infinity is not quite there. This might be because of the Contax/Canon adapter used. A new one is on order. If the lens is stepped down to 5.6, infinity is fine. Stepping down on the 25/2.8

Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm/2.8 (Click to see the test at 1024×512)

Carl Zeiss Tessar 45mm/2.8 (Click to see the test at 1024×512) This lens is small, not thicker than a thumb.

Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm/1.4 (Click to see the test at 1024×512) The flickering comes from the office fixtures.

Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm/1.4 (Click to see the test at 1024×512) This is one beauty of a lens.

Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135mm/2.8 (Click to see the test at 1024×512)

Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 200mm/3.5 (Click to see the test at 1024×512)

Tamron 500mm/8 (Click to see the test at 1024×512) This is just a lens I happend to have, and it was fun trying it as well. It has a fixed aperture of 8, and includes a macro function. Mirror lens, meaning it is relatively compact.

Generally I am happy with the performance of these lenses, their breathing is acceptable to me. The built quality of the Zeiss lenses is phenomenal, they have a very long focus throw.

Now, with Internet and broadband, stories are no longer restricted by length - they just have to be good, so that people do want to watch them. More money can be spend on the actual film, rather than its distribution. “Get out of the Doghouse” is an excellent example of one of those. Observe:

(via Doug Karr)

Hope you enjoy it, and do let me know of any problems you encounter during this switch over.

Finding the Problem

Hypothesis I: The batteries are DOA

Both batteries charged up without fault in the charger (an IDX charger with display; a battery geek’s dream), and they performed also fine on our Sony DSR-570. So: No.

Hypothesis II: The batteries don’t have enough troughput

I fixed up a little cable that would put both batteries in a chain (effectively a 380Wh battery!), again, only the display of the R1 would light up, but it would still not boot.

I fetched an old V-lock battery that had been dead for years. I istalled this battery on the R1 and used my previously built cable to daisy chain it with one of the new 190Wh batteries. And voilá: The camera would boot up nicely. I thus concluded:

Final verdict: Something must be wrong with the internal wiring of the battery

Next I took my trusty voltmeter and compared how the different pins were powered, and compared it with the other batteries I had. It turned out that one pin on the “faulty” batteries was powered, which did not have any power on the other batteries.

First I tried taping over the “faulty” pin, but this did meant that none of the other pins would make contact. So I had to go inside the battery and clip the corresponding cable. And to my delight, this did fix it.

Here comes a more detailed description on how you can fix your battery yourself.

Fixing the Problem

Tools needed: Small Phillips screwdriver, tape, something to clip a cable.

First I put a little tape reminder as to which cable to clip. It is the third one from the left, here shown with an ‘x’. You have to unscrew the 4 main screws, but also the 3 screws that hold the V-lock thing.

Next you have to push the sides and wiggle the top off the case. This may take some patience, as the inside is taped with some double-sided sticky tape. Once you do get the case open, the three small nuts may have stuck to one of the tapes. Make sure that you don’t lose them - or that they get lost inside the case.

Next job is to isolate the one cable that carries the unwanted power. Use the previously made tape mark for guidance.

Clip off that cable and tape off both ends to avoid short circuiting. (I tried soldering off the cable, but had the impression that the plastic would melt before the metal.)

Now you can put all together again, remember to put those three nuts into the right place, so that you can screw back the V-lock thingy.

So, enjoy your RED One with a much improved running-time.

With all our modern inventions and innovations, there are few films that manage to achieve the “quality” of Citizen Kane, though there are many that have far less grain and considerably higher resolution.

Every shot I have ever made has been a compromise in some way. That’s a sweeping statement, but true nonetheless. No image has ever been as good as the one I envisioned in my mind’s eye. Maybe that’s what keeps me going: just once, I want to see that image onscreen!

There has always been a disregard for preservation, whether it’s preservation of a historic site, the Dodo, the polar bear, or a film like Sid and Nancy.

The animators who “photographed” [Wall-E] worked in a three-dimensional world and covered the action in much the same way as a live-action film, but the directors of photography, Danielle Feinberg (lighting) and Jeremy Lasky (camera) - separate positions you might note - used no emulsion, no Fresnel lamps or diffusion, no Steadicam, no geared head, nor any other live-action tool. Nevertheless, theirs was a stunning cinematographic achievement. It’s true they had an advantage - they never had to battle fading daylight, conceal a light’s source or hide dolly tracks - but I would not hesitate to recommend them for ASC membership.

Read the full article here.