Here at Shift 4 we are constantly looking for enthusiastic talent to join our Kitroom teams in London and Manchester, any open vacancies will be listed below, but if no jobs are listed and you believe you have the right skills and attitude to join our growing company, you are welcome to send your CV and a cover letter to [email protected], we will then consider your application during our next round of recruitment. We also advertise our jobs on our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook feeds.
Josh Williams is a British Director of Photography. He’s shot commercials for big brands such as Tag Heuer, L’Oreal and GQ, as well documentaries, shorts, and campaigns.
Shift 4 have been working with Josh for years and we were excited he wanted to use the KOWA Prominars to shoot his latest UNICEF campaign highlighting the stigma mental illness places on a family.
We talked to Josh about his creative and technical process approaching the project, and the choices he made to give the audience an impactful experience of the pressure mental illness puts on the individual.
In his own words, Josh told us:
The campaign for UNICEF was aimed at inspiring people to break the stigma around mental health, and hopefully encourage decision makers to invest in mental health issues to support young people and families. My part in the campaign was to work with British spoken word artist, Taz, to create something engaging and powerful that functions as the spine of the campaign. Technically, the brief was similar to a music video, so I had to pick a location that suited that kind of look.
I found an empty car storage warehouse with a symmetrical ceiling and a criss-cross metal floor. This was perfect as it looked like Taz was trapped in a tiny area within a massive space, which really expressed the impact of mental illness.
There was a feeling that Taz had lots of unknowns around her, like dark corners, which was something we could emphasize with moody light. I also had a set build of a narrow corridor to make Taz feel closed into her thoughts, and we went with an endless blackness in the doorway behind to signify the demons at the back of her mind.
Finding the right lens for the project was essential as I needed something super wide that’s uncomfortably close, as well working far away to give the feeling that Taz was under pressure, but small in her feelings. I also wanted something around the 50mm mark that would be complimentary for closer shots. When choosing lens sets, they have to suit the brief. There’s no use in having dreamy vintage with quirks and lens distortion on a clean, precise commercial, vice-versa you don’t want clean overly sharp optics on something other worldly.
In the end I chose the KOWA Cine Prominars because of their stunning capabilities.
The scene we were capturing was already quite high contrast and I didn’t feel the need to add any more contrast with a lens, and the Kowa’s were the right choice for this look. They have a sharpness to them which is great because I was always going to be using Bronze Glimmerglass to soften the skin and bloom my highlights.
“The 15mm will be my go-to wide lens from now on.”
I used the Prominars fully open and a T2.3 stop gifted the perfect amount of shallow making for a beautiful drop-off. The 15mm being a T4 didn’t seem to make too much of a difference as it was super shallow for a wide angle, I would definitely say it’s the best wide-angle lens I’ve shot with – the distortion is insanely minimal for something so wide. It will be my go-to wide lens from now on.
I knew the camera would be constantly moving for this shoot, which is why we shot on Alexa Mini and Movi Pro, so I really needed a lens set suited to gimbal and Steadicam work. The Kowa Cine Prominars worked perfectly as they’re super small and lightweight. My top-tip would be to plan for the 20mm and 25mm to be balanced quite differently as they do have some weight and length to them, for me that meant a couple of counterweights on the Movi Pro which was totally worth it!
UNICEF was aiming the campaign at a young audience, which was vital in my creative approach to the project. Content for this audience is colourful and dramatic, so we needed to match that kind of content to catch their attention on social media. Because of this, I chose colours referencing the globally popular show Stranger Things in my palette, lighting with a deep red background and a cool blue foreground. As blue is also the colour in UNICEF’s logo, this approach paired up really well.
We had 12 ARRI SkyPanel’s on the sides and back shooting red into the arena, and then set up 16 Astera tubes running blue in the ceiling, as well as an Aputure C600D with blue gel running the side/foreground light, My own trusty Hudson Spider worked as the key light.
CREDITS
Gaffer: Holly Mapp Instagram
Art Director: Bennie de Vries
1st AC: Harold Williams Instagram
2nd AC: Sebastian Olmos Instagram
Spark: Tom McGoldrick Instagram
Lighting Trainee: Harry Grunfield Instagram
South Africa production for anything not featuring Taz: Rooftop Productions Instagram
By Colin Coomber – Technical Director & DoP at Shift 4
May 2022
To try and answer this, we invited a group of some of the UK’s most talented cinematographers, DoPs, focus pullers and camera operators to do a lens test with our own set of LEITZ PRIMES, which are available for hire in the UK. We also shot a short film to see for ourselves if these lenses really are ‘the best of the best’.
We aim to give you a detailed and expert review by offering a broad range of opinions from cinematographers Chris Ross BSC (Top Boy & Room), Aadel Nodeh-Farahani (Tell Me Everything & Becoming You), Kia Fern Little (Celeste & Parallel) and Beatriz Delgado (Stay With Me & Losing Grace), to DoPs Roy Estabrook (Murder in Successville & King Gary) and Jamie Cairney (Sex Education & Flowers), and camera operator Peter Robertson ACO, SOC, Assoc. BSC (Cyrano & Atonement).
For a break-down of the LEITZ PRIMES technical features, check our Specs 4 Techs
Read on to find out what this group of highly respected filmmakers thought of the LEITZ PRIMES and their:
In short? They were very impressed.
‘The Leitz Primes displayed stunning flare repression and highlight control with no evidence of aberration and solid, uncontaminated blacks.’
You may know Leitz as Leica, but they’re one and the same. Leitz Cine became a branch of Leica in 2008, adopting the name of Leica founder, Ernst Leitz Wetzlar.
The LEITZ PRIMES are full frame, fast and spherical lenses, designed from the ground up and are very different to other Leitz lenses. But still, does this mean they deserve to be called ‘the best of the best’?
Set of 12 Lenses Available to Rent From Shift 4
Optically superior, we can confidently report the LEITZ PRIMES have:
Already making their mark in high-end productions, you may have already seen the LEITZ PRIMES in action. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC shot the feature, Cyrano (2021) which was a marvel of dramatic and cinematic scope. Elsewhere, Netflix hit Anatomy of a Scandal (2022) by cinematographer Balazs Bolygo BSC HSC proved to be a striking TV series with filmic proportions.
With other productions in line, including the highly anticipated period feature film Mr Malcolm’s List (2022) by cinematographer Tony Miller BSC, and Wonka (2023) (also by Seamus McGarvey), the LEITZ PRIMES are blazing a trail for themselves, setting the bar at an all-time high.
‘I think they’re superb… I’m bored with vintage glass, and I can do all that in post so easily. These are amazing lenses and look softer and warmer than the Summilux which were very clinical. Full Frame is the future.’
Tony Miller BSC (Fleabag & Mr. Malcolm’s List)
Over the course of the demo days, the elegant focus was a key point of discussion.
‘Smooth’ is the word we landed on to describe the detailed rendering of these lenses. The way they produce detail is as close to what the human eye sees as we’ve come across, where objects look more real, more three dimensional.
‘The overall sharpness, resolution and illumination across the frame remained consistent.’
This smooth resolution is consistent across the entire full frame image area as well as having little to no optical distortion even on the widest lenses, which is a feature that makes them particularly suited to high-end production for multiple reasons:
The practical design of the lenses appealed to Roy Estabrook, who noted no significant changes in their performance at T1.8, T2.8 & T4. In comparison, a vintage lens would have a completely different look at various T-stops.
With the LEITZ PRIMES, you can set the T-stop for the desired depth of field for each shot without worrying about the characteristics of the image changing. This is a huge advantage when shooting full frame as typically the overall depth of field can quickly become unworkably shallow.
‘There’s plenty of clarity across all of the focus planes of the image.’
Bokeh
The iris on these lenses makes a circular shape, gifting intriguing aspects to the cinematographer:
Gradual Depth of Field With a Fast Full-Frame
Typically, when shooting full frame in terms of depth of field, T1.8 is an unforgiving f stop. The roll-off on the LEITZ PRIMES, however, is remarkably gradual. They’re fast for full frame with the predominant max T stop of 1.8 across the range (excepting 180mm = T2 & 350mm = T3.6).
When Chris Ross BSC tested them with a 50mm lens, wide open, at 3 feet 6 inches, recording full frame on the Sony Venice he found there was ‘plenty of clarity across all of the focus planes of the image.’
A forgiving focus roll off in a lens creates depth, where objects and environments appear more three dimensional, giving us a feeling of many different, but connected, layers. Other fast full frame lenses with more aggressive roll off give the feeling of a shallow depth of field, expressing a 2D pop-up book where the subject and defocus area appear as two separate, distinct spaces.
‘In all the years of shooting lens tests and viewing new lenses as they’re released, I can honestly say I’ve never been more impressed than I was that day. Particularly the image in a basic low light setting knocked me out.’
We brought along the Leitz Elsie’s and M0.8 lenses to the test days for comparison. Unlike the Elsie’s and the M0.8’s, the LEITZ PRIMES offer some significant characteristics:
The key advantage to having no chromatic aberrations visible in the highlights means that details such as spectral highlights have more clarity to them, and more highlight information can be recovered in a log or RAW recording as the higher exposed information is rendered intact by the lens. Another consideration for this is mastering for HDR. Chromatic aberrations in footage, when mastered and displayed on a HDR monitor, can becoming super bright and saturated making them incredibly distracting compared to the same image in SDR.
‘Organic rainbow-style flare that kicks in due to out of frame highlights reminds me of gate flares when shooting film.’
Characterful flares produced by these lenses give an organic element, perfectly complementing their otherwise high performing optics.
During our lens test days, the flare quality was what the filmmakers commented on the most. While other characteristics of these lenses fall into the category of optically clean lenses, usually meaning minimised and subtle lens flaring, the opposite is true for the LEITZ PRIMES.
The flares we noted were:
In addition, we found:
Cinematographer Aadel Nodeh-Farahani wanted to see how the lenses looked when adding a black pro mist. We discovered it gave the flares a much warmer colour as well as creating interesting, artistic rainbow flares, which Aadel said reminded him of those given from the classic Canon K35 lenses.
‘These lenses are incredibly accurate with no distortion or breathing, making them ideal for VFX work.’
During our lens test, since Peter Robertson ACO, SOC, Assoc. BSC was in the room, the conversation naturally turned to Cyrano as he worked as the A Camera Operator on the shoot.
Regarding Cyrano, Seamus McGarvey said in his interview with Leitz Cine that ‘our VFX supervisor Giles Harding thanked’ him for using the LEITZ PRIMES. He goes on to say:
‘On a few shots he asked us to pull filtration and start with a clean image, later saying it was a godsend to have an image with such edge-to-edge precision.
I know these lenses made the collaboration between 1st AC, DIT and VFX supervisor very easy. All the critical information is transferred, which reduces hours of work of transcribing things manually. It’s all in the footage: focal length, exposure, focus pulls, etc.
Something I’ve noticed in previous grading sessions on other projects is that each lens in a set has its own particular shade and colour. When I was grading this film with colourist Peter Doyle, we found that the LEITZ PRIMES have a wonderful consistency between focal lengths.’
What we know is that it’s common to see some sort of colour cast between the foreground defocus and background defocus which can be easily seen when checking lenses on a projector. This is something that usually needs correcting in post to add visual effects and reintroduced. However, we heard that with these lenses no correction for colour casting is needed at all.
‘The Leitz Primes are a great base sauce when cooking up a look!’
When playing with various diffusion filters Aadel Nodeh-Farahani summed the LEITZ PRIMES up perfectly by describing them as the perfect base cook sauce. They offer such a high quality, optically clean starting point, creating a foundation where other flavours can easily be added. This is where Leitz have been exceptionally smart with the design of these lenses.
‘When testing I found that I was able to use the LEITZ PRIME lenses like three separate sets of lenses by adjusting the lighting and filtration, creating looks from balmy nostalgia to high contrast horror scape with quite minor adjustments.’
Seamus McGarvey (Source)
Seamus McGarvey talks about the cinematography of Cyrano
Certain characteristics, such as sharpness or contrast renditioning, are performed to a high optical level and are easily manipulated with filtration or in the grade. Other aspects are made more interesting by the craft of these lenses, such as cinematic lens flares, which isn’t a quality that’s easily introduced if not already part of the lens. These reasons make the lenses perfect for high-end productions because they can either be left unaltered to produce high-resolution images perfect for visual effects work, or the lenses can be degraded and manipulated from there.
For 100 years, Leitz/Leica have been at the forefront of the optical manufacturing industry. Now cinema is firmly in its digital era, the engineering superiority of the LEITZ PRIMES guarantees a clear aesthetic with stylish characteristics for artistic and technical filmmakers alike.
‘They had a warmth to them. A real roundness and gentle quality, but they’re also edge-to-edge visceral.’
Seamus McGarvey
To hire the Shift 4 LEITZ PRIME lenses¸ please send us an email and come down for a lens test: [email protected]
In this article we highlight the main differences between these 2 great Sony cameras. The FX9 and FS7
To learn more about Shift 4’s other kit, subscribe to our YouTube channel for lens tests, instructional videos, equipment reviews and S4 Shorts.
Sony FX9 | Sony FS7 | |
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SENSOR | 6K Full Frame CMOS Can crop to 5K FF and 4K S35 | 4K S35 CMOS Can crop to 2K S16 |
RECORD RESOLUTIONS | 4K DCI (4096 x 2160) 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) HD (1920 x 1080) | 4K DCI (4096 x 2160) 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) HD (1920 x 1080) |
CODECS | XAVC I (4:2:2-10bit) XAVC L (4:2:2-10bit) Mpeg 2 (4:2:2-8bit) - (HD only) | XAVC I (4:2:2-10bit) XAVC L (4:2:2-10bit) Mpeg 2 (4:2:2-8bit) - (HD only) With Extension Unit 👇 ProRes 422HQ (4:2:2-10bit) - (HD only) ProRes 422 (4:2:2-10bit) - (HD only) ProRes 422LT (4:2:2-10bit) - (HD only) |
RECORD TIMES (128Gb XQD Cards at 25p) | 4K XAVC-I - 60mins 4K XAVC-L - 2hr 32mins HD XAVC-I - 2hr 8mins HD XAVC-L 50 - 4hr 44mins HD XAVC-L 35 - 6hr 30mins | 4K XAVC-I - 60mins 4K XAVC-L - 2hr 32mins HD XAVC-I - 2hr 8mins HD XAVC-L 50 - 4hr 44mins HD XAVC-L 35 - 6hr 30mins HD ProRes 422HQ - 1hr 16mins HD ProRes 422 - 1hr 52mins |
FRAME RATES | 1-30 fps (S: FF-6K | R: 4K DCI/UHD)* 1-60 fps (S: FF-5K | R: 4K DCI/UHD)* 1-60 fps (S: FF-6K | R: HD)* 100, 120 fps (S: FF-2K | R: HD)* 1-30 fps (S: S35-4K | R: 4K DCI/UHD)* 1-60 fps (S: S35-4K | R: HD)* 100, 120 fps (S: S35-2K | R: HD)* | 1-60 fps (S: S35-4K | R: 4K DCI/UHD)* 1-60 fps (S: S35-2K/S16-2K | R: HD) * 72-150 fps (S: S35-2K/S16-2K | R: HD)* |
BASE ISO | Dual ISO 800 and 4000 | 2000 |
TIMECODE / GENLOCK | On Camera Body | Rear Extension Unit Required |
*S = Sensor Mode | R = Recording Resolution
When using certain E mount lenses with the FX9, continuous autofocus options become available. Including setting the speed and sensitivity of focus pulls as well as face and eye recognition that can detect multiple people at once. The FX9 also allows the selection of focus areas by using the viewfinder’s touch screen function.
Most users of the FS7 prefer using S-log 3 and grading or burning in a low contrast LUT to produce subtler highlights and colours than the standard rec709 shooting mode. A big trade up with this mode is you are fixed to 3 preset white balances (3200, 4300 and 5500k) so provides reduced control of the image.
The FX9 allows full white balance control in Cine EI mode with Slog 3 but also offers the new S-Cinetone look in custom mode. This is based on the filmic LUT provided in the Venice but burnt straight into the image. So no need for a grade or complicated LUT setups, just great highlight control and subtle filmic colours straight out of the box.
In order to achieve a full frame look on the FS7 (which has a S35 sensor), you will need to place a Speedboost Metabones adaptor between the camera body and the lens, but this will cause a slight degradation in image quality. And if you want to use a lens designed for S35, then you need to swap the adaptor to a non Speedboost.
With the FX9 you only need one Metabones adaptor and won’t have any image degradation, this is because its 6K FF sensor can be cropped to S35 (equivalent of the FS7 MkII) but still maintain 4K quality.
A lot of the great features of the FS7 MkII has been brought forward to the FX9, including:
• Variable ND filter from 0.6 – 1.8
• General body design and viewfinder are the same complete with smart handle
• They can both record HD and 4K in XAVC I 422 10bit codec
• Both record to affordable XQD cards
• Both cameras have the highly versatile E-mount lens mount, which can be easily adapted to EF and PL mount
By Colin Coomber – Technical Director & DoP at Shift 4
June 2018
It’s well known that in recent times, some DoPs have turned to old, messy, dirty vintage lenses to take the edge off. With this popularity and demand higher than ever, lens manufacturers have started to deliberately alter the qualities of new lenses. Cooke is the latest to do this with the resurrection of their Speed Panchros christening them Cooke Panchro/i Classics.
In our video below, we pitted them against a set of rehoused Speed Panchros, to see how these lenses work and just how good a job Cooke has done of emulating these classic lenses.
*To learn more about Shift 4’s other kit, subscribe to our YouTube channel for lens tests, instructional videos, equipment reviews and S4 Shorts.
As our video shows, Cooke has done a very good job indeed. In my opinion, they have all the best parts that the original Speed Panchros offer with the convenience of a modern set of lenses, with characteristics like warped, interesting defocus, generous flaring, and forgiving sharpness. For these reasons, many productions have utilised the Cooke Speed Panchros to get a soft vintage feel from a digital camera.
WHIPLASH (2014)
This frame shows off the interesting bokeh of the Speed Panchros. When the iris is wide open they give the highlights a circular shape, with definition on the outer edges fading away in the centre. This can exaggerate the defocused background of a shot giving it a dreamy feeling.
In this frame from Whiplash, we can see an example of flaring in the Speed Panchros. Due to the older coatings on the lens, vintage lenses tend to flare more easily than moderns lenses, and the Cooke Speed Panchros are no exception. The flare of a Speed Panchro will vary from lens to lens, but most display big vail flaring filling the frame and lowering the contrast, as seen here.
THE WITCH (2015)
This shot from The Witch, being shot on a wide-angle Speed Panchro up close and personal, highlights the warping of the background that can be achieved with a shallow depth of field. The slight circular warping at the edges of the defocus makes this look almost like an old-fashioned photograph.
TURNER (2014)
These frames from Mr. Turner show that even when used for wide or deep focus shots, the slightly soft sharpness of the Speed Panchros can take the edge off of a digital camera even without shallow depth of field.
What you can’t see in the frames above is the work involved in selecting the Speed Panchros for these projects. Because of their age, Speed Panchros can be very different from set to set, and then within those sets, you can have differences from lens to lens in flaring, sharpness, and colour balance.
Note in the picture below how the skin varies from lens to lens:
This tends to be why vintage lenses like these are found on the set of a music video or commercial, as they’re usually fast cut and can get away with more imperfections. Long-form drama and features less so, which means finding the exact set of vintage lenses can be difficult and frustrating when they’re not available. This is where Cooke’s new Panchro/i Classics come in. They display all the characteristics discussed above, but with consistency across the set.
Consistent white balance, consistent sharpness, consistent flares. On top of this, they’re built into S4 style housing with Cooke’s i technology, making for a happy focus puller. Well as happy as they can be.
If you like these lenses then you should check out our other modern vintage revivals, the re-envisioned Kowa Anamorphics from P+S Technik and while you’re there you can look at the other classic vintage lenses we have to offer such as the Canon K35s and Zeiss Super Speeds.
Other ‘Cooke Look’ cine lenses (PL mount) available for hire at Shift 4:
‘Tiny, but mighty’ – the Alexa Mini provides the same superior image quality as the ALEXA, but in a compact, lightweight, and self-contained unit.
The ARRI Alexa Mini, and Alexa Mini LF have most of the features of the Alexa and Amira cameras including a 4:3 sensor, 200fps recording and the same look and colour science.
Equipped with a 4:3 sensor, an automatic de-squeeze mode for anamorphic and frame rates of 0.75-200 fps, the Mini records ProRes or uncompressed ARRIRAW either in-camera to CFast 2.0 cards or to a specially-designed external Codex recorder that can record image streams from up to four ALEXA Minis simultaneously, opening up options for 360° plate shots and other special setups.
OVERVIEW
Images from the ALEXA Mini perfectly match those from other ALEXA cameras potentially eliminating the complications of working with third-party cameras to achieve specialist shots and keeping everything in the same system.
Like the ARRI AMIRA, the Mini records 4K UHD ProRes images facilitating real-time 4K UHD output and simple pipelines for high-res deliverables.
As with all other ARRI cameras with ALEV III sensors, it will offer high-end image quality focusing on a large number of quality parameters in addition to spatial resolution.
The camera’s maximum frame rate of 200 fps (ProRes) means it will be able to achieve quality slow-motion. It will be able to record uncompressed ARRIRAW up to 30fps.
The ALEXA Mini’s interchangeable lens mount can be replaced with any of those designed for the AMIRA, allowing use of B4 video and EF mount stills lenses.
A built-in lens motor controller allows new active lens motors to be connected directly to the PL mount allowing the control of focus, iris, and zoom settings from ARRI hand units without an additional external box.
The ARRI Lens Data System technology provides frame-accurate metadata allowing precise adjustments to be made during a shot and potentially saving time on set and in post.
The camera can be operated in a variety of ways:
THE BUILD
The quality of the ALEXA build is continued with the ALEXA Mini: it has highly integrated and sealed electronics, a lightweight carbon housing, and a solid titanium PL mount that connects directly with the new internal sensor mount to ensure a super-stable flange focal distance even when using large lenses.
It appears nimble and hardy and its size means it will be easy to transport. It’s designed to be used with the new generation of gimbals, multicopters, and other specialized rigs.
Alexa Mini LF Rental
Combining the compact size and low weight of the popular ALEXA Mini with the large-format ALEXA LF sensor, ALEXA Mini LF brings exciting new creative possibilities to ARRI’s large-format camera system.
ALEXA Mini LF is a go-anywhere camera that has a small footprint but delivers big images.
OVERVIEW
RECORDING
Recording the same formats as ALEXA LF, but to the new, state-of-the-art and cost-effective Codex Compact Drive, the ALEXA Mini LF is a robust and reliable camera that features:
ALEXA Mini LF allows:
Codex High-Density Encoding (HDE) uses sophisticated, loss-less encoding to reduce ARRIRAW file sizes by around 40% during downloading or later in the workflow. This:
MONITOR
ARRI’s new MVF-2 viewfinder for the ALEXA Mini LF are the same high-contrast HD OLED display, colour science, and ARRICAM eyepiece as in ALEXA LF’s EVF-2 viewfinder, allowing optimal judgement of focus, dynamic range, and colour on set.
In addition, the MVF-2 features a large, 4” flip-out monitor that can display the image or the camera control menu, providing maximum flexibility for different camera configurations.
The MVF-2 can be used on either side of the camera and connects via a new, flexible, and reliable CoaXPress VF cable that has a reach of up to 10 m for remote camera operations.
It features a refined user interface, a built-in eyepiece lens heater for de-fogging, and a built-in headphones connector
SOLID UNIT
Following in ARRI’s long tradition of manufacturing rugged, reliable cameras, ALEXA Mini LF is built for a prolonged life of tough usage in challenging professional conditions. With a hard-wearing carbon body and a uniquely wide temperature range of -20° C to +45° C (-4° F to +113° F)
The ARRI Amira expands ARRI’s digital camera offering into ENG and documentary-style production.
It combines exceptional image quality and affordable CFast 2.0 workflows with an ergonomic design optimized for single-operator use and extended shoulder-mounted operation. Ready to pick up and shoot straight out of the camera bag, the ARRI AMIRA is hardy enough to take anywhere.
OVERVIEW
TOP CHARACTERISTICS
SENSOR
The ARRI Amira features the exceptional look of the ARRI ALEXA sensor and puts it into a lightweight and compact body designed to be ready for production right out of the box. Since the ARRI AMIRA’s sensor is the same as that of the ARRI ALEXA, you’ll get 14 stops of dynamic range, fantastic skin-tone rendition, a native ISO of 800 and EI range from 160 to 3200.
DATA
Recording in ProRes formats up to 4:4:4 in HD and 2K modes with frame rates up to 200fps allowing slow motion, the ARRI Amira includes all the standard frame rates of the ARRI ALEXA in addition to some interlaced frame rates (59.94i and 50i) which are necessary in some broadcast applications.
The CFast 2.0 cards are not only affordable but also offer super-fast data rates making the route to post-production as simple as possible. They’re an open format, easily accessible to anyone, making high-quality images available to even low-budget productions.
MOUNT
The ARRI AMIRA offers different lens mount options which permit a vast range of current or vintage lenses to be used whilst also allowing flexibility of cost.
PRE-LOADING
The ARRI AMIRA comes with a number of preloaded 3D LUT-based looks that can be applied on set during shooting, potentially saving time and money in post-production. Alternatively, custom-built 3D LUTs can be created by production in external grading systems then loaded into the camera and adjusted whilst filming. LUTs can either be “burnt in” to recorded footage or used purely for monitoring.
The ARRI Amira is designed to be rugged and reliable with a solid internal skeleton that guarantees camera and lens stability. Sealed electronics provide top-level protection against humidity and dust, while an integrated thermal core results in highly efficient cooling.
This camera is particularly well suited to productions for which hand-held camera work and single operator usability are key factors, so is invaluable for documentary-style work. Reportage and unscripted programming, promotional and corporate films, commercials, and low-budget features or dramas will also find the ARRI Amira provides both spectacular image quality and value.
As a way of comparison, here’s footage of the Amira facing off against the Sony F55:
To hire ARRI Amira please email [email protected]
For more information on the Amira please visit the ARRI website
By Colin Coomber – Technical Director & DoP at Shift 4
November 2017
Enriched pictures with more immersive and vivid colours, extended contrast, deeper shadows and brighter highlights. Sounds pretty good? Well that’s what High Dynamic Range can bring.
At the time of writing (2017), HDR is the biggest thing in our industry and is soon to revolutionize all parts of production, so we really want to equip you with the best info so you know what it’s all about. Shift 4’s Technical Director Colin Coomber discusses exactly what defines HDR, how it impacts on production processes, and what it means for your equipment hire decisions.
WARNING: The nature of HDR means things are going to get seriously technical!
We’ll be asking:
BONUS: For Shift 4’s expert reviews on kit and lens tests, as well as instructional videos and S4 Shorts, subscribe to our YouTube channel
High Dynamic Range concerns both image capture and image display and, to fully understand it, a grip on the specifics of how cameras and displays work together is required.
In the simplest terms, a digital camera’s dynamic range is the total range from the darkest shadow to the brightest highlight that it can resolve in a single shot. It’s measured in stops; the more stops of light that a camera’s sensor can see, the higher the dynamic range. (Modern cameras capture a dynamic range of 14-16 stops when shooting in Log).
Monitors follow recommendations that set out exactly how they should display colours and brightness. Rec709 HDTV (short for ITU-R Recommendations, Broadcast Television, number 709), otherwise known as SDR or Standard Dynamic Range, came into being 20 years ago and recommended that monitors should display 6 stops of linear, uncompressed dynamic range with a peak brightness of 100 NITs. This was based on the lowest performing technology at the time: CRT (cathode ray tube) screens. Since then technology has moved on significantly: monitors can now display more colour gamut and luminance and cameras are capable of capturing more too – which is where HDR comes in.
High Dynamic Range, then, is a new way of capturing images and displaying them, with contrast, colour and luminance capable of producing an overall highlight brightness level of more than 1,000 NITs. This blows SDR out of the water which, by comparison, has a maximum brightness of 100 NITs. Rather than the outdated Rec709 colour space, HDR, at its maximum, uses Rec2020.
Got it?! Stick with us…
This extended information within an image brings picture quality close to that seen in real life: the concept of HDR is that a captured image has the same level of brightness, colour, clarity and sharpness as the human eye.
All of this, of course, is a creative choice and greater luminance may not be the desired look, but in providing a broader spectrum HDR delivers more choice. Cinematographers are excited about it because in general it produces crisper, clearer pictures and a more immersive feel for the viewer.
HDR is becoming more commonplace: cameras have been able to capture a high dynamic range for a long time and monitor technology has recently taken great leaps towards HDR too.
There are currently multiple standards in operation for HDR:
You could call it a war between directly competing technologies!
HDR10 is more widely used, can be handled by all HDR TVs and has been adopted by numerous manufacturers so in essence it’s the industry standard. It’s an open source format meaning it’s free to use. It supports up to 4,000 NITs peak brightness with a 1,000 peak brightness target, 10 bit colour depth and is capable of displaying everything in the Rec2020 colour space.
Dolby Vision HDR was originally developed by Dolby for cinemas but has been adapted for the home. It requires the payment of a license fee. It’s a more premium standard that isn’t as well adopted but offers substantially better quality. It supports up to 10,000 NITs peak brightness with a current 4,000 NIT peak brightness target, 12 bit colour depth and is capable of displaying everything in the Rec2020 colour space. All Dolby Vision HDR TVs support both Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10, whereas HDR10 TVs on the other hand don’t support Dolby Vision HDR.
Specifically, Dolby Vision HDR adds dynamic metadata to the core HDR image data. It carries scene-by-scene instructions that Dolby Vision HDR capable monitors can use to make sure the content is displayed as accurately as possible according to their own particular NIT levels. This means the best picture quality will be displayed whatever a monitor’s NIT value, for example a 4,000 NIT picture for a 4,000 NIT monitor, a 2,000 NIT picture for a 2,000 NIT monitor, a 1,000 NIT picture for a 1,000 NIT monitor and everything in between. In doing this, a pleasing HDR image is produced to the creator’s original artistic intention whatever the monitor’s capabilities. Dolby Vision HDR is designed to preserve the information that was originally captured and pass it on.
For HDR10, content creators produce one master but don’t add the additional metadata required for Dolby Vision HDR. An HDR TV therefore receives only static metadata, which is relatively basic information about the content being shown relating to the piece in its entirety rather than scene by scene. This means it won’t continually optimise images for the screen they’re being displayed on. Instead the information above the screen’s NIT capability will be clipped to white and won’t be displayed at all. For example if something mastered to 2,000 NITs is played on a 1,000 NIT monitor, all information from 1,000-2,000 NITs will be clipped to white, or if something mastered to 1,000 NITs is played on a cheaper 400 NIT TV, 400-1000 NITs will clipped to white.
As Dolby Vision HDR is built on the same core as HDR10, it makes it relatively straight forward for producers to create Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10 masters together if desired.
Dolby Vision HDR is the current preferred standard for feature films and high end television and only tends to be utilised in these genres due to the costs involved.
HDR10+ has been developed by Samsung and Amazon to mimic the Dolby system. It claims to improve on the standard HDR10 by adding a layer of extra scene-be-scene information to help TVs better handle playback.
HLG (or Hybrid Log Gamma) has been developed by the BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK and is designed to deliver a more convenient solution for broadcast television. It combines standard dynamic range and high dynamic range in just one video signal that can play as SDR on SDR screens or HDR on HLG HDR screens (as different parts of the image’s gamma/log curve are used or ignored), providing options that cover a wide range of viewers. The “one size fits all” signal doesn’t take up extra bandwidth and works within existing broadcast workflows, and therefore could be feasible with live productions. The plan is that HLG ready televisions or HLG firmware upgrades for existing TV sets will be available. However there are question marks over whether HLG will deliver true HDR content – possibly HDR quality will be compromised and pictures won’t be as dynamic. The system is still in development so watch this space.
Advanced HDR by Technicolor is the newest HDR format and is the result of a collaboration between LG and Technicolor. As with other types of HDR, the content needs to be mastered in that format, played back by a source that can read the Advanced HDR data and then displayed by a compatible screen.
It seems likely that, moving forward, the HDR standards will work side by side as opposed to one winning out over the other. Feature films will remain in Dolby Vision HDR, streaming services and Blu-ray will mainly use HDR10/Dolby Vision HDR and broadcasters will use HLG for television, potentially with some content in HLG for lower budget productions on streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Video.
No, they’re different things. 4K is about more pixels whereas HDR is about better pixels. Technically speaking HDR is not dependent on resolution so in theory you can have an SD HDR image, an HD HDR image and a 4K HDR image – and beyond.
Having said that, the two are linked. Increasingly, consumers are looking for TVs that are capable of providing both 4K and HDR, and manufacturers are hooked on creating them too, hence the vast majority of HDR-compatible TVs on the market are also 4K/UHD.
The UltraHD Alliance has said that, in order to reach the HDR Premium Standard, HDR televisions must have a minimum brightness of 1,000 NITs, 0% black at at least 0.005 NITs, at least 90% of DCI-P3 colour space and a resolution of UHD or 4K. This means HDR content will have to be shot in 4K. Broadcasters are challenging this however, suggesting that an HD HDR standard should be set as 4K can’t yet be broadcast with current UK bandwidth but HD HDR can. In addition to that, some content producers see HDR as being more important than an increased resolution when it comes to quality. All this could give rise to more emphasis on HD HDR in the future.
Capturing in 4K will still be a smart decision though, to protect for multiple standards and future-proof.
THE RIGHT CAMERA
Any camera that can shoot 4K in Log with a wide colour gamut at 10 bit or more can capture what’s required for HDR.
In simple terms, Log is the particular way in which brightness is recorded by a camera. Log, or a logarithmic curve, stores a good range of shadow and highlight detail suitable for HDR.
Recording with a bit rate of 10 is the minimum for HDR (see the HDR10 standard). If anything more than a basic grade is intended, it’s best to record in 12 bit just to give yourself something to play with.
4K acquisition is advisable. If you plan to master in HD HDR, it will be possible to downgrade from 4K but at least you’ll have the option to go 4K if you need to in future.
All this means is that you need to look at cameras that shoot ProRes 4444 12 bit or RAW, so: ARRIs, REDs, Sony’s F55 and F5 or Canon’s C300 Mk II and C700. Depending on the camera, you may need an external recorder.
AN HDR MONITOR
HDR is the total range from the darkest shadow to the brightest highlight in a single shot. This means that when shooting HDR you must be able to discern visually (using a monitor) or measure (with a light meter) brightness throughout the range and at either end.
An HDR monitor of at least 1,000 NITs will allow you to accurately check highlight information in the field. A range of monitors are now available specifically for HDR shooting: Shift 4’s SmallHD 1303 HDR Monitor has 1,500 NITs of brightness and image clarity that’s enough to accurately pull focus outdoors. Shooting outdoors or in a bright environment can make artistic decisions relating to dynamic range hard to judge as the human eye will adjust to brightness.
A LIGHT METER
A light meter is crucial when shooting HDR to accurately calculate the dynamic range of a scene. We recommend you add a Spotlight Meter to your shooting kit. It gives a precise measurement of exactly how much light is bouncing off a subject/object and hitting the camera lens. This information then allows you to select your exposure to create the desired brightness. If the difference between the lightest thing and darkest thing in your frame is bigger than your camera can handle, brightness will be clipped and shadows will be noisy.
HDR isn’t easy: it requires an experienced DOP to correctly measure brightness across each shot. These methods are exactly the ones that DOPs have been employing since day one of film. Self-shooters need to take extra care.
The main thing? Exposure. HDR means there’s much less room for error. Log curves can generally capture a minimum of 12 usable stops of information, sometimes more. Standard Dynamic Range can display 6 stops of information which leaves 6 stops remaining to allow for overexposure. HDR (when mastering for 1,000 NITs) displays 10+ stops of information which only leaves 2 stops remaining and therefore much less room for error. If you choose to master for 2,000 or 4,000 NITs there’s little to no room for error at all. Your camera operator needs to be able to light and expose properly and as perfectly as possible to fit your image into the Log curve.
HDR also means it will no longer be possible to “hide” flaws in an image’s highlights and shadows as they won’t be rolled-off (or compressed) nearly as much as they would in SDR.
In addition, extended blacks will require particular attention. HDR monitors display more information in shadows so there’s less tolerance for noisy blacks. Over exposing by a minimum of 1 stop will counteract this but, of course, will contribute to the slim room for error described above.
HDR acquisition means huge files: 4444 12 bit or RAW and 4K. Backing up and storing your rushes will require more space and therefore more money. An experienced DIT, or at least data wrangler, will be crucial.
Post production workflows will need to be able to handle the increased file sizes. You’ll need to ensure the suites you’re using have HDR screens for accurate monitoring. To bring out the true beauty of HDR, you’ll need to spend time in a grade with a qualified and experienced colourist. You’ll also need to allow time and money for the creation of multiple masters of your project for differing SDR and HDR standards, as required.
Many post houses are already set up for HDR production. Consult yours to find out the details.
We predict not long. Across the industry, film and programme makers are already getting to grips with HDR. As soon as consumers cotton on to the idea that HDR is vastly superior to SDR, the demand for the format will truly take off.
Netflix and Amazon already provide full HDR content and mobile phones and tablets, which are already super bright, are HDR compatible. YouTube currently allows users to upload HDR video. HDR advertising boards will be far more eye-catching than SDR versions; once HDR gains popularity in the advertising world HDR production will be in greater demand.
In our view we’re about 1 year away from HDR content being favoured over SDR, probably only a couple of years until its widespread with consumers and known as the norm.
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By Colin Coomber – Technical Director & DoP at Shift 4
September 2017
Click here to hire the Sony VENICE or come to test it at Shift 4.
Keep reading to find our detailed review and videos exploring all the technical features of this excellent camera, including:
The PXW-FS7 MK II was unveiled by Sony towards the end of last year and first made available in January. It looks suspiciously like the MK I – so why should you hire it? Here, we outline its main advanced features.
IMPROVED ERGOMONICS
The FS7 MK II has several design updates which Sony says are based on MK I customer feedback. The MK II’s “tool-less” mechanical design makes it easier to make on-the-fly set up changes, for example the MK I’s handgrip arm has 2 flathead screws meaning you need a screwdriver to make adjustments; the MK II has a more easily adjusted locking lever.
ELECTRONIC VARIABLE ND
The FS7 MK II has an internal variable ND filter. Rather than the MK I’s 3 solid steps of ND .6, 1.2 and 1.8 (1/4, 1/16 and 1/64), the MK II allows a specific ND to be dialled in (between the 2.1 (1/128) maximum and .6 (1/4) minimum values) with easy transitions, allowing greater exposure control. Preset mode is also available meaning users can assign 3 ND settings if preferred.
E MOUNT WITH LEVER LOCK
The FS7 MK II E mount has a cine style lever lock meaning E mount lenses, or other mount lenses with an adapter, more solidly attach to the camera body. Also they can be changed by rotating the locking collar rather than the lens itself, saving time and hassle whilst on location.
Bottom line is the MK II is virtually the same as the MK I, with the variable ND in our opinion being the most notable improvement.