Canon Announces Its C80 Cinema Camera

On the heels of announcing its flagship camera and update to its popular portrait camera, Canon has announced another update to its cinema camera product line with the C80.

image credit Canon USA

This is an update to its C70 cinema camera that I really enjoyed. The update includes a few big changes and a pretty solid price. The C70 has a Super-35 sensor. The C80 has a full frame sensor. The C70 topped out at 4K resolution. The C80 tops out at 6K.

image credit Canon USA

A couple of years ago I talked about the C70 and its prowess. It definitely gets the job done for cinematographers, but it did have limitations when it came the Super-35 sensor. One being the crop factor as well as the difference in depth of field. I guess Canon took the hint from creators about this.

Other tech specs include two recording codecs, XF-AVC S and XF-HEVC S. Oh and yes, you can still shoot Canon RAW. I’m curious to know how the battery performs. Canon has had a bit of an up-and-down-and-up reputation when it comes to battery life on some of its cameras. I also wonder if the media slots are still SD card slots or now CF Express Type B. No mention of this in the press release.

UPDATE - The camera does have dual SD card slots. With that said, I recommend using V90 cards* for high resolutions and framerates.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get my hands on one of these Cameras, but I’m curious. I love the form-factor and the fact that it’s now full frame. More information on the announcement can be found on Canon’s site here.

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Building Your First DaVinci Resolve Node Tree For Color Grading

On my recent Creator Office Hours, I shared my understanding and workflow when it comes to coloring video footage in Davinci Resolve. Yes, I’m a proud Adobe Creative Cloud user and still use Premiere Pro* for video editing, but I also use DaVinci Resolve. Not to mention, I wanted to share this because not everyone can get Adobe Premiere Pro, but DaVinci Resolve is free with plenty of useable tools in its free version. So here’s a Creator Office Hours session with an overview of building out your node tree for color correction and color grading. Hope it helps you. Thank you for watching and thank you for being in my Patreon community.

*Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.

DaVinci Resolve Version 19 Launched From Blackmagic Design

The video editing software used by many in big or personal productions has been updated to version 19. Resolve is available to all with a free version as well as a “studio” version available for a flat fee of $295. No subscription. I use it in addition to my other video editor and I do enjoy it. Here’s the press release detailing the update:

DaVinci Resolve 19 is a major new update which adds new DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, over 100 feature upgrades such as IntelliTrack AI, Ultra NR noise reduction, ColorSlice six vector grading, film look creator FX and multi source editing on the cut page. For Fusion there are new USD tools and multipoly rotoscoping tools, plus Fairlight has new Fairlight AI audio panning to video, ducker track FX and ambisonic surround sound. Blackmagic Cloud has new features that make it easy to use for large companies with multiple users collaborating on the same project at the same time. There’s also support for DaVinci Resolve Replay so you can create live action replays straight to air during live events and convert those replays into promos, highlight packages and instant social media updates:

• With this update, editors can work directly with transcribed audio to find speakers and edit timeline clips. Colorists can produce rich film like tones with the ColorSlice six vector palette and produce cinematic images using the new film look creator effect which emulates photometric film processes. In Fairlight, the IntelliTrack AI can be used to track motion and automatically pan audio. VFX artists in Fusion have an expanded set of USD tools plus a new multipoly rotoscoping tool which displays all of your masks in a single list. The cut page has new broadcast replay tools for live multi camera broadcast editing, playout and replay with speed control. There’s also support for live sync with Blackmagic Cloud which uploads media into a DaVinci Resolve bin while the camera is recording so editors and colorists can start working even while the camera is rolling.

• DaVinci Resolve 19 update is available now as a free download from Blackmagic Design’s website.

Preseason Shoot: Windsor vs Petaluma Girls Volleyball

Windsor held a volleyball jamboree. These images didn’t get approved for MaxPreps, so I’m posting here so the girls can see ‘em.

Preseason Shoot: Rancho Cotate Football Team

Practice featuring the Rancho Cotate Cougars.

Preseason Shoot: St. Vincent Football Team

Practice featuring defending state champs St. Vincent Mustangs.

Ya Better Get Some Lights - My Appearance on Office Hours with Alex Lindsay

I had the pleasure of being on Office Hours with Mr. Alex Lindsay today. I enjoy being on this panel, but I struggle with waking up on time to be on the mic with them on a regular basis. Some days I can’t be mic ready at 6am. Lol!

Check out the discussion below as we answer questions from the community regarding various items in photo and video such as slomo footage, inexpensive cameras, LUT packs and video editing information.

Good Boy

Kylo you’re such a great, dadgum dog. We’re truly going to miss you. I’m sad yet happy that you’re now with your older brother Jax in Heaven running around and playing together again. A few months back we had to have a mass surgically removed from your back. It was an absolute mess, yet you were so chill about it. The vet asked if I wanted to have it tested and I declined. I declined because I could see the reality of age when I looked at you. I hated to admit that I only had a few years left with you. Testing the mass that was removed was just going to state the obvious to me and cost me a ton of money which I don’t have.

You and me went through a lot from the very beginning. I still remember the day of holding you in my arms when I adopted you. Your personality was so much like mine. You were happy, but “even.” I remember laughing to myself thinking, “this rascal is gonna be 100lbs.”

Shortly after meeting, you gave us a scare. You had to have surgery to remove a blockage in your stomach. Apparently, you thought football gloves and socks tasted great. 🤦🏾‍♂️

Then I spent several days with you in a Penske moving truck driving across the country. It was so cool to see your enthusiasm to get in the truck and ride for hours and hours and days and days across the USA. And boy, did you STINK after a few days in there. I remember your heavy ass sleeping on my legs in the truck when we’d stop driving for a night to get some rest.

You adjusted nicely to California. And when it was time to make this latest move to a different neighborhood, you were a trooper. And you helped us make sure our youngest boy was able to get through high school graduation and off to college. Thank you for seeing that through.

Your work here is done, Kylo. You provided 8 years of great love and service to the family. Well done, sir. I am selfish and want more years with you, but that’s not fair. This is the circle of life when it comes to pets. You were patient with me as a parent when I probably could have done some things better. You were helpful when I needed those minutes of chill time to “let go” and “reset” myself. When I just wanted to sit on the porch, you understood and just did the same with me. Peacefully and quietly. Thank you. Cancer SUCKS, but as I said previously, I’m grateful that you’re not suffering or feeling any pain. Granted, if you felt pain, we never knew. You are a tough and resilient dog. Only recently we saw discomfort in you and we hated that for you. Be well, Kylo. Many, many THANKS to you for not only what you did for the family, but what you did for ME.

Canon Announces the R1 and the Crowd Goes WILD

It’s been rumored that during the “Olympics year” that the fine folks at Canon would announce its flagship mirrorless camera body. Granted, some of us thought it would have been announced sooner, but instead we ended up getting the R3*. Not that the R3 isn’t a great camera body, but it didn’t quite sit in the usual branding and SKU of Canon being a “flagship.” With this announcement, what are we as consumers and pro-sumers expecting to get win an R1?

Image via Canon

What to expect in the R1

In Canon’s press release, the company spoke in generalities. But it’s safe to say, the body will be an upgrade over the existing R series camera bodies. Not necessarily in megapixels, but definitely in performance.

“This camera employs the newly developed image processor DIGIC Accelerator in addition to the pre-existing processor DIGIC X. The new image processing system, composed of these processors and a new CMOS sensor, enables large volume of data to be processed at high speeds and delivers never-before-seen advancements in Auto Focus (AF) and other functions.” - Canon

This says a lot considering how fast the current cameras are. I’ve not shot on an R3 as of yet, but the R5 and R5 C* that I own are ridiculously fast on capture and writing to my card. Not to mention the video capabilities. When the Canon R3 was announced, the lower megapixel count (24) wasn’t ideal for some portrait photographers, but the video capability of 6K 60fps and 4K 120fps makes videographers drool. I would assume this new body would have something close to that. At the very least, 4K 120fps for great slow motion action sports. And maybe 30 megapixels for image stills. Better yet, what about pricing? My guess would be $7000. Considering the last flagship (a DSLR) was roughly $6500 for the 1DX III. New tech, would probably cost a little more now a few years later. Right?

What are you thoughts? Interested in the new body? Happy with your current camera body? What are you shooting with these days and if you’re thinking of an upgrade, would it be to this or another camera body. Let me know.

*Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.

Office Hours With Alex Lindsay

I was on a episode of Office Hours hosted by Mr. Alex Lindsay and his colleagues. This is the first time I’ve been on the panel in a couple of years. Mr. Lindsay has asked me SEVERAL times to get my ass onto his panel, but I couldn’t because of my schedule and/or sleep. He’s been very supportive in my head and ears over the last few months. I’ve always enjoyed what he and the panel offers to the creative community far as information and tips. I really appreciate him. In this creative space, he’s been there done that. Be it from live streaming huge keynote events for some of the tech world’s largest companies, to working on the set of Star Wars. He has experience. I’ll try to be on Office Hours a little more in the future. It’s definitely an effort as it means for he and I it’s a 6AM hot mic and camera. Check out the show below.