When I was a kid, I discovered my mother’s Yashica Twin Reflex camera in the attic. I had no film for it, but it was still the coolest toy. The lens projected a moving image on its huge focus screen, and the image had a special quality that made it look like film. Before VCR’s and camcorders, it was my first experiment with motion pictures.

It would be years before I finally understood what made the image in that Yashica look “cooler” – what made it look like film. It turns out the effect I loved was a narrow depth of field. Seeing moving images with a tight focus allows things to POP. It’s the effect that makes good cinematography work.

After years of shooting video, I’ve found ways to mimic that look, but never to my satisfaction. The nature of modern video cameras doesn’t allow for really nice depth of field without highly compressing the shot, or cranking up the shutter.

All that changed when I ran into Eddie Enciu at a shoot in DC. He had a self-designed adapter on his Canon HF10 camera - called the EnCinema 35mm - that allowed him to use standard Canon still lenses. Basically the still lens focuses the image on a focus screen (much like my beloved Yashica) and the video camera macro focuses on that screen. When combined with an AVCHD camera like the HF10 and a 24P frame rate, the look is a “film-like” as you’ll ever find. It’s almost like doing a real-time telecine of a 16mm film camera.

Check out the EnCinema 35mm demo reel and see for yourself.

Visit Vid-Atlantic’s website for more information.

More video after the break… Read the rest of this entry »

It seems Stewart “Lenslinger” Pittman, a good friend of b-roll.net, hasn’t outgrown toys. Back in October, he wrote about yearning for a 12″ tall version of himself. A mini-photog complete with Betacam, photog vest, and tiny beta tapes.

Fellow photog blogger, Chris Weaver, rallied the troops to pony up a bit and help the cause. With assistance from, Newshutr, Billy “The Blogging Poet” Jones, J.L. Watkins and others, the gift was delivered on Friday.

Thanks to Weaver for making it happen… and for Stewart for inspiring photogs the world over.

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

In an attempt to keep you up to date on the latest news affecting Television Photographers, we’re launching b-roll.net TODAY.

What’s the latest product on the market that can make your life better? Or at least look cool?

What are the latest rumblings in the industry? Who’s expanding? Who’s laying off?

What’s a cool new trick to help you get that perfect shot?

What’s a good joke to share on your next stake out?

You’ll find the answers to these and more questions right here on b-roll.net TODAY.

Submit your stories and ideas to info@b-roll.net.