3cP on sale

3cP on sale

I've had my eye on the 3cP Color Correction Software for quite awhile but honestly the only thing standing in the way has been the price tag, $3000 for the pro version. As of now through January 5th, Gamma & Density are offering 30% off of all versions of the software and throwing in the Rec709 calibration chart ($400) for free. Those are some decent savings so I just picked up a license and I'm excited to start working with this high-end set of color management and correction, file generation, and data management tools. The discount is fantastic but what really sealed the deal for me was the HDlink Pro / Matrox MX02 workflow for real time color correction over HD-SDI outlined in this video.

Watch it >>>

I already own all this equipment so for me this is the perfect workflow ;) The color correction is happening live as RGB parameters are adjusted so there's no need to load the look to the monitor or any of the other steps that are involved with a similar workflow involving much more expensive equipment. Attach a Ki Pro Mini, Cinedeck, or Nano Flash at the other end of that HDlink Pro and you have color corrected dailies that the production can walk home with at the end of the day.

Here's some more info from the mailer -

3cP - SET + POST Version 4.1.2 Software

Now has complete Arri Alexa support in addition to support for:

RED MX, Canon DSLRs, Arri D-21, P2, XDcam, Genesis, Sony F35, SI2K, Phantom

3cP works with data from any file-based camera, including the new Arri Alexa, the RED MX Sensor and Canon DSLRs and—with additional codec software—Vision Research Phantom high-speed .cine files and Arri Alexa + D-21 RAW files, and P2 compatible. 3cP also supports footage from Panasonic, Sony, Panavision, Viper and Silicon Imaging digital cameras.

Current 3cP 4.1.2 Features:

- Enhanced support for the RED One:

- Supports the RED Mysterium-X sensor

- Supports FLUT and Shadow controls

- Supports both new and old color science

- New ability to generate Nucoda-style 3D LUTs

- Enhanced P2 file handling

- Improved video capture file handling

- Improved batch rendering utilities

- Support for the RED Rocket Transcoding

- Data management

- Color Correction

- Live Color Correction via HDlink Pro

- File Generation

- Syncing Audio and much more!

New 3cP 4.1.2 Upgrades:

NEW! - Support for the Arri Alexa:

- Supports data management for the SxS ProRes workflow. Back up and verify the Alexa's ProRes footage

- Adds import from Alexa media

- Adds support for color correction of Alexa footage from the ProRes, Arri Raw* and captured SDI output 

- Adds support for syncing of Alexa ProRes files and BWF audio files

- Generate synced color corrected footage directly from 3cP

NEW! - Enhanced support for the RED MX: 

- Updated to use latest RED SDK

- Supports RMD files as well as RSX 

NEW! - 3cP "Looks" Package included in all versions. 

- Apply looks like Bleach Bypass, Horror looks, Classic Looks, etc to any type of footage with a click of a button!

NEW! - Enhanced support for the Canon DSLR line: 60D, 550D, etc

Cinedeck - love this thing!

Cinedeck - love this thing!

I've been spending a lot of time lately with the Cinedeck Extreme and I'm super impressed with this versatile device. The Cinedeck occupies an interesting place in the market somewhere between high-end, uncompressed and very expensive solid state recorders like the S.Two OB-1 and Codex Onboard and much cheaper and smaller options that compress to editing codecs like ProRes or DNxHD like the Nano Flash and AJA Ki Pro. One thing the Cinedeck has that the others don't is a screen but that doesn't make it a monitor. Despite some helpful analysis tools like RGB Waveform and Clipping Warning, the "on-board monitor" aspect of it is more for interface than anything else. It's not a bad display but it has no calibration controls so I would say the image isn't useful for critical evaluation. Not that any small screen is for that matter. What the Cinedeck is though is a tiny, touch screen computer with the sole purpose of ingesting, encoding, and outputting video signals. Even though this is mainly what it's designed to do, it is still a Windows machine with wi-fi so you can even check your email on it!

First of all, I love the touch screen interface. It's very simple, elegant, and intuitive. Most users could pick it up and run with it in no time. The other point that jumps out at me immediately is the fact that this can record an Uncompressed 10 bit 422 or 444 1200/mbps 1080p video signal in realtime. It does this in the Final Cut Pro Uncompressed "codec" resulting in .mov files. The only requirement is special RAIDed SSD drives instead of the standard ones to achieve the throughput necessary to record such enormous files.

Here's a Cinedeck "mag" - a standard notebook SSD. I'm not sure the specs for compatibility with the deck but these 256 GB drives from Patriot Media seem to be what Cinedeck recommends. Hot swappable, plug and play. Just stick the thing in there and start shooting. Over 2 hours of high quality compressed recording. Fantastic.

Like the OB-1 whose 500 GB mag will only record 30 minutes of uncompressed footage, the Cinedeck's 256 GB mags will record about 17 min in that format. While I think there is something to be gained in uncompressed recording, this current crop of codecs, the Cineform family of codecs in particular are so well engineered that you can capture a very similar quality to uncompressed in a much smaller file. About 1/5 the overall size. Leads me to my next favorite feature on the Cinedeck - onboard Cineform encoding. 

Cineform NeoHD has quality options that are of a similar bit rate to those found in ProRes and DNxHD but these files are noticeably cleaner with less modulation and artifacting. The only catch is that you have to buy the codec from Cineform if you want to be able to work with the files in your NLE without limitations. It's 500 bucks which isn't cheap but I'm pretty impressed with it so I'd say that's a fair price for a license. You can get the free decoder here which will let you at least let you view the files and transcode to other formats in Compressor or whatever else you're using. Transcode to DPX sequences using Glue Tools for a particularly high quality image well suited to finishing and effects work. If you want to work with the Cineform files created with a Cinedeck you'll at least need the decoder. 

Or if that sounds like too much work, the Cinedeck can also create ProRes or DNx for you at any quality including the excellent ProRes 4444. For this you'll need a 444 source but going dual link to the deck is no problem. It's got every in and out you can think of. I believe these 2 SDI links will also be able to record stereo images encoding to Cineform Neo3D in a future version. 

Because it's a computer, it's infinitely upgradeable and adaptable. There are multiple USB interfaces, eSata port, LAN port, antennae for increasing wi fi range, HDMI in and out, Dual Link HD-SDI in and out, multiple audio inputs, VGA out for desktop extension, breakout for component, standard def, and deck control, and probably some other stuff though can't forget about another one of my fav features - built in Ambient Timecode Master Clock. Jam it in the morning and forget about it. You can feed the LTC to all your other devices and it won't slip a frame. Very impressed with this. Especially in this day and age where we're often creating 2 or 3 different formats on-set. Having reliable timecode is super clutch and this feature on the Cinedeck makes it a little easier.

Hats off to the Cinedeck team. Very nice people and if you need support, they're quick to respond. In usual Negative Spaces fashion, this is not an exhaustive product review, rather just a few thoughts from my own experience working with it. More in-depth information is available on their site. 

Panavision 19-90's

Panavision 19-90's

In my experience, it's always been hard to find a well matched pair of zoom lenses for a stereo shoot. The Optimo 15-40's and 16-42's are very popular for 3D because they're a useful focal range for this application and they're also quite light and compact. For that reason, they can also be a little hard to come by because they're a fantastic Steadicam lens so they often live on episodic productions for months on end. These lenses despite their useful range hardly ever track through their zoom though and by that I mean maintain the same optical center from their widest side to their longest side. This can be tested by putting up center crosshairs on the video output or LCD viewfinder of the camera. Next make a big "+" sign on the wall about 15-20' from camera. On the wide side of the lens put the crosshairs on top of the +, lock the sticks. Now without touching anything else, zoom in all the way. If at the end of the range the crosshair is still lined up over the +, you have a zoom lens that is optically centered. More likely what you will see though is the + gradually drift away from the crosshairs as you zoom in. Either a lot or a little bit of tracking error is quite common in all zoom lenses and is hardly noticeable for 2D applications. However in 3D, lenses need to be as closely matched as possible and a change in focal length on lenses that don't track inevitably means the cameras will need to be re-aligned to one another. The Optimo zooms in the hands of a skilled lens technician can be made to track to one another within the margin of error but this is always a time consuming task that I have yet to see completed successfully during an equipment checkout for a 3D shoot.

Enter the Panavision PCZ 19-90mm T2.8

Not only are these the ideal focal range for 3D but they're also pretty fast at T2.8. And like all Panavision products, built like a naval destroyer. These are the only zoom lenses I've ever encountered that track almost perfectly throughout their entire range, have minimal breathing, and also make beautifully rich and contrasty images with gorgeous focal fall-off. For S3D, these are the lenses to get if you're able to get them but like all Panavision glass, the demand far exceeds the supply. 

Check out this Beast Master -

The Genesis cameras are an intimidating size on their own but take this pile of hardware, motors, and electronics, put it in the ET Quasar Rig and you've got something that looks more like a Transformer than a camera. More than meets the eye! Nerd.