American Cinematographer - March 2010 - 82

New Products & Services Canon Updates Vixia Line for 2010 Canon U.S.A., Inc. has unveiled its 2010 Vixia lineup, comprising nine high-definition flash-memory camcorders. The camcorders are spread across Canon’s flagship Vixia HF S-series, the compact Vixia HF M-series and the entry-level Vixia HF R-series. New features in the 2010 lineup include a touch-panel LCD with an advanced tracking feature, helping to keep any subject in focus and properly exposed; an enhanced image-stabilization system; and an HD-to-SD downconversion feature, allowing video to be easily uploaded to the Web or burned onto DVDs. Select Vixia camcorders are also compatible with Eye-fi SD Memory Cards, allowing wireless uploading of video content to a computer or favorite video-sharing site via the Eye-fi card’s wireless capabilities. All of the 2010 Vixia camcorders retain Canon’s proprietary imaging technologies: a Genuine Canon HD Video Lens, HD CMOS Image Sensor and DIGIC DV III Image Processor. The Canon Full HD CMOS Image Sensor and DIGIC DV III Image Processor have been further improved to reduce noise under low-light conditions and deliver more faithful reproduction of purple and blue tones for both video and photos. Other features new to the Vixia line include Smart Auto mode, which utilizes the DIGIC Image Processor to intelligently detect and analyze brightness, color, distance and movement, and automatically select the best setting for the scene being recorded; Touch & Track, which lets users select a subject on the touch-panel LCD that the camcorder will then recognize and track; and Relay Recording, which allows users to capture uninterrupted video when the primary recording media is full. For additional information, visit www.usa.canon.com. Mark Roberts Enhances 3-D Stop-Frame Animation The Academy Award-winning team at Mark Roberts Motion Control has introduced the S3 Stereoscopic 3D Stepping Module, a vital tool for any stop-frame animators looking to produce 3-D content. In 3-D stop-frame animation, it is generally simpler and more cost-effective to use a single camera and slide it side to side to capture the images for each eye. However, this technique requires accurate control of the side-to-side motion of the camera. The intelligent, low-cost, portable S3 accurately controls that motion as well as the triggering of the camera. Designed to carry a variety of DSLR and film cameras, the S3 82 March 2010 • SUBMISSION INFORMATION • Please e-mail New Products/Services releases to: newproducts@ascmag.com and include full contact information and product images. Photos must be TIFF or JPEG files of at least 300dpi. boasts a strong, rigid construction with highquality bearings; simple user interface with backlit LCD screen; on-board Flash memory; and userprogrammable interocular distance. The S3 can be set to either trigger the camera or be triggered by the camera, and the unit can be used with or without a motion-control system. The S3 offers extremely precise and repeatable motion, with up to 3" of travel on the standard unit. The S3 easily attaches between the camera and the tripod or motion-control system. Using the onboard display, the user then sets the required interocular distance and attaches the camera-trigger cable. Every time the unit receives the trigger order (from any of a range of sources, including intervalometers, motion-control software, remote switches and motion sensors), it triggers the shutter for the left-eye view, moves the camera for the right-eye view, triggers the shutter again, and then moves back to the left-eye view, ready for the next frame. For additional information, visit www.mrmoco.com. Vocas Launches DSLR Support Line Vocas Systems has launched a line of support products designed for the DSLR cinematography market. Central to the product range is a 15mm rail support system that can be mounted beneath the camera. Vocas also offers a padded leather handgrip system that mounts to the 15mm rails; a shoulder support with thick rubber pad that fits to the back of the 15mm rails; and a 15mm offset bracket specifically made for the shoulder support. The offset bracket, which moves the shoulder support to the side of the camera, is especially useful for viewing a DSLR’s centrally placed viewfinder. The line of 15mm accessories can be combined in a variety of ways to support a range of shooting situations. For additional information, visit www.vocas.com. American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer - March 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - March 2010