Focus - Institute of Videography

The monthly publication of the Institute of Videography Issue 195 - April 2011 - £3.50also thismonth6-monthsdown theline with theSony NEXVG10By John De RienzoMagic Lanternfirmware forthe Canon550DBy Ian SandallIOV @ NABBy Kevin CookINSTITUTE OFVIDEOGRAPHY

ForewordINSTITUTE OFVIDEOGRAPHYContactsAdministration& Membership EnquiriesPO Box 625, Loughton,Essex IG10 3GZ United Kingdome: info@iov.co.ukt: 0845 741 3626 (UK)t: +44 (0) 20 8502 3817 (Int.)Executive AdministratorKevin Cook F.Inst.V.e: kevin.cook@iov.co.ukt: 020 8502 3817Membership AdministratorAriane Nombroe: ariane.nombro@iov.co.ukt: 020 8502 3817Executive ChairmanRon Lee F.Inst.V.13 Coleridge Avenue, Dentons Green, StHelens, Lancashire WA10 6RNe: ron.lee@iov.co.ukt: 01744 29976TreasurerSteven Abrams F.Inst.V.2 Ingledene Road,Liverpool L18 3HJe: steve.abrams@iov.co.ukt: 0151 722 6692Arbitration OfficerRon Lee F.Inst.V.13 Coleridge Avenue, Dentons Green, StHelens, Lancashire WA10 6RNe: ron.lee@iov.co.ukAssessment AdministratorChris Waterlow F.Inst.V.59 Sissinghurst Close,Pound Hill, CrawleyWest Sussex RH10 7FYe: chris.waterlow@iov.co.ukt: 01293 886484Institute of Videography LtdExecutive CommitteeRon Lee F.Inst.V.Steven Abrams F.Inst.V.Mark QuinnChris Waterlow F.Inst.V.Janet FentonPhil Janvier M.M.Inst.V.Published By:IOV FOCUS Ltd174 Roding Road, Loughton,Essex IG10 3BS United Kingdome: focus@iov.co.ukt: +44 (0)20 8502 3817Editor: Kevin Cook F.Inst.V.FOCUS magazine contents, and its logo,and the Institute Logo, are copyright ofthe Institute of Videography Ltd.While we make every effort to ensureaccuracy, we cannot take responsibilityfor losses resulting from publishing errorsof any kind, howsoever caused.ProVideo 2011, ProVideo 2012 andProVideo 2013 are trading namesforIOV Focus LtdCopy-wrongThankfully we live in a societythat recognises intellectualrights. You’ve only got to look atthose countries that don’t andyou’ll realise what little positiveinput they have had in the world.I might upset a few people insaying this but, culturally,copyright-less societies are lessersocieties in general. Propersocieties can only survive andflourish if they accept thatownership shouldn’t only exist inphysical assets - but also increativity, invention andreputation.If you undervalue the personwho writes the story, designs theclothes, develops a brand,invents the process, takes thepicture, composes the music....you will lose them. I guess theonly positive that would comefrom this is that those whosurvive by stealing other people’sintellectual property would diethemselves if there was no oneleft for them to steal from.The main problem seems tobe that most people don’t seecopyright and intellectual theft asbeing criminal. At worst its thekind of activity your averagelovably rouge or Del Boy wouldengage in. This is probably downto the fact that intellectualproperty is so easy to steal asmost of the time you will nothave to look over your shoulderwhilst you are stealing it. If ashop keeper left the doors totheir store open over night andreturned the next morning to findit empty you could quiteunderstand it if someone said tothem - “Well - that’s your fault” .Still, that doesn’t make thosethat stole the goods perfectcitizens. They will be thieves!Whilst finding out who ownsthe copyright in something canThis MonthFEATURES14 Evolution DSLRNiels Puttemans reviews the Panasonic Lumix GH218 HindsightJohn De Rienzo recalls 6-months experience with the Sony NEX VG1020 How to turbo-charge your Canon 550DIntroducing the Magic Lantern firmware upgrade - by Ian SandallREGULAR ITEMSThe CookRetort5 IOV News IOV and Industry Newsoften be confusing itsurprises me thetypes of people whototally disregard copyright andregularly steal other people’swork. I’m not saying that eventvideographers are the worstculprits, but some of them willconveniently overlook theinclusion of a piece ofcommercial music in their worktime and time again. Apart fromthe fact that its extremely easyand cheap to properly licensecommercial music for weddingsand events (or use royalty-freemusic come to that), itstremendously unprofessional (notto mention criminal) to providework for a client which containsstolen property.Even if you don’t ever getcaught you’ll have to excuse therest of us for looking down ournoses at you. In my mind it iswithout doubt one of the firstsigns of them being a cowboyvideographer. If they dodgecopyright they are just as likelyto be dodging tax and properinsurance. And, funny enough,its the very same videographerswho rant and rave if they hearthat their clients have beencopying their work. Go figure!Though times are tough,observing copyright shouldn’t beseen as an area where costs canbe cut. In the eyes of the law(and any right-thinking person)you might as well plan to stealyour next camera. As copyrightowners there will come a daywhen you will lean on these lawsyourself - so if you ignore themnow they might not be therewhen you need them. Kevin Cook8 Area News A round-up of local IOV meetings11 Trade Directory Subscribing Manufacturers & Suppliers24 The List The Register of Qualified Members25 And Another Thing Stuart Little’s satirical column26 Classified Ads Sales & Wants / Products & Serviceswww.iov.com Focus Magazine April 2011 3

Industry NewsIOV NewsIndustry, Technology & Regional NewsIOV @ NABThe IOV will be sending asmall delegation to NAB inLas Vegas this year todiscover what Americanvideographers want fromtheir trade association.If you know anyone that willbe going to NAB - the IOVwould really like to meet upwith them!With a growing number ofmembership enquiries comingfrom the USA, the IOV is keen todevelop a proper strategy inserving these membershipenquiries. Whilst the presentrange of benefits and itsaccreditation system have beendeveloped with a world-widemembership in mind, there reallyis no better way for the IOV tofind out what members wantthan actually speaking to them,face-to-face.“We believe that the way theIOV is structured, its range ofbenefits and our accreditationsystem could be easily adaptedto perfectly match the demandsof the North American market.”commented IOV Chairman, RonLee. “We have already started toresearch the changes that webelieve would need to be madeto the Business & Legal categoryof the VideoSkills syllabus.However, this mission is aboutdiscovering what the marketwants by way of a Code ofPractice - and whether this couldor should be incorporated intothe learning material and examfor a specific country or region.”With nearly 100,000registrants, NAB will bringtogether a vast cross-section ofthe videography community.Being the world’s largestexhibition of its kind, NAB willalso bring together all the keysuppliers and manufacturers.The IOV has four mainobjectives on this visit...1 - Talk to localvideographers about whatthey would want from a tradeassociationWe think we know, but we aresure that you will know!2 - Research what the IOVwould need to add or changeabout its accreditationsystem and learning materialto make it fit for their marketWe want to understand what thereal-world business and legalAssessment Results - March 2011The assessment panel met on 3March 2011 when the followingaward was made:Master Membership:Hamdy Taha M.M.Inst.V.(Werrington, Peterborough)Not a very high percentage ofpasses this time, which is ashame as I thought we werereally on a roll after the lastsession! Members seem to beslipping back into the old ways ofnot reading or fully complyingwith the assessment criteria.I would like to take thisopportunity to re-enforce themessage that these criteria arenot there to trip you up in anyway. They are there so that bycomplying with them you areable to demonstrate the basics invideo production. There seems tohave been a trend recently ofincluding as little live audio aspossible, as if a few seconds will‘have to do’. A few seconds ishardly enough time realisticallyto be able to assess someone’sknowledge and ability ofmicrophone selection andplacement in varioussituations, as this iswhat the panelis lookingfor.It is truethat if allthe criteriaare notchallenges are in being aprofessional videographer.3 - To identify videographerswho might be willing and ableto head-up the IOV overseasThe world is a smaller placethese days, but there's nothinglike having great people on theground who fully understandlocal trading conditions.4 - Make contact with localmanufacturers anddistributorsThe IOV prides itself on theunique relationship it hasdeveloped with industry suppliersand manufacturers - and how ithelps them to connect with theindustry.Reaching outRon and I will be in Las Vegasfrom 9th till 14th April. Duringthe exhibition we will be based inand around the halls - as well asscheduling meetings outside ofexhibition times.If you would like to meet upwith us, or know someone thatwould, please emailnab@iov.co.uk and we willarrange a suitable time to gettogether for a chat. If you can'tmake it to NAB but would like tobe kept informed about the IOV'sactivities in your area, pleaseemail us too. Kevin CookExecutive Administratorkevin.cook@iov.co.ukcomplied with then the applicantwill not pass assessment,however, it is also true thatadhering to all the criteria willnot guarantee you a pass, thereis more to producing a ‘passable’video then complying to somebasic criteria. Lecture over!Another reminder that due tothe recent increase in the VATrate, single assessment chargesare now set at £66.50. This isalso included on the applicationform.The final cut-off date for thenext assessment meeting isTuesday 31 May 2011. Yourapplication must arrive on orbefore that date to be includedin the June 2011 session. Chris Waterlow F.Inst.V.Assessment AdministratorMore video forVideoSkills please!With the 3rd edition of theVideoSkills book now released,the IOV is looking for video clipsthat help explain the core skillsand information contained withinthe learning material.videoskills.net has alreadybeen updated with the newlearning material and examquestions, and will be expandingover the coming months toinclude more illustrations, videoexamples and tutorials on thekey skills of videography.The IOV Executive has beenpleasantly surprised at thenumber of members and nonmemberswho have expressed aninterest in submitting material inthe past and wanted to open upa formal process and explain theconditions for those wishing todonate clips and tutorials.IOV Chairman, Ron Lee, said,"Our intention has always beento augment the online learningmaterial so that it complimentsthe book. However, our longterm ambition is to expand onthis quite considerably - and wethink our members and others inour industry are well positionedto help us in this task."Content can be in the form ofvideo and/or audio clips, orpurpose made tutorials. In orderfor the IOV to use the material asit sees fit, the copyright ownermust be able to grant the IOVworldwide licence to use thematerial - in perpetuity. Anyperformers or models used withinthe material will have to havesigned model release documents,as well as location release formsfor content filmed on privateproperty.The clips themselves will alsohave to be supplied in a highresolution file format suitable forediting - and will be hosted onthe IOV's server.Ron Lee added, "Whilst we donot have any funds available forcommissioning these clips, wewill accept clips which have beensponsored by third-parties (aslong as they are not detrimentalto the IOV or its existingsponsors) and those whichinclude branding from thecontributors themselves."If you would like to suggest acontent donation for VideoSkills,in the first instance please emailexec@iov.co.uk with an outline ofthe content and what part of theVideoSkills learning material ithelps to explain. You should alsodeclare any third-partysponsorship at this point. TheExecutive's decision on whethercontent is suitable or not will befinal. Kevin Cook F.Inst.V.IOV Executive Administratorwww.iov.com Focus Magazine April 2011 5

Industry NewsGet your shallow DOF at HireacameraBig scores for the bigger picture!Hireacamera have announced thelaunch of a new hire rangeconsisting of cameras,camcorders, lenses andaccessories based on Panasonic’sMicro 4/3rds and Sony’s Emounts.Guy Thatcher, ManagingDirector said, “This was a logicaldecision for us. We are in theadvantageous position of hiringboth cameras and camcordersand have been closely watchingthe convergence between thetwo areas.”“Digital SLR video filming hasbeen a very popularreason for hiring ourSLR equipmentover the lastyear. So it wasonly a matter oftime beforelarger sensorcamcordersarrived and itwas very clearwhat demandthey wouldcreate.”“However, wewere still bowledover by the prelaunchenquiries forboth the Sony NEX-VG10E and of course morerecently the Panasonic AG-AF101. Stocking both camerashas meant a considerableinvestment in both lenses andaccessories but clearly bothformats will continue to gain inpopularity – this is only thestart.”Hireacamera are also stockingcameras for both formats -Panasonic’s GF2 and GH2 andthe Sony NEX-5. Thatcheradded, “Digital SLR video hasproved that, in some cases,having a smaller body allows youto film shots that wouldRichard Barden A.M.Inst.V.Alan Gray A.M.Inst.V.David Hobson A.M.Inst.V.Sophie Lee A.M.Inst.V.Kate Powis A.M.Inst.V.Ben Salisbury A.M.Inst.V.otherwise be impossible with abigger rig. By stocking thesecameras, our customers will beable to hire ideal backup units forthe larger camcorders.Interestingly, we are also gettingmore enquiries from existing SLRphotographers keen to try them.”A range of lenses from Leica,Olympus, Panasonic andVoigtlander are available for hirefor the Micro 4/3rds mount(some using 4/3rds adaptor).Whilst the range of Sony E-mount lenses is restricted atpresent, further lenses will beadded as and when they arelaunched and Sony’s Alpha rangecan already be used with anadaptor.“Sony are committed to the E-mount and will be launchinganother seven lenses over thenext 18 months. The launch ofthe new Super 35mm NEXcamcorder later this year willensure huge interest in theformat. Having recentlydisclosed the specifications of theE-mount to third party lensmanufacturers, we are in a greatposition as Sigma’s official UKhirer and naturally will bestocking their products as andwhen they become available.Indeed Sigma are also due to bereleasing a Micro 4/3rds rangewhich we will also be stockingfrom launch.”Adaptors are also available forboth mounts allowing variouslens types to be fitted includingLeica M, PL and of course NikonG, allowing Hireacamera’sexisting wide range of lenses tobe hired with the cameras.Hireacamera deliver Nationwidewith hire periods available from 1day to 1 month. Optionalinsurance is available on allequipment.Further information can be found onHireacamera’s website –www.hireacamera.comNewly-accredited Associate MembersThe following have passed their Associate Member examand are now able to use the IOV logo in their marketingmaterial. They have also been set up with a web pagewhich must be linked to when the IOV logo is placed ontheir website. Full details of the benefits of AssociateMembership can be found at www.iov.com/joinPurley, SurreyForest Gate, LondonWimborne, DorsetNorwich, NorfolkNorwich, NorfolkCoventry, WarwickshirePlease note: Newly accredited Associate Members are published in Focus eachmonth and will be accurate at time of publication.AKM Music, the UK’s number oneproducer of Royalty Free Musichave announced the release ofsix brand new CDs to their library- including a new selection forthose seeking a big orchestralsoundtrack.The new CDs added are asinclude:AK127 - ChildrenPre-school themes and lullabies,think In the Night GardenAK128 - EpicAwesome full blown orchestralscores on a grand scale.AK129 - Lost WorldsEnter the world of the unknown,futuristic soundscapes andotherworldlinessAK130 - Business MattersCorporate worlds, impact andmotivation positive and winningAK131 - Hollywood Orchestral ScoresPure cinematic bliss, think CSI,superb underscoresAK132 - Cut to the Beat Volume 7Back again, this series just getsbetter and betterP2 drops in pricePanasonic has announced newreduced RRPs for its entire lineupof high-capacity, high-speedP2 cards. The company’s E-Series of 64GB, 32GB and 16GBP2 cards are now available withRRPs of €505, €350 and €276excluding VAT, respectively.E-Series P2 cards offer fasttransfer speeds (up to 1.2Gbps),which is substantially faster thanmost professional solid-statememory cards offered by othermanufacturers. All P2 cards usehigh-quality solid-state memory,extremely durable, die-castaluminium construction andimpact-proof connectors. This isin direct contrast to other solidstatememory card products,which often feature breakable,plastic casing with less reliableconnectors. Additionally, P2cards offer dependableperformance during recording inall types of environments, as wellAs company Managing Director,Anthony Kimber McTiffenexplained, “It’s so important forus to listen to our customers andproduction decisions are alwaysbased on what media producersare asking for when it comes tomatching their visuals with asuitable soundtrack. We havealways had a reputation forproducing high quality music butwith these six new productionsthe ceiling is raised. Ourcustomers asked for bigorchestral productions and this iswhat we have delivered in EPICand Hollywood OrchestralScores”.A new volume of the popularCut to the Beat series and a CDaimed at the corporate producer(Business Matters) heralds abusy time for the music library.AKM Music have also confirmedthey will be exhibiting at theIOV’s ProVideo 2011 show andthe new media show BE North inManchester later this year.For further details contact AKM Musicdirect - see the ‘Copyright Free &Commissioned Music’ section of theTrade Directory on page 12.as instant access and completedata compatibility in all P2camcorders and workflow tools.Panasonic P2 solid-statememory cards ensure highlyreliable, video, audio, andmetadata recording, especially inchallenging conditions of extremetemperature range, shock, andvibration. P2 cards allowprofessional users to benefit froma fast, easy, file-based workflowand exceptional reliability, andwork in all current P2 products.For further details contact Panasonicdirect - see the ‘Video Manufacturers’section of the Trade Directory on6 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

Industry NewsP2 drops in priceIDX Technology has announcedthat it has signed an exclusiveEMEA distribution agreementwith Canadian manufacturerDejero Labs Inc. Under theagreement, IDX will providedistribution and sales supportfunctions for Dejero LIVEPlatform, including the groundbreakingnew wireless ENGtransmission system that usesmultiple 4G and 3G cellularnetworks to transmit livebroadcast quality video.The award-winning Dejero LIVEPlatform allows broadcastprofessionals and news crews toconnect their camera to theDejero transmitter, a compactportable peli-case and broadcastlive within a matter of seconds.Broadcasting video via cellularnetworks means virtually norange restriction, significantlyreducing the cost, staff and timeinvolved in operating satellitetrucks or mobile uplinks. ADejero video server and onlinemanager can be installed in astudio or newsroom to controland manage incoming videosources.Rob Waters, Sales Director forIDX Technology Europe, said“Dejero are a hugely innovativeand forward thinking company,and as a result the LIVE Platformoffers most reliable highestquality video and cost effectivemethod of getting live newsquicker to air than ever before.IDX has been supplyingbroadcasters, sports and newscrews with power equipment forover 20 years, so we areperfectly placed to handle sales,support and technicalconsultancy for the Dejero LIVEproduct range.”The Dejero LIVE solution waschosen by Canadian broadcasterCTV to broadcast live videofootage of the Olympic TorchRelay, a 100 day event over45,000 kilometres, in preparationfor the 2010 Winter OlympicGames. At the following NAB2010 exhibition, Dejero LIVE wasselected from over 1500exhibitors for the prestigiousBroadcast Engineering Pick Hitaward.For further details contact IDXTechnology Europe direct - see the‘Batteries & Power ’ section of theTrade Directory on page 12.Buy one recording mode - get two!!!Panasonic at NABPanasonic will be making a seriesof news announcements at NABlater this month.The AJ-PCD30 P2 Drive is anew three-slot P2 device with asuper-speed USB 3.0 interfacethat delivers the industry’sfastest offloads from a solid-statesource. The new USB 3.0standard facilitates dramaticallyhigher transfer rates of up to4.8Gbps, which achievesoffloading AVC-Intra 100 footageat more than 15X real-time,making the PCD30 especiallywell-suited for use in long-formproduction. The AJ-PCD30 P2reader will be available thissummer at a tentative RRP of€2,030 excluding VAT.With a tentative ex-VAT RRP at€5,000, the 3D-ready AG-HPD24Deck with native 24P recordingand a new Workflow Tool thatfeatures Super-Fast USB 3.0Interface and HDMI Output willalso be shown at NAB.Panasonic will also beintroducing the BT-LH910, apowerful new 23cm (9-inch) LCDmonitor for field and studioapplications. Breakthroughfeatures include a new highbrightness, high contrast IPSpanel that affords the bestpicture quality in its class; newlydeveloped3D assist functions;and professional interfacesincluding HDMI and 3G-SDI. TheBT-LH910 will be available thismonth at a tentative RRP €3,000excluding VAT.The Panasonic versatilewireless system for its new AJ-HPX3100 master quality 1080pP2 HD camera recorder simplifiesthe process of utilising userselectedmetadata. Comprised ofthe AJ-WM30 wireless moduleand AJ-SFU3100 software, thenew system promotes a seamlesstransfer of critical camerainformation between theHPX3100 and a vast populationof intelligent devices includingPCs, iPads and iPhones. The newAJ-WM30 wireless module andAJ-SFU3100 software key willboth be available this month,with suggested list prices of €130and €1,300 excluding VAT,respectively.Three new software productswill also be announced -including the AJ-SF110 VideoIngest software and AJ-SF100Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Archivesoftware, and AVCCAM Importersoftware which is a freeQuickTime plug-in that eliminatesthe need to convert AVCHD filesto ProRES422 files before editingin Final Cut Pro.For further details contact Panasonicdirect - see the ‘Video Manufacturers’section of the Trade Directory onpage 13.JVC Professional has recentlyintroduces their new GY-HM750ProHD camcorder - which is aHD/SD compact shoulder-mountmodel that offers simultaneousrecording to two SDHC cards andoptional ASI module for live ENGmicrowave broadcasts. Ideal forENG news, sports,documentaries, events, andother location shoots, it offersthe industry’s fastest shoot-toeditworkflow by recording nativeHD or SD footage in ready-toeditfile formats on low-costSDHC memory cards.Equipped with the same 3-CCDimaging system in the GY-HM790E, JVC’s ProHD flagshipcamcorder, the GY-HM750Edelivers outstanding 1920x1080images in a small, lightweightform factor. It records atselectable data rates up to 35Mbps and can record HD footagein 720p, 1080p, and 1080i, aswell as SD footage(576i).Using JVC’s establishednative file basedworkflow, the GY-HM750E includes a dualcard slot design thatrecords to nonproprietarySDHC cards and/oroptional SxS recorder. A newfeature, borne from numerouscustomer requests, allowssimultaneous recording to bothSDHC cards, for instant backupor client copy.JVC’s native file recordingtechnology allows recording inready-to-edit file formats forApple Final Cut Pro or AdobePremiere (.MOV), as well asother major NLE systems thatare compatible with Sony XDCAMEX files (.MP4). For legacy SDapplications, the camcorder canalso record standard DV files(.AVI or .MOV).Building on the modularapproach of the GY-HM790E, theGY-HM750E includes a 68-pinchassis connector that creates aclean, direct interface withvarious modules – no externalcables needed. The new KA-AS790 ASI output module, forexample, provides a direct feedfrom the camera to a satelliteuplink or microwave transmittervia BNC, which is ideal forbroadcasters that want live HDvideo from the field. Not only canthe camera be connected to thetransmitter or uplink with asingle BNC cable, therebyeliminating the need foradditional ‘black box’ interfaces,but the GY-HM750Eautomatically switches to lowlatencymode (less than 300msdelay) when the module is inuse.JVC has also improved its PreRec (retro cache) feature,whichcontinuously records and storesfootage in cache memory andhelps prevent missed shots ofbreaking events. The GY-HM750Estores 20 seconds of footage inits cache. Other features includevariable frame rate recording,extensive image customisation, ahigh resolution (1.22 millionpixel) LCOS viewfinder and 4.3-inch flip-out LCD monitor, andJVC’s patented Focus Assistfunctionality. The GY-HM750Ealso features two XLR audioinputs with phantom power, plusmanual audio level controls withaudio meter.The GY-HM750E includes aCanon 14:1 zoom lens, though itaccommodates a variety oflenses with its 1/3-inch bayonetlens mount. JVC offers lensesfrom Canon and Fujinon, as wellas a broad line of studio and fieldaccessories that are compatiblewith the GY-HM750E. Thecamcorder will bedemonstrated at theupcoming NAB Show in LasVegas.For further details contact JVCdirect - see the ‘VideoManufacturers’ section of the TradeDirectory on page 13.8 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

Gliding into PECPEC Video is proud toannounce that they are nowUK stockists for Cinevate.Their core product includeshigh quality linear trackingsystems, opticalviewfinders, matte boxes,follow focus systems andcamera shoulder rigs, theseitems and more wereamongst the several new andexciting product ranges PECVideo demonstrated at BVE.Cinevate’s mission statement issimple - “to equip filmmakerswith the optimal tools to achievetheir creative goals.” And withthat Canada based Cinevate havededicated themselves and theirhi-tech production facilities todesigning and manufacturingsome of the very bestaccessories for DSLR’s and VideoCameras ever seen.Dan Wheeler PEC Video’s SalesManager says, “Cinevate showfantastic attention to detail andhave a real standard ofexcellence. They are incrediblyapproachable and welcomeconstant feedback from theircustomers to help make evenbetter products. A lot of theirstaff have broadcast andproduction experience in theirbackgrounds and this reallyshows in just how well thoughtout their solutions are.”For further details contact PEC direct- see the ‘Dolly & Track Systems’section of the Trade Directory onpage 12.LED with switchable colour temperatureIaniro UK has recently introduceda new camera mounted LED lightwith variable colour temperaturecontrol. The new Minima LEDlight offers switchable colourtemperatures, full dimmingcontrol and outstandingbrightness.Manufactured by Visio Inc., theMinima is a very small unit thatweighs a mere 190 grams.Despite its diminutiveproportions, the Minima providesan excellent level of output at100 lm / Watt, equivalent to a50W tungsten. Uniquely, in aunit of this size, the light offersfull colour temperature switching,with 6 settings from 2800°K to6500°K.Nick Allen-Miles of Ianiro UKcommented, "The Minima doesaway with the need for colourgels to control imagetemperature, buying the camerateam valuable time whilereducing the size of their kit bag.But most importantly, the qualityof the output isexcellent,marryingoutstandingbrightnesswithamazingcolouraccuracy."The Minimaachievesthis accuracyby combiningred, white andyellow LED lights toform a continuous spectrum withfull-range frequency. Low-costand inaccurate analogue circuitryhas been replaced by a digitalsignal microprocessor and a 25kfrequency PWM controller. Thisallows for the colour ratio ofdifferent LEDs to be adjustedprecisely according to differentcolour temperatures. Minima'sCRI (Colour Rendering Index)can reach above 90% at anycolour temperature from 2800°Kto 6500°K. Minimum colour shiftis guaranteed to be within therange of 3-step dimming.With the unit featuring 144individual LED light bulbs, theMinima delivers a pleasant,uniformly soft light that deliversnatural skin tones with anexcellent 3D effect. Despite thesophistication of its electronicsand its powerful lighting output,Minima features a low powerconsumption design and with arun time of 1.5 hours.Allen-Miles adds, "In today'smedia frenzy, time is of theessence. The camera operator isalways looking to start shootingfast, with the least possible setup time. And productiondepartments are increasinglycalling for footage that can go toair without time consumingcolour correction or relighting inpost. The Minima can helpcamera teams capturebroadcast-ready, beautifulpictures fast. They can now shootinterview after interview withoutreaching for spare batteries, gelsor reflectors."The Minima is available fromIaniro’s dealers across Europe atan SRP £169.00 / €199.For further details contact Ianiro UKLtd direct - see the ‘Lighting’ sectionof the Trade Directory on page 13.Boom, boom, boom!Rycote has added threetelescopic carbon-fibre boompoles to its range of accessoriesfor broadcast and location soundrecordists: the 1.63-metre-longG3, with three sections, and the2.49-metre-long G5, with fivesections. The G5 is itselfavailable in two versions, astandard version and one with aninternal coiled cable and built-inNeutrik XLR connector in the hilt.For several years, followingtheir takeover of US boom polemanufacturer Lightwave Audio,Rycote has been sellingtelescopic boom poles under theLightwave name. However, withthe launch of the Rycote-brandedG-series carbon-fibre poles, theentire range, including the A3and A5 aluminium poles, will nowbe rebranded as Rycoteproducts.Industry NewsFeaturing the same lightweightpatented triple-cam 'grip andtwist' locking system as the A3and A5 poles, and with no metalparts to add to their weight, thenew G3 and G5 combinelightweight construction withgreat tensile strength. As on theA3 and A5, the lockingmechanism is designed to beresistant to jamming when thepole is dirty; however, ifnecessary, the locking collars canbe completely stripped down forcleaning in the field if required.The G3 weighs a mere 360grammes, the standard G5 is580g, while the G5 with internalcable weighs 720g.The G3 and G5 boom poles areideal additions to the location kitof any broadcast, ENG or filmsound engineer. All three are onsale now, with UKrecommended VAT includedretail prices as follows: G3 =£150, G5 Standard = £204 andthe G5 with internal cable =£288. Prices will vary interritories outside the UK.For further details contact RycoteMicrophone Windshields Ltd. direct -see the ‘Audio Equipment Supplies’section of the Trade Directory onpage 12.www.iov.com Focus Magazine April 2011 9

Industry NewsArea IOV NewsMidlandsBy Chris NorthOur Februarymeeting,featuring ColinDay'spresentationabout the Artand Science ofVoiceovers,followed on from the IOV'sNational AGM at the HillscourtConference Centre to the southof Birmingham. Colin, who nowworks with his wife Emma fromtheir state-of-the-art studio attheir home near Bromsgrove,informed and entertained us until10pm with an account of his lifeas a voice-over artist and withtechnical explanations of how itis done - with a bit of celebritygossip thrown in. We began witha dramatic audio clip of Colinvoicing the introduction to theLast Flight of Concorde.We were interested to hearhow he became a voiceover artist- as he explained, it is notsomething you can study for. InColin's case it developed from hisdays as a young DJ, thenthrough local Radio to TVcontinuity and to voicing cinemaadverts. Then, as he becamebetter known, he travelled thecountry doing voiceoversNorth WestEnglandBy Phil JanvierNormally, Iwould write areport afterevery Area 3meeting andpost it to ourmembers butlast year was a strange year andon top of that we only managedthree meetings instead of ournormal four. 2010 began with anapology for the lack of a meetingin February because of badweather but we did meet 21stApril. The subject for our meetingwas the IOV Award Winners andeleven members turned up forthis meeting and we showedextracts from all the winners. Thisas ever was a popular meeting asit showed the standard requiredto win an IOV Award.On 12th May we had the firstof the Better EncodingWorkshops. Strictly speaking thiswas IOV VideoSkills Workshop,but it was led by one of our localmembers, Martin Kay, andinvolved a great number of ourlocal members. The two-hourevening workshop attempted toprovide the skills necessary togain a working knowledge of howto encode video and media filesefficiently for digital delivery. Ilearnt a lot that evening and I amgrateful for the preparation andeffort that Martin put in.wherever required.His life changeddramatically withthe advent of theISDN line, whichenabled studioquality audio to betransmitted to anydestination - so hecould then workfrom home.Members hadno shortage ofquestionsthroughout the evening, rangingfrom kit to techniques. Colinexplained that there was a moveback to 'retro' kit - valve ampsand ribbon microphones - whichcould deliver a richer, smoothersound than modern condensermicrophones and digital preamps- but the recordings weremade digitally. He explainedhow the recorded sound wasaffected by the characteristics ofthe mic used, the type of preampand the room acoustics.Some mics suited some voicesbetter than others - Emmapreferred a directional mic forher voice rather than the largeNeumann studio mic, whichsuited Colin better.There was also a discussionabout room acoustics and how toimprovise with blankets andOn 16th June 2010 we welcomedback Peter Harman from Vinten.Peter over the years has becomeone of our favourite guestspeakers and he gave us anopportunity to see the Vision ASand Protouch systems plus a newprototype unit of the Vision Bluetripods. Peter’s visits are alwaysa real opportunity to bring yourown camera and test it on thetripods being demonstrated andhe is such a charismatic engineerthat it made a great evening.Sadly only nine members turnedup but for those who did attend itwas a great success.On 15th September eightmembers turned out for MichaelWalker and Dr Jim Mooney ofAIMES Grid Services C.I.C Ltdwho work with the storage andrendering of 3d video and did a lotof work for last year’s ShanghaiExpo. Together they gave apresentation on data centres, thevirtual “Cloud” and digital securityas well as Render Farms andstunning 3D quality CGI andvisual effects. While some of theconcepts were new to themembers overall the evening wasboth interesting and challenging.Sadly our final meeting of theyear was cancelled due to largenumber of members givingapologies for absence. However,this cancellation was the catalystto ask some serious questionsabout the future of the localmeetings in Area 3.duvets if you did not have accessto a studio for a particularrecording. But at the end of theday there was nothing like aprofessional voiceover to lift aproduction, as several of ourmembers who had previouslyused Colin could testify.Sadly we had to bring theevening to a close at ten o'clock,with members' questions stillflowing. The 19 members andguests who attended wererewarded with attractive mousemats featuring classic oldmicrophones - and of course areminder that we could contactColin on 01527 889317or viawww.Thurstonday.co.uk. Thanksto Colin and Emma for a veryfull, enjoyable and above all,entertaining evening. In the last few years there hasbeen a fall in the attendancepatterns at our meetings. Fromthe beginning of my time as arearep numbers could vary betweentwelve and thirty, but lately ournumbers have declined. This ledme to ask some serious questionswhich I emailed out to membersearlier this year - and I’d like tothank all those who emailed me,posted on the IOV forum or rangme with their thoughts.It is clear from the repliesthat there is still a desire to meetoccasionally and in various placesaround the whole of Area 3. Iwill therefore endeavour to findsuitable topics, skills andspeakers. However, there will bea difference. At present our IOVlocal group meetings are noweconomically unviable.Consequently, if we are to havemeetings they will only beconfirmed when enoughmembers have booked inadvance to make them viable.The cost of our meetings isdictated by the venue costs whichare approximately £70 a session,we charge £5 to members whoattend and that means to breakeven we need a minimum offourteen members per meeting.Therefore, if fourteen memberscan commit to a meeting it will goahead, hopefully at a variety oflocations. I will of course keepmembers posted on news of ournext event. Find out about IOVMeetings in your Area...The IOV holds meetings on an areabasis throughout the year. If youwould like to receive notification byemail of when your nearestmeetings are being held, simplyregister on the IOV’s website. Youcan then subscribe to receiveautomatic emails when newmeeting notices are posted by theArea Rep.Full details of how to register andsubscribe can be found in the ‘Usingthis Site’ section located in the uppermain menu of the website.Scotland NorthBrian Rae - brian.rae@iov.co.uk01224 862100Scotland SouthTony Nimmo - tony.nimmo@iov.co.uk01555 661541North East EnglandMike Trewhella - mike.trewhella@iov.co.uk0191 536 6535North West EnglandPhil Janvier - phil.janvier@iov.co.uk0151 487 9338S. Yorks, Humberside & Lincs.Brian Fernley - 0115 989 2787brian.fernley@iov.co.ukRoss Ironfield - 01522 872 328ross.ironfield@iov.co.ukNorth & West YorkshireRoger Staniland - roger.staniland@iov.co.uk07511 548189North Wales & BordersRep to be confirmedMidlandsChris North - chris.north@iov.co.uk01530 836700East Anglia & A1 CorridorBill Platts - bill.platts@iov.co.uk01733 370922South Wales & Bristol ChannelRep to be confirmedWest London, Middlesex & Herts.Emerson Bovell - emerson.bovell@iov.co.uk020 8575 2842Oxfordshire, M1 Corridor & NW LondonAnthony Barnett - anthony.barnett@iov.co.uk01553 776995Essex, Herts, N, E & Central LondonZulqar Cheema - zulqar.cheema@iov.co.uk01279 413260West CountryLara & Ian Lewis - lara.lewis@iov.co.uk01752 691210Dorset, Wiltshire & HampshireBryan Stanislas - bryan.stanislas@iov.co.uk0845 260 7737Sussex, Berks, Surrey & SW LondonMike West - mike.west@iov.co.uk01903 892951Kent & SE LondonJustine May - justine.may@iov.co.uk01622 850815Ireland - UlsterRep to be confirmedIreland - LeinsterMark Quinn - mark.quinn@iov.co.uk01 835 3389Ireland - MunsterJohn Berry - john.berry@iov.co.uk021 436 2299Ireland - ConnachtJohn Murphy - john.murphy@iov.co.uk087 688 6720If you would like to present yourproducts or services at local IOVmeetings - please contact the IOV’sCentral Office on 020 8502 3817 oremail info@iov.co.uk10 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

3D Graphics & AnimationPush CreativityLynwode Lodge, Walesby Road, Market Rasen,Lincolnshire LN8 3EYTel: 01673 843852Email: ashley@push.uk.netWeb: www.push.uk.netThe Electronic Picture Company128 Beckets View, Northampton, NN1 5NJTel: 0796 879 4887Email: pablo@theelectronicpicturecompany.comWeb: www.theelectronicpicturecompany.comAudio Equipment SuppliesRoland UK LtdAtlantic CloseSwansea SA7 9FJTel: 01792 702701Email: info@rolandsg.co.ukWeb: www.rolandsg.co.ukHHB Communications Ltd73 - 75 Scrubs Lane,London NW10 6QUTel: 020 8962 5000Fax: 020 8962 5050Email: sales@hhb.co.ukWeb: www.hhb.co.ukIDX Technology Europe9 Langley Park, Waterside Drive, Langley,Berkshire SL3 6EZTel: 01753 593724Fax: 01753 595104Email: idx.europe@idx.tvWeb: www.idx-europe.co.ukPlanet Video Systems LtdPinewood Studios, Pinewood Road, Iver Heath,Buckinghamshire SL0 0NHTel: 01753 422 750Fax : 01753 656 683Email: sales@planetaudiosystems.co.ukWeb: www.planetaudiosystems.co.ukRycote Microphone Windshields LtdLibbys Drive, Slad Road, Stroud,Gloucestershire GL5 1RNTel: 01453 759338Fax: 01453 764249Email: info@rycote.comWeb: www.rycote.comSennheiser UK Ltd3 Century Point, Halifax Road, High Wycombe,Buckinghamshire HP12 3SLTel: 01494 551551Fax: 01494 551550Email: info@sennheiser.co.ukWeb: www.sennheiser.co.ukSoundkit12 Earle Place, Canton,Cardiff CF5 1NZTel: 02920 342907Fax: 02920231235Email: martyn@soundkit.co.ukWeb: www.soundkit.co.ukSource Distribution LtdUnit 7 Pembroke Buildings, CumberlandBusiness Park, London NW10 6RETel: +44(0)20 8962 5080Fax: +44(0)20 8968 3218Email: sales@sourcedistribution.co.ukWeb: www.sourcedistribution.co.ukAuthoring Video To DVDAuthoring Services & RocketDVDUnit 4, Balksbury Estate, Upper Clatford,Andover, Hampshire SP11 7LWTel: 01264 336330Email: info@replication.comWeb: www.replication.comBatteries & PowerDS Video FacilitiesUnit 27, Metro Centre, Britannia Way,Coronation Road, London NW10 7PRTel: 020 8965 8060Tel: 0141 300 3404 (Glasgow office)Email: info@dsvideo.freeserve.co.ukWeb: www.dsvideo.co.ukIDX Technology Europe9 Langley Park, Waterside Drive, Langley,Berkshire SL3 6EZTel: 01753 593724Fax: 01753 595104Email: idx.europe@idx.tvWeb: www.idx-europe.co.ukPAG565 Kingston Road, Raynes Park,London SW20 8SATel: 020 8543 3131Email: sales@paguk.comWeb: www.paguk.comPhoton Beard LtdUnit K3, Cherry Court Way, Stanbridge Road,Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 4UHTel: 01525 850911Email: info@photonbeard.comWeb: www.photonbeard.comCamera Lenses & FiltersCalumet Pro Video (Formatt Filters)93-103 Drummond Street, London NW1 2HJTel: 08706 030303 (option 4)Email: provideo@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukIDX Technology Europe (Century Optics)9 Langley Park, Waterside Drive, Langley,Berkshire SL3 6EZTel: 01753 593724Fax: 01753 595104Email: idx.europe@idx.tvWeb: www.idx-europe.co.ukCamera Soft Cases & BagsManfrotto Distribution(formerly Bogen Imaging)Unit 4, The Enterprise Centre, Kelvin Lane,Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9PETel: 01293 583300Fax: 01293 583301Email: info@manfrottodistribution.co.ukWeb: www.manfrottodistribution.co.ukIDX Technology Europe9 Langley Park, Waterside Drive, Langley,Berkshire SL3 6EZTel: 01753 593724Fax: 01753 595104Email: idx.europe@idx.tvWeb: www.idx-europe.co.ukChromakey SuppliesVFX Blue Screen Solutions (Bristol UK Ltd)Unit 3, Sutherland Court, Tolpits Lane,Watford WD18 9SPTel: 01923 779333Fax: 01923 779666Email: vfx.sales@bristolpaint.comWeb: www.bristolpaint.comCommemorative Video & DVD CasesKarina KraftsComplex 7, 34 Nelson Road, Ystrad Mynach,Hengoed, Mid Glamorgan CF82 7BPTel: 01443 815595Fax: 01443 862204Email: sales@karinakrafts.comWeb: www.karinakrafts.comWarehouse Video ServicesBurnside, Horton Road, Staines, Middx. TW19 6BQTel: 01753 689400Fax: 01753 689401Email: sales@warehouse-video.co.ukWeb: www.warehouse-video.co.ukComputer Software & HardwareAV3 SoftwareSuite 51 Basepoint Business & Innovation Centre,Caxton Close, Andover, Hampshire SP10 3FGTel: 01264 326312 / 3Email: marketing@av3software.comWeb: www.av3software.comPlanet Video Systems LtdPinewood Studios Pinewood Road Iver HeathSL0 0NHTel: 01753 422 750Fax: 01753 656 683Email : sales@macuniverse.comWeb: www.macuniverse.comPenridge Multi-MediaThe Barn, Rashwood Meadow, Droitwich Spa,Worcestershire WR9 0BSTel: 01527 861911Email: sales@penridge.comWeb: www.penridge.comCopyright Free & Commissioned MusicAKM MusicPO Box 3199, Kenilworth CV8 2ZPTel: 01926 864068Email: akm@akmmusic.co.ukWeb: www.akmmusic.co.ukChris Worth Productions7 Blanchard Road, Louth, Lincs. LN11 8YHTel: 01507 601546Fax: 01507 601546Email: info@chrisworthproductions.comWeb: www.chrisworthproductions.comCranes & Remote HeadsCalumet Pro Video (Cambo distributor)93-103 Drummond Street, London NW1 2HJTel: 08706 030303 (option 4)Email: provideo@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukDimming EquipmentPhoton Beard LtdUnit K3, Cherry Court Way, Stanbridge Road,Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 4UHTel: 01525 850911Email: info@photonbeard.comWeb: www.photonbeard.comPEC Video Ltd65-66 Dean Street, Soho,London W1D 4PLTel: 020 7437 4633Fax: 020 7025 1320Email: sales@pec.co.ukWeb: www.pec.co.ukDuplication ServicesCopytrax Technologies UK Ltd35 Dry Drayton Industries, Scotland Road, DryDrayton, Cambridge CB23 8ATTel: +44 (0) 844 8156225Email: philipall@copytrax.comWeb: www. copytrax.comMulti Media Replication LtdUnit 4, Balksbury Estate, Upper Clatford,Andover, Hampshire SP11 7LWTel: 01264 336330Email: info@replication.comWeb: www.replication.comPenridge Multi-MediaThe Barn, Rashwood Meadow, Droitwich Spa,Worcestershire WR9 0BSTel: 01527 861911Email: sales@penridge.comWeb: www.penridge.comDVD & CD ApplicationsPenridge Multi-MediaThe Barn, Rashwood Meadow, Droitwich Spa,Worcestershire WR9 0BSTel: 01527 861911Email: sales@penridge.comWeb: www.penridge.comDVD & CD Replication ServicesMulti Media Replication LtdUnit 4, Balksbury Estate, Upper Clatford,Andover, Hampshire SP11 7LWTel: 01264 336330Email: info@replication.comWeb: www.replication.comPenridge Multi-MediaThe Barn, Rashwood Meadow, Droitwich Spa,Worcestershire WR9 0BSTel: 01527 861911Email: sales@penridge.comWeb: www.penridge.comDVD Duplication EquipmentCopytrax Technologies UK Ltd35 Dry Drayton Industries, Scotland Road, DryDrayton, Cambridge CB23 8ATTel: +44 (0) 844 8156225Email: philipall@copytrax.comWeb: www. copytrax.comMulti Media Replication LtdUnit 4, Balksbury Estate, Upper Clatford,Andover, Hampshire SP11 7LWTel: 01264 336330Email: info@replication.comWeb: www.replication.comDolly & Track SystemsPenridge Multi-MediaThe Barn, Rashwood Meadow, Droitwich Spa,Worcestershire WR9 0BSTel: 01527 861911Email: sales@penridge.comWeb: www.penridge.comPenridge Multi-MediaThe Barn, Rashwood Meadow, Droitwich Spa,Worcestershire WR9 0BSTel: 01527 861911Email: sales@penridge.comWeb: www.penridge.comCalumet Pro Video (Cambo distributor)93-103 Drummond Street, London NW1 2HJTel: 08706 030303 (option 4)Email: provideo@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukPenridge Multi-MediaThe Barn, Rashwood Meadow, Droitwich Spa,Worcestershire WR9 0BSTel: 01527 861911Email: sales@penridge.comWeb: www.penridge.com12 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

Equipment DealersCalumet Pro VideoLondon Store93-103 Drummond Street, London NW1 2HJTel: 08706 030303 (option 4)Email: provideo@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukManchester StoreUnit 4, Downing Street Industrial Estate,Charlton Place, Manchester M12 6HHTel: 0161 274 4455Email: provideo@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukEdinburgh Store3 Bonnington Business Centre, Tennant Street,Leith EH6 5HGTel: 0131 553 9979Email: provideo@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukBelfast StoreBoucher Plaza Unit 2, 4-6 Boucher Road,Belfast BT12 6HRTel: 02890 777770Email: provideo@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukCanford AudioCrowther Road, Washington,Tyne & Wear NE38 0BWTel: 0191 418 1000Email: info@canford.co.ukWeb: www.canford.co.ukHoldan LtdUnit 2 Waterside Business Park, Waterside,Hadfield, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 1BETel: 0845 1304445Email: sales@holdan.co.ukWeb: www.holdan.co.ukH. Preston Professional Video103 Worcester Road, Malvern, Worcester,WR14 1EPTel: 01684 575486Email: jpreston@hpreston.co.ukWeb: www.videokit.co.ukLEQ Ltd (Lightweight Equipment)Beech House, 62 York Road, Sutton,Surrey SM26HJTel: +44 (0) 20 8770 7790Email: Tonycovell@talktalk.netPlanet Video Systems LtdPinewood Studios, Pinewood Road, Iver Heath,Buckinghamshire SL0 0NHTel: 01753 422 750Fax: 01753 656 683Email : sales@planetvideosystems.co.ukWeb: www.planetvideosystems.co.ukProactive UK Ltd1 Eastman Way, Hemel Hempsted HP2 7DUTel: 01442 253313Fax: 01442 260913Email: sales@proav.co.ukWeb: www.proav.co.ukProduction Gear LtdMillennium Studios, Elstree Way,Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 1SFTel: 020 8236 1212Email: sales@productiongear.co.ukWeb: www.productiongear.co.ukWTS Broadcast LimitedMedia Park, 40b River Road,Barking, Essex IG11 0DWTel: +44(0) 208 594 3336Fax: +44(0) 208 594 1552Email: sales@wtsbroadcast.comWeb: www.wtsbroadcast.comEquipment RentalCalumet Pro Video93-103 Drummond Street, London NW1 2HJTel: 08706 030303 (option 2)Email: rentals@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukHireacamera.comUnit 5 Wellbrook Farm, Berkley Road, Mayfield,East Sussex TN20 6EHTel: 01435 873028Fax: 01435 874841Email: info@hireacamera.comWeb: www.hireacamera.comEquipment Service & RepairCalumet Pro Video93-103 Drummond Street, London NW1 2HJTel: 08706 030303 (option 4)Email: provideo@calumetphoto.co.ukWeb: www.calumetphoto.co.ukThear Technology LimitedTTL House, Sheeptick End, nr Lidlington,Bedfordshire MK43 0SFTel: 01525 841999Fax: 01525 841009Email: service@theartechnology.co.ukWeb: www.theartechnology.co.ukGrip EquipmentIaniro UK LtdUnit 19, Walkers Road, Manorside IndustrialEstate, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 9HETel: 01527 596955Fax: 01527 596788Email: info@ianirouk.comWeb: www.ianirodirect.comInsurance CompaniesAaduki Multimedia InsuranceBridge House, Okehampton,Devon EX20 1DLTel: 0845 838 6933Fax: 0845 838 6933Email: info@aaduki.comWeb: www.aaduki.comTowergate CamerasureFuntley Court, Funtley Hill, Fareham,Hampshire PO16 7UYTel: 0870 4115511Email: camerasure@towergate.co.ukWeb: www.towergatecamerasure.co.ukLightingARRI (GB) Limited2 High Bridge, Oxford Road, Uxbridge,Middlesex UB8 1LXTel: 01895 457000Email: sdaly@arri-gb.comWeb: www.arri.comCirro Lite (Europe) Ltd3 Barretts Green Road, London NW10 7AETel: 020 8955 6700Email: sales@cirrolite.comWeb: www.cirrolite.comIaniro UK LtdUnit 19, Walkers Road, Manorside IndustrialEstate, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 9HETel: 01527 596955Fax: 01527 596788Email: info@ianirouk.comWeb: www.ianirodirect.comPhoton Beard LtdUnit K3, Cherry Court Way, Stanbridge Road,Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 4UHTel: 01525 850911Email: info@photonbeard.comWeb: www.photonbeard.comRotolight Inc.Pinewood Studios, Pinewood Road, Iver HeathBuckinghamshire SL0 0NHTel: 01753 656 170Fax: 01753 656 683Email: sales@rotolight.comWeb: www.rotolight.comNonlinear & Hybrid SystemsPlanet Video Systems LtdPinewood Studios, Pinewood Road, Iver Heath,Buckinghamshire SL0 0NHTel: 01753 422 750Fax: 01753 656 683Email : sales@planetvideosystems.co.ukWeb: www.planetvideosystems.co.ukRoland UK LtdAtlantic CloseSwansea SA7 9FJTel: 01792 702701Email: info@rolandsg.co.ukWeb: www.rolandsg.co.ukZEN Computer Services3 Carolina Way, Salford Quays,Manchester M50 2ZYTel: 0161 736 5300Fax: 0161 736 5303Email: info@zenvideo.co.ukWeb: www.zenvideo.co.ukRadio MicrophonesSennheiser UK Ltd3 Century Point, Halifax Road, High Wycombe,Buckinghamshire HP12 3SLTel: 01494 551551Fax: 01494 551550Email: info@sennheiser.co.ukWeb: www.sennheiser.co.ukSoundkit12 Earle Place, Canton, Cardiff CF5 1NZTel: 02920 342907Fax: 02920231235Email: martyn@soundkit.co.ukWeb: www.soundkit.co.ukRecordable Media - CD / DVD / TapeAPR MediaMedia House, Unit 18 Rylands Industrial Estate,Bagley Road, Wellington, Somerset TA21 9PZTel: 01823 669166Email: sales@aprmedia.comWeb: www.aprmedia.comCarousel MediaUnit S-1, Inchbrook Trading Estate,Woodchester, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL11 5EDTel: 0845 166 4860Email: sales@carouselmedia.comWeb: www.carouselmedia.comMulti Media Replication LtdUnit 4, Balksbury Estate, Upper Clatford,Andover, Hampshire SP11 7LWTel: 01264 336330Email: info@replication.comWeb: www.replication.comPenridge Multi-MediaThe Barn, Rashwood Meadow, Droitwich Spa,Worcestershire WR9 0BSTel: 01527 861911Email: sales@penridge.comWeb: www.penridge.comStudio Lighting DesignPhoton Beard LtdUnit K3, Cherry Court Way, Stanbridge Road,Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 4UHTel: 01525 850911Email: info@photonbeard.comWeb: www.photonbeard.comStudio & Lighting Services3 Cedar Drive, Loughton, Essex IG10 2PATel: 020 8418 9848Email: peter@slservices.co.ukWeb: www.slservices.co.ukTelepromptingAutocue GroupUnit 3, Puma Trade Park, 145 Morden Road,Mitcham, Surrey CR4 4DGTel: +44 (0)20 8665 2992Fax: +44 (0)20 8687 4869Email: sales@autocue.co.ukWeb: www.autocue-qtv.comPortaPromptLane End Road, Sands, High Wycombe,Buckinghamshire HP12 4JQTel: 01494 450414Email: sales@portaprompt.co.ukWeb: www.portaprompt.co.ukTripods & Camera SupportsHague Camera SupportsMile End Road, Colwick,Nottingham NG4 2DWTel: 0115 987 0031Email: info@b-hague.co.ukWeb: www.b-hague.co.ukIaniro UK (Libec)Unit 19, Walkers Road, Manorside IndustrialEstate, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 9HETel: 01527 596955Fax: 01527 596788Email: info@ianirouk.comWeb: www.ianirodirect.comIDX Technology Europe9 Langley Park, Waterside Drive, Langley,Berkshire SL3 6EZTel: 01753 593724Fax: 01753 595104Email: idx.europe@idx.tvWeb: www.idx-europe.co.ukVintenCamera Dynamics Ltd, Western Way, Bury StEdmunds, Suffolk IP33 3TBTel: 01284 752121Web: www.vinten.comVideo AccessoriesKeene ElectronicsOld Hall, Unit 9, Mills Bus. Pk, Station Road,Little Eaton, Derby DE21 5DNTel: 01332 830550Email: sales@keene.co.ukWeb: www.keene.co.ukVideo ManufacturersCanon UK LtdWoodhatch, Reigate, Surrey RH2 8BFTel: 01737 220 000Email: Matt_Beard@cuk.canon.co.ukWeb: www.canon.co.ukJVC Professional EuropeJVC House, JVC Business Park, 12 PriestleyWay, London NW2 7BATel: 020 8208 6200Email: sales@jvcpro.co.ukWeb: www.jvcpro.co.ukPanasonic Business SystemsPanasonic House, Willoughby Road, Bracknell,Berkshire RG12 8FPTel: 01344 853855Fax: 01344 853847Email: enquiries@panasonic-pbe.co.ukWeb: www.panasonic-broadcast.comSony Broadcast & Professional UKThe Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge,Surrey KT13 0XWTel: 01932 816275Web: www.sonybiz.netTV One LimitedUnit V, Continental Approach, WestwoodIndustrial Estate, Margate, Kent CT9 4JGTel: 01843 873300Email: sales@tvone.comWeb: www.tvone.co.ukVoiceover ServicesJane FarnhamTel: 07770 833848Email: jane@janefarnham.comWeb: www.janefarnham.comGET YOUR COMPANYLISTED - In Focus magazineand on the IOV web site -www.iov.co.uk -from £145 per year(£20 for each additional listing - logoinsertion for £50 per listing)www.iov.com Focus Magazine April 2011 13

DSLRs have blazed throughthe landscape of eventvideography for a few yearsnow. Although they offeredamazing imagery and newpossibilities, they also camewith some new problems:aliasing, moiré and audiomonitoring have beenchallenges we didn’t use toface.Panasonic has been a part ofthe DSLR market for a while withtheir GH1. Interesting as thiscamera was (with videoautofocus functions and anarticulated screen), the poorimplementation of an AVCHDcodec let it down in morechallenging environments. Itwasn’t until the firmware gothacked and the ‘GH13’ was born,that it became a seriouscontender. Although here at EverAfter we have used the moreubiquitous Canon offerings, weeventually settled down for thisunsung DSLR hero that willhappily use pretty much any lensever created.With the Lumix GH2, Panasonicreleased the 2nd generation ofthis camera. As with all newtechnology, in the beginningthere’s always plenty of scope forimprovement. Did Panasonicdeliver with the GH2? Oh yes!They certainly did!Getting technicalLet’s get the technical mumbojumboout of the way first. TheGH2 is a micro4/3 type camera,which means it has a crop factorof about 1.9 when compared to afull frame 35mm stills camera, orjust about the same size as a35mm film camera. This meansthe depth of field is deeper thanthe Canon 5D, and a tad deeper,but pretty close to the 60D.The touch-screen is animprovement on the GH1: it issharper and now offers ‘touchfocus’ when used with acompatible lens. The kit lensesoffer some interesting featuressuch as stabilisation, touchfocus,push-auto style focus andcomplete autofocus all of whichare surprisingly wellimplemented. As is the case withall stock lenses, they are quiteslow and I would not recommendusing them indoors. A variety offaster micro 4/3 and full 4/3lenses are available, butobviously more expensive.The implementation of thecodec is a mixed blessing.There’s a ‘cinema 24p’ modewhich gives you a gorgeousnative 24p image at either24mbs or 17mbs. You can alsouse a 1080i60/i50 or 720p60/p50 (NTSC/PAL), but these arelimited to 17mbs. If you evercome across a Panasonicengineer that has a goodexplanation for this, please givehim my number! I’m sure thatwe’ll see a hacked codec soonthat will address this, but asmost of us want to have a‘cinema feel’ anyway, it’s prettymuch a none-issue.Another great Panasonic ideawas to come up with a newbattery type instead of stickingwith the GH1 style. I can onlysee one advantage there andthat’s for Panasonic, not for theuser. If I start to sound bitter, letme correct you straight away: ILOVE THIS CAMERA. Yes,Panasonic made some oddchoices, but read on and you’llsee why I’d happily live withthose.RedefiningexpectationsGoodbye aliasing and moiré.You’ve read it right, unlike all theother current offerings in theDSLR market, this camerahandles aliasing and moiré issuesextremely well. It’s become allbut invisible in just about allcircumstances and is no longeran issue. Intricate brickwork,stripy suits, this camera willhappily film it all!If you underexpose andthrow your camera about like amonkey with an itch, you can stillcreate problems that the codecdoesn’t deal with very well, butI’d like to think we’re all a bitbetter than that.What about the audio? TheGH2 has a built-in stereo mic, it’snothing like a Rode NTG-2shotgun, but if you have to,14 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

Reviewit actually does give you quiteusable audio if you’re closeenough to your source. I’d sayit’s somewhere in between theCanon built-in mics and the Rodevideomic.The GH2 does have a micinput of the 1/8inch variety andmore importantly, you can setthe levels in 4 steps (for thebuilt-in mic or an external one).You can also see level meters onyour display alongside a veryuseful histogram and a basiczebra-system.Plugging in your external mic,it even reminds you to power upthat mic if needed! But...still noheadphone socket and you can’tadjust the audio levels whilerecording.The GH2 has a 16 megapixelsensor, the image of which isscaled down for filming. ButPanasonic came up with a greatidea, why not have a ‘1:1 cropfunction’? The result is a videomode where only the middle1920x1080 pixels on the sensorare used, which is more amazingthan it sounds. No aliasing ormoiré at all and the focal lengthof your lens multiplied by about3. This means a 50mm primebecomes a 150mm lens at thetouch of a button withoutdegrading the image.With the GH2 Panasonic havemade their camera a lot morelight sensitive, it’s in a differentleague then the GH1, the ISOranges from 160 to an extremelyclean 3200 when filming in theregular film modes. When usingthe ‘crop-mode’, grain becomesapparent anywhere above 400ISO.The HDMI output of the GH2is uncompressed while filming,which makes it an interestingchoice for those nano-flash orsimilar recorders.Using the GH2 in a runand gun environmentEver After specialises in filmswith no re-takes, uncontrolledsets with mixed lighting andactors that can be very camerashy: yep we produce weddingday films. Having a camera thatcan be quick and versatile is amust and the GH2 delivers!The articulated screen andvastly improved EVF (electronicviewfinder, great when it’s justtoo sunny outside) are a pleasureto work with. There are nooverheating issues or warnings,battery life is not too www.iov.com Focus Magazine April 2011 15

Reviewshabby (about 2.5 hours offilming per battery, a battery gripis due out in February) and theonly recording limit you have(NTSC version) is dictated by thesize of your memory card (SD).If nothing else, that makes theGH2 one of the few options foran unmanned DSLR camera. ThePAL version does have a 30min recording limit(thanks to someold stupid taxlaws), whichI’m sure willbe hackedout of theway soon, atleast that’swhat happened with theGH1.At this point I have tomention that the LCD screens onthe Canon DLSRs are superior,no doubt about it. I would go asfar as saying the LCD is theweakest point of this camera.We’ve had several instanceswhere the LCD showed aliasingand banding (due to its lowerresolution), the footage in theNLE however looked gorgeouswith no traces of these artefacts.These seem to be due to a lineskippingsystem that is used forthe LCD screen, but not for theencoding of the footage.As a rule ofthumb, Iwould suggest the usage of theEVF in low light, the eventualfootage still looks better thanthat, but it will give you a farbetter indication than the LCD.You can of course use the fullquality HDMI output with anexternal monitor to avoid allthese issues, but we found thatafter a few shoots, you knowhow to ‘translate’ LCD-quality toactual footage-quality.As I mentioned before, thestock lenses are useful, but slow.At present we use a variety ofvintage lenses (some fast zooms,but mainly primes) and I can’tsay I miss the auto-functions.Focussing a vintage lens caneasily be done with an expandedzoom function, which you canpoint anywherewith the touchscreen. It is however (just like allDSLRs) not available whilerecording.The camera and stock lensesare very light and while at firstthey can feel like they’ve beenmanufactured at a Fisher-Priceplant, they are actually quiterobust. They do have their uses,especially outdoors where theOIS (optical image stabiliser)allows for some handheld shotsthat would otherwise fall apart.Due to its crop factor it’s oftencommented that it is difficult toget a wide angle shot with themicro 4/3 cameras. Again, this iswhere the kit lens comes inhandy as it starts at 14mm.There are several other options(such as a 9-18mm zoom); thekey is to search for native 4/3or micro 4/3 mount lenses.We use our GH2 on a varietyof rigs: tripods, monopods,DPSlider, glidecam and aDVmultiRig. It’s easy to useand balance on all of these andit’s especially nice to have a verylight glidecam system if you wantit.Overall assessmentIs this the perfect camera foreveryone? No, it isn’t. For us theGH2 has redefined thepossibilities of DSLR shoots. Thesolved aliasing and moiré issues,audio monitoring, zebras, norecording limits, improved lowlight shooting, 1:1 cropfunction ... all of these arereasons why we bought a secondGH2 after one shoot.I am slightly disappointedthat the LCD screen is notof the samequality asCanon, butthis isonly in issue in low light wherethe EVF will rescue you and yourfootage will be better thanexpected. An external monitor(even a bargain basement one)will make this a non-issue for£150.Due to its massive marketshare, it’s difficult not tocompare it to the likes of Canon’sofferings. Without a doubt,Canon has the edge when itcomes to taking stills (somethingwe’re not bothered about),robustness and in very rareoccasions the hair sharp DOF of a5D mark II can be cool. Apartfrom this, I would say the GH2gives Canon a run for its moneyfrom user friendliness to imagequality and anything in between.The recently announcedBirger adapter will even makethe use of Canon lenses(including IS and auto functions)possible on micro 4/3 bodies. Soalthough it might not be perfect,it comes pretty damn close! Niels PuttemansEver After Video ProductionsNotes: as the GH2 uses amirror-less design, technicallyterm DSLR is incorrect.Panasonic markets the camera asa ‘mirror-less DSLR’ and Canon isrumoured to release such acamera later this year.16 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

Firstly, I was not entirelysure how to approach thisreview. The Sony NEX VG10has been out a while now andI am fully aware of how quicktechnology moves on withinthe industry. This review isbased on my own personalexperience since purchasingthe camera in October 2010.If you are anything like methen you would be extremelyexcited and get a buzz at thepurchase of anything new and Itend to spend a lot of timestaring at the unopened boxbefore seeing what's inside!First impressionsI was surprised at how small theactual main body of the camerawas, with the bulk of thesupplied lens adding a fairproportion to its overalldimensions. The lens appears tobe very well built and it was easyto attach to the main body of thecamera. I did notice a little playin the lens once attached to thecamera but more on that later.On handling the camera I foundit ever so slightly top heavy andquite awkward to hold.Most of the weight comesfrom the 18-200 E- Mount lenswhich has built in imagestabilisation - a feature missingfrom the main body. Theaperture range of the lens is f3.5at 18mm and f6.5 at 200mm.Most of the user buttons arehidden behind the 3inch LCDscreen with the exception of therecord button and a photobutton. There is a headphonejack, a mini HDMI and USB2connector located on the rightside of the main body as well asoptions for an externalmicrophone which can beattached via a 3.5mm jack. NoXLR inputs I am afraid but this isto be expected from a consumermodel.On quick observation of theLCD screen I found it to be veryclear and sharp although not atouch screen like other consumermodels. To my surprise the LCDcannot be swivelled to facefrontward. That is a real shame.Moving on to the audio, Sonyhave added a very nice quadcapsule spatial array microphonewhich is well placed on the tophandle. According to Sony thisMic has exceptional front sidedirectivity and stereo separation.In other words it is moresensitive to the sound comingfrom the front then behind.Initial tests proved this to be trueand I was very impressed withthe sound capture from theinbuilt mic.Unfortunately Sony omittedmanual audio control or visualmeters so we have to make dowith AGC. Having said that themic appears to handle quite wellin most environments, althoughnaturally I would have preferredmanual gain control.I do not want to dwell toomuch on the photo capabilities ofthis camera apart from the factthat it is based around the SonyNEX5 with full PASM. It is to allintents and purposes a verycapable stills camera, althoughSony have omitted the rawoption which can be found on theNEX5!The main reason for mypurchase was the fact that it isequipped with a large APS-Csized sensor. It is generally thesame size as that found withinthe Canon 7D with the samecapabilities for shallow depth offield encompassed withincamcorder shaped body.Sony use the AVCHD formatoutputting to M2TS files with24mpbs as its highest setting - alittle higher than the NEX3 and 5which is 17mpbs. I recommendyou purchase a few SDHC cardsand batteries for the camera.Sony recommend an SDHC cardof class six and above forreliability.On the roadLike any new purchase you willneed to spend some time to getto know where all the buttonsare and be confident that theycan be accessed and used withina pressurised environment suchas a wedding - which is where Iwill be passing most of myexperience from.My first head scratchingmoment came when I thoughtthe camera had a fault. There isa visual dial on the LCD screenwhich allows you to change thesettings via the buttons behindthe screen. This appeared todisappear as I was shooting andreappear sporadically, effectivelymaking any changes impossiblewhen not showing.To explain further, if Iwanted to change shutter speedor aperture I could only do sowhen the option was visiblyshowing on the LCD screen, butit kept flashing and sometimesdisappearing altogether. Aftermany phone calls with nosuccess I initially thought theproblem was coming from theattached lens which appearedslightly lose. Maybe it was notmaking good contact. Then Iturned to the battery. Sony haveopted for a battery which youneed to push upward to secureas opposed to down like theirother models. Maybe this wasthe problem?Eventually by sheer chance Irealised that the photo buttonwould disable the camera whenpressed. The problem is theplacement of the photo button issuch that you cannot help buttouch it especially when shootingwith the top handle causing thisdilemma. It left me wonderingwhat Sony were thinking of whendesigning the camera!Another design problem isthat the LCD screen needs to beopen to access the controls. Youwill therefore be severely limitedif you wish to use the viewfinderas a way of monitoring as this isdisabled on opening the LCDscreen!18 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

ReviewThe front endI found the lens to be great andreally sharp outdoors althoughwould have preferred a constantaperture throughout the 18-200range, but here I know I amasking too much.I would strongly recommenda variable ND filter for outdooruse to keep the exposure undercontrol and keep the lens open toproduce those beautiful shallowdepth of fields shots. The lenshas very pleasing bokeh - farnicer than our Tamron lens onour Canon 7D. In fact the qualityof the picture is sometimesstunning and this for me is itssaving grace.The lens is a little too slowfor indoor work and when thelights dim. Having said that youcan raise the gain to 27db whichis equivalent to ISO 12,400 instills mode. Something foremergencies!Sony do have the 16mmpancake lens at f2.8 and Ibelieve many more E-Mountlenses will be introduced in 2011to accommodate the camera. Youcan also buy many adapters to fitwhatever lens you like on thebody. Please bear in mind thatyou will lose the ability to autofocus and you will also lose IS.Sony have recently updated thefirmware which now allows it'sown A- Mount lenses to autofocus on the camera.Whilst on auto focus thecamera performs acceptably ingood light, but I generally preferto use manual focus 100% of thetime. I would not recommendhand holding the camera whilstshooting as it becomes veryawkward and although the lenshas good stabilisation some formof shoulder support is required tomake the camera moreaccessible and steady.There is no record limit unlikemost DSLR'S and I found noproblems with overheating afterrecording speeches for over 50minutes. This for me is a majorplus factor.WhyI was very surprised to see theomission of ‘focus assist’ and theexclusion of zebras and peaking.I cannot explain howdisappointing this is and in manyways it will be a deal breaker formany. Getting correct exposureis hard. Thankfully my eyesight isquite good and with the screenbeing sharp I did not have anymajor issues with manual focus.There is a histogram but itdisappears during exposurecompensation adjustment whichis when you need it!I honestly feel Sony havedeliberately left these featuresout to keep it in line with theconsumer brand, but wait....theSony NEX5 has a very nice focusassist of 7x & 14x, so why notthe VG10? I am also certain thatthese can be fixed with afirmware upgrade - something Idoubt will happen in theforeseeable future, if at all. IfSony is reading this then all I askis that they make people whohave invested in this technologyhappy by introducing thesefeatures by a firmware upgrade.In postTransferring the footage toAdobe Premiere CS5 is a breezewith Premiere natively supportingthe AVCHD format. I wouldstrongly recommend youpurchase a fast and capablecomputer to handle thesecompressed files otherwise youmay experience stuttering andslow performance.ConclusionThere is no doubt that thiscamera is capable of somebeautiful footage. It iscomparable to DSLR's. This is nota camera for those looking toinvest in a sole camera forweddings though. The poor userinterface is by far the biggestproblem.However, if you already ownone or two cameras (be it HDV orDSLR) and want to add this toyour arsenal then I wouldrecommend it - with caution. Forthose who already own thecamera like myself we have gotused to its many downfalls and,given time, are bowled over bythe images it can produce.I personally believe that ifSony fixed a few of its obviousflaws by means of a firmwareupgrade then I would not be socautious as to recommend thismodel. As it stands there will bea divided audience. There is nodoubt you will either love thiscamera or hate it. John De Rienzo M.M.Inst.V.De Rienzo Filmswww.iov.com Focus Magazine April 2011 19

Users of DSLRs don’t need tobe told about the manydisadvantages of shootingvideo with these cameras.However the downsides aremore than compensated bythe beautiful pictures thatcan be obtained – even ‘outof the box’, and much hasbeen written here and inmany other publicationsabout how large-sensordevices are about to takeover the world.So as a result, a majorindustry has sprung up offeringall sorts of supports and gizmosto help make shooting withDSLRs easier. Because until therecent arrival of the Panasonic AF101 and the Sony F3 (anddoubtless a myriad morefollowing on) the only way to geta large sensor was to get a Red -or a DSLR. And mostvideographers I know of are notin the business of throwing a Redand some primes in the back oftheir car and tootling off to shoota wedding.However, many accessoriescurrently being offered for DSLRsare just today’s video equivalentof Snake Oil – promisingeverything, but delivering verylittle. But who hasn’t beenbewitched by those beautifullyanodised and machinedcontraptions to pimp up theirCanon? (Er, you haven’t? Well,read on anyway…)This review is for probablythe most useful ‘mod’ you’ll evermake to your DSLR – and best ofall, it’s free! That’s the goodnews. The bad news is that it is abit fiddly to do and if you mess itup, you ‘brick’ the camera (andyou won’t have any warranty.)BackgroundAround two years ago no-onehad really considered shootinganything sensible on DSLRs –until the release of the 5DMk2.Offering HD video at only 30 fps(useless even to Americans asNTSC is actually 29.97 fps) itwas still hailed as the SecondComing. And as Canon updatedthe firmware and actually madeshooting video more possible, anAmerican with the unlikely nameof Trammell Hudson was workingon ‘hacks’ to make it even better.A lot better. Like a real videocamera!And so Magic Lantern wasborn. A firmware hack for the5DMk2 that gave it all thefeatures that Canon couldn’t (ormore likely wouldn’t) offer.Bear in mind that DSLRs areimported as stills cameras and assuch attract a different rate ofduty than video cameras – hencethe limitation of recording lengthand many other ‘de-specs’ thatfrustrate DSLR users.Fast forward eighteen monthsand most people shooting videoon 5DMk2s will have tried or willbe using Magic Lantern. (And itwould be interesting to knowhow many rental 5DMk2s havethe hack – with or without theowner’s permission!)Since then we have had the7D (unhackable, they say) andthe 550D. More recently we havehad the 60D and by the time thisarticle is published, the 600Dwhich is basically like the 550Dbut with an articulating screen.And they all shoot excellent HDvideo.It’s always struck me as oddthat Canon have so many DSLRcameras yet they don’t seem tohave a great deal ofstandardization. You would thinkthat it would be cheaper to makethem all on one line with onechassis and spec them (or despecthem) to a price-point,rather like Ford Escorts. Howeverthey all seem to differ in terms ofphysical construction, controllayout and even screen quality.For instance my 550D has adifferent control layout to my 7D,yet the way they work (on videoat least) makes it difficult to tellrushes apart. I am told they evenhave the same sensor. And - the7D is not hackable (even thoughyou would expect it to be as it’sbasically a 5DMk2 with a 4/3rdssensor) but the 550D is, provingthat the gubbins inside must be20 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

Articlecompletely different. (And all thisnotwithstanding a post byTrammell Hudson in June 2010doubting that the 550D wouldever be hacked!)Prices for a Canon 550D bodyare slightly over £500 currently;by the time you read this, they’llprobably have dropped furtherdue to the introduction of the600D. Add some lenses and bitsand pieces and you could beshooting HD video with gorgeousDoF for under £1500!However for the money,there are compromises to bemade and these can have aneffect on what you shoot andhow you shoot it. The MagicLantern firmware hack getsround most of these – and in myopinion now makes it moreuseful than my 7D – which isalmost twice the price.The Best accessoryever?So what is a hack and why is itthe best accessory you’ll everadd? Every Canon camera hasfirmware inside it that makes itdo what it’s supposed to do whenyou switch it on. Basically, thesecameras have so many functions,that hard-wiring for all thepossibilities would make themfour times the size and fourtimes more cumbersome. So, aninstalled program (the firmware)runs the camera from a‘flashable’ memory and makes itdo what it’s supposed to do whenyou press the relevant button.From time to time Canonupdates the firmware withvarious bug fixes and to makethe camera more useable. Thelatest 550D firmware is version1.0.9 (and to install MagicLantern you’ll need to have thisrelease in your camera.)What Magic Lantern does is todrastically ‘upgrade’ Canon’sfirmware to offer a load moreoptions to make creativeshooting much easier. However itdoes this in a rather clever way(which is probably a by-productof how the software engineersreverse-engineered the hack inthe first place.)First, you ‘fool’ your camerainto thinking it has a new Canonrelease of firmware to upgradeto. Then, whenever you switchthe camera on, it looks for aprogram to ‘boot’ from – and thisautoexec program is now actuallyon your memory card! It’s likechanging the BIOS on your PC tomake it boot from a CD insteadof the hard-drive.AND the real beauty of this isthat once you’ve ‘hacked’ thecamera to tell it to do this, youcan always have the newestrelease of Magic Lantern running– just by copying the latestautoexec file to your cards!What Magic LanterndoesThe latest release of MagicLantern that I have at the time ofwriting (dated 23 February 2011)offers all these upgrades fromthe ‘standard’ 550D; these areaccessed by pressing the ‘erase’button to open up a GUI menu: Bit rate control (QScaleparameter) for the H.264encoder – for better qualitypictures – but at the expenseof card space Zebra stripes foroverexposed / underexposedareas Spotmeter, histogram Cropmarks (16:9,Cinemascope, Fisheye) Intervalometer (classic orHDR) Trap Focus: camera takes apicture when somethingcomes in focus Remote release with either theLCD face sensor or audiotrigger Rack focus Stack focus (Live View only) Lens data computation Onscreen audio meters Manual audio gain, selectableinput source, disable AGC anddigital filters Display time remaining duringvideo recording Debug functions (displayCMOS temperature,screenshot, logging) Fine tuning for ISO andshutter speeds; also ISO25600 Kelvin white balance Clean LiveView display withoutany overlays (selectable) On-demand auto tuning forISO, shutter & Kelvin whitebalance Quick access to some usefulsettings like HTP, ALO andcontrast www.iov.com Focus Magazine April 2011 21

ArticleNow, many of these functionsyou’ll never use. For instancesetting up a focus pull is fiddlyand it’s normally quicker andeasier to do it by eye, but manyothers turn the 550D intosomething approaching a realvideo camera – and offer real profeatures, like: zebra, variableWB, much more variable ISO,on-screen masks, histogram andspot-metering and (best of all)manual audio level controls.Upsides andDownsidesRunning with the 550D withMagic Lantern makes it possibleto have an almost infinite degreeof control over what you areshooting and, with a littlepractise, turn out very finepictures indeed. It also meansthat you may be able to travellighter as in most cases you’renot going to need to record yoursound separately. So what arethe downsides?First, as stated before, it’sfiddly (and a trifle risky) toupgrade. Second, because youboot from the card, there’s noway to store any of your MLsettings, so they will be lost on apower-down. And third, it is stillexperimental software so youmust expect some glitches. Thegood thing is it’s easy todowngrade or ignore – as we willsee.Fourth, it means that anycard you use in the camera willhave to be set up first. So infuture, rather than just copyingoff your rushes and re-formattingthe card in-camera, you’ll haveto be rather more careful. Buttrust me; it’s a small price topay.Last, there have been reportsthat batteries don’t last as longand there may be a risk of overheating.Certainly I have got afew more buffer warnings – butnever any overheating leading toa shutdown. However speakingto people in countries ratherwarmer than the UK, this can bea factor.The UpgradeThe upgrade process is coveredin many places on the web – bestof all on the Magic Lantern pages(http://magiclantern.wikia.com/wiki/550D) so these are just mynotes to help you understandwhat you’ll be doing and why.So – dare you continue?The first thing to do ifnecessary, is to upgrade thestandard Canon firmware for the550D. The build of Magic LanternI have discussed here requiresCanon’s 1.0.9 firmware. This is apretty easy process which can bedone on your PC using an SDcard reader. The program is onthe Canon site together will fullinstructions.The second stage is to foolthe camera into thinking that ishas another firmware upgrade.This is done with one small file(magiclantern.fir) that makes apermanent change to the camera(this is correctly called apersistent change.) Like the‘official’ Canon upgrade, this isdone by writing the file to an SDcard and then launching theupgrade process in the camera.Once the red light stops flashingat the end of this process, turnoff the camera and remove thebattery right away!What you have done is toinstall what’s called a ‘Bootflag’program. That means if a startupprogram is visible to thecamera on its SD card, it willboot from that card. If not, itwon’t - and will boot from itsinbuilt memory. Now yourcamera is ready to accept MagicLantern - if you choose to run it.At the moment it is able to run itor not – depending on what cardis put into the camera.The third stage is to makeyour SD cards ‘bootable’ using asmall program supplied. Ontothese SD cards you also put thelatest release of Magic Lantern(mine is currently February 23rd,2011) and a few other smallfiles, all of which are supplied.Now when you put your modifiedcard into the camera and switchon, the camera will boot fromthat card and Magic Lantern willbe running when you’re in videomode.Do the same for all yourcards and that’s it!The good thing is, if youdon’t want to run Magic Lantern,just format the card in-cameraand it will re-boot as a regular550D. If you do want to run ML,just use a ‘bootable’ card WITHthe Magic Lantern autoexec.binfile on it. The important thing isthat you mustn’t ever use abootable card without theautoexec file. If you do, it won’tstart up and you’ll have only afew seconds to remove thebattery before the processor(which by that time has goneinto a massive heat-inducingloop) could fry!The RisksFrom my reading, the risksinvolved are mainly:1 - Loss of power at any stage ofthe upgrade process – so alwaysuse fresh batteries or a mainsadaptor.2 - Attempting to upgrade toMagic Lantern without having theCanon 1.0.9 firmware alreadyinstalled on your 550D.to only a few seconds of videorecording.ConclusionMagic Lantern offers a lot of whatCanon have missed out – butdemonstrably could haveincluded. (Any musings on whatthe DSLR video revolution hasdone to Canon’s pro-sumer videocamera sales in the last 18months are not for this article,but suffice to say I am convincedthey will have more than madeup for any losses by additionalsales of EOS L lenses!)It turns the 550D into whatwas my second DSLR camerainto a useable first camera onmany shoots and considering thesoftware is free, it has the be thebest deal of the year - and assuch is highly recommended.Upgraded correctly, it won’tdamage your camera and thereare even instructions on the MLsite on how to revert back to aprevious unmodified state if youreally want to remove all traces –say, if you wanted to sell it.Finally please note that yourun this software and anyupgrades at your own risk.Neither I or the IOV take anyresponsibility. As it says on thesite:3 - Forgetting to prepare cardsproperly and having a bootablecard without the autoexec.bin fileon it.Apart from that, the beauty ofMagic Lantern is that as soon asa new version is released – andthese are coming thick and fast –you just download it and put itonto all your bootable SD cards.You then have the latest releaserunning – instantly. Also don’tworry about the Magic Lanterndata taking up card space. Thefiles are very small – equivalentBut my advice is to try it – apartfrom your time, there’s little tolose and a lot to gain! Ian Sandall M.M.Inst.V.www.spl-communications.co.ukNote: If you do upgrade your550D, please consider making adonation to the developers. Youcan do this by PayPal on the site.22 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

19d19c19a19bTHE LIST is designed to help fully accredited IOVmembers to share work and for potential clients to findthe right kind of videographer for their needs. The List isdivided into geographical areas, as shown above, andspecialist work types as listed below...A Corporate, Industrial & Commercial Video ServicesB Wedding, Event & Celebrational Video ServicesC Freelance VideographerD Freelance Audio EngineerE Freelance Lighting TechnicianF Freelance DirectingG Script WritingH Freelance Production AssistantI Presenter and Voice-oversJ Graphic Design & Animation ServicesK Freelance Editing ServicesL TrainingM Broadcast ProductionN Special Interest VideosO Steadicam OperatorP Underwater VideographerScotland North (Area 1a)Brian Rae M.M.Inst.V.01224 862100 ACKColin Sinclair M.M.Inst.V.01847 895899 ABCMark Stuart M.M.Inst.V.01224 314999 ABCDJKMNRon Carmichael M.M.Inst.V. 01382 520437Iain Johnston M.M.Inst.V.01764 655655 ABCKAlan Rae M.M.Inst.V.01224 703745 ACKNScotland South (Area 1b)Trevor Jenkins M.M.Inst.V. 01334 656922 PGuy Kinder M.M.Inst.V. 0131 221 1697John Lawton M.M.Inst.V.0141 339 1797 ABCKWendy Love F.Inst.V.0141 954 0840 ABJames Lundy M.M.Inst.V.01501 739153 ABCFJKMNOGraham Mackay M.M.Inst.V. 01236 730770 ABCGILKMNDouglas Miller M.M.Inst.V. 01555 860382 CDKNLee Mulholland M.M.Inst.V. 01294 217382 ABNKen Neil F.Inst.V.0141 883 7168 ABFILMNTony Nimmo M.M.Inst.V01555 661541 ABCPro-Create.Co.Uk *0141 587 1609 ACEFGKJonathan Robertson M.M.Inst.V. 0131 476 5432 ABCKSteve Towle M.M.Inst.V.0845 226 2167 ABCMichael Ward M.M.Inst.V.0141 644 1136 ABCKLAlex Crosbie M.M.Inst.V.01555 665236 ABCDanny Hart M.M.Inst.V.01563 542195 ABNorth East England (Area 2)Michael Bell M.M.Inst.V.01325 241821 ABCFKIan Black M.M..Inst.V.01325 718188 ABAndrew Charlton M.M.Inst.V. 01661 844542 ABCAndrew Crinson M.M.Inst.V. 07972 801466Chris Gillooly M.M.Inst.V.0191 286 9800 ABCDFMChris Hughes M.M.Inst.V.07779 807538 ABCJKGlenn Huntley M.M.Inst.V.0191 549 3675 ABCFGHJKLMNBrian Jenkinson M.M.Inst.V. 0191 300 6292 ABCFGHJKLMNDavid Pethick M.M.Inst.V.07712 802922 ABCHKLMike Trewhella M.M.Inst.V. 0191 536 6535 ABCFIKNNeil Wood-Mitchell M.M.Inst.V. 0191 270 9063 ABCFHJKNNorth West England (Area 3)1a1bPLEASE NOTE: In this listing Members have declared theirown areas of specialisation. The declaration of a work typeshould not be regarded as an endorsement by the Institute ofVideography.Jeffrey Mortimer M.M.Inst.V. 01663 762354 BMark Newbolt M.M.Inst.V.01928 733225 ABCKArthur Procter M.M.Inst.V. 0161 427 3626David Royle M.M.Inst.V. 01942 735759Ian Sandall M.M.Inst.V.0161 232 1100 AFGIKLMNStephen Slattery M.M.Inst.V. 01706 230545 ABCHJKSteven Smith M.M.Inst.V.0161 797 6307 AKNKen Stott M.M.Inst.V.01282 414073 ACKNMike Waring M.M.Inst.V.01704 531576 ABCDLes White M.M.Inst.V.01768 899936 ABCKNDes Williams M.M.Inst.V. 0161 928 7361Tony Williams M.M.Inst.V. 01704 232116 ABCJKVanessa Williams M.M.Inst.V. 07966 418188 ABCChris Abram M.M.Inst.V.01524 736573 ABCNPSteven Abrams F.Inst.V.0151 722 6692 ABCKGraham Baldwin M.M.Inst.V. 01257 264303 ACKDave Barrow M.M.Inst.V. 01254 830823Roy Beaumont Swindlehurst M.M.Inst.V. 01254 679625Paul Cragg M.M.Inst.V.01204 847974 ACFKChris Dell M.M.Inst.V.01772 622522 ABCKMJack Ebden M.M.Inst.V.0161 428 9646 ABCNSteve Edwards M.M.Inst.V. 01942 703166 ABCHJKNNick Farrimond M.M.Inst.V. 01254 830823 CM5324b4a6 78 101191314151216 - Channel Is.Gavin Gration M.M.Inst.V.0161 637 6838 AKMGordon O'Neill M.M.Inst.V. 0800 612 5437Dave Hall M.M.Inst.V.07927 691454 BMark Shipperley M.M.Inst.V. 01844 237857 ABCKNODavid Harwood M.M.Inst.V. 01253 763764 BPeter Silver M.M.Inst.V. 01869 278949 ACKMNThomas Harrington M.M..Inst.V. 0845 389 0039John Snelgrove F.Inst.V.01442 250088 ACFKLMMark Higham M.M.Inst.V.01606 889975 BCJonathan Ashby M.M.Inst.V. 0845 053 5400 ACFGJKMNPeter Hinkson M.M.Inst.V. 01253 721993 ACKJohn Hodgson M.M.Inst.V. 01253 899690 BCDE. London, Essex & Hertfordshire (Area 11)David Howles M.M.Inst.V.01706 657835 ABCDEPhil Janvier M.M.Inst.V.0151 487 9338 ABCDGNFred Curtis M.M.Inst.V.01708 343123 ABCHThomas Jones M.M.Inst.V.01744 603799 BNDavid Durham M.M.Inst.V. 020 8504 9158 CGKKindred Films *0161 973 8889 BRick Fiore M.M.Inst.V.01702 293003 ABCFGHIKLRon Lee F.Inst.V. 01744 29976 ABCGJonathan Grose M.M.Inst.V 01279 757300 BMirage Digital Video Productions * 01253 596900 ABCDFKLMN John Harding M.M.Inst.V.01206 842607 ABCKGordon Moore M.M.Inst.V.01706 215914 ABCDuncan Hector M.M.Inst.V. 01462 892638Martin Klein M.M.Inst.V.01438 840084 ABCElaine Laurie M.M.Inst.V.020 8502 6198 ABCKNE. Midlands, S. Yorks, Humberside & Lincs. (Area 04a) Tony Lench M.M.Inst.V.01702 525353 ACESean Atkinson M.M.Inst.V. 01472 507367 ABCFGHIJKLMN Anthony Manning M.M.Inst.V. 020 8923 6068 ABCGNAndrew Blow M.M.Inst.V.01522 754901 ACFGIKM Hugh Morris M.M.Inst.V.020 8220 6955 FKLNBroadcast Media Services * 0115 955 3989Kresh Ramanah M.M.Inst.V. 07956 395345 ABCHKQuentin Budworth M.M.Inst.V. 01964 562073John Rose M.M.Inst.V.01375 483979 ABCNGary Greenwood M.M.Inst.V. 01623 644009 ABCHKNRDavid Strelitz M.M.Inst.V.01268 412048 ABCFKLMNChris Goulden M.M.Inst.V.01430 431634 ACHKNRSIain Wagstaff M.M.Inst.V.01376 556417 BPhilip Groves M.M.Inst.V. 01526 353225Gillian Walters M.M.Inst.V.01708 724544 ABCFKNLynne Hamilton M.M.Inst.V. 01246 866673 ABCIKNDean Hodson M.M.Inst.V.01246 268282 ABNPeter Walters M.M.Inst.V.01708 724544 ABCFKNGeoff Knight F.Inst.V.01472 811808 ACDFGIKNAndreas Andreou M.M.Inst.V. 0208 369 5956 ABCKNAdrian Medforth M.M.Inst.V. 01964 503771 ABCIan Burke M.M.Inst.V.07961 437995 ABCKNZulqar Cheema M.M.Inst.V. 01279 413260 ABCDKLNDavid Chevin M.M.Inst.V.020 8502 7232 ABCKBen Newth M.M.Inst.V.John Port M.M.Inst.V.0115 916 5795 ABK0845 29 39 348 ABCEFGKMNShane Rumsey M.M.Inst.V. 01909 733291 BCDarren Scales M.M.Inst.V.07876 021609 ANWest Country (Area 12)Tim Smithies M.M.Inst.V.01246 813713 ACFJKLN Ian Lewis M.M.Inst.V.01752 691210 ABCPhilip Wilson F.Inst.V.01482 304830 ABCFGJKLMN Muirgarth Limited*01985 844820 AKNMark Brindle M.M.Inst.V.01271 891140 ACDJKMNNorth & West Yorkshire (Area 04b)Nicky Brown F.Inst.V.07771 757148 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOGail Allaby M.M.Inst.V.01422 844392 ABCFGHK Pip Critten M.M.Inst.V. 01752 361210Philip Burton M.M.Inst.V.01274 595421 BCKNMike Dutton M.M.Inst.V.0845 370 6380 ABCKNColin Campbell M.M.Inst.V. 01274 690110Jon Durrant M.M.Inst.V.01761 232520 BBryan Dixon M.M.Inst.V.07590 438658 ACFGKLM Chris Ellery M.M.Inst.V.0117 910 9704 ABCGeorge Duncan M.M.Inst.V. 01943 870431 ABCFIKN Mark Huckle M.M.Inst.V.01872 270434 ABCKSimon Hare M.M.Inst.V.0113 258 8147 ABCKMN David James M.M.Inst.V.0117 979 2858 ABCHJNIan Jackson M.M.Inst.V.07979 914996 ACFJKLNChristopher Lawton M.M.Inst.V. 0113 218 9298 ABCFHK Dorset, Wiltshire & Hampshire (Area 13)Simon Marcus F.Inst.V.0113 261 1688 ACDFGHJKLMN Stewart Guy M.M.Inst.V.01256 850142 ABCDFIKMNRichard Mortimer F.Inst.V.01924 249700 ABCHJKGreg Hawkes M.M.Inst.V.01256 817926 ABCFGKLTerry Mullaney M.M.Inst.V. 01924 864613 ABOtton Hulacki M.M.Inst.V.01983 884845 ACJKNMPaolo Pozzana M.M.Inst.V. 01756 798335 ABCHKNClive Jackson M.M.Inst.V.01329 236585 ABCKMNDave Redmond M.M.Inst.V. 0113 263 2496 ABCGIKNRay Joyce M.M.Inst.V.01202 692008 ACGKNPeter Thornton M.M.Inst.V. 01706 812008 ABCKNPatrick Kempe F.Inst.V.01590 675854 ABCGHKMike Wade F.Inst.V.01484 684617 ABCFGMike Walker F.Inst.V.01924 515100 ACDEFIKMNKazek Lokuciewski M.M.Inst.V. 0118 965 6322 ABCDEFGIJKNMike Wells M.M.Inst.V.01347 868666 ABDTim Martin M.M.Inst.V.01985 212863 AGIJNEric Montague M.M.Inst.V.01202 486330 CANColin North M.M.Inst.V.01725 511688 ABCNNorth Wales & Borders (Area 5)Jeremy Payne M.M.Inst.V. 0845 644 0912 BCKPeter Eggleston F.Inst.V.ADavid Angus M.M.Inst.V.01793 845060 BCKNJohn Evans M.M.Inst.V.01492 543246 CKMartin Aust M.M.Inst.V.0118 9274315 BDavid Jones F.Inst.V.01743 891286 ABCKNSteve Axtell M.M.Inst.V.01202 718522 PRichard Knew F.Inst.V.01244 570222 ACFKMDavid Bennett M.M.Inst.V. 01590 623077 ALMDavid Pearson M.M.Inst.V. 07775 965908 ABCFKN Maurice Brake M.M.Inst.V.01202 512449 ABCChristopher Smith F.Inst.V. 01948 780564 AIMNNick Curtis M.M.Inst.V.01794 324147 ABCHIKMNChristopher Smith M.M.Inst.V. 01691 610762 ABCDFK Steve Feeney M.M.Inst.V.01962 622549 ABCKLNRowland Barker F.Inst.V.01490 430507 ABCFGHKLNCam 3 Media *Martyn Chidlow M.M.Inst.V.01588 650456 ABCFGHIKN01978 350122 ABCHKN Surrey, Berkshire & Sussex (Area 14)James Edwards M.M.Inst.V. 0845 427 5794 CNGerry Lewis M.M.Inst.V.07766 484559 ABCHKNOPhilip Nash M.M.Inst.V.01252 821623 ABMidlands (Area 6)Anthony Neal M.M.Inst.V.01489 581397 COJohn Felix M.M.Inst.V.01332 737525 ABCKMDerrick Oakins M.M.Inst.V. 01983 612704 ABCStephen Hart M.M.Inst.V. 01527 878433Frank Prince-Iles M.M.Inst.V. 01903 766464 ABCKThomas Hill M.M.Inst.V.07780 691809 ABCFJKMNSimon Reed M.M.Inst.V.01428 652832 ABCEGKNIce Productions Ltd *01926 864800 ABDJMTBP Limited* 01932 563318David Impey F.Inst.V.01926 497695 ACFGJKLMN Ines Telling M.M.Inst.V.01737 373992 BDavid James M.M.Inst.V.01782 514942 ABJGerald Thornhill M.M.Inst.V. 01342 300468 ABCGHKNNick Kirk F.Inst.V.07836 702502 ACFGKL Chris Towndrow M.M.Inst.V. 0845 450 0961 ABCBob Langley M.M.Inst.V.0121 308 6453 ABJMNO Chris Waterlow F.Inst.V.01293 886484 ACDFKLMNOMichael Leach F.Inst.V.01902 893068 BCBarry Weare M.M.Inst.V.01628 528682 ABJames Mackenzie M.M.Inst.V. 01902 342154 AMike West M.M.Inst.V.01903 892951 BCBrad Miles M.M.Inst.V.01455 202057 ABDavid White M.M.Inst.V.01372 360145 BChris North M.M.Inst.V. 01530 836700Mark White M.M.Inst.V.01329 505501 BCMike Payne M.M.Inst.V.01283 567745 ABKNVince Babbra M.M.Inst.V.020 8653 9289 BCDGillian Perry M.M.Inst.V. 01676 541892Noriko Brewster M.M.Inst.V. 020 8661 7703Roger Perry M.M.Inst.V. 01676 541892Matthew Derbyshire M.M.Inst.V. 01323 430800 ABCJKMBob Sanderson M.M.Inst.V. 01384 374767 AILeo Ferenc M.M.Inst.V.0800 040 7921 ABCDEFIJKMPMichael Shaw M.M.Inst.V. 01782 746553Paul Finlayson M.M.Inst.V.01372 273527 BCKDaniel Thompson M.M.Inst.V. 07708 506657 ABCFKGHMN Focal Point Television Ltd*01428 684468 AJMNDavid Wilford M.M.Inst.V.01858 410278 ACGNOFocused Film Ltd* 01428 661913 ACDGJKJackie Williams M.M.Inst.V. 01455 848199Brian Hibbitt M.M.Inst.V.01344 777010 AJNAVInteractive*01789 761331 ACDKMN Neil Hodgson M.M.Inst.V.0118 961 9981 ABKLMartin Hooper M.M.Inst.V. 023 9225 0618 ABCKLNEast Anglia & A1 Corridor (Area 7)Peter Howell M.M.Inst.V.01483 765605 ACFKMNDavid Haynes F.Inst.V. 01842 862880Laurie Joyce M.M.Inst.V.0118 947 8333 ABLJohn Lambert M.M.Inst.V. 01603 610566Robin Kay M.M.Inst.V.023 9269 7890 ABCFGIKMNShaun Lawson M.M.Inst.V. 01493 441162 ABCHJKMNMichael Lawson F.Inst.V.07515 565 349 BCFGIKMNDave Parkhouse F.Inst.V.Bill Platts M.M.Inst.V.01263 862231 ABCDHK01733 370922 CDKN Kent & SE London (Area 15)Craig Stanley M.M.Inst.V.07984 005074 ABCEGKM Colin Fowler F.Inst.V.01732 454593 ABCGHKJohn Suckling M.M.Inst.V.020 8517 6752 CANBrian Harvey M.M.Inst.V. 01892 652379Hamdy Taha M.M.Inst.V.0845 388 0984 ABCDFHKLNR Michael Hughes M.M.Inst.V. 01959 576255 ABJKNAndy Welham M.M.Inst.V.01473 711870 BLNStephen Kane F.Inst.V.01795 424248 ABCGIKMalcolm Wooldridge M.M.Inst.V. 01493 782174 NJustine May M.M.Inst.V.01622 850815 ABCFHIJKMNJohn Worland M.M.Inst.V.01206 241820 ABCFGKLN Alan McCormick M.M.Inst.V. 01634 301930 BCKHedley Wright M.M.Inst.V.07966 793885 ABCKNAntony Meade M.M.Inst.V. 01303 210250 AINMike Brown M.M.Inst.V. 01362 637287Roger Missing M.M.Inst.V.01322 663098 ACDave Collins M.M.Inst.V.01603 271595 ABCGKMichael Moore M.M.Inst.V. 01634 220839 ABCKStephen Curtis M.M.Inst.V. 01502 712411 BCNBarrie North M.M.Inst.V.01322 526653 NMike Deal M.M.Inst.V.0800 970 6159 ABCGKN Mike Page M.M.Inst.V.01892 576510 ACHKNExtreme Video*01603 630555 ACIJKLMNOP Kevin Pert M.M.Inst.V.01622 202953 ABNBrian Gardner F.Inst.V.01603 260280 ACFGKMN Katherine Shannon M.M.Inst.V. 07841 346933 BCFGColin Goody M.M.Inst.V.01473 257595 ABPeter Snell M.M.Inst.V.01634 723838 ABCDEFKNigel Hartley M.M.Inst.V. 01728 452223Brett Allen F.Inst.V.01634 720321 ABCHKMBen Bruges M.M.Inst.V.07766 052138 ABCFGJKLNSouth Wales & Bristol Channel (Area 8)Peter Cluer M.M.Inst.V.01453 832624 ACGKNHarley Jones M.M.Inst.V.029 2052 0599 ABCFKManolo Lozano M.M.Inst.V. 01792 481285Dawn Morgan M.M.Inst.V.01792 776121 ABCNAndrew O'Leary M.M.Inst.V. 01656 650249 ABCKNNick Pudsey M.M.Inst.V.01646 651555 ABCKColin Riddle M.M.Inst.V.01437 769635 ACGJKLNAlan Torjussen F.Inst.V.029 2066 6007 AFGLMNAlan Vaughan M.M.Inst.V.01453 884800 ACFGNChris Wheatley M.M.Inst.V. 01242 579712 ABCDKNWest London, Middlesex & Herts. (Area 9)Anthony Myers M.M.Inst.V. 020 8958 9838 BCKAlan Benns M.M.Inst.V.020 8943 2666 ABCEKMNAdam Carroll M.M.Inst.V. 07768 014503Paul Cascarino F.Inst.V.020 8898 2229 ABCDAndrew Cussens M.M.Inst.V. 0800 234 6368 ABFNJohn De Rienzo M.M.Inst.V. 07877 908143 ABNPeter Fison M.M.Inst.V.020 8133 0081 ACFGHIKNMike Henson F.Inst.V.01494 438904 AJMStuart Little M.M.Inst.V.020 8347 9567 ACFGKLNOxfordshire & M1 Corridor (Area 10)Mark Ballantyne M.M.Inst.V. 07734 102538Anthony Barnett M.M.Inst.V. 01553 776995 AFIKLNDavid Blundell F.Inst.V.01234 764883 AJKLRay Burnside M.M.Inst.V.020 7193 0721 ACGIKLNMario Crispino M.M.Inst.V. 01295 262260 ABCFHIJKLNMatt Davis F.Inst.V.079 6631 2250 ACFGKFirst Sight Video*0800 072 0753 ABKen Franklin M.M.Inst.V.01993 868479 ABCJennifer Greenwood M.M.Inst.V. 07850 587415 ABJSteve Hart M.M.Inst.V.0800 633 5784 ABCJKNHamish Maclean M.M.Inst.V. 01582 596935Channel Islands (Area 16)Peter Laine M.M.Inst.V.01481 736606 ACGJKMDavid Le Brocq F.Inst.V. 01534 723166Ireland - Ulster (Area 19a)Martin Stalker M.M.Inst.V.028 9024 1241 ABCEGKNOJohn Doran M.M.Inst.V.028 9020 0736 ABCDEFHKLMNFrazer Smyth M.M.Inst.V. 028 9267 1958Cathal Hegarty M.M.Inst.V. 028 3754 8749 ABCDEFGHKLMNOSean McAuley M.M.Inst.V.028 2175 9778 ABCHJKLMNIreland - Leinster (Area 19b)Keith Malone M.M.Inst.V.Brian Redmond M.M.Inst.V.Ireland - Munster (Area 19c)Gerard Brennan M.M.Inst.V.Michael Lynch M.M.Inst.V.00353 87 681 4208 ABCEFGHKLMN00353 59 913 4846 ABCEKN00353 87 2365223 ABCKN00353 21 7332222 AMIreland - Connacht (Area 19d)John Murphy M.M.Inst.V.00353 93 35933 BCKNRest of WorldApostolos Goris M.M.Inst.V. (Greece) 0030 6937 285789 BCKMichael Hill M.M.Inst.V. (Germany) 0049 802 51807 ACDIKN* indicates Corporate Member24 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.com

ArticleThe Future’s brightBack at the beginning ofFebruary Brett Allen alerted IOVForum users to the existence ofan organisation called goHDRthat is developing a newcamcorder capable of recordinga much greater dynamic rangethan any previous video-basedcamera recording system.Known as High Dynamic Range(HDR) the system is beingdeveloped jointly by a series ofpartners based in the UK(Warwick University andEntanglement Productions LTD.,Leamington Spa)), Germany(Spheron VR, Kaiserslautern)and USA (IBM, Austin, Texas).As with all advancedtechnology there are a numberof question marks over thisproject such as when willcommercial cameras becomeavailable, at what price, at whatsize etc.?Happily, as far as theviewing public is concerned,existing TVs should be able toshow off the superior imagequality just as high contrastcinema (film) movies retainmost of their dynamic rangewhen broadcast.I am very excited by thepossibilities of this developmentas it seems that, cost aside,adopting HDR consists entirelyof positives. However I suspectthat we will have to wait awhileto see whether or not HDR isdeveloped to the stage ofcommercial viability for cameraproducers.What with HDR and big chipcamcorders the future is lookingvery bright indeed for creativevideo-making.Meanwhile - back atthe coal faceRegular readers of this column(the editor assures me that he’snot the only one) will know thatI like occasionally to report onwhere I think the corporatevideo business is at the time.The experience of our companyappeared to buck the trend in2008/09 and 2009/10 when wehad a good year followed by avery good year but this currentfinancial year has proved thatwhat goes up must come downand we have had a very pooryear in commercial terms.But as the year is about toend there are definite signs of areturn to normal business. Wehave noticed a gentle increase intraining course bookings and thedemand for our facilitiesservices, and a more significantincrease in demand for ourcorporate production service. Soalthough this year (2010/11)will still be a stinker I am veryhopeful that next year(2011/12) will see us get backto our usual level of business.And I know that my hopes areshared by our various Associates- camera operators, productionassistants and training coursedeliverers - whom we employ ona freelance basis.Missing the PointI notice that some politicians aretrying to curry favour with adisillusioned electorate byproposing heavily to taxbankers’ bonuses. Well it doesn’twash with me.If a law was proposedwhereby professional criminalsshould be taxed on their illgottengains rather thanprosecuted for theft, extortionetc. I doubt that many peoplewould support such a proposal.The money that I put in thebank is mine and I don’t want itsubjected to penal rates oftaxation even at one remove viathe grubby hands of those whowould skim it like sweet-toothedworkers in a chocolate factory.Help - I’msurrounded!Here at KLA Towers we do a lotof printing. So we have amonochrome laser printer, twoinkjet colour printers (oneinstalled and one spare) and adisc printer.But recently the two inkjetshave been playing up and failingmiserably to get on with theirjob without a lot of intervention,suggesting that they both needreplacing. The thing is they’reboth rather old (the younger oneis seven years old) and currentmodels don’t use the sameinkjet cartridges and the troubleis that I have a lot of sparecartridges for them and, as I’msure you all know, inkjetcartridges cost a lot of money.Now I couldn’t go on withthis situation and so purchaseda lovely(!) new printer. But I’mtoo mean just to chuck away theold ones plus all those cartridgesand so I’m still using the oldones (alongside the new one)until such time as I no longerhave enough cartridges to runthe darn things. Needless to saymy studio now more closelyresembles a print factory. Butwhat would you do huh?If anybody wants some veryreasonably-priced Epson inkjetcartridges in the TO480 rangedo let me know. You coulddeliver me from this torment.Meanwhile my laser printercontinues to deliver perfectresults in spite of its age (Iacquired it in 1995) so it justgoes to show that printers cango on forever (well almost). Stuart Little M.M.Inst.V.www.iov.com Focus Magazine April 2011 25

CLASSIFIED SECTION CLASSIFIED SECTION CLASSIFIED SECTION CALL KEVIN COOK ON 020 8502 3817 FOR MORE DETAILSEquipment & Service SuppliersAdvertise your Products& Services hereCall 020 8502 3817 or email kevin.cook@iov.co.ukfor more details SALES & WANTS SALES & WANTS SALES & WANTS SALES & WANTS CALL 020 8502 3817 OR ORDER ON-LINE AT WWW.IOV.CO.UKSALES & WANTS RATES: IOV Members - £15.00 Plus VAT per advert Non-Members - £20.00 Plus VAT per advert (maximum of 25 words or thereabouts)Cameras/CamcordersCanon XH-A1In excellent condition, comes boxed withoriginal cables, charger and instructions.Only ever used as a second camera andnever used to capture video. Wasserviced by Canon last summer and is inperfect working order. £1295Contact Shane: 01909 516 456 [197]Email: studio@zten.co.ukSelling some Z1's and kitI have 2 Sony Z1`s , a Glidetrack HD ,Glidetrack SD Shooter and a VCL-HG0872Sony wide angle lens all for sale. Pleasedrop me an email or telephone me ifinterested. All in excellent condition.Contact Mark: 01844 237857 [197]Email: me@markshipperleyfilms.co.ukSony HVR-S270E Video CameraThis camera is in excellent workingcondition, and is coming with allaccessories needed to film event. MeterReading: Operation 41x10, Drum run35x10, Tape run 18x10, Threading48x10. Accessories are: Two DSMBatteries, DSM Charger, 64GB of Cfcards, Hard Travel Case, Wind Jammer,One HD Tape, Manual and origional box.Sale Price £4,700. Please contact me fordelivery/ Questions [197]Contact Denis: 00353 21 7334533Email: capturedoccasion@hotmail.comCamerasEx BBC & ITV cameraman retiring.Complete studio for sale including JVC-GY5100 with 42 hours use, PAG batteries,etc. Full list available.Contact Malory: 07860308877Email discustv@aol.com [196]National Panasonic Shooting KitAs new! National Panasonic CameraAVCAM AG HMC 151E HD quality.Shoulder harness-pro tripod-pag lightpetrol bag.manual. as new. £2,350.00Contact Anthony: 01384 349356Email: tony.rider1@yahoo.co.uk [196]Canon 7D and AccessoriesSelling off various DSLR equipment andother video stuff. Available to buy online.web - http://web.me.com/scofilms/Vid_4_Sale/Homepage.htmlEmail: info@scottvideo.co.uk [195]Retirement saleComplete DV/DVCAM production kit for saleconsisting of DSR-250, lithium battery,tripod and plate and a host of other goodies.£2500 Contact me for full list.Contact Gary: 01582 522793 [194]Email: ourkidsvideo@aol.com2 Canon XM2's with Wide Angle LensSpare Batteries and Camera Bag.Both cameras have been used but welllooked after. I am selling as upgrading toHD. One camera's IEEE connector is notworking, which is why I am selling as apair (as the other camera can be used forcapture). £900 for the set. [194]Email: john@abeautifuldayproductions.co.ukSony HVR-Z5e video camera (3months old) and Vinten Pro 5 tripodExcellent Sony HVR-Z5e video camerapurchased in July 2010 from H Prestonscomplete with heavy duty and standardbattery and Kata rain cover and bag. Notgrey import! Minimum use, transfer ofbusiness activities forces sale. Also, VintenPro 5 tripod (approximately 6 years old) inexcellent working order. Very sturdy andsmooth tripod. Based in Blackpool area,but will post by reputable courier.Contact Colin: 07866 983 820 [193]Email: colin@conceptmediaproductions.co.uk26 April 2011 Focus Magazine www.iov.comMiscellaneousPAG IC2 lighting kitIncludes all leads, power belt - comescomplete in carry case. Superbcondition. £300 0noContact Nigel: 01494524706 [195]Email: n2endvideo@aol.comPro Gear disposalCentury W/A and Super W/A adaptors,Manfrotto fluid tripod and wheels, V-Lockbatteries and Charger, Panbar zoom &Focus controls-Fujinon. Camera Cases.Others. Professional clearance. For fulllist, details and pictures... [195]ContactMaurice: maurice12@ntlworld.comCartoni Laser Head and 2 Stage CFLegs plus Petrol BagExcellent Condition Professional CartoniTripod (Laser) up to 12kg Load. 2 stageHD CF legs and bag. Price: OIRO: £1400Contact Jonathan: 0208 891 0674 [195]Email: flanagan.eng@btinternet.comFast and reliable quad core PC; greatediting machineIntel Core2 Quad CPU, 2.83GHZ, 2GBRAM, 600GB HDD, 22" monitor, licensedVegas Pro 9, Adobe Master Suite CS4,plus many extras. Kept isolated, V.fast &reliable. No sensible offer refused inregion of £500.Contact Matt: 07813030345 [195]Email: matt@eclipsfilm.co.ukBACKTRAXX AND BACKTRAXX IIROYALTY FREE MUSIC LIBRARY 28 CDSBACKTRAXX II ROYALTY FREE MUSICLIBRARY 33 CDS £199 PER SETContact Michael: 01606 872114 [195]Email: michaelrknott@btinternet.com Call 020 8502 3817 or order on-line at www.iov.co.uk Custom Build Ultra FAST videoediting PcsOver the years we've built many customtuned PCs, we're now able to offer ourcustom built services here. Depending onyour needs, our systems run at either4.0Ghz or 4.2 Ghz, way above the normalstandards. All running Windows 7 64 bit.Combined with a great graphics package,fast Hard drives and plenty of ram you'llbe amazed at the speed difference our'tuned' systems can give you. Email usfor our typical system spec or your owncustom needs. [194]Contact Richard: richard@4dweb.co.ukSONY HVR-M35 DIGITAL TAPE DECKMINT CONDITION LOW HOURS. As new inoriginal box with all supplied accessories.Hours: Operation 25x10, Drum Run 14x10,Tape Run 12x10, Threading 71x10. Fullspec available on request. £2,350Contact Graham: 01257 264303 [193]Email: graham@vision4video.co.ukVarious itemsSony DSR-80P DV-Cam Recorder/PlayerVery Low Hours, Immaculate £580-00Panasonic Edit Controller AG-A850Excellent £150-002KW Janiro Ianebeam Light As New,Barn Doors, Lamp, Stand £160-00Contact Peter: 01483-765605 [193]Email: peterch1@tiscali.co.ukWANTEDVariousSony PD150, PD170, Z5, DSR-250 orDSR- 450. May also consider Tripod andalso Panasonic or Sony Vision Mixer.Contact: 07920 761141