DV Expo… How was it?
December 9th, 2007

Well I ended up going for a day and it was fine. Not too much traffic on the way and I didn’t get mugged either, which was good. When I got to the show I registered and hit the floor.

I’m in the market for a high-end Tripod and some other production gear. I saw some nice products such as this sweet LED camera light, but they weren’t selling it at the show. In fact it is not available until January. By then, I will have forgotten how excited I was.

Then I was looking at some nice tripods, the system was rock-solid, the price was right, but they were not selling them at the show. By this time the cash in my shoe was burning a hole in my sock.

The other thing that was annoying was Sony… they only had the medium range cameras on display.

I was happy to check out the RedRockMicro booth where they demonstrated the M2 adapter which is a very impressive box that allows you to use cinema lenses on your digital camera. In fact I ended up buying one the next day.

I did get a chance to stop by In-n-out on the way home so I was happy.

As for NAB, I’ve almost decided to do it. I think it will be great to meet many of you and it will be an exciting deadline for a brand new product we’re working on.

Andrew Kramer
POSTED:
9 years ago
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43 Comments

4 years ago
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Liron
9 years ago
DV EXPO was great, though small...

I know that lights you were referring to- really nicely made- they're compact, nicely shaped, and cast very nice lighting, plus they're are very light, and can be battery charged only!

The RedRock was awesome too- Shot with the Panasonic HVX200, it sure looks like film.

Really good stuff there.
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9 years ago
I attended DV Expo last year, and this year, and, in my opinion, last year was better. Last year seemed to have more vendors, especially software. I didn't see Red Giant, the guys from Canopus and I don't recall seeing JVC. Anyway, if you ever get the chance to go to DV Expo, or any tradeshow for that matter, go! It's your chance to talk to manufacturers face to face and ask them questions, get help, learn, pick up borchures and get exposed to new technologies. Some exhibitors do sell, like Samy's Camera, etc., because they are a store. Most venfors do not sell because they are manufacturers who usually have distributors who sell their product for them - selling at a show directly to the customer would undercut their distributor and that wouldn't go over well.
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CEP
9 years ago
Hey Andrew! Like other people here I would like to see some footage of the M2. I know it's not here we are supposed to ask for tutorials, but it's quite different from what you are currently providing ; will you post a review or some tips on how to use this baby?

Btw, I experimented rotoscoped lense blur (+ color correction) in After Effects to replicate a 35 mm lense adaptor. Anybody interested check out the link below to see some before and after screenshots!

http:/www.cepascal.com/blog

It's in french, but you get the idea!

PS: Andrew you MUST shoot a short film if you have this toy ;)

C-E
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Denis
9 years ago
Kevin,

You might want to take a look at this link. I was very interested in the Hydra system.

http://forum.reel-stream.com/viewtopic.php?t=849
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Jake P.
9 years ago
Hey have you Heard of the Red Camera? It looks awesome but its quite expensive. www.red.com
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Kevin
9 years ago
I love my M2, how is yours working for you Andrew? I am thinking about Andomedaizing my DVX 100 (http://www.reel-stream.com/index.php) But 720p without 4:4:4: color kills my G5 already. Is 4:4:4: worth upgrading my system for?
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Steve
9 years ago
Andrew, I would love if you were there for NAB...it would definitely be my first stop at the show. And it would more than make up for Avid dropping out. HA! Thanks for everything you do, man. You're the best.

Oh, and In N Out is bomb. Can you say 4x4?
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9 years ago
I love the test footage I've seen with that M2. If I wasn't trying to buy a house I'd probably pick up one tomorrow with a Cannon HV20. Good friend of mine has the Brevis system. Basicly the same as the M2. Works great. Amazing the kinda picutures you can achive now a days with an under $3000 budget.
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Jammin’ JJ
9 years ago
Andrew,

Regarding NAB; I'm no expert on that tradeshow, but you might want to read this thread before making your decision. It contains some insightful information on what some of the big players think about NAB.

http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/13/861512

I've been looking at the Cinevate Brevis 35mm lens adapter...
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los
9 years ago
Andrew,

I also looked at the Red Rock, but heard mixed reviews. I think I am going with the SG Pro rig. Seems that the sharpness of the unit has people raving about the SG pro more than the Red Rock. Oh, well I guess I would like to see some of your footage and then your feedback of you unit before I purchase my lens adapter. Can we get some frames grabs with the Red Rock/lens type, etc when you have time to make some test shots with it?

thx!
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naim alwan
9 years ago
AK
i'ev been thinking about getting an M2 adapter for a while now, what lens are you going to use with it, and can you post some test footage?
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9 years ago
Haha, you stopped at In-n-Out
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Cool.. Thanks for the update. I'd love to hear what you think about your M2.
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McLovin
9 years ago
QUOTE From Andrew Kramer:

"I checked out the Letus, but in the end the M2 is a much more complete system. IE: the rails and the follow focus. I also have an JVC HD200 which flips the image at the CCD level so I don’t need an optical adapter. The other nice thing was to actually see and use one before purchasing."

Very cool AK, if you don't mind telling us, How much did you save by buying M2 and the Expo?

Congrats on your new toy, I/we hope to see what you do with it soon ;)
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Eliot
9 years ago
Great work! So ... new product. Nice ...

What is it?
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Justin
9 years ago
Glad to know you found somethings to buy at the Expo. As for the lens adapter, good choice on the M2. I've used the Letus35E on a few projects and wasn't happy about it. To me it was a $700 piece of crappy plastic.
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9 years ago
Andrew - what LED light did you check out? I'm in the market for such and thing and have been looking around a ton. The Zylight system is the one that I currently have my eye on. I have used the Lite Panel Mini, but wasn't completely impressed...
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bwoogie
9 years ago
sounds fun! so did you sneak out with that hd cam i asked for?

to the guy who was asking, in-n-out = burger joint ;)
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Happy camper
9 years ago
it would be my dream to do what u do for living... one day, it will happen... until then im happy with my imac, my sony HD handy-cam, and production premium student edition... thank god for good friends to help me out as actors

sounds like some good products were out there that we can look forward to seeing in the future...

in fact, in don't know about others but i would really like to see a video about the industry in general
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Marc Biorklund
9 years ago
I have been thinking of getting an adaptater for a long time now, and as many people I have read lot's of stuff, watch some different footage to compare the Letus and the M2 adaptator. So far, I prefered the result I have seen with the Letus one.

Would be nice to see some footage using your M2 adaptator :)
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Gaston
9 years ago
Andrew i want one of those! How much is it?? Oh.. nevermind, what was i thinking?? I´m in Argentina = $$$ x 3!!!!!! I´ll be crying in my bedroom with my analog camera..
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9 years ago
Glad to hear it went well:)
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9 years ago
ahhh, thats cool about the camera's CCD flipping... wish my HVX had that, haha. I guess the full system is pretty nice, yeah. I have rails already and I am going to build my own follow focus box, so I guess it wasn't as big a deal for me. To each his own :). Can't wait to see some After Effects in shallow DOF ;)
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9 years ago
I checked out the Letus, but in the end the M2 is a much more complete system. IE: the rails and the follow focus. I also have an JVC HD200 which flips the image at the CCD level so I don't need an optical adapter. The other nice thing was to actually see and use one before purchasing.
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9 years ago
My friends and I got a Redrock Micro, and have used it on multiple projects. Any lens adapter is really a great new addition to any videographer's arsenal. Good luck with it!
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9 years ago
Andrew i be willing to help you guys if you need it
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Max
9 years ago
Cool!

How much was the cinema lens adapter thinger?
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kris
9 years ago
Wow it looks expensive. I dont want to know the price. It must be an outrageous price. I wanted one....but too expensive i guess.
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9 years ago
Just curious Andrew if you had a specific reason for going after the older M2 adaptor instead of the new Letus35 Extreme. It flips the image for you, is smaller and lighter, and only loses 1/3 stop in total. I've also heard that the image quality is just as good, if not better than the big redrock adaptors.
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9 years ago
Andrew,

In your blue/greenscreen work have you ever considered using this? http://advancedmedialab.wordpress.com/tutorials/chrommatte-litering/

We've used it on a few projects with amazing results. There's no spill at all and the keying process is incredibly neat and tidy...
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9 years ago
it sucks, coz if ur doing the show, i already know i cant come, i live in wales haha. Too far to travel on bugdet
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Kyle Prohaska
9 years ago
You shouldn't have bought the M2 IMO...the Letus Extreme newly released knocks the socks off of any adapter out right now. O well it does its job. Glad you had fun.
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morten enoksen
9 years ago
Nice Andrew. Any clue about what the newest product will be.. about?
Is it possibly something like Action Movie Essentials?:)
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Rasmus
9 years ago
Sounds like a nice show. I only went to IBC in Amsterdam this year. Really good show, but everyone only seemed to be interested in HD distribution... Either way - don't you like the Sony midrange cameras? We just bought a Sony XDCAM EX1 for documentary use. So far im really impressed with it!
See you at NAB! :)
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PePixon
9 years ago
The M2 adapter... I know of cheaper ones, but anyway, I believe they aren't as "complete" xD

Wish I was rich enough to buy one
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tommie12P
9 years ago
why dont they sell things? i mean, they show you things there and you look, oh thats great and so on, and then u ask how much? they say 1500 (for example) and u: oh thats cheap, i want to buy it; Now. they say: NO NO NO, its not here for buying.
U can buy it only next year! and when u are able to buy it you forgot it
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9 years ago
wooow i always wanted one
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planB Multimedia Group
9 years ago
Cool, thank you AK.

Well, it really is frustrating when you got money burning a hole in the hand, and nowhere to spend it... I know the feeling :D

Bummer about the Sony... I am looking into buying a RED myself. For the price it seems almost too good to be true... Since I live in Euro-land, the price is cheap right now.

Have a nice Sunday!
Cheers from Belgium

Arthur
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9 years ago
Nice choice Andrew about RedRockMicro. I have one and waiting the micro remote folow focus. Ask Brian for questions.

Best

Steve
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9 years ago
Nice choice Andrew about RedRockMicro. I have one and waiting the micro remote folow focus. Ask Brian for questions.

Best

Steve
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9 years ago
Nice choice Andrew about RedRockMicro. I have one and waitint the micro remote folow focus. Ask Brian for questions.

Best

Steve
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WiRXMAN
9 years ago
Hey AK, tnx for the update. Couple things always come to mind when I hear details of these shows. I have never been to one, but every time I hear about them, a lot of products on display as production products, are not even ready to sell, just like you mentioned.

Whats the point of touting them like that, if you cant get them for a while. Again, like you said, by the time they come out, you forget what the heck was the big deal about them in the first place.

That adapter looks impressive. Enough so to have to sell a kidney to get one. Do you have cinema lenses to use for that, or is that another step in the process. Just curious.

What the heck is an In-n-Out anyways? :)
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