Today, we bring you our 10th LensVid Talk with a range of topics including Opusclip AI video short service, Retouch4me and Ulanzi video tripod reviews, Sony A9 III and new 4K high-speed cameras, SIRUI Sniper lenses, DJI mini 4 pro, iFootage accessories, Thunderbolt 5, Yul Bryner as a photographer and much more.
Opusclip (00:01:08)
Those following our channel might have noticed we started releasing shot clips based on some of our videos (especially LensVid Talks). These have been made possible using a new service called Opus Clip which turns long videos into short viral clips designed to be shared on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Reels to increase social media reach.
We have been using this service for a while and although it has some way to go it has been a big time saver for us and worth a try (there is a limited free version).
Retouch4me – Advanced AI portrait retouching (00:09:14)
We recently reviewed 7 of the AI-based portrait plugins for Photoshop developed by Retouch4me including the heal, mattifier, dodge and burn, skin tone, portrait volumes, clean backdrop, and fabric plugins.
We tested each one on different portraits and you can check out our conclusion and assessment of each of these advanced plugins in our extensive full review.
One of the images we retouched using the different AI-based Retouch4me plugins
Sony A9 III Global Shutter and 300mm f/2.8 lens (00:12:08)
There is so much to say about the introduction of the new A9 III (which will become available around March 2024). This ground-breaking camera is the first full-frame hybrid mirrorless camera with a global shutter and is likely to set the stage for things to come in the future.
In our talk, we briefly discussed the various advantages of the global shutter but also some of the interesting improvements that Sony introduced to the A9 III including some highlight features such as 120fps stills shooting speed with AF in full resolution, pre-capture some file structure changes and much more (and the new 300mm f/2.8 that should be available in early 2024). Both the camera and the lens will sell for $6000 (can be pre-ordered already – Sony A9 III, and Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS.
Sony A9 III official video
Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS
Chronos 4K12 and Q12 – new high speed cameras (00:25:13)
Kron Technologies from Canada recently announced the release of two new high-speed cameras, the Chronos 4K12 and the Chronos Q12. The first is a micro 4/3 4K 1400fps camera and the second is a Super 35-based camera with up to 4000 fps at FHD (both cameras can shoot in up to 12bit color).
Both cameras are equipped with the option to use a universal plate system, giving users access to C, E, F, EF, and MFT mount lenses. Both cameras use a 5-inch 800×480 display and weigh about 2.91 lbs/1.32kg.
When it comes to pricing the cameras are still fairly expensive selling for between 14,500-22,000 (to be fair Phantom Flex models can go for over 100K but we are still waiting for a sub $10K 4K 1000fps camera).
Official Chronos 4K12 video
SIRUI Sniper f/1.2 Autofocus Prime lenses (00:30:23)
Sirui has been doing very well manufacturing different lines of anamorphic lenses and they now have their first line of AF lenses – the Sniper. This line currently includes 3 APS-C lenses -the 23mm f/1.2, the 33mm f/1.2, and the 56mm f/1.2. The lenses come in Nikon Z, Fuji X, and Sony E mount variants and include a USB-C port on the back for firmware updates.
Pricing is set at $350 per lens.
Official Sirui Sniper video
DJI mini 4 pro (00:32:50)
The newest member of the mini drone family from DJI includes a number of improvements such as improved control, more advanced omnidirectional obstacle detection, 4K HDR video at 60fps (and 4K 100p), capturing photos with up to 2x zoom, and videos with 4x zoom as well as longer range and larger battery and D-log shooting all this is packaged in a drone that weighs less than 250 grams (8.8 ounces).
The DJI Mini 4 Pro Drone with RC 2 Controller sells for $960.
Official DJI mini 4 pro
iFootage accessories (00:38:14)
Ifootage has a number of new products – these include several new cameras bags from the Beava series (more on that in our upcoming review in a few weeks) but also some interesting accessories including a Mini and Standard Bowens Fresnel and LC-01 Light Clamp and a 3INT-MB 15-50° Intensifier.
Official iFootage accessories video
Nanlite FC-300B & FC-500B COB lights (00:39:01)
Nanlite has introduced several new products recently. The first is a series of new COB lights with the FC-300B and FC-500B which are 300W and 500W COB bi-color lights. Unlike their predecessors, these new COBs include no ballast only the lamp head, and are hence more portable.
Pricing is also fairly affordable with the FC-300B going for $480 and the FC-500B selling for $700.
The official Nanlite FC-300B & FC-500B COB lights
Nanlite Pavoslim 60C & 120C (00:39:53)
The second product (which we sort of miss misrepresented in our video – sorry for that), is the new Pavoslim family. This is a new series of thin RGB and bi-color panels in 60W and 120W (there is also a 60W version).
You can find more on these new lights in the operational video below.
Pricing of these new lights is between $400 and $800.
Official Nanlite Pavoslim 60C & 120C vdieo
Ulanzi FM01 FILMOG (00:40:39)
Ulanzi joined the growing group of companies making compact portable fog machines with the FM01 Filmog unit.
The main feature of this small unit is the remote which attaches magnetically to the unit and can control the device wither connected or from a few meters away – cool touch. The unit is very affordable at under $100.
Official tutorial video of the new Ulanzi FM01 FILMOG
ZGCINE ZG-H90 – UBS-C Light battery with D-tap (00:41:32)
ZGCINE specializes in batteries for the film industry with different V-mount batteries and now they also have a new power bank with a special feature – a built-in D-tap which allows it to power small lights and other products like monitors. Pricing is set at $100.
Official ZG-H90 battery video
Prograde CF-B 4.0 cards (00:43:17)
Prograde released its first CFexpress 4.0 cards with a very impressive maximum read speed up to 3,400MB/s a burst write speed up to 3,000MB/s and a minimum sustained write speed of 2,400MB/s.
These drives will come in cobalt (1.3TB) and gold (512GB, 1TB, 2TB) variants pricing is from $180 to $1450. The company also released a new fast Type B USB 4.0 Single-Slot Card Reader of up to 500MB/s speed.
The new ProGrade Digital 1.3TB CFexpress 4.0 Type B Cobalt Memory Card
SD 9.1 Specification (00:44:11 )
SD Express is the latest iteration of the SD memory card format (after SD, SDHC SDXC, UCSD, and the SD UHS-I, and SD-UHS II standards) and it was introduced back in June 2018. Since then several new versions have been introduced with the latest being announced recently called SD9.1.
In 2019 we published an interview with Mr. Yosi Pinto who at the time was the Chairman of the SD Association about the SD Express (and the history of SD in general). Since then the standard evolved but has not been adopted yet by any of the main manufacturers in the industry (instead CF-A and CF-B became the popular fast memory card of choice for most camera brands).
Among other things, the new SD9.1protocol includes support for new speed classes (previously we only had the V60/V90 for minimum guaranteed performance) called E150, E300, E450, and E600 (for 150MB, 300MB/s, 450MB/s, and 600MB/s respectively). More information can be found on the SD card association PDF.
The new SD Express speed classes
Thunderbolt 5 (and USB 4 V2) announced (00:47:29)
Intel’s Thunderbolt technology finally reached its 5th iteration and this time we get a huge boost in speed with up to 80 Gbps (bi-directional) and up to 120 Gbps (outgoing) in boost mode. Other improvements include support for multiple 8K monitors using a single cable (via daisy chaining) and 240W power for powering laptops and other devices.
There will also be a new USB4 V2 (with 80Gbps). , Display Port 2.1 & PCI Express Gen 4.
Official Intel TB5 diagram (source)
According to Intel, the first products are planned for 2024.
Official Intel Thunderbolt 5 video
Philip Bloom gold filters (00:49:24)
Cinematographer Philip Bloom teamed up with the British manufacturer FORMATT-HITECH to create a line of special gold diffusion filters called Bloom Gold. These come in 49mm,67mm,72mm,77mm,82mm sizes, and 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 densities.
They are available via B&H from $87-$140.
Philip’s Bloom video on his new filters
Atomos Shogun 7″ and 7″ Ultra (00:51:05)
Announced around IBC 2023 (mid-September)the two new 7″ monitors are reaching the market now and include an updated new AtomOS 11, networking, codecs, and camera compatibility. They also boast a 7″ ultra-bright 2000 cd/m2 display, HDMI 2.0 and12G-SDI input/output, multiple network options, AirGlu sync, and support for resolutions up to 6K on the Shogun and 8K on the Shogun Ultra.
Pricing is set at $1000 for the Shogun and $1200 for the Shogun Ultra.
Kondur blue multi-tool (00:54:54)
Kondur Blue recently released a special multi-tool for photographers and videographers. The tool includes the following:
- Included 1/4” shank tool bits
- 1”
- Phillips #2
- 3/16”
- 2.5mm
- 3mm
- 1.5mm
- 2”
- Flat Head 6MM
- 4mm
- 2mm
- 1”
- Pocket clip with optional lanyard loop
- Bubble level
- Load multiple bits at a time
- TSA Compliant
The Kondor Blue EDC Multi-Tool Bit Driver sells for $89.
Kondur Blue multi-tool video
Stockcam (00:55:59)
Marketed on Indigogo as a unique stabilizer for wildlife photography the Stockcam is a gun-like device with room for two extra lenses that can take a camera and hold it in a similar way to how you would hold a gun.
Is there a real need for such a contraption? we are not sure (it’s not the first of its kind), but if you are interested you can head over to Indigogo.
Stockcam official video
Accsoon TopRig S40 & S60 Motorized Sliders (00:57:02)
Accsoon has a new family of sliders with the Toprig S40 and S60 light and portable motorized units. The sliders use either NP-F or DC for power and are said to be extremely quiet. It can carry up to 2.5kg vertically and 4kg horizontally.
The S40 has a travel of 22.5cm and the S40 has up to 42.5cm of travel and they can move at up to 5cm per second. The sliders can be controlled using buttons and a knob on the slider or via an app.
Pricing is $280 for the S40 and $320 for the S60.
Official Accsoon TopRig video
Photoshop 2024 – lens blur in Camera RAW 2024 (00:58:44)
This is not a product but a software feature added recently to Adobe Camera RAW in Photoshop. It is called lens blur and it’s in “early access mode” at the moment (sort of like beta but not exactly we are guessing). It changed a bit since it was first announced, initially it showed a focal length but now it only shows the blur amount.
You can control the selected areas and decide which parts to blur and by how much and it seems to produce a much more realistic depth map compared to what we have seen from smartphones so far although it is not perfect (hair selections for example are still not 100%).
The new lens blur feature in ACR
Yul Bryner the photographer (01:01:09)
Did you know that one of the most iconic actors of the 50s and 60s Yul Bryner, was also an extremely gifted photographer? Using his Leica camera he used to photograph candid moments of himself and many other famous actors on and off set creating a unique perspective very few other people have been exposed to.
In a recent Leica documentary, his daughter talks about how she came across his huge body of work and his love for photography.
You can see the full video from Leica on Youtube.
Darren Aronofsky on Shooting an 18K camera film for the Sphere in Vegas (01:03:23)
The new MSG Sphere in Las Vegas is a true marvel. inside it is an 18,600-seat auditorium with immersive video and audio capabilities including a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen the largest in the world in resolution and size.
To create a film that can be shown on the Sphere you need a way to capture super high-resolution video and while initially this was achieved using an array of cameras, this was not a feasible way to shoot a full movie in complex environments and this is where the “Big Sky” camera comes into the picture.
The Big Sky is equipped with a 316-megapixel giant 3″ by 3″ sensor that has 40X the resolution of 4K cameras. Maybe even more amazing is the fact that it can shoot an 18K video at up to 120 frames per second.
To shoot the first movie intended for the Sphere, Director of “Postcard from Earth” (the name of the movie) Darren Aronofsky explained that a team of 12 people was needed and that the result was no less than 1/2 a petabyte of data (500TB of footage).
The Wall Street Journal BTS video of the special big sky camera used to shoot for the Sphere
You can Check out all of the LensVid Talk videos here. If you want us to cover any specific topics or products in our upcoming LensVid talks please let us know in the comments or on our YT or Facebook pages.
Iddo Genuth 
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