Canon's X-Series Picture Style

Why?

From Canon Rumors:

Canon today announces the release of a new in-camera Picture Style pre-set for its range of EOS DSLRs. Created following direct feedback from video enthusiasts, the new Picture Style, called Video Camera X–series-look, enables users to capture EOS Movie footage with lower contrast levels, allowing for easier colour grading during post production processes.

Rabinowitz Ideates on the Creative Cloud

Aharon Rabinowitz has a response to both Adobe and the users of Adobe regarding the Creative Cloud. It's worth a read:

Adobe is a company that makes tools we all love and rely on for our work in video post production. But with their latest announcement – that from here on in, all software will only be available through subscription – a lot of people are upset and feeling betrayed. I want to try to address it all in a balanced way. I’ll ask that you read all the way through because I am going to start with why, about certain things, you’re totally wrong. Then, I’ll move into why you’re also totally right – and have the right to feel angry and demand more.

The "Adobe, We Need to Talk" section near the end of the post is a don't miss section.

His view of the 2 different approaches to monetizing software are interesting: Apple unbundling FCPX for a larger market and Adobe with the all-you-can-eat CC. The point I would contend with in this discussion is that Apple never really made any money off of FCS. It was a way to push standards out (Quicktime, ProRes, h.264, etc.) and push high-end Mac hardware (Mac Pro). If Apple could control the content creation (FCS), content distribution (iTunes/Quicktime), and the content delivery device (iOS) then they would have a completely vertically integrated market.

But this goes back to the age-old discussion: is Apple a software company that makes hardware or a hardware company that makes software? How you answer that question will likely fuel your response to whether Apple really wants to invest in FCP as a money maker, and how you interpret Aharon's argument.

Canon 5DIII RAW Samples

The videos continue to turn up showcasing the Canon 5DIII's remarkable detail and color fidelity when recording a RAW image off the sensor. Andrew Reid has posted several videos on his Vimeo channel showing off what the Mark III is capable of. Without a doubt, this is an exciting prospect for many shooters. The level of detail available in a RAW image both dynamic range and overall sharpness is incredible (just look at the detail recorded in the tree branches, bark, and leaves - amazing!).

This video below showcases the 5DIII's ability in 1920x1080@24fps. Andrew also has a video showing a 2.5K (2560x720) RAW feed, but that has some problems compared to the 1080p recording.

So here's the latest wrap up from Planet5d (5/14/2013):

your Canon EOS 5D Mark III must be running firmware 1.1.3 – this will not work with the latest version (the HDMI out version Canon just shipped)

your SD card needs to be bootable (and you have to download utilities to make that happen)

You have to have a windows machine to process the RAW files (or you can use a windows emulator if you’re running mac) – but you can’t do this if you’re mac only at this point (this is what I didn’t know when I started – and I don’t have a windows machine and don’t want to load an emulator so I’m stuck).

To get full frame 24fps video, you’ll need super fast cards – find several over here at B&H Photo Video

1920×1080 24p continuous 14Bit 4444 RAW recording on the 5D MK3, no dropped frames with a Lexar 1000x CF card.

Sound is not recorded in the RAW file but I’m told there’s a workaround where you can record sound separately to an SD card.

There’s still some bugs messing up the pixels and some cadence issues that need to be sorted out.
The current recording time limit is however long it takes to reach 4Gb but I’m told it’s just something that’s been put in the code and can be changed to allow continuous recording till the card fills up.

On a 600x Lexar card I can record 1280×720 24p without dropping any frames.

The file sizes range from about 2mb-4Mb per frame.

Resolution and dynamic range are much improved over the H.264 video, RAW video looks like downscaled RAW stills.

Technicolor Supports After Effects in Color Assist 1.5

New Version Adds Powerful Tools for Fast, Professional Results, Plus a New Fully Functional Trial Version

Paris (France) & Hollywood (CA) – May 14, 2013 – Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, today announced the latest version of Technicolor Color Assist, its video color correction and grading software package. Key improvements of version 1.5 include compatibility with Adobe® After Effects® and support for AVCHD video and still images, meeting the needs of an ever-expanding universe of creative artists.

Color Assist 1.5 draws on Technicolor’s deep heritage in color science to bring powerful studio color grading and color correction to users who want professional-quality results. 

Adobe After Effects is the preeminent visual effects and motion graphics software, and AVCHD is one of the most popular prosumer video formats. Both groups will benefit greatly from the powerful, yet simple-to-use tools in Color Assist.

“The professional post-production tools Adobe offers enables our customers to create high-quality productions. Now Color Assist 1.5 builds on its existing support for Adobe Premiere® Pro by adding compatibility with Adobe After Effects, therefore giving the post-production community more choices in the tools they use in their workflow,” said Simon Williams, Director of Strategic Relations at Adobe. “Creative professionals are always squeezed for time, and Color Assist 1.5 is quick and powerful.”

Version 1.5 also includes important workflow improvements that make it easier than ever to learn and use. ”Color Assist 1.5 is proof of our ongoing commitment to work with our partners, such as Adobe, and to help video creators realize their artistic vision,” said Alejandro Guerrero, Senior Vice President, General Manager of Technicolor CineStyle. “Over the past five months we’ve listened intently to our customers and responded with a plethora of enhancements – like our Pixelmeter, improved bin and browser navigation, and workspace customization – that improve efficiency and expand creative options.”

Color Assist 1.5 is currently available for both Mac and PC users and supports a growing list of video production suites, including Final Cut Pro 7, Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 & higher, and now Adobe After Effects. The company is committed to making Color Assist available to an even broader user base, and is working closely with its partners to ensure that Color Assist will support the most popular video editing platforms as they continue to evolve on the desktop and in the Cloud.

Pricing & Availability

Color Assist is available for purchase this week with support for Adobe Premiere Pro CC, After Effects CS 5.5 & higher, Final Cut Pro 7, and Final Cut Pro X on Mac OS and Windows for $99 USD at www.technicolorcinestyle.com. Existing users can receive a free update that includes Adobe After Effects support and all the new enhancements of version 1.5, and new users can download a free, fully functional 14-day trial of Color Assist. Additional Color Assist Looks packages can be purchased for $19 USD and include 10 additional custom-created Looks per package. Join Technicolor’s Color Assist online communities on Facebook and Twitter to keep current on product news and updates. 

About Technicolor

Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, is at the forefront of digital innovation. Our world-class research and innovation laboratories enable us to lead the market in delivering advanced video services to content creators and distributors. We also benefit from an extensive intellectual property portfolio focused on imaging and sound technologies, based on a thriving licensing business. Our commitment: supporting the delivery of exciting new experiences for consumers in theaters, homes and on-the-go. Euronext Paris: TCH  www.technicolor.com

PDF Product Fact Sheet.

5DIII RAW Video @ 24fps Continuous

Color me surprised by this news! I had my doubts about that the Magic Lantern folks would be able to get continuous RAW recording out of the 5DIII, but that appears to be exactly what they now have. From nofilmschool:

Some people working with ML were confident we could get RAW video at usable frame rates (since they were only getting 5-15fps at best) with these images at some point as long as the cards were fast enough, and now that has become a reality: the Canon 5D Mark III is a RAW-shooting video camera.

If this becomes a stable hack, I'm most definitely on board and will install it as soon as possible on my 5DIII.

UPDATE_1.0: According to Andrew at EOSHD, it looks like the 5DIII is now going to be an extremely competitive RAW recording camera option, with no thanks whatsoever to Canon. It does beg the question, if they've had this capability built into their cameras since 2008 (assuming the 5DII can do this as well) why haven't they delivered something more impressive to market?