Redrock Micro introduces lower-cost DSLR rigs

Not long ago, I wrote a post comparing the price of Sony's new NEX-VG10 interchangeable lens camcorder with the cost of purchasing a NEX-5 DSLR and adding components to make it handle like a camcorder. When I did that comparison, I looked at prices from Zacuto, Redrock Micro and others. I was surprised to find that despite Zacuto's reputation for higher prices, they were actually less expensive than Redrock Micro for entry-level rigs.

Redrock has now launched a new line of low-cost DSLR rigs that are more in line with the prices of new DSLRs, especially models like Canon's Rebel T2i. The new Nano Rigs are priced from just over $100 to just over $600 (U.S.), and the highest-priced Nano is less expensive than the lowest-priced models in Redrock's DSLR 2.0 line of rigs. Other companies are likely to follow Redrock Micro with their own "prosumer-priced" lines of DSLR accessories, which will keep pricing pressure on the camcorder manufacturers.

The "secret weapons" for shooting the "House" season finale

It's well known by DSLR fans that the season finale of Fox's "House", which aired earlier this week in the U.S., was shot entirely with Canon 5DMkII DSLRs using Canon lenses. Canon's lenses are designed for still photography, not video, so it's incredibly difficult to pull focus with them without assistance. In a new article in Videography, Gale Tattersoll, the show's DP. revealed that they used Redrock Micro's new wireless microRemote follow focus (which uses an iPhone for its user interface) and microTape camera-mounted ultrasonic rangefinder to enable assistants to pull focus with the Canon lenses.

I haven't seen any published prices for the microRemote yet, but I have seen a proposed price of $500 for the microTape. Zeiss and Leica have both released prime lenses designed for DSLRs that have cinema-style barrel lengths, so that it's much easier to manually pull focus. However, the Zeiss lenses are much more expensive than the Canon equivalents; B&H sells each Zeiss CP.2 prime for $3,900 each, and the family of seven lenses, from 18mm to 85mm, sells for $27,300. The Leica lenses are even more expensive.

microRemote is likely to be a few thousand dollars, and will work with all the Canon lenses. You'll be able to get cinema-style functionality from virtually any Canon lens with a one-time investment in the microRemote and microTape, plus follow-focus gears for the individual lenses. Potential buyers need to see more reports of in-field experience with the microRemote and microTape (and Redrock Micro actually has to price and ship them,) but it's beginning to sound like they could literally save thousands of dollars for cinematographers by allowing them to use still lenses instead of cinema primes.

A preview of some things to look for at NAB

I don't expect anything revolutionary at NAB this year, except for a lot of 3D, but the cost of HD capture and post-production keeps going down, so there will be lots to see. Here are a few things to look out for, in no particular order:

• Adobe will be launching Creative Suite 5 on the opening day of NAB. It's already previewing some interesting new Photoshop and Premiere Pro features, including the ability to natively edit AVCHD footage without first converting it into another format.
• Sony will be showing its new NXCAM camcorders, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it show prototypes of its new AVCHD-compatible DSLRs.
• Panasonic will be showing its new $20,000 3D camcorder, which should be getting close to shipment.
• Canon will be showing a camcorder with its new MPEG-2 Full HD codec, most likely along with its line of videos DSLRs.
• ARRI will be showing its new Alexa (A-EV/A-OV) digital cinematography cameras, starting at 50,000 Euros.
• RED will be hosting an offsite event (registration required) at the Tropicana Hotel on April 14th where it'll be showing the current state of Scarlet and EPIC.
• Lowel and Videssence will be showing their first LED lights. The advantages of LEDs over other forms of lighting (no flicker, almost infinite color control, virtually no heat and much lower power consumption) are obvious. Just about everyone in the video lighting business is now offering LED products.
• DSLRs will be another big theme of the show. Many companies will be showing add-ons for making them more usable for video applications (think Redrock Micro, Zacuto, Chrosziel and many others).
• No hints yet on any big new announcements from Avid (which will be exhibiting at NAB) or Apple (which won't be.)

If you're going, be sure to pre-plan your booth visits and organize your time, because the Las Vegas Convention Center is huge and it takes time to get around the city. (The RED event, for example, is at the Tropicana, which is across from McCarran International Airport at the far south end of the Strip. Allow plenty of time to get there from the Convention Center.) Use the monorail as much as you can to avoid cab lines. If you're focused, you can see the show in a full day, but if you plan to attend sessions or off-site exhibits, allow yourself more time.