2+ week, 3+ day ago (221+ words) Podcast: We talked to Peppe from LVX Cinema Lenses - Custom Optics with a Social Mission - TUNE IN now! NEW PODCAST EPISODE:Custom Optics with a Social Mission The Astra Series consists of three focal lengths: 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm. Each lens maintains a constant T1.8 aperture and weighs just 600-700g (1.3-1.5lbs), making them remarkably portable for professional anamorphic glass. The unified 67mm filter thread across the set simplifies filter management and ensures consistency when swapping lenses mid-shoot. SIRUI is offering super early-bird pricing for the Astra Series, starting at $799 per lens instead of the standard $999, or $2,399 for a three-lens set with a hard case, compared to the regular $2,999 price point. To qualify for the grand prize, you'll need to complete three steps: If you have technical questions about the Astra Series, workflow concerns, or are curious about how these lenses perform in specific shooting scenarios, please ask…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (368+ words) Podcast: DJI Neo 2 announced | SIRUI Astra lenses discussed - Focus Check Podcast #90 - TUNE IN now! NEW PODCAST EPISODE:DJI Neo 2 & SIRUI Astra lenses MZed has launched its Fall Giveaway 2025, offering filmmakers and content creators worldwide the chance to win one of five $100 B&H vouchers. Running from November 17 through November 23, 2025, the giveaway requires only a name and email address to enter, with additional entry points available for those looking to boost their chances. Winners will be announced on December 11, 2025. Want better odds? The giveaway uses a points system where each action increases your entry weight. Simply entering gets you started, but filling out the survey adds the biggest boost to your chances. Being a MZed Pro member (or becoming one) also helps significantly, while social media follows on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube each add smaller increments. One thing to note:…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (331+ words) Podcast: We talked to Peppe from LVX Cinema Lenses - Custom Optics with a Social Mission - TUNE IN now! NEW PODCAST EPISODE:Custom Optics with a Social Mission DZOFILM isn't slowing down this Black Friday 2025 season. The lens manufacturer has officially launched the'second wave'of its Black Friday event, featuring'new discounts,'exclusive brand bundles, and even more chances to win through their ongoing'giveaway series. The offers are available until November 28. Following their Black Friday Early Access sale, this second wave features co-branded equipment sets with other gear manufacturers, offering filmmakers fully compatible kits ready for use. Let's take a look at the DZOFILM Black Friday 2025 deals! The sale covers multiple flagship lens series, including the'Vespid Prime series, the'all-new Vespid Prime 2 series,'the Arles Prime series, and the'X-Tract probe zoom lens series. A standout offer is the'Arles Prime 10-lens set, making professional-grade lens…...

2+ day, 7+ hour ago (173+ words) MZed BLACK FRIDAY - UP TO 75% OFF COURSES - JOIN MZED PRO ANNUALLY FOR ONLY $199! Anamorphic lenses widen your field of view by compressing the image horizontally. The squeeze factor, for example, 1.33, 1.5, or 2, describes how strong that compression is. When you bring the footage into your editor, you stretch it back to its intended proportions. In July, Johnnie filmed with the BLAZAR Mantis on a Sony FX2 while he was in Japan, which you can watch here to get an idea of the look. If you really want to get into understanding anamorphic lenses and how they work, take a look at our MZed course, Behind the Cinematic Look of Anamorphic Lenses " A Short Guide for Beginners. The calculator from BLAZAR is free and available online. If you're thinking about buying an anamorphic lens and want to get a sense of how each…...

4+ day, 5+ hour ago (579+ words) MZed BLACK FRIDAY - UP TO 75% OFF COURSES - JOIN MZED PRO ANNUALLY FOR ONLY $199! A new French company, HAL Picture, recently released two plugins for DaVinci Resolve and Baselight: Diachromie, for look development, and Diaphanie, designed to add texture to your footage. To learn more about these plugins, we went to Paris, France, to discuss the philosophy of their tools, their vision, and what's under the hood with the three cofounders, Martin, Olivier, and Paul. However, Paul, Olivier, and Martin first started using these high-end tools on their own projects, with no direct interest in selling them. After seeing the enthusiasm and requests around them, as well as their use in many feature films, commercials, and music videos, the idea to refine the plugins and make them publicly available arose. HAL Picture Diachromie is the company's creative look development tool. As…...

6+ day, 10+ hour ago (632+ words) Podcast: DJI Neo 2 announced | SIRUI Astra lenses discussed - Focus Check Podcast #90 - TUNE IN now! NEW PODCAST EPISODE:DJI Neo 2 & SIRUI Astra lenses FilmConvert has released a new camera pack for the Nikon ZR, extending full support to both FilmConvert Nitrate and CineMatch. The update adds a camera profile tailored to the ZR sensor, giving filmmakers a more accurate starting point for color grading and an easier workflow when matching the ZR with other cameras. If you have never used these tools before, FilmConvert Nitrate is a film emulation plugin that simulates the look of real film stocks by applying camera-specific color profiles. CineMatch, on the other hand, focuses on matching cameras by compensating for differences in sensor behavior and color science. This helps create a unified look across mixed-camera projects. The FilmConvert Nitrate plugin is available for Premiere Pro, After…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (214+ words) Podcast: DJI Neo 2 announced | SIRUI Astra lenses discussed - Focus Check Podcast #90 - TUNE IN now! NEW PODCAST EPISODE:DJI Neo 2 & SIRUI Astra lenses FUJIFILM just announced the availability of the much-anticipated LUTs for the GFX ETERNA 55, and although the camera is not here yet, if you are the proud owner of a FUJIFILM camera and use F-Log2 or F-Log2C to capture memorable moments, there is a side bonus and a good reason to download those LUTs from here. Over the last 12 months, we have extensively covered the development of the GFX ETERNA 55 camera. Now, a year to the date of the announcement, the company has just released F-Log, F-Log2, and F-Log2C LUTs to support footage recorded with it. While the camera is expected to be released by the end of the year, I was already excited to see these LUTs, simply because they allow me…...

6+ day, 7+ hour ago (333+ words) Podcast: DJI OSMO Action 6 | Inter BEE 2025 - Focus Check Podcast #91 - TUNE IN now! NEW PODCAST EPISODE:DJI OSMO Action 6 | Inter BEE 2025 Our friends Leon and Natalie Barnard took the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera to the Swiss Alps to shoot an adventure documentary, hiking 1,000 meters of elevation on foot while capturing stunning immersive footage including a helicopter flight sequence. Here is what they learned about producing Apple Immersive Video content on a modest budget with a small crew. But it doesn't need to be difficult. By learning from the experiences of others who have already pioneered the way in Immersive production, you can avoid many first-time mistakes. And beyond relatively minor one-off expenses like additional equipment, Immersive production can cost a similar amount to a comparable 2D production. Stability is important when shooting Immersive as handheld footage could make the audience feel…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (450+ words) Podcast: We talked to Peppe from LVX Cinema Lenses - Custom Optics with a Social Mission - TUNE IN now! NEW PODCAST EPISODE:Custom Optics with a Social Mission The timing positions Hollyland directly against established webcam manufacturers while leveraging the company's existing wireless audio ecosystem, specifically the LARK series that has gained traction in content creation workflows. The Lyra employs a 1/1.5" CMOS sensor, a format larger than typical webcam implementations that rely on 1/2.8" or smaller sensors. This increased light-gathering area translates to improved performance in challenging lighting conditions where most streaming setups operate, specifically home offices and content creation spaces with mixed or low ambient light. Hollyland describes the visual quality as "mirrorless-level," a claim that positions the Lyra's imaging capabilities closer to interchangeable lens cameras than traditional webcams. The practical implication centers on depth of field control and background separation,…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (283+ words) Podcast: We talked to Peppe from LVX Cinema Lenses - Custom Optics with a Social Mission - TUNE IN now! NEW PODCAST EPISODE:Custom Optics with a Social Mission At NAB 2024, we took a look at the OFG Custom 65, a custom-built digital cinema camera designed around the FUJIFILM GFX100 II. Then they introduced an adapter for the Cooke 25mm T.24 lens, effectively converting it into an 18.5mm T2.4 lens. Now they have introduced the LONG SHOT, an adapter to widen the possibilities of working in 16mm. A standout feature is the internal exposure system, which adjusts brightness without affecting depth of field or introducing color shifts. This reduces reliance on ND filters and allows for smooth "iris racks" directly in-camera, for example, when moving from a bright exterior to a shaded interior. The OFG Customs LONG SHOT began as an idea from cinematographer Gary Long, who wanted to bring…...