Freelancer Insights
Focus ramping: when T-stops go bad
Years ago, while assisting on a sitcom, I helped the director of photography shoot exposure tests on all of our zooms. The closeups were darker than expected, and she wanted…
The secret life of behind-the-lens nets
“What’s with the pattern in the headlights?” I asked the first camera assistant, as I looked through “B” camera on a feature film set…
ARRI Signature Prime and Mini LF Event: Sim Video, Vancouver
Come see me on June 6th at Sim Video in Vancouver, B.C., where I’ll co-present a session on ARRI Signature Primes with product manager Thorsten Meywald…
Four lenses: a visual comparison, part 2
It’s time to name names. I’m going to tell you what lenses you’ve been looking at for the last few days, and offer my…
Four lenses: a visual comparison, part 1
We live in an age of lens choice. Because of this, we also live in an age of lens tests. Done properly, such tests are hugely valuable. The best way…
Quantifying the Large Format Look
Large format is no longer out of reach of the average filmmaker, but the look is difficult to quantify. Naturally, that means I’ll give it a try. I…
Behind-the-lens nets: a lost art makes a comeback
I’ve always been a little different. That’s the only explanation I have for cutting gels out of Rosco and Lee swatch books and putting them behind…
Chromatic aberration: hard edges, hue shifts, and storytelling
Accidents yield interesting truths. This is especially true in lens and camera tests, where it’s hard to know what to test for but there’s always something…
Three lenses: a look at bokeh, depth of field and geometry
Some people take time off during the holidays. I borrow a half million dollars worth of camera and lenses and shoot whatever comes to mind. It’s a sickness…
Film lens vs. digital lens: what are the differences?
I’ve worked with a lot of cameras, and I’ve always come back to ARRI cameras whenever I’ve had the chance. It’s just…
Lens coverage, sensor size, and pushing the limits
Sensors and lenses don’t always get along. In the HDR and UHD world, it’s important to test, test, test. Recently I shot a diffraction test meant…
Signature Primes vs. Ultra Primes: The Pixel-Peeper’s Guide
For nine months I’ve been working periodically as a trainer for the ARRI Academy. Recently we added an Alexa LF to the class, accompanied by a set of…
Casting the look of a camera into glass
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting with ARRI’s senior color designer, and I asked him the question I like to ask all camera manufacturers: “Why?”…
Large sensor lens coverage: taking old glass to the “breaking” point
Old glass and large sensors need a lot of testing. The results may surprise you. In this article I took a look at how older S35 lenses performed on a…
The simplest interview setup ever: the modern update
Many years ago I wrote about the simplest interview lighting setup ever. Here’s my modern take on that same setup. The TL;DR version is: I still use…
