Stephen Williams

Hi, Well get an extended waranty and you could have a new camera every month for a couple of years! Stephen

Hi, Ask your lab, they will probably let you do that yourself! They may not want to do it for you in case of any problems.! Stephen

Adam, You an tow that one with a normal car driving license. The big 100 KVA one needs a Cat C1 and only about 4 electricians have that here! Stephen

Hi, You may have trouble finding a lab that will push Kodachrome. Stephen

Adam, Thats about the 1 thing the local rental house in Zurich does have 50KVA trailer! Stephen

For a 16x9 image 20.25 would be cool. (6000x3375) Stephen

Rolfe, The apeture plate edges are silver (image 3+4). I would start with a black Pental pen on those, and cover the silver flecks elsewhere. One other point, any shiny metal bits near the back of the lenses can also cause pain. Good luck Stephen

Hi, The weak link is fields and the Mpeg compression. The next generation of Panasonic cameras could be what you are looking for. If you have more money to spend then the Drake or Kinetta recording raw data to hard drive should provide very good stock footage when printed to 35mm! Stephen

Hi, You won't need an 85 filter! The flourescent lamps will have a green spike. You could filter the tungsten with + Green if you want to get a clean look in telecine. If you don't mind a green tint leave it as it. A test is always a good ! Stephen Williams DP www.stephenw.com

Hi, I have a Pelling 8mm in PL mount. Optically Its OK but the mechanically its very poor. Covers 1:1.85 OK but will vingnette on full frame S35 Cheers Stephen

Hi Richard, I've heard its not good. However people says DV - 35mm is great! If 28 Days 'Looked Great' I need to get my eyes fixed! Stephen

Hi, Don't get me wrong a Shadow with a good operator is better than a Spirit with an average operator-! I often use the Shadow over a Spitit, because locally its where the best colourist works. It's also far cheaper! But when one starts talking 2+ then a Telecine is the wrong machine in any case. Stephen

Hi, Feedback is very important if the seller does not have 10+ feedback ratings and 99% positive feedback ask yourself why. Also what have their other sales been, $1.99? or $500+. I have made 2 camera purchases in $ 10000 range , but I traded with top sellers, Digital Domain, Edgewood Sudios. I had a friend go down to Digital Domain to check the camera before I bid. If the seller has nothing to hide they can take it to a local repair shop of your choice, you will have to pay mabe an hours labour, but at least you can get some idear of what is on offer. Ask for serial No's, ask how long they have had the camera and from who they bought it from. Be VERY careful Stephen Williams DP www.stephenw.com

Hi, I look at the DOF charts in the planning stage. I can then decide film stock and lighting and lense for a shot. Its a bit late when the 1st says 'but thats less than 1 inch DOF, your handholding the camera and the model is moving too!' Stephen

Hi, The web site does state a data option, however no resoloution is quoted. I have used a Spirit in New York for a best light pass and a Shadow in Zurich for the final grading! It was not possible with the Shadow + DaVinci to get as much dynamic range from the negative. Those extra 'bits' in the spirit equate to at least another camera stop IMHO. I quote 'Our Shadow Telecine? system is a low-cost telecine designed specifically for television production in standard- and high-definition resolutions' It is not intended for more than that! Stephen Williams DP www.stephenw.com

Hi, Arri 2's can have baffle issues, (if they are removed) also what lens are you are using? When using lenses designed for still photography the risk increases as the coverage is twice the size required. I would look for any shiny edges or missing paint inside the camera. A Black Pental pen is a start. I use the mattest black paint I can find. I assume the gate is full apeture so a few microns of paint wont show! Take care not to get paint on the mirror or GG! Stephen

Hi, From memory www.motioncontrol.co.uk have done this. I think a connected company may own a Viper, but I cant see any details on their web site. Your costs on the MOCO day will probably be higher if you go the viper route as most MOCO's include a Mitchell in the daily rate. Stephen Williams DP ( Ex MoCo operator ) www.stephenw.com

Rolfe, Almost certanly the gate edge is shiny metal and not black. The white pillers just out of screen flare as you pan. I have had this problem in the past with effects shots. Ive seen the problem with older Aatons, Photosonocs, and Mitchell cameras. When I can take the apeture plate out of the camera I have often used candle smoke to matt down the edges. This caused much ammusement on CML a couple of months ago! Stephen Williams DP Zurich www.stephenw.com

Hi, At close distances it can be a big issue. For example with a Cooke 20-100 zoom at 20mm the front nodal point is 10.5 inches infront of the film plane. So if you measure 30.5 inches , you will be way off as the front nodal point is only 20 inches away. The image size and DOF is as if you are 20 inches away. At the 100mm end the error is 5 inches. A 100mm lens F4 at 10 feet has only 7 inches DOF. IMHO accurate charts are quite important! Stephem

Hi, You can transfer a 16x9 'anamorphic' to mini DV. Stephen

Hi, The Oscar jury clearly liked the zooms! Stephen

Phil, What would that rent for realisticlly in London? I don't mean listed daily rate. Cheers Stephen

Hi, The biggest difference is weight, I can handhold an A Minina, or video camera all day but for 35mm a few minutes at a time is enough! Ok I've never tried an Arricam light but most 35mm rigs with lens, film, mattbox are 28lbs plus. As for the best results 35mm is the easy option! Stephen

Hi, I've known Op Tex in New Barnet for 20 years. Very solid reputation. Cheers Stephen Williams DP Zurich (Lived in london for 31 years) www.stephenw.com

Hi, DOF is calculated from the front nodal point of a lens. Standard DOF charts assume a thin lens, and take no account of the design of the lens. Any phisically big lens will show a slight deviation to the tables. That is why people sometimes say there is a difference in DOF between prime and zoom lenses when measuring to the film plane. The image size may also not match. When measuring to the front nodal point, the image size and dof are identical! Stephen Williams lighting cameraman www.stephenw.com