Just wild guesses:

1) Reduce wind resistance.
2) Because the FOV is rectangular and they need to avoid getting the hood in shot it means they can use a cone with cutouts which stores better inverted onto the lens. Longer lenses generally don't have the petal cutouts in the hood.

Bob.

Just want to log in on this ND filter stuff...

I did a gig recently that allowed me the budget to rent a matte box with a bunch of 4x4's -
personally (that's PERSONALLY) - I hated the entire experience.

1 - heavy and clunky
2 - a ton of added work to change lenses
3 - (the deal breaker) - one of my current lenses is the 70-300mm f4/5.6
Whether focusing or zooming - the damn lens extends or retracts almost 2"

OK - NOW I'm sorry that I traded the beautiful 70-200mm f2.8 for this lens - it's length is fixed - it would have worked perfectly with the matte box. But I traded it because I picked up about $500 or $600 bucks on the trade (the 70-300 is much less expensive AND (this is the real reason) it's WAY lighter. It had gotten to the point where I dreaded putting the 70-200 on the camera for a handheld portrait session. Now - that was in the old days - yes, I've had and loved the 5D since it was a mere Still Camera (no video option).

But shooting stills with no crew, and shooting video with even a simple assistant are two entirely different projects. Today I wish I had the 2.8 zoom and let my assistant carry the rig around.

Now back to the filter part of the equation.
I filtered everything I need from 78mm down to 52mm and a whole bunch of others in-between using simple step down rings. No one has mentioned this easy fix. (NOTE: a step down ring accepts - let's say- a 78mm filter and then "steps it down" to - let's say - a 58mm lens screw.
Time taken to change lenses - absolute minimum
Weight involved - absolute minimum
Filters needed - largest size necessary for your biggest lens - in my case the 2.8 16mm-35mm zoom
Step down rings - about $8-15 bucks each

Hopefully someone here will see what I'm using on an everyday - with lots of exteriors - manner, and realize that the matte box is not a total necessity.

(and in my estimation - it's heavy and clunky and slow to implement)

I wouldn't even rent one again unless I had a need for grad filters - there it's indispensible...

v

Right on, Vic. I'm also suprised no one mentioned screw-on filter holders like the ones Cokin makes. Cheap, light, and easy to change out when it isn't needed (which for me is most of the time).

For general purpose shooting, the Sony, provided they have overcome the overheating issues Canon currently faces. I've been on shoots where we were interviewing someone, and had the recording drop out due to the sensor getting too hot. That's unacceptable for weddings, events, or documentaries.

- -=Seth

Cameras like the Sony Z7 have built in ND filters plus -3 and -6 negative gain settings. Add a screw in polarizer and you can get the f-stop value pretty low and the depth of field pleasantly shallow. No mattebox needed. I usually go for pretty shallow depth of field on sit down interviews, but feel like I am just asking for trouble if I go for that with moving subjects. I use the push to autofocus feature quite a bit.

Some Pros and Cons...

Canon 5DMark II Pros

- Ultra shallow depth of field ( FF 35mm is roughly 2x the area of standard 35mm motion picture format )

- Fast and fairly inexpensive lenses compared to real motion-picture gear

- Amazing low-light performance ( easily 4-5 stops over a current video camera )

- Light-weight and hand-holdable


Canon 5DMark II Cons

- Ultra-shallow depth of field means having to close down 2 stops to obtain the same DOF as 35mm motion picture format ( the Canon 7D APS-C format is a better match to 35mm motion picture format, and thus eliminates this 2 stop issue )

- Rolling-shutter "Jello Cam" issues mean that the camera always has to be properly stabilized to get a good shot

- Aliasing / Moire issues from Canon's use of line-skipping to reduce resolution from full HD down to 1080P format

- Maximum 12 minute continuous shot, which may be a problem for long-format live-action shooting

- Having to always deal with dual-system sound, as the sound recorded by the camera just isn't good enough for professional use


Sony NEX VG10 Pros

- Designed for long-format shoots

- Much better audio than any DSLR camera

- Much higher resolution than most DSLR cameras ( the hacked Panasonic HG-1 or the upcoming Panasonic HG-2 might be able to hold it's own against the Sony NEX VG10 )

- Proper AVCHD CODEC ( better images at a lower data rate )


Sony NEX VG10 Cons

- No 24P progressive mode ( unless Sony backs down on this, but I doubt it )

- No easy way to utilize pro XLR audio gear

- Limited manual control ( Sony wants this to be viewed as a consumer camera )

...Myself, I was very keen on the NEX VG10 until I heard about no 24P mode, and no XLR audio support ( maybe Sony will release a Pro version of this camera down the road ), so I'm back to seeing what new DSLRs are released at PhotoKina 2010 in less than 2 weeks ( I am hoping that the Nikon D7000 or the Panasonic HG-2 will shoot better video than the Canon cameras do ), or saving up for the new Panasonic AF100 camera which is due for an end of year release.

I must say that I really do much prefer 30p over 24p. 30p gives you the same great image quality but with much less of that annoying judder. The only time I use 24p is when somebody insists on it. Otherwise I use 30p because it just looks so much better.

When you go to see a Hollywood release at your local movie theater, does the 24 fps "judder" on the big screen bother you ?

24P is the look that many ( if not most ) cinematographers want, and there is no technical reason why Sony could not add a menu option to choose between 24P / 25P / 30P frame rates. I get the impression that Sony is desperate to protect their prosumer camera line, so virtually all of their consumer cameras do not have the 24P option. ( unlike Canon and Panasonic consumer cams )

"24P is the look that many ( if not most ) cinematographers want,"

24P is just a frame rate, an old and outdated one at that. It's not a 'look' or anything of that nature. I have no idea at all why people even bother comparing the rather trashy looking 24p of these cheap consumer cameras to that of the big screen. There is such a tremendous difference it's not even worth considering a comparison. If you want the 'look you'll find it in the flexibility of lens changes, shallow dof, desharpen... etc

Are you guys forgetting that the projector is putting out 48 fps or more. And TVs now go at 120hz, 240hz, and even 600hz with plasmas.
Ralph

I know I'm jumping WAY back to about the 13th reply in this posting by Bob:
"If you can, then wait for the "pro" version that'll be out later this year."

Bob, are you referring to http://www.hdwarrior.co.uk/2010/04/12/sony-shows-a-sdof-camcorder-at-nab/This link?[/link] Does anyone have any more information on the step up from the NEX-VG10, timeframe for release, and/or pricing?

>When you go to see a Hollywood release at your local movie theater, does the 24 fps "judder" on the big screen bother you ?

Funny thing is, the local movie theater has half digital and half film projected viewing rooms. When you walk in, the film theaters are to the left, the digital theaters are to the right. I have done a number of preshow ads for this particular company and when I go to the movies, I get to see my work "on the big screen". The specifications they always want is true 30p (not 29.97 but actual true 30p). The same projectors seem to handle both 24p (albeit shown at 48 fps) and 30p (I believe shown at 60fps) just fine.

For the record, I do like having the 24p option on my Z7, I just never use it if I have a choice. 24p adds none of the magic shooting on film would add. It just adds judder and maybe a tiny bit more low light sensitivity.

"Bob, are you referring to This link? Does anyone have any more information on the step up from the NEX-VG10, timeframe for release, and/or pricing"

Yes, that is what I was referring to.
Apart from what is revealed there I have no better idea than anyone else regarding answers to the rest of your questions.
I've heard release first quarter next year, as in we'll have one in our hands. Price, around double the consummer version.

Bob.

If the NEX VG-10 is $2k at Amazon, are you saying that you have good information that the pro version will only be around $4k? That would be amazing pricing.

I *think* I heard the pro version will be more like USD 6K. I can say with absolute certainty that does not include that hunk of glass on the front of the prototype.

Bob.

Ha!! Not likely. You know pricing much better than I do, but I'm certain that the mattebox, lens, and follow focus would significantly increase that $ number. But still... I was looking at the EX1 but I like the features I've been using while experimenting with my Canon T2i DSLR, and if this camera combined features of shooting a DSLR with an HD camcorder, it'd be worth USD 6K.

>>>24P is just a frame rate, an old and outdated one at that. It's not a 'look' or anything of that nature.

Actually, 24P is a "look" in that it ( along with shutter speed and lens angle of view ) determines the amount of motion blur visible when objects move across the screen. I prefer the larger blur of 24P versus shooting at 30P or 60P. It also allows slightly more exposure in dim-light, which can be helpful when shooting in available light conditions.

But more than this, I want the option to choose the frame rate I shoot with myself, and not have the camera dictate this for me.