The Canon C100 is very popular with run-and-gun operators in the documentary world, and Canon recently announced an upgrade for the C100 that allows for continuous tracking autofocus with Canon's entire EF lineup. The upgrade will also increase the speed of the camera's existing one-shot autofocus by around two times and provide an AF lock, which will enable the user to change the image framing while keeping the desired focus point, a feature that is especially useful for run-and-gun filmmakers.

While camera stabilization systems are not a new concept, every once in a while a system comes along that fundamentally alters the way we utilize camera movement in our work. A classic example of this would be when Garrett Brown introduced the world to the Steadicam in 1975, or with recent compact dollys innovations from Kessler Crane or MYT Works. Recently, we were introduced to a new system from Freefly Systems that opens up a new realm of possibilities for camera movement that breaks free from the established formula.

At this year's IBC show in Amsterdam, Vision Research officially unveiled the production model of the Phantom Flex4K. A couple of our clients and friends have recently gotten their hands on a prototype of the camera, so check out the footage and behind the scenes photos below.

Sony has just unveiled the new PXW-Z100, a compact 1/2" single sensor 4K camcorder with a fixed 20x lens. Utilizing the same XAVC codec first introduced with the PMW-F5 & PMW-F55, the PXW-Z100 can record HD, QFHD (3840x2160) and full 4K (4096x2160) up to 60 FPS.

A little while ago, Sony released the latest firmware for the F5 & F55 cameras, as well as the AXS-R5 Raw recorder. Version 1.15 of the F5/F55 firmware has some small incremental updates, with mostly bug fixes included. However, some big changes include improved naming conventions on the AXS card, de-anamorphic function on the viewfinder, and a warning when you haven't black balanced in a while.

Sony has just announced the new PMW-300, replacing the very popular PMW-EX3. As an evolution of the EX3, it features an interchangeable lens system and side-mounted viewfinder. The camera comes with a 14x zoom lens, and a 16x version will be available sometime later in the year.

The two Canon Compact Cine Zoom lenses, 15.5mm-47mm and 30mm-105mm, offer high performance with great flexibility. They each cover an extended range in a small, lightweight package. Both lenses focus very closely and do not distort the image throughout their range. Even with fast T2.8 apertures, they offer high resolving power with excellent contrast.

When we planned the redesign of our Burbank facility, we set out to upgrade our rental department with the most state-of-the-art and efficient rental bays we could imagine. A large part of this was introducing a completely redesigned resolution chart specifically designed to meet the more stringent demands of today's 4K digital cinema cameras and lenses.

It seems like this is a popular week for firmware upgrades! As promised several months ago, Canon has officially released the much-awaited firmware update for the 5D Mark III that enables a clean HDMI output.