Christopher Malcolm

Being a professional photographer is about more than just the exposure triangle. I made a mistake today.

This week, Fujifilm announced the development of a new camera designed with filmmakers in mind, the Fujifilm GFX Eterna. The camera builds on Fuji's GFX line of medium format still cameras but will be focused on video capture and is aimed at independent filmmakers and documentarians.

Blackmagic Design has made two price drops, one permanent and one temporary, that might be of interest to those of you who use DaVinci Resolve Studio to bring your video projects to reality. I love DaVinci Resolve Studio. I know this because, while teaching a recent course on post-production and reaching the section of the course on color grading in Resolve, one of my students apparently noticed a certain unconscious glimmer in my eye as I discussed all the possibilities. We were half-joking, of course, but the product has truly become an indispensable part of my filmmaking workflow.

Today, Laowa has introduced a new line of cinema lenses to the cinematography market. And these have a major perk: macro capabilities. Picking the perfect lens has always been the most important part of any film project. Are you picking for clarity or character? Are you going anamorphic or spherical? What is your subject, and what is the correct tool to capture the action? If you’ve read my reviews in the past, you’ll know that I’m not big on specs. But there is one spec when it comes to lenses that is unavoidable: What is the minimum focusing distance?

Today, I'll share a quick look at my simple solution to a sometimes convoluted process. Timecode is absolutely essential to filmmaking.

I’ve gotten to spend some time getting to know Canon’s newest flagship camera, the Canon EOS R1. And I’ve got thoughts. The term “flagship” is an interesting one. Taking its name from the ship chosen to lead a nautical mission, in terms of cameras, a “flagship” is usually the embodiment of the absolute best technology a company has to offer. In the DSLR days, “flagship” cameras were always really easy to tell apart from the rest of the line. Usually larger bodies. Often built-in battery grips. The best in weather sealing. The best autofocus.

A new line of full-frame anamorphic lenses has just hit the market. Get ready for the Venus Optics Laowa Nanomorph T2.9 1.5x LF Anamorphics. Anamorphic lenses have long been a staple of filmmakers looking to add scope and scale to their productions. They were originally introduced to take better advantage of the full resolution (or detail, as analog isn’t really about “resolution”) by capturing the full film frame to be desqueezed later.

In our never-ending search for the perfect camera, we often bandy around a common term to describe the ultimate in performance: flagship. But what really is a “flagship” camera? I’ll start by pointing out that this is one of those open-ended questions without an objective answer. So, if you’re reading this thinking that I will offer you the definitive explanation for what makes the ultimate flagship, you may be a bit disappointed. Rather, I just want to talk about the very concept, open up the discussion, and hear what you have to say in the comment section.

Today, I'd like to take you along on a little thought experiment. If I were to get into a magical de-aging machine and be placed in a position to restart my career all over again in 2025, which camera might I choose to take me into battle?