How to control IRIS (*Aperture) with EF Lenses from the RED V-RAPTOR

 So you saved up and bought the NEW Red V-Raptor but what about EF lenses and more important if you already own a decent set of Canon glass how are you going to use them effectively on this monster of a camera that came with an RF mount!? Mainly how will you tackle the issue of no IRIS control??

Well there's some great news, a company called FOTODIOX made an EF to RF SMART adapter!

The best part, well it's only 74.95 !! This little adapter converts the EF electronics/command set straight across to the RF interface on your Red Raptor so you can now fully control the electronic IRIS, Hallelujah! So there's a lot of great used Canon and 3rd party EF lenses out there like the almighty SIGMA 60-600mm! So no need to start shelling out more big $$ for the newer RF lenses. 

Red, by the way created the same solution as the Fotodiox SMART adapter but it's only for the RAPTOR XL version and the cost is $1250.00 but in all fairness it is NOT an adaptor as it replaces the XL's lens mount and sits directly over sensor. 
However, those of us who could only afford the Raptor VV well here's the equivalent function and no longer a need to have a camera body around to set the IRIS to desired setting dismount, holding the button and then mounting again on Red right when the light is changing and "go back and do it again..."

Here's our setup we tested and it worked flawlessly, of course DON'T FORGET TO RAISE THE LEVER that tightens whatever you have attached to the Red's RF Lens port. That was a GREAT feature to add to the Raptor. It gives your lenses a POSITIVE LOCK, not quite a PL lens mount but yes the functionality to remove the play all EF and RF lenses are prone to by design.

So that's our review and solution for this week. NAB is just around the corner and we'll be there to checkout the latest and greatest REASONABLY PRICED solutions for low and high end gear, our goal for the months of April and May to showcase to you. 

*Iris and Aperture how do they differ??

IRIS:The Iris is the adjustable opening that can restrict the amount of light that enters the camera's sensor.It is comprised of mechanical elements, Shutters (blades) and springs, that actually open and close.

APERTURE: The Aperture is the size of the opening, the hole. The size of that hole is represented in values called F or T stops.

DRONE SOFTWARE INNOVATION and the ENVIRONMENT a 3 part series

 Technology has been advancing at a rapid rate and while learning and developing the skill level to put this tech to good use may seem daunting, I can tell you that the opposite is true. Through skillful programming from innovative hardware and software companies like AUTEL, DJI and SKYEBROWSE,  intuitive application design have made it far easier than one would imagine! 

Let's take a look at Skyebrowse in this first of a series on "Environmental" use for drones. Skyebrowse converts a drones video into a photogrammetric model, that's right a 3D measurable manipulated model.  It is able to render from captured video in close to real time. They accomplished this through their proprietary algorithms that converts video into photogrammetric images and provide a backend 3D rendering engine all based online. So what is photogrammetry?

1. Simply stated it is the use of photography in surveying and mapping to measure distances between objects. However in this case the model is created from video vs a series of coordinated still images.

Skyebrowse was designed specifically for FIRST RESPONDERS. What we are now seeing is a re-purposing of this technology for the Environment. A couple examples of this can be seen below.

Repurposing of Oil Platforms into wind and wave generator stations. Rincon Island in this example.

 Repurposing of Oil Platforms into wind and wave generator stations. Rincon Island in this example.

Marine Life: A beached adult Humpback whale. Use and analytical assessment of imaging to determine injuries and source such as propeller strike on this whale. The data also yields size which tells us if we are dealing with an adult or juvenile of a species.

Sea Level Rise: Measuring an area that may be impacted by sea level rise and keeping an eye on sand movement. Monitoring the depth between seawalls protecting a beach community.

Next month in part 2 of this series we take a close look at the use of autonomous drone flight to monitor and identify leaking oil wellheads off the coast of California. The work was done by Heal the Ocean for California State Lands Commission. The automated flights were programmed by Heal the Ocean field advisors to check over 30 different wellheads at a time (each flight) from a total field of over 192 offshore abandoned wellheads.

 SONY A7sIII, FX3, FX6-A quick summary on the advantages and disadvantages of each plus BTS on CHER shoot.

This is truly an impressive lineup from Sony. What their user base has been asking for has been answered. High frame rates at 4k, 10Bit, ProRes
422, AUTO ND ! So the big question is which one is right for you. As always having the right tool for the job is the most important issue. So let's dive in for a quick summary on each.

For the Pro, all 3 camera models fit the bill with the FX6 leading the way because of what we feel is an AMAZING feature... AUTO ND! This gives the ability to maintain bokeh as a scene progresses moving from a lowlight surrounding to a well lit surrounding during a single take. Contrast and focus on key subject of shot remain sharp throughout. This feature is NOT available on the A7sIII or the FX 3. The latter two are basically the same feature set cameras with the FX3 being touted as a more PRO bullet proof enclosure with plenty of 1/4-20 mount points.

Now the A7sIII has it's own advantage over the FX6 in it's ability to auto focus and track the subject simultaneously. The same is true of the FX3. To have a similar ability with the FX6 requires manual movement of the cursor on the EVF touchscreen. All cameras have the cool feature to vary the rate of focus when pointing the cursor to move to another area or subject on the EVF. 

Another cool feature is face detection. It works great with humans as the subject of interest but it failed with animals? Very curious as Sony did advertise it with both Human and animal recognition for following and focus. We hope that Sony gets some new firmware out there soon to correct this.

In our use of these cameras in the field we found the A7sIII to be the most impressive as it's form factor made it quite simple to use with both our drone and gimbal hardware. So if you can afford the A7sIII we recommend it over the 3 cameras.

If you are looking for a great overall cinematic camera in a small brick type form factor and that can match up to your main cinematic A camera then the FX6 is the choice. We just used the FX6 with a Sony F55 to shoot Cher and the loneliest Elephant for the Smithsonian channel. The footage from the FX6 was applauded by all for its beautiful tones and contrasts and Cher as well as her troop were very pleased with how beautiful the footage looked! We if course were very pleased as well!

That's it for now, we will have a more in depth review soon to follow.

Cheers,

Meet Colin Guinn AGAIN... Drone pioneer who has seen it all!

UPDATE on COLIN  GUINN...

Well I got to sit down with Colin again to find out what he's been up to since the last time we sat down and talked. Here's the 1st interview and standby next month for this update on Colin and the state of the drone industry in 2022!

and do a one on one interview with the colorful celebrity of the drone world at Interdrone 2019, none other then Colin Guinn! I, like most drone enthusiasts, have been watching Colin's career, his ever present exhuberant and passionate persona, on the "Drones Over America!" Check out the amazing insight Colin had for what drones would mean for society by reading some of his dialog:
internet and virtually all channels of media! Beginning back in 2012 Colin made DJI a household name and UAV/Drone communities formed around his evangelizing of such cool tech! His marketing messaging, training videos and multiple mainstream broadcast TV appearances were engaging and fun to watch as we learned about these 4 prop flying wonders with cameras and gimbals. Colin even shared the screen back in 2014 with Morley Safer on an episode of 60 minutes entitled "Drones over America." 

So yesterday there stood Colin Guinn at the podium, a keynote speaker at INTERDRONE 2019. I was compelled to once again connect with Colin and record an audio interview to find out just what he was up to now.  Some of the questions in the interview provided some closure on just what happened with him and CEO Frank Wang of DJI as well as the startup company 3DR where one of the most viral and sensational video ads ever was produced in-house, by Colin and friends for the drone industry!! I also ask Colin in the interview where he thinks the drone industry is heading now and the role his new consulting firm is playing in the industries future. So checkout some sound advice and get some direction regarding venturing into the drone/UAS industry. So enough said click video below and enjoy!

Oh wait one more thing before you watch. Speaking of the influence of DRONE's in societybe sure to also checkout the new drone based animated series:

 "The Adventures of Bad Drone and Arnold" 

Yeah Yeah I know a self touting advertisement plug for our new show here at OTW!

One thing before you press PLAY above a word up about our technical fun loving community... from  the box office hit "Revenge of the Nerds" remember "Geeks and Nerds are COOL too!" Oh yeah more drone industry widespread market influence! There's a new animated series in development entitled "The Adventures of Bad Drone and Arnold" Yeah Yeah I know a self touting advertisement plug for our new show here at On the Wave Productions...

Making a difference in the world of commercial drones

There are people in the drone/UAV industry making a difference with education and safety at the top of their list. Meet Marc Langley, CEO of Airborne Works and speaker at Interdrone. With an electricians background and specializing in Refrigeration, cryogenics, incubators and more, he entered into the world of drones and image mapping. In a mere 4 years he is truly a leader and evangelist of drone technology! A non-profit arm of his company will even donate a drone for a good cause!

Marc led an amazing eye opening breakout session on photogrammetry (the 2D capturing of landscapes and 3D rendering) for the EPA that also included infrared maps to trace water temperatures that would reveal areas of nitrate concentration, an indicator of harmful contaminants enetering a waterway through a cranberry farm. It was a perfect example that set the tone of his lecture. I for one walked away excited about this field and instead of being fearful to get out there and do it I became enthusiastic! Just another benefit of attending a well focused trade show like Interdrone!

I had a good laugh with Marc at the end of our interview and I mentioned some drone carnage, to quote Marc  "You're not a pilot unless you've lost a drone or two! " to which he confessed losing 2 in one day and I could relate! True words of encouragement despite loss of gear in this field of work. So get out there and fly and dive into the amazing world of drone tech...

INTERDRONE 2019 Celebrates 5 years for a good reason

Own a drone? Thinking of breaking into the vast and exponentially growing commercial market space? Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, 1st Responders, trying to get drone programs started in your city? Construction, Agriculture? Science, Researcher, Innovator., Cinematographer, photographer...

 I can keep going here... if any of the above match your interests then INTERDRONE 2019 is a must conference for you to attend! Experts from all fields, FAA officials, the top of the field have all arrived at Interdrone ready to educate you in your field of choice. From building, programming, schooling, licensing, rules and safety, flying, mapping, cinematography you name it and you'll find that there's a session waiting for you! It's the best jump start to get into this market space now.

I am not affiliated nor am I being paid by the promoters of Interdrone but I am speaking as one of you. The amount of tradeshows with breakout sessions is startling and confusing when it comes to drone/UAV technology lately. You can do the research but I can tell you this....Interdrone is a highly focused event and it covers all aspects of this new industry and in my book this show is now a must see event.

"Is my DJI drone data being stored in China?" DJI's Romeo Durscher answers.

LIVE FROM INTERDRONE 2019
So your drone keeps insisting over and over again whether or not you would like to "SYNCHRONIZE YOUR DATA!" What does that mean? Am I to grant DJI rights to DJI to store the data from all of my flights? Big brother watching? All my data is going to China, where DJI is headquartered?


If you're a commercial drone operator the odds are you need to select YES , SYNCHRONIZE MY DATA, otherwise you will be unable to get the critical data needed for mapping, photogrammetry and more image type data collection and processing.



So tonight I had the opportunity to discuss this with Romeo Durscher of DJI who had just delivered a keynote address at Interdrone. Romeo explained this widespread misconception by stating that all the data goes into the Cloud, where it is simply stored for retieval by it's owner and never leaves the USA. Romeo also stated that DJI could be doing a better job assuring it's customer base that their data is indeed safe and not being used by any foreign power.  So I guess we can all relax and breathe a sigh of relief that there will be no future invasion based on complete mapping details of the contiguous 50 states from millions of USA based DJI drones!  Hey how do we know AMAZON isn't up to no good... to be continued


see related article: https://www.cnet.com/news/dji-denies-sending-drone-data-to-china/

INTERDRONE IS ALMOST HERE, SO WHAT"S NEW IN DRONES!!

Ok well the next drone show is coming up the 1st week in September and we'll be there to report on the latests and greatest drones out there. Will DJI be offering up anything soon to take the place of the workhorse Phantom 4 Pro or is everything shrinking and Mavic sized drones are king! Well of course that all depends whether you need IMAX footage from the big boyz or if current 1 Meg sensors are good enough for the niche you operate in...are the big drones like INSPIRE 2 and other competing products going away...?

We've been testing the DJI Enterprise Mavic with it's FLIR camera for additional InfraRed imaging and so far it seems more gimmicky (loudspeaker not 2 way voice conversation; search lights; beacon), than functional when that functionality is key in rescue operations by Search and Rescue/Sheriff scenarios. Our first look gives conflicting information over the accuracy of the GPS coordinates being displayed and that is quite serious when it comes down to locating lost individuals day or nigh time. We will have more on that after Interdrone so look for it around September 8th on this blog site.

ROBOTS on the REEF is the latest film from OTW Productions in the works for Animal Planet and we will also shed more light on that film and the technology being used to be able to determine the health of an ocean reef system. With climate change warming our seas we are seeing more and more coral reef systems bleaching and dying and the best way to monitor the situation and learn from it is coming from these new water based drones...standby!

Drones are being programmed to locate GREAT WHITE SHARKS in real time and send out information live...WHere: Why in Santa Barbara at UCSB's McCauley Lab.

All these great stories coming up for mid September so we will see you back here on the blog soon!

UNDERWATER DRONES-Powervision takes the lead with POWER DOLPHIN

Well you may ask yourself "Why would  I need an underwater drone?" Well sit back because the number of reasons are growing! Whether you simply enjoy watersports, underwater photography, professional videography, scientific research etc...oh yeah and how about even sportfishing?! The latter of which seems to be the most popular reason to purchase one!



Powervision came out early in the game with the first consumer and prosumer type product, the POWERRay and the newly announced tetherless POWER Dolphin both supporting their Fishfinder module, basically UNDERWATER SONAR, WOW!!



As a user of their products I can tell you they have been put to the test in the best and worse of conditions including keeping up with Great White juvenile sharks for our current and upcoming televised shows. You can check out some of the footage here.

On the scientific research side of things both products fit the bill for underwater research and mapping capability at a low cost point of entry. 

NEW FUJINON CABRIO 20-120. GREAT LENS GREAT PRICE !

Fujinon showed there new 20-120mm lens at NAB and it's performance was spectacular. It's predecessor, the Cabrio 19-90mm  sold for up to $35K and this lens is on special for $13.5K which is an amazing price for such a high quality servo enabled cinema lens. It doesn't quite measure up to the 19-90 as it is rated at T-3.5, so not quite as quick but the newer cameras more than makeup for this with their impressive ISO and low light performance capabilities. So we can overlook this a bit...
Features:

* T3.5 to T22 aperture with 9 iris blades for attractive bokeh

* Detachable, ENG-style, digital drive unit with zoom rocker switch

* Industry standard 0.8 film MOD gears for focus, zoom, and iris control

* Power & data/control connections to the camera via connectors in rear of the lens.

* 16-bit encoding supports sharing LDS and /i Technology lens data with the camera

* The barrel markings in metric or imperial measurements are switchable in the field

* Luminous barrel markings make it easier to read measurements

* 200° focus barrel rotation and 120° zoom rotation

* No shims are required to adjust the flange focal distance

* Macro focus function available

If you are thinking of using this on something like the new SONY Venice or other Full size sensors then YES you will get some vignetting at the wider end of the spectrum. 

Want to stretch this lens capability even more! Add the new DUCLOS 2.0 x PL extender to boost the lens up to a 40mm to 240mm.