Blog
Articles on filmmaking technique, production planning, and industry knowledge.
Showing 12 of 16 posts
Sensor Crop and Focal Length: The Complete Reference Table for Every Major Camera
A definitive reference table of sensor sizes, crop factors, and focal length equivalents for every major cinema and hybrid camera in use in 2026, with practical guidance on how crop factor changes your lens choices and field of view across platforms.
What Circle of Confusion Value Should You Actually Use? A Sensor-by-Sensor Guide
Most DoF calculators pick a default circle of confusion value and never show it to you. Some default to 0.029mm for every camera regardless of sensor size. Others use 0.025mm for 'cinema' modes that span three different sensor formats. Here is how to find out what your app is actually using and whether it is correct.
What Happens If You Run Out of Cards on Set?
A practical recovery protocol for when your media fills up mid-shoot -- covering in-camera offload options, emergency purchasing, and how to restructure the shooting day without losing footage or shutting down production.
Field of View Calculator: How to Pre-Visualize Any Lens Before Renting It
Renting a lens without calculating its field of view on your specific sensor is the most expensive guessing game in cinematography. Two minutes with a field of view calculator tells you exactly what a 35mm looks like on your body versus a reference film, which lens matches the director's visual reference, and whether the rental is worth the cost.
ARRI vs. RED vs. Sony: What the Spec Sheets Don't Tell You
A practical comparison of the ARRI ALEXA 35, RED V-RAPTOR, and Sony VENICE 2 that goes beyond resolution and dynamic range to cover color science, codec pipeline compatibility, rental economics, and real post-production cost implications.
How to Calculate How Many Cards You Need for a Shoot Day
The answer is not just codec bitrate divided by card size. It depends on whether you can offload and reuse cards, how many cameras are running, and what happens if offload takes longer than expected. Here is the calculation that covers all three scenarios.
What Circle of Confusion Should You Use for Your Camera?
The circle of confusion value in your DoF calculator is sensor-format specific. Using the wrong CoC produces inaccurate depth of field predictions on set. Here is exactly which value to enter for every common cinema and mirrorless camera.
How to Build a Cinema Camera Package for Under $5,000: A Real-World Equipment List
A real, itemized camera package with rental vs. purchase math, weight considerations for transport, and battery life estimates. Bridges camera selection to practical production planning.
Slow Motion in Practice: Frame Rates, Playback Speed, and What Your Camera Can Actually Do
Moves beyond the basics -- covers resolution trade-offs at high frame rates, audio capture limitations, lighting requirements for overcranking, and which cameras offer genuine slow motion versus interpolated results.
Aspect Ratios in Film: A Complete History and Practical Shooting Guide
Covers 1.33:1 through 2.76:1 with historical context, which films used each ratio and why, and practical advice on choosing your ratio based on story, delivery platform, and post workflow.
Frame Rates in Filmmaking: 24fps, 25fps, 48fps and the Science of the Cinematic Look
Explains persistence of vision, the 24fps aesthetic, why HFR failed as a theatrical format, and how to choose frame rate based on delivery platform and genre. Includes a full shutter angle conversion table.
ISO, Noise, and When to Push Your Camera: A Working Cinematographer's Guide
Goes beyond 'just use native ISO.' Explains dual-native ISO, when noise is acceptable, how noise compares to grain aesthetically, and provides a decision framework for pushing ISO on 6 common camera sensors.