DSLR Cameras | Stray Angel Films

Summer Deals Dropping at Stray Angel

Stray Angel Films — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 06:13:19 +0000

With the rising heat of the summer, multiple union strikes continuing, and the release of Christopher Nolan’s summer film, Oppenheimer, we put our creative brains together to get filmmakers back on the testing ground. Tapping into our inner Robert Oppenheimer, we’re igniting some Atomic Deals to empower hardworking creatives grinding to make it happen.

For a limited time, we’re making an offer that will undoubtedly set off creative explosions: the chance to rent our top-of-the-range equipment for a week at the cost of just ONE day’s rental!

That’s right – starting this week, you can get your hands on our wide range of premium cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, and more, for seven days of uninterrupted use, while only paying for a single day. This deal offers creatives colossal savings, allowing you to channel more of your budget into other crucial areas of your film project.

Whether you’re shooting a suspenseful drama, an action-packed blockbuster, or a poignant documentary, our Oppenheimer Deal provides you with the means to realize your most ambitious visions without having to worry about high equipment costs.

With Stray Angel Films, we are more than just a production rental house; we’re a partner in your journey of storytelling, and we can’t wait to see the amazing projects you’ll create with the help of our Oppenheimer Deals! Shoot us an email at rentals@strayangel.com with your rental dates and we’ll make this Summer Deal happen for your production.

Here’s to a week up to a whopping six months of creative explosions and cinematic breakthroughs!

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Want To Know How To Shoot With The Sony A7s At Night?

Stray Angel Films — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

When director Alec Ernest approached us seeking help with a low-light project, we were eager to hear more about it. He was going to shoot a short documentary about Eric Merrell, an LA artist who paints in the desert under the moonlight. We knew right away that this would be a great opportunity for the Sony A7s to shine.

If you’re not familiar, the Sony A7s maxes out at ISO 409,600. But how far can you push ISO and still have a reasonably good-looking end-result? Far enough to get a decent exposure using moonlight? Alec did a number of camera tests with the A7s to try and figure out exactly that. You can see more details in the BTS video below, but he and his crew settled on ISO 24,000 – 32,000 as the sweet spot.

In the behind-the-scenes video, Alec covers several tips for shooting with A7s at night. He also talks a little about the post-process, including color grading and noise reduction.

Tips For Shooting With The Sony A7s At Night:

Plan around a full moon
Record at the highest bit depth possible
Don’t have on-camera subjects wear black
Don’t whip pan/don’t move the camera too fast
Don’t go overboard with noise reduction

For more information on how to rent the Sony Alpha A7s, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Watch the full Nocturnes Behind The Scenes video:

And check out the final Nocturnes production right here:

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Where Is Camera Gear Stolen The Most?

Stray Angel Films — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Lenstag is an anti-theft gear registry that helps people recovered stolen gear. They ran data for all of 2015 on the theft that was reported about gear from their registry and broke down exactly where cameras are stolen the most.

It comes at no surprise that the number one location camera equipment is stolen is the Automobile, at 31%. Lenstag said that rental cars, in particular, are singled out by thieves, so be extra vigilant when you’re traveling.

Other interesting tidbits from the Lenstag stolen gear data includes countries with the most reported theft (USA, UK, Italy) and the most commonly-stolen gear: The Canon 5D Mark III, 5D Mark II, and Canon 24-70mf/2.8L Lens.

The moral of the story is this: be vigilant and keep a sharp eye out when storing your gear, and consider registering at Lenstag!

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Everything You Need To Know About The New Canon Rebel T6s (760D) & T6si (750D)

Stray Angel Films — Sat, 14 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Alongside the announcement last week for Canon’s new 50MP 5Ds, the company also announced a new Rebel camera available in two models: the T6i (750D) and the T6s (760D).

The new Rebel T6i and T6s both use a new sensor, a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor. They also both use Canon’s latest DIGIC 6 processor and the Hybrid CMOS AF III autofocus system.

The Canon T6s (760D) has a few more features than the the the T6i (750D). It includes an LCD settings panel on the top of the DSLR. This is similar to the one you find on top of the more high-end DSLRs like the Canon 5D. The mode dial button also features a new lock so that you don’t accidentally change the shooting mode. There are other small things like settings panel on the back of the camera is a directional pad on the 750D versus an easier to use the dial on the back of the 760D.

The most significant difference in the two cameras is that the Canon 760D offers an HDR movie mode. This mode allows you to shoot two frames at once: one overexposed and one underexposed. It merges the two frames, giving you a broader dynamic range.

Canon T6s (760D) Specs:

24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
DIGIC 6 Image Processor
MP4: 1920 x 1080p / 29.97 fps / 25 fps / 23.98 fps
MP4: 1280 x 720p / 59.94 fps / 50 fps
MP4: 640 x 480p / 29.97 fps / 25 fps
ISO 100 – 12800, Expandable to 25600
5 fps Shooting & Extended ISO to 25600
Hybrid CMOS AF III & EOS Scene Analysis
Top LCD Panel & Quick Control Dial
Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity
CS100 Connect Station Support

Specs for the T6i:

24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
DIGIC 6 Image Processor
3.0″ 1.04M-dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen
MP4: 1920 x 1080p / 29.97 fps / 25 fps / 23.98 fps
MP4: 1280 x 720p / 59.94 fps / 50 fps
MP4: 640 x 480p / 29.97 fps / 25 fps
ISO 100 – 12800, Expandable to 25600
5 fps Shooting & Extended ISO to 25600
Hybrid CMOS AF III & EOS Scene Analysis
Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity
CS100 Connect Station Support

At the time of writing, both new Canon Rebel cameras will be available this April. The Rebel T6s will cost $850, while the Rebel T6i will retail for $100 less at $750.

The post Everything You Need To Know About The New Canon Rebel T6s (760D) & T6si (750D) appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

New 50 Megapixel Canon Cameras

Stray Angel Films — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Canon dropped an atomic bomb in the megapixel world this past week, announcing two new 5D cameras that have an unheard of 50MP resolution.

The two new 5D cameras – the 5DS and 5DS R – will be the highest resolution full-frame DSLR cameras on the market when released. The two cameras are almost identical, and the difference is the 5DS R cancels the low pass filter, making images crisper. The new cameras appear to be aimed at photographers as they don’t appear to include new and exciting video features.

At the time of writing, the Canon 5DS will retail at $3700, while the 5DS R will be priced at $3,900.

Here are the current specs for the new Canon 5DS and 5DS R cameras:

50.6MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors
3.2″ 1,040K-Dot ClearView II LCD Monitor
Crop Shooting: 1.3x 30MP and 1.6x 20MP
61-Point High Density Reticular AF
150,000-Pixel RGB+IR Metering Sensor
ISO 100-6400 (Extended Mode: 50-12800)
Built-in Mic
5.0 fps Burst Shooting
Dual Compact Flash and SD Media Slots

Video

MPEG AVC/H.264: 1920 x 1080p / 29.97 fps / 25 fps / 23.98 fps
MPEG AVC/H.264: 1280 x 720p / 59.94 fps / 50 fps
MPEG AVC/H.264: 640 x 480p / 29.97 fps / 25 fps
1920 x 1280: ALL-I 11 min. (654 MB / min.)
1920 x 1280: IPB 33 min. (255 MB / min.)
1280 x 720: ALL-I 13 min. (583 MB / min.)
1280 x 720: IPB 38 min. (196 MB / min.)
640 x 480: IPB 97 min. (78 MB / min.)

Watch DigitalRev go hands-on with the both the 5Ds & the 5Ds R in this video:

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Is Canon Developing A 50 Megapixel Full Frame Camera?

Stray Angel Films — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

As you probably noticed by now, the internet loves to gossip about cameras. Recently, the site CanonRumors.com has been inundated with posts about a possible 50 megapixel camera that could be in development by Canon.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent post on Canon Rumors about the supposed 50MP camera:

“The world continues to wait for Canon to jump back into the resolution race, and it looks like they will be in 2015 (though we have previously said they would in 2014). A few new mentions of a 50mp camera coming in the first half of 2015 to which there will be 2 variants. One with a low pass filter, and another without. I’m not sure Canon would get into 2 SKUs for one camera body, though they have done it for astronomy camera purposes. The camera will not be an EOS-1 style camera and would be a new camera above the 5D line. You’re free to call it the “3D”, but I’ve never been a fan of that name simply because it could be confusing to consumers.

Things are getting a little bit muddled with 5D Mark IV talk and Cinema EOS talk (lots of 4K products coming) and I suspect things are getting pretty fragmented. We currently have nothing reliable to report as far as a 5D Mark III replacement is concerned. I also have nothing to report about an EOS-1D X Mark II, which is something that is sure to be addressed over the next 12 months.

I suspect we’re going to see a new Rebel in the first quarter of 2015, and that will probably be Canon’s next DSLR. The EOS M should come before the Rebel and it could be as soon as December.”

What do you think? Is there any truth to this rumor? Even if there is, should we be excited? Most of us here at Stray Angel would rather see Canon introduce 4K video recording into their DSLRs and “C” line of video cameras before getting into a megapixel war if we’re being honest.

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Shooting With Cine-Style Lenses vs Still Photography Lenses

Stray Angel Films — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Here at Stray Angel Films, we rent a lot of Canon EF lenses (designed for still photography) and a good amount of Canon CN-E glass. If you’re new to the filmmaking world or just learning about cinematography, you may not know all of the advantages of shooting with a cine-style lens (designed for filmmaking) over still photography products.

Our in house “gearu” Josh made this video to help explain some of the differences:

For more information on how to rent both cine-style and still photography lenses, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

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Why Do Filmmakers Love The Sony a7S?

Stray Angel Films — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Sony jumped into the 4K DSLR video market this year with its a7S mirrorless camera. It has become a sleeper hit among low-budget filmmakers looking for a killer image and nice dynamic range out of a camera that costs just under $2500 at the time of writing. We wanted to take an in-depth look at the Sony a7S and identify the reasons filmmakers love it.

4K Capabilities & Image Quality

The Sony a7S does have a 4K sensor, but be aware that you will need an external recorder to capture the full 4K image. Internally, the a7S can record a beautifully sharp 1080p image.

The a7S features:

12.2MP Full-Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor
Sony E-mount
Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 24, 30, 60 FPS
Capable of 120 FPS at 720p
Records to AVCHD, XAVC S and MP4 to SD, SDXC, SDHC, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo
4K (4240 x 2832) full-frame sensor is cropped to UHD 3840 x 2160 for recording via HDMI to external recorder only (8 bit, 4:2:2)

Dynamic Range

The a7S has an absolutely killer dynamic range for the price point and small body. This little guy will give you over 14 stops of dynamic range, up there with cameras like the ALEXA. Cinema5D did a dynamic range comparison between the Sony a7S and other popular cameras such as ARRI’s ALEXA and the Canon 5D. The only camera that beat out the a7S was the ALEXA and it will probably surprise you how close the results were between the two cameras.

Cinema5D Says:

“Here we tested usable dynamic range of the given cameras. With 14.1 stops the usable dynamic range of the A7S comes surprisingly close to the Arri Amira with its legendary Alexa sensor (see our full review here).

This is an extremely good dynamic range rating and is fascinating considering that the A7S is available at a fraction of the Amira’s price and is also in a completely different weight and size class. While the Amira will outperform the A7S in other tests, the dynamic range is a very important attribute to consider when working with a camera.

The Canon cameras come in at 11-12 stops of usable dynamic range. This is still a very strong dynamic range rating, but in comparison to the A7S the Canon’s are way behind.

The Panasonic GH4 had the worst dynamic range in our test. This is in line with the rather video’ish look and contrasty colors we can subjectively observe.”

James Drake did some testing of the a7S high ISO capabilities. Check out this frame that was shot in sLog at 409,600 ISO

Low Light Performance

The a7S also offers filmmakers amazing low light performance. This little camera can shoot all the way up to ISO 409,600!

Affordable Price in a Small Package

The a7S is small, even smaller than a Canon 5D, and that makes its features all the more impressive. This is advantageous to filmmakers in situations where there isn’t room for a big camera set-up, traveling shows/documentaries, and times when you want your camera set-up to be low-key and discreet.

Combine the size of the a7S, it’s exceptional image quality, and the low price of under $2500 for the body, and you’ve got a camera that is a hit.

To prove it, Sony put out a video demonstrating the camera’s ISO settings: we’re impressed!

For more information on how to rent the latest Sony Cameras, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

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Canon’s 7D Mark II Is Now Shipping

Stray Angel Films — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The updated version of Canon’s extremely popular 7D DSLR, the Canon 7D Mark II, is now shipping. The new 7D Mark II will have some new features to make video more desirable, including clean HDMI output, a headphone jack (hallelujah!), 60p at 1080, and Canon’s continuous auto-focus technology.

Here are the notable specs for the Canon 7D Mark II:

20.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors
3.0″ 1.04m-Dot Clear View II LCD Monitor
1920 x 1080: 60 fps, 30 fps, 24 fps
1280 x 720: 60 fps, 30 fps
640 x 480: 30 fps
ISO 100-16000 (Extended Mode: 100-51200)
1/8″ Headphone, 1/8″ Microphone, HDMI C (Mini), USB 3.0
Clean HDMI 8-bit 4:2:2
Dual Pixel CMOS AF with Live View
65-Point All Cross-Type AF System
Continuous 10 fps Shooting
Shutter: up to 1/8000 second

Check out this Canon 7D Mark II Sample Footage from Engadget:

For more information on how to rent the latest Canon Cameras, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

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Everything You Need To Know About The Canon 7D Mark II

Stray Angel Films — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Canon has recently announced that the 5-year-old Canon 7D is finally going to be updated and reincarnated into the 7D Mark II. Exciting features of the new 7D Mark II include clean HDMI, 60 fps at 1080p, and Canon’s dual-pixel video auto-focus.

Here are the notable specs for the Canon 7D Mark II:

20.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors
3.0″ 1.04m-Dot Clear View II LCD Monitor
1920 x 1080: 60 fps, 30 fps, 24 fps
1280 x 720: 60 fps, 30 fps
640 x 480: 30 fps
ISO 100-16000 (Extended Mode: 100-51200)
1/8″ Headphone, 1/8″ Microphone, HDMI C (Mini), USB 3.0
Clean HDMI 8-bit 4:2:2
Dual Pixel CMOS AF with Live View
65-Point All Cross-Type AF System
Continuous 10 fps Shooting
Shutter: up to 1/8000 second

*With the camera officially released, if you’re interested in more information on how to rent the latest Canon Camera, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

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Now Renting: Panasonic GH4 + YAGH BOX

Stray Angel Films — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve previously written about the GH4’s specs and have been anxiously awaiting its arrival ever since. Recently, we received our very first Panasonic GH4 camera, and we’re happy to announce that the GH4 & YAGH interface is available to rent right here at Stray Angel Films!

Since the camera arrived, we’ve had some fun taking photos and shooting some 4K test footage. We sent Chris Sheffield out for an afternoon with the GH4 to see what the internal 4K recording looks like.

Check out the video he shot below:

*With the camera officially released, if you’re interested in more information on how to rent the latest Panasonic Camera, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

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Sony’s A7s 4K DSLR Gets Price & Release Date

Stray Angel Films — Tue, 20 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Sony debuted the A7s, a new 4K DSLR, this year at a NAB. The camera received a lot of buzz, mostly because of it’s ridiculous ISO range: 50 to 409,600! While it’s top ISO figures are previously unheard of, it remains unclear how high the ISO can be increased while maintaining a reasonable quality image.

Over the weekend, Sony released the A7s release date and price. At the time of writing, the Sony A7s has a ship date of July 2014 with a price of $2499.99. This figure comes in slightly under the Panasonic GH4, and it’s comparable to other cameras like Blackmagic’s latest.

*With the camera officially released, if you’re interested in more information on how to rent the latest Sony Camera, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

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