Taking advantage of Cine Gear Expo’s ability to draw industry professionals from around the world to the backlot at Universal Studios, the Digital Cinema Society conducted in-depth interviews with prominent Filmmakers and Technologists. DCS Founder James Mathers was able to gather a wide variety of viewpoints on current and future technology including:
Michael Cioni for Strada Agent — John Blackwood for FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA — Andrew Prior for ARRI ALEXA 265 — Kazuto Yamaki for SIGMA Aizu Primes — Gary Adcock for Cartoni Encoded Heads — Joe Mendoza for Cineo Lighting Lynx System — Stefan Karle for DoPchoice AIRGLOW inflatable SnapBag — Marianne Exbrayat for Dedolight California and being a woman in entertainment technology — Chris D’Anna for Cooke Optics and their approach to a changing optics industry — Jon Hoag for OWC Innergize Memory Card Software, Jellyfish Shared Storage, and Thunderbolt 5 — Tony Wisniewski for ZEISS Virtual Lens Technology and new Radiance Zooms — Michael Bravin for GVM Lighting using COB technology on their new Flathead series — Gorky Bolanos for Tiffen Smartphone Filter Mount System and New Soft Glow and Dark Contrast Cinematography Filters — Paul Hawxhurst for Canon on the recent C400 and C80 camera releases — Davi Valente for Godox KNOWLED Line — Daniel Band covering Angénieux’s highly versatile lenses and Band Pro’s many other product lines including Easyrig — Barry Garcia for Nanlite/Nanlux on new LED technology and how the two sister companies serve different markets — Brandon Petersen for Kondor Blue camera accessories and their new “Cine Jaws” hybrid grip clamp — Bridger Eberhart for TIFFEN / STEADICAM on the new Sci-Tech Academy Award winning Volt 3 — Barry Goch for AJA Video Systems on their new Bridge, ColorBox, and Dante products, plus the value of continuing education.
Strada Agent with Michael Cioni
Michael Cioni introduces the latest technology developed by his startup Strada to James Mathers at Cine Gear Expo 2025. Strada Agent is a peer-to-peer network solution that eliminates expensive cloud storage by allowing direct file sharing between users while maintaining local storage of media assets. Michael also gives some background on the evolution of media storage and explains how storage has gone from film to tape to digital files to cloud, and now back again.
FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA with John Blackwood
James Mathers interviews John Blackwood from Fujifilm about their new GFX ETERNA camera. The camera features a large 44x33mm sensor (the tallest in digital cinematography), making it ideal for anamorphic shooting. It represents Fujifilm’s first dedicated motion picture camera, building on their color science legacy. The camera includes film simulations inspired by Fujifilm stocks, offers G mount with PL adapter options, and is planned to be released by the end of the year.
ARRI ALEXA 265 with Andrew Prior
James Mathers gets an update on ARRI’s latest camera, the ALEXA 265 from Andrew Prior at Cine Gear Expo 2025. This rental-only camera features a large 65mm sensor in a compact body based on the ALEXA 35 platform. It includes an in-camera filter system, UHD outputs, and improved dynamic range while maintaining the same 6.5K resolution and ARRI’s reveal color science.
SIGMA Aizu Primes with Kazuto Yamaki
James Mathers sits down with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki at Cine Gear Expo 2025 to discuss their new Aizu Prime lenses. These T1.3 lenses cover full frame and larger formats with a 46.3mm image circle. Mr. Yamaki explains that they were designed from scratch for cinema use, delivering a natural look with consistent performance across the lineup. As a family-owned company, Sigma can take a long-term approach to product development.
Gary Adcock for Cartoni Encoded Heads
James Mathers sits down with Gary Adcock at Cine Gear Expo 2025 to discuss Adcock’s work with Cartoni, a 90-year-old camera support and accessory company. Gary explains their groundbreaking digital tripod head technology that provides pan and tilt meta data, which is particularly valuable for sports broadcasting, virtual production, and tracking systems. The encoded head offers unprecedented precision with over 4.1 million tracking points.
Cineo Lighting Lynx System with Joe Mendoza
James Mathers interviews Joe Mendoza from Cineo Lighting at Cine Gear Expo 2025. Joe introduces the Lynx family of products, highlighting the Lynx 2 and Lynx 4 lighting bars. These IP68-rated fixtures are fully submersible underwater and feature modular lens options, versatile rigging accessories, and comprehensive DMX capabilities through various power supply options. Cineo, an NBC Universal company, has provided lighting for major productions including Wicked.
Stefan Karle for DoPchoice AIRGLOW inflatable SnapBag
James Mathers sits down with Stefan Karle, founder and CEO of DoPchoice, at Cine Gear Expo 2025. Stefan discusses how he transitioned from cinematographer to creating innovative lighting control products after being dissatisfied with existing soft light grids. He explains why soft boxes remain essential with LED lighting for better light mixing, skin tones, and creating wrap-around illumination, and highlights DoPchoice’s new AIRGLOW, an inflatable SnapBag product designed for versatility and portability.
Marianne Exbrayat for Dedolight California and Being a Woman in Entertainment Technology
James Mathers interviews Marianne Exbrayat from Dedolight California about her long career in entertainment technology, as well as their Los Angeles area demo stage for customers to experience a wide range of lighting products. These include the famous Dedolight brand of lighting fixtures, Lightstream reflector systems, Brokeh lighting modifiers that enhance light quality for filming faces, and Chuck Smallwood designed ergonomic grip equipment.
Chris D’Anna for Cooke Optics and Their Approach to a Changing Optics Industry
James Mathers sits down with Chris D’Anna from Cooke Optics at Cine Gear Expo 2025 to discuss changes in the optics industry. They explore how lens manufacturing is adapting to faster technology cycles, the diversifying content market beyond traditional cinema, Cooke’s approach to serving both high-end productions and more accessible camera systems, and advancements in lens metadata for virtual production workflows.
Jon Hoag for OWC Innergize Memory Card Software, Jellyfish Shared Storage, and Thunderbolt 5
OWC’s Jon Hoag shares details of their latest technology offerings with James Mathers at Cine Gear Expo 2025. Jon highlights Thunderbolt 5’s increased bandwidth capabilities, which enables faster file transfers and extends the life of legacy equipment. He also details OWC’s Innergize software for memory cards, which provides health checks and firmware updates, and their Jellyfish shared storage solutions that allow multiple team members to access footage simultaneously.
Tony Wisniewski for ZEISS Virtual Lens Technology and new Radiance Zooms
James Mathers sits down with ZEISS’ Tony Wisniewski at Cine Gear Expo 2025. They discuss ZEISS’ evolution from its 1840s origins in microscopes to today’s cutting-edge optical technologies. Tony highlights their focus on integrating metadata with visual capture, including virtual lens technology that replicates specific ZEISS looks for VFX and animation. He also discusses their expanded lens offerings, including the Supreme Prime Radiance Zoom series and more affordable Nano Primes for owner-operators.
Michael Bravin for GVM Lighting using COB technology on their new Flathead series
James Mathers sits down with his friend Michael Bravin at Cine Gear Expo 2025 to discuss how his extensive career in the film and television industries makes him uniquely qualified to help creative professionals understand technology. Currently, Bravin works as a business development consultant for several companies, including GVM (Great Video Maker) LED, which is expanding from photography lighting into broadcast and cinema markets. He discusses the evolution of LED lighting technology, highlighting GVM’s new Flathead series that uses compact COB (chip on board) technology to deliver powerful output in smaller form factors.
Gorky Bolanos for Tiffen Smartphone Filter Mount System and New Soft Glow and Dark Contrast Cinematography Filters
Tiffen Filter expert Gorky Bolanos discusses their latest filter innovations with James Mathers at Cine Gear Expo 2025. Gorky highlights Tiffen’s new 58mm smartphone mount allowing mobile users to achieve cinematic looks with professional filters. He also details their Soft Glow line and Dark Contrast filters for cinematographers, emphasizing that all products are manufactured in America.
Paul Hawxhurst for Canon on the recent C400 and C80 camera releases
James Mathers interviews Canon USA’s Paul Hawxhurst at Cine Gear Expo 2025. Paul discusses Canon’s recent camera releases, the C400 and C80, which offer improved dynamic range and resolution in smaller packages compared to the older C700. He also explains the advantages of the RF mount technology, which has more electronic connections, a shorter flange depth, and better compatibility with various lens adapters than the previous EF mount.
Davi Valente for Godox KNOWLED Line
James Mathers interviews Cinematographer Davi Valente, who represented Godox at Cine Gear Expo 2025. Valente, who is based in Brazil but works internationally, discusses Godox’s KNOWLED lighting line for filmmaking. He explains that while Godox has 30 years of experience in strobe lighting for photography, their new LED fixtures combine modern technology with robust build quality and are designed to serve the needs of Cinematographers. The ecosystem includes accessories for shaping light, wireless DMX control, Bluetooth connectivity, and even image-based lighting features for virtual production.
Daniel Band covering Angénieux’s highly versatile lenses and Band Pro’s many other product lines including Easyrig
James Mathers interviews Daniel Band from Band Pro at Cine Gear Expo 2025. They discuss Angénieux’s Optimo Prime project, which offers customizable lenses with interchangeable features like different iris types and built-in filters. Daniel highlights how these lenses allow cinematographers to create signature looks without investing in multiple sets. Band Pro also distributes other industry products including Ronford-Baker, Chrosziel, Prêt à Tourner test charts, and Easyrig camera support systems, just to name a few.
Barry Garcia for Nanlite/Nanlux on new LED technology and how the two sister companies serve different markets
James Mathers visits with Barry Garcia of Nanlite and Nanlux at Cine Gear Expo 2025 to find out how the sister companies work together with Nanlite serving prosumer to pro markets and Nanlux focusing on professional equipment. They also discuss LED lighting advancements, including improved color accuracy, powerful output comparable to HMIs, and various control options including DMX, Bluetooth, and Art-Net.
Brandon Petersen for Kondor Blue camera accessories on their new “Cine Jaws” hybrid grip clamp
James Mathers visits with Brandon Petersen from Kondor Blue at Cine Gear Expo 2025. Petersen discusses their large array of cages and camera accessories along with their new collection of innovative grip clamps. The new “Cine Jaws” is a sophisticated hybrid of a super clamp and Cardellini with multiple mounting points, various baby pin options, and anti-twist safety features, along with removable locking pins and NATO clamp variants.
Bridger Eberhart for TIFFEN / STEADICAM on the new Sci-Tech Academy Award Winning Volt 3
James Mathers finds out about Steadicam’s new Volt 3 from Bridger Eberhart at Cine Gear Expo 2025. The flagship product now covers all three axes of stabilization – roll, tilt, and pan – allowing operators to switch between locked and dynamic movements with zero latency. This innovation builds on Steadicam’s 50-year legacy, with the original Volt recently receiving a Sci-Tech Academy Award.
Barry Goch for AJA Video Systems on their new Bridge, ColorBox, and Dante products and the value of continuing education
James Mathers sits down with Barry Goch from AJA at Cine Gear Expo 2025 to discuss the company’s latest innovations. Barry highlights AJA’s new IP workflow solutions, including an eight-channel Bridge product and a Dante converter. He also showcases their ColorBox, a compact device with powerful FPGA technology for color conversion that’s ideal for DITs and virtual production. Barry emphasizes the importance of adapting to new technologies in our quickly evolving industry.
(Visit the AJA YouTube channel for some of the continuing education Barry recommends: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCKOKOOWs9N2ceRTggF30Xjw#bottom-sheet)
Special thanks to our DCS crew including Cinematographers Brad Haskell and Mitch Gulbin, with Christopher Scott Knell of Fireline Studios handling recording and post production. Charlene Mathers, Executive Director of DCS served as Producer with Meghan Mathers as Production Associate. Camera support courtesy of Cartoni.
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