Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

‘Act of Valor’ Shot on 5D Mark II Picked Up for $13 Million

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‘Act of Valor’ is a film that I’ve heard a lot about over the past couple of years from cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, who has been a big proponent of Canon HDSLRs.  He’s been talking about how they used the 5D Mark II to get shots they couldn’t otherwise get – using Zeiss lenses and helmet cams for a unique combination of shooting rigs.

The film is looking to be a pretty big deal for Hurlbut and Bandito Brothers. Relativity Media announced today that it picked up worldwide marketing and distribution rights for a $13-million guarantee. [Read more…]

VariZoom VZ-TK75A Video Tripod Review

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The VariZoom VZ-TK75A tripod and fluid head is a nice entry-level video tripod. Let me be up front though, this is not a pro-grade combo that’s going to compete with your Miller and Sachtler units, but for those enthusiasts out there dipping your toes into the video realm, this little package is an affordable and capable starting point. [Read more…]

Atomos Ninja Hands-On

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I checked out a lot of cool new stuff at NAB 2011; however, one of the coolest pieces of tech that I got up close with was the new Atomos Ninja HDMI-based recorder.  In short, the Atomos Ninja captures the uncompressed stream from your camera’s HDMI output.  The stream is captured as Apple ProRes HQ in a much higher quality than what goes through your camera’s compression onto the CF or SD card. [Read more…]

HDSLR Gear That Saves the Day

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I’ve been working on a short film project recently with my church (along with our in-house video director/my very good friend Nick, and some very talented volunteers). The short film is something we plan to use as part of our Easter morning service later this month.  We’re shooting it entirely on the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 7D. We shot most of the scenes in one day at two locations (around 25 total set ups for a 16+ hour shooting day).  Yesterday, we wrapped up with the intro scene, which calls for the lead character in a vehicle talking on a cell phone.

I thought I would share some of the random little tools that really saved the day and helped us get the shots (and audio) that were critical to this production. [Read more…]