Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Alongside Media Composer 7, Avid has unveiled the new Pro Tools 11 with a serious set of upgrades under the hood, including 64-bit architecture and a new audio engine that offers much more processing power over Pro Tools 10.
Highlights of new features in Pro Tools 11 include the following: [Read more…]
The Tascam iM2X stereo condenser mic for the iPhone is only $39.99 right now at B&H (reg. $79.98). The iM2X records in 16-bit / 44.1 kHz through the free Tascam linear PCM recorder app and supports the iPhone 4, 4S and iPads through the third-gen.
This price has probably dropped due to the new lightning connectors on current iOS devices, but it’s still a solid deal if you are using an iPhone 4S/4 or an prior-gen iPad. Check it out here at B&H Photo.
At CES 2013, Rode unveiled the iXY mic, a new stereo mic unit designed for iOS devices that captures up to 24-bit/96kHz audio directly to your iPhone or iPad. The iXY is fitted with a matched pair of 0.5″ cardioid condenser mics aligned at 90-degrees for optimal stereo recording. [Read more…]
Here are a couple of great videos on some common audio recorder comparisons, as well as a look into mic polar patterns and best practices for recording audio with your HDSLR video. In the first video we get a look at the noise levels on the Zoom H4n, Tascam DT-100 MKII, Sound Devices 702, Beachtek DXA-SLR PRO, Edirol R44, Tascam DR-680 and the juicedLink Riggy Micro and Riggy Assist.
This is a great video to bookmark for reference given all of the mic comparisons within. Being a big fan of the Tascam DR-100 MKII, I was rather surprised at how well the juicedLink Riggy preamps performed when recorded direct to camera. They are obviously doing some good work over at juicedLink.
Next, take a look at this video with Olivia Speranza and Robert from juicedLink as he goes over some mic performance and behaviors, as well as other best practices when recording audio for video.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J1K-1UocI4&w=640&h=360][via OliviaTech]
The Canon 7D will be getting a new firmware upgrade soon according to news posted on the CPN website and nabbed by Canon Rumors before it was removed.
There are lots of improvements on the still image capture side, including bumping the max RAW burst to 26 images (up from 15 consecutive images). That’s a pretty big bump in write speed, so I’m curious to know what Canon’s doing with the 7D since it received an upgrade for UDMA Mode 7 CF card support last year.
One biggie for all the HDSLR shooters out there is the addition of manual audio level controls. It seems a little late in the 7D’s game to add this and all the other goodies to the camera, given that it is almost 3 years old (it was announced on September 1, 2009). So maybe Canon is pushing for a final surge in 7D sales before the camera is replaced, or maybe Canon is looking to extend the life of the camera well beyond the typical 3-year mark for pro-level cameras?
Other additions include: [Read more…]
Singular Software unveiled PluralEyes 3 back at NAB 2012. If you aren’t familiar with PluralEyes, it is a audio syncing program that took the HDSLR video editing world by storm a couple of years ago. Read my PluralEyes review from 2010.
Some NLEs, like FCP X, offer syncing capabilities in the box; however, it’s not near as full-featured as what you can do with PluralEyes 3. I caught a brief demo of it and the sync speed with tons of clips is remarkable. Additionally, the interface is not near as clunky as the older versions. If you want to give it a try, the free beta for PluralEyes 3 is now open.
Right now, it’s only available for OS X 10.7 and will work with FCP 5/6/7 and FCP X 10.0.4 and Premiere Pro CS5/5.5/6. Media Composer is not supported in this iteration of the beta release.
You can get it on Singular Software’s website.
Yet another use for a Gorillapod. We needed something to allow one guy to handle everything on a shoot yesterday. And, this is why I always carry at least one Gorillapod in my bag.
A list of the items seen in these photos is below. [Read more…]
I’ve been using the Zoom H4n for a couple of years or so now when shooting with HDSLRs like the 5D Mark II and 7D. Tons of other users around the world have been using it as well.
The Zoom H4n has a lot of stuff going for it – it’s compact, it’s relatively inexpensive and it provides much better sound quality than you get out of your DSLR’s internal mic. However, the Zoom H4n isn’t the only game in town. [Read more…]
I was sitting here squinting at some of the lower resolution photos of the Canon 5D Mark III looking to see what that top port was on the left side and someone emailed me a link to a high-res crop. [Read more…]
The thing about shooting video with HDSLRs is the necessity of using a dual system for audio. I’ve tried several mics that plug-in to the 5D’s mic port and there are many good ones; however, none replace the quality you get from an external recorder and a shotgun mic (my favorite being the Rode NTG-3).
Even if you’re rolling with something small like a Zoom H4n, you need a couple of mounting points for the recorder and mic, which needs to be in a shock mount to avoid noise from camera handling or cords tapping against your gear. Now, that simple little HDSLR run-and-gun kit looks like your TV’s cable box vomited on top of your camera. And, you’d better not forget to hit record twice (camera and H4n) before you call ‘action’ (*raises hand). [Read more…]