Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Well, Canon just stirred the pot. Engadget received the above invitation for an announcement of something big from Canon on November 3, 2011. The prominent display of the Hollywood location leads to the obvious suggestion that Canon is finally set to premiere its serious, large-sensor video camera. [Read more…]
If you’ve tinkered around with Canon HDSLRs, then you may have heard that its best to shoot video using sensitivity settings that are multiples of ISO 160. I’ve been doing this because I have heard folks like Shane Hurlbut and Vincent Laforet say for a couple of years now that that’s the way to do it.
Andrew Schär gave us some proof for our eyes in this test with the Canon 60D that he uploaded to Vimeo yesterday. [Read more…]
Ahead of NAB 2011, Canon has announced an update to the EOS Movie Plug-in-E1 for Final Cut Pro. If you aren’t familiar with the plug-in, it aids with importing .mov files from Canon DSLRs. It transcodes the files to Apple ProRes 422 much quicker and easier than using MPEG Streamclip, which is what we used before the plug-in originally came out. The plug-in works with files from the Canon 1D Mark IV, 5D Mark II, 7D and 60D.
One of the previously frustrating features of the plug-in is that you have to maintain the folder structure of the CF card on which the files were captured – even if you move the files to your hard drive before you import the footage. The updated version will make this process easier and allow users to import files from any folder “without needing to mirror the folder structure on the camera itself.”
Although many FCP users have developed a consistent workflow to accommodate this file structure when importing Canon EOS movie files, it will be a welcomed change to take this superfluous step out of the workflow.
Version 1.2 of the EOS Movie Plug-in-E1 for Final Cut Pro will be available to download for free on April 25, 2011. Watch the front page for the link as soon as it is available.
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…]
If you’ve been reading Photography Bay over the last couple of weeks, you already knew that you can edit video in Photoshop CS5 Extended. If you missed the prior post, check out the Bokeh 2 review where I applied a tilt-shift effect to a video file.
Still yet, I know this may be news to a lot of folks, and that’s one of the reasons it was highlighted at the Photoshop World Keynote. Check out the short clip below that shows off a few features such as adjusting curves and making lens correction adjustments to video files. [Read more…]
In the lead up to NAB 2011, Zeiss has announced new adapters for its CP.2 prime cine lenses that allow them to work with Sony’s E-Mount as well as the MFT mount for pro camcorders.
More details in the press release below. [Read more…]
The sweet little 5-inch monitor that Sony introduced at CES 2011 is now in stock and shipping for $399.
The CLM-V55 has a clip-on attachment for mounting on Sony Alpha hot shoes or a standard hot/cold shoe as found on other DSLRs and camcorders. The 5-inch display has a 800 x 480 resolution and offers a 1:1 zoom to full HD images. It connects via HDMI and sports a headphone jack so you can monitor audio as well.
Find the CLM-V55 here on B&H.
If you’ve got half an hour to spare, the above video features a great casual conversation between Chase Jarvis and Vincent Laforet. There are lots of little nuggets of wisdom in here, and it’s just fun to hear the guys talk shop for a while. You can find the full 2-hour version on iTunes as a podcast.
If you want more of the nuts and bolts of HDSLR technique, check out the recent creativeLIVE course taught by Laforet. It’s about 20 hours of content for $149.
The above sample clip demonstrates the HDRx voodoo that RED is working in its new EPIC camera. The shot from dimly lit tunnel to a sunny afternoon maintains the aperture and other exposure settings during the transition. No one is pulling aperture via a remote during the transition.
Using the new HDRx feature in the EPIC, the camera makes the previously-impossible now possible. The HDRx functionality works by recording two exposures and blending them together, which allows the camera to hold the highlight details in the clouds after emerging from the tunnel in the above video. The exposures are captured simultaneously, with the underexposed frame recorded at a fraction of the shutter speed of the “normal” frame. Not even film has this kind of latitude.
NAB 2011 takes place in Las Vegas from April 9-14 this year. If you are familiar with the NAB Show, it serves as the cornerstone trade show for the National Association of Broadcasters and, in recent years, has featured new product announcements that are very relevant to the growing HDSLR user base.
Relevant exhibitors for the HDSLR crowd include Adobe, Avid, Camtrol, Canon, Cinevate, Hoodman, IDC Photo Video, iKAN, Jag35, Leica, Litepanels, Manfrotto, Marshall, Red Digital Cinema, Red Giant Software, Redrock Micro, Sennheiser, Singular Software, Sony, Tiffen, Tokina and Zacuto. [Read more…]