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Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

Magic Bullet Looks Now Works with Final Cut Pro X

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Magic Bullet Looks FCP X

I neglected to note this last week when I wrote about the Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.3 upgrade; however, one of the many fixes provided in the update was a hurdle that Red Giant had with implementing Magic Bullet Looks in Final Cut Pro X.

I’ve been using Magic Bullet Mojo with FCP X since it was released.  Simple, clean and smooth integration with the FCP X interface.  Now that Looks is integrated with FCP X, I’ll be using it on some upcoming projects.  In what little I’ve played around in it, I’ve been overly pleased with the interface.  I’ll let you know if there are any problems as I use it more, and I welcome your thoughts as well.  So far though, so good.

Magic Bullet Looks is only $199 through tomorrow, Feb. 7 (that’s half off).  Coupon code LOOKSFCPX50 required. The FCP X Looks upgrade is free for existing Looks users.

Check out the video from Red Giant below. [Read more…]

Final Cut Pro X Puts On Big Boy Pants, Adds Mulitcam for Ver. 10.0.3

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Final Cut Pro X Multicam

Final Cut Pro X just got a fresh update to version 10.0.3, which includes multicam editing support for up to 64 cameras.  Additionally, the multicam support takes full advantage of the automatic audio sync.

There are a ton of additional cool features in 10.0.3 like importing layered PSD files, advanced chroma keying and more.  Check out the full run down below. [Read more…]

Manfrotto 560B and 561B Fluid Video Monopods Review

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Manfrotto 561BHDV

This is going to be a pretty short and sweet review; however, I wanted to get my thoughts out there for those of you interested in run & gun video stabilization setups.  When we went to CES earlier this month, we took the Manfrotto 561B and 560B video monopods with us for capturing video from the show floor.

In short, they rock.  [Read more…]

The 5D Mark III and Canon’s Response to the Nikon D4

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Canon's Response

Is history going to repeat itself with the Nikon D4 (see above mock-ad re: Nikon D3)? But this time on the video side of the DSLR market?

Nikon is really happy with its new D4 flagship.  My favorite quote from a Nikon person at CES was “We like to shut people up.”

Boy, did they…

There’s no doubt that the D4 is an amazing camera.  It’s amazing how far they’ve one-upped their own D3s.  I’m really hoping to get the chance to shoot some college basketball with one before the season is over.

For sports shooters, Canon’s 1D X and Nikon’s D4 should be close again.  I think the D3s edged out the 1D Mark IV in AF performance over series of real world tests I conducted in 2010.  However, I think the performance is closer than most forum postings would lead you to believe.

I’m curious to see how well these new cameras stack up against each other on the still image capture side; however, I’m even more interested in how Canon will respond to the Nikon D4’s key video capture features. [Read more…]

Rode VideoMic HD Brings Serious Audio to HDSLRs

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Rode VideoMic HD

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…]