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Nikon announced D800/D800E – waiting for Canon move now

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Nikon D800/D800E

Nikon D800

While all eyes from Canon “lovers” were on Canon, waiting for announce of Canon 5D Mark iii or what ever would name be, Nikon announced “super monster” Nikon D800 and D800E.

The Nikon D800 incorporates a 36.3 megapiexel (7360 x 4912) resolution, full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) CMOS sensor, with Expeed 3 processor.

Introducing a first of its kind in DSLR video, the D800 comes with the ability to stream uncompressed video footage through the included HDMI port onto a recording device, a feature that would have a large appeal to the film makers across the board. Something that Canon users expect to get as well in upcoming models of Canon.

Little about Nikon D800

36.3 megapixels, 3.2″ screen, Full Frame Sensor (D700 had 12.1 megapixels, 3″ screen and as well Full Frame Sensor size)

ISO: 100 – 6400 (50- 25600 with boost)

Autofocus:

  • Phase Detect
  • Multi-area
  • Tracking
  • Single
  • Continues
  • Face Detection
  • Live View

Number of focus points: 51

LCD: 3.2″ (921.000 dots, 170° wide-view angle)

Lens mount: Nikon F mount

Viewfinder coverage 100% and 0.7x magnification.

Minimum shutter speed 30 sec, maximmum 1/8000 sec

Built in Flash: Yes Flash Range: 12 m (ISO 100)

Flash modes: Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain and High-speed sync

Continuous drive: 4-6 fps

Self Timer: 2 to 20 sec

Metring modes:

  •  Multi
  • Center
  • Average
  • Spot

Exposure compensation: ±5 EV (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps)

Video Format: MPEG-4 / H.264

Microphone/Speaker: Mono

Resolutions: 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps)

USB: 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)

Memory card slots: (CF and SD)

HDMI: Yes (Mini Type C)

Wireless: No

Weight (inc. batteries) 900 g (1.98 lb / 31.75 oz)

Orientation sensor, Timelaps recording, GPS (Optional)

Nikon D800 Camera

Complains from Photographers taken in consideration about the low pass filter that is placed atop the sensor in DSLRs. The purpose of this filter is to remove moire artifact from images, which it does by slightly blurring the image at a pixel level, leading to a decline in overall image sharpness. Simultaneously announcing the D800E, Nikon solves this issue, different from the D800 only in regards to the fact that it comes without a stock low pass filter on top of the sensor.

Expected date of sale in US sometime in late March 2012, for estimate retail price of $3000, while D800E should be available in mid April for $300 more ($3300).

Canon we are waiting for your move.

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Monopod – The lost stabilizer.

November 7, 2010 By

article by Jeremy, one of this site contributor…

Doing a search for video stabilization on the web will bring you tons of great gadgets and gizmos.  Each is great and the tricks DIY folks provide to the masses are a great reference for those Hollywood style shots that make filming great. I am actually going to write about one that rarely comes up in searches, the monopod, and why I think that for the price and versatility it provides –  it is one of the strongest stabilizers in my arsenal.

A couple disclaimers first though.  A monopod is not an end all stabilizer.  While it is great at getting rid of  nearly all vertical vibrations, you can still mess up a shot if your not paying attention to the horizon.  Footage filmed with a crooked horizon line will need to be fixed in post and when that happens you lose the clarity of your video.  Be careful to make sure the shots are straight before filming.  I know this is basic stuff, but a simple reminder never hurts.

I think most monopods are the same: a screw on an extensible pole that you attach your camera to.  Sure there are better quality ones made from unbreakable lightweight material, but I personally have a $30 model that I bought for a recent trip to Alaska.  I needed a stabilizer that didn’t raise red flags in security and didn’t cost me an arm and a leg to check in.  Mine fit in my carry on bag, and if they dont want you to bring it on the plane, the price of mailing it back wouldn’t be nearly as hard on the wallet as a tripod.

Look at models with a pan or fluid head.  I really wish I had this on my trip.  The pan head will help you get a more unique shot.

I love my monopod for the following reasons.:

1. Affordability.

Starting at a measly $18 on B&H, the simple monopod is a great way to get the steady shot that you need for very little money.

2. Traverse.

Lightweight and efficient, almost all monopods can fit or attach to a gear bag taking up little room for people who like to shoot b-roll while walking around.  When shooting in the city, a monopod is a simple and effective way to avoid disturbing sidewalk traffic and the fact you can pick up and move it with little hassle is worth it’s weight in gold.

3. Easy and quick setup

Created with photographers in mind, the monopod is all set for your HDLSR.  The shots I got were simple but effective for what I needed.  I was even able to do a handheld rack focus with ease.  You can’t get any easier than screwing a handle to your camera.

4. No/little vibrations

Part of the reason vibrations screw up shots with the HDSLR’s is the famous jello effect you can get on footage.  The jello effect can happen with shoulder rigs and more.  The monopod is the most cost efficient way to stabilize your video besides the basic tripod.

5. Perfect for capturing b-roll

With all the above mentioned, capturing b-roll on the go can be less cumbersome than setting up a tripod for each shot.  Most of the time you can barely tell that the shots came from a monopod.

The one reason why I don’t like my monopod:

1. You can’t set your camera up to be hands free.

This is a silly reason, but it still should be mentioned.  You will need to carry a towel or a bag with you at all times to put your camera on if you need both hands.  It’s a monopod – if your not holding it up, something else will have to.

Comments from the Admin

I am not a big monopod fan, it just does fit with my shooting style BUT I do carry a monopod to use it as a camera crane.

While you cant control the tilt angle of the camera, it is still possible to get some decent shots by holding the monopod over a group of people. This is best done with a tall monopod and a wide lens (24mm to 35mm). You can then boom up/down the group and get some interesting shots.

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Final Cut Pro Smoothcam vs Coremelt Lock and Load X

September 2, 2010 By

Guest post by Jeremy…

Video stabilization is a great tool for tweaking and smoothing video that was shot with out (or even with) the use of some sort of rigging to keep the vibrations at a low rate. I use Final Cut Pro to edit my video, and have always been impressed with the results of the default Smoothcam filter/effect. I was asked by Alain to do a review on CoreMelt Lock and Load X and give my honest opinion.

I ran the video through 2 different tests, the first was a simple pan that was shot without the use of my tripod. The footage was about equal on both parties results. I was impressed with Lock & Loads X (LLX) speed. It took Final Cut Pro over 2 minutes to analyze the footage, while LLX analyzed it in under 15 seconds, with a render of about 20 more seconds. The final end product were about the same. I left everything on the default settings for this run and was impressed with the results.

For the second footage, I decided to test a moving object, an old spinning mill wheel at a local resort. FCP’s Smoothcam took over 5 minutes to analyze the footage, while LLX took only 45 seconds with a render time of 30 seconds after that. These results were not as cut and dry.

The Smoothcam render has a noticeable wave coming from the right side of the screen, at the base of the mill. If your looking at it, the footage seems like it is spinning. I know this is due to the fact of how Smoothcam processes the data.

LLX’s footage was a bit rough around the edges, I had to go in and play with the settings to get a decent shot. I actually ran the footage through two different ways, one in the “lockdown” stabilization mode, the other in the “smooth single shot” option. I was not as impressed with the footage. I did some tweaking on the “lockdown” mode to get it as smooth as possible. I admit, I could be doing something wrong, but compared to the “smooth single shot” the footage was better. The “smooth single shot” mode is the default setting when you start LLX to process the footage, and what I have noticed on the video I shot (along with the video on the demo real on Coremelt’s website) is that when using this method, the stabilized video becomes wavy, almost like your video was being projected onto a white screen blowing in the wind. With the hints of movement, it can make your audience feel seasick. I am going to continue using the trial and if I come across findings that alter my judgement, I will post them below.

Pros

It’s fast, and non intrusive to the editing process. The whole process is very easy and the support from CoreMelt’s website walks you through step by step with great explanations on the science that goes on behind the scenes. Coremelt’s plug ins have a reign of success because they are efficient at what they do. For panning shots, I encourage you to try the LLX plugin.

Cons

I was not impressed with the really shaky footage. The warping effect would deter me from using this plugin on anything more than panning shots. Any action shot I ran through the process was playing too many tricks on my eyes. Even though I got the same experience with the Smoothcam filter, I was more impressed with the footage for shots like this. Even on the footage they have on their website’s demo reel, the you can see there are issues with the periodic wave of pixels going in and out.

Result

As stated before, panning shots are awesome and LLX is a time saver. Is it worth the $150 price tag… not in my opinion. Even the time ratio equation doesn’t work for me. Since Smoothcam can work in the background, it isn’t so intrusive I would consider buying a program to help, I would invest it in better stabilizing gear to get the proper shot in the first place. I am not badmouthing CoreMelt’s programs, they have other great plugins you should try for yourself.

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Lightroom 3 Review Pt 3: The Develop Module Updates: ACR 6.1, Improved Noise Reduction, Lens Correction Tool

August 11, 2010 By

This part 2 of Jon Lightroom 3 review. You can see the introduction in is first post and the second part here.

ACR 6.1

The newest incarnation of Lightroom uses the new Adobe Camera Raw 6.1 for it’s RAW conversion. Since this is a review of Lightroom and not ACR, I’m not going to get into the nuances of the newest ACR suffice to say that overall it appears to be an improvement over previous versions. One of the first things new users will notice is an exclamation point icon on the bottom of some images. This message is that LR wants to apply the new ACR default settings to the image. Upon allowing the update, you will notice a slight change in the handling of shadows, color rendition and a few other areas and overall, it looks good. If you’re someone who prefers the camera manufacturers software for RAW conversion, you’re probably still going to prefer those. The color rendition, quality of detail and overall fidelity provided in those programs (Canon Photo Professional, can’t speak for NX2) still has an edge over Adobe’s CR. This should be expected, given that ACR accommodates almost all types of RAW images and therefore isn’t quite as specialized as those from the Camera makers. That said, for those who do prefer ACR for it’s convenience and options will be very pleased with the new engine overall.

The only downside to the new engine is that you need to have ACR 6.1  running on your system, meaning you need to be running Photoshop CS5. If not, than you will need to render RAW images in LR before opening in Photoshop, which means an extra TIF (if that’s your selected preference for external editing) on your drive and more time spent waiting for an editable-image to be created before being re-opened. Of course, LR offers the option of “open anyway” rather then “render using Lightroom” but the results are inconsistent and frankly a bit unreliable for accurate rendition and conversion. So, if you’re not running CS5 be prepared for a little extra leg work to reap the full benefits of Lightroom3’s develop Module.

Noise Reduction Improvement

Adobe is pushing heavily the improved performance of Noise Reduction in LR3, which is no surprise since Noise Reduction is an item of large interest for photographers given the “Noise Wars” being waged between the camera manufacturers to push the high-iso-noise-performance envelop further and further. So the question is, how good is LR’s new noise reduction? The short answer is very good, in fact certainly better than previous versions of Lightroom and Photoshop. Luminance and color noise are handled nicely with details staying largely intact (compared to previous versions) and realistic. To get a sense of the improvement, I’ve set up the comparison below between LR3 and LR2, Aperture3 and noise Photoshop plugins Nik Dfine and Imageonic Noiseware. I’ll be posting the results soon.

Lens Correction Tool


Another crucial addition to the develop module is the inclusion of the Lens Correction tool. The LC too is taken directly from Photoshop, with all of the same parameters with the exception of scale and edge transparency (I would not recommend using the LC tool for scaling anyway). In addition to the default Photoshop parameters, Lightroom has raised the bar by including it’s own camera/lens profiles- similar to DXO software. These profiles, when applied, automatically correct a the image based on the lens and camera preset detected by LR. This is an excellent feature, and works well for most images. I would, as a recommendation use the automatic profiles as a starting point, as different images shot in varying situations will certainly require different levels of correction. Another great feature is the ability to batch lens correct, as the lens correct option has been added to the list of options when syncing develop settings across a number of photographs.  Overall, the LC tool is yet another vital work flow time saver especially when trying to stay solely in Lightroom for image editing.

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Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Tripod Review

August 5, 2010 By

This time, Jemery is looking for a cheaper alternative to the ‘official’ Manfrotto tripod.

One misconception that rookies might have is thinking that their old tripod will work just fine for shooting videos with an HDSLR… please don’t make the same mistake I did. If you are going to get serious about shooting video, there are things you will have to purchase in addition to your camera. A follow focus is a must for video, along with a slider of some sort. I had been shooting with a very dependable Targus tripod, just a run of the mill light weight – take it anywhere system… it took only a few shoots to look like an fool thinking that I would be alright with what I had.

Being budget conscious I scoured local stores first, then Amazon for a tripod that would fit my budget (needed to stay under $200) and provide stability along with a fluid head. I purchased the Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Tripod and have been playing with it for a little over a week now. The thing is a beast, which in my opinion is a good thing. It is stable enough to hold my Indislider Mini and have it stay perfectly steady even with the added weight of a battery grip. The panning is stiff but smooth. It only took me a couple tries to get the hang of it, but I was rolling well when I was set to shoot. It weighs in at nearly 15 pounds, and could be considered bulky if you were hiking in for an out door shoot. I did purchase the tripod dolly as an addition to the tripod. My thoughts on this are mixed, as the dolly, even when locked down tight, allows for slight vibrations when moving or panning, so for any shot that requires movement I suggest that you not use the dolly. It is nice when shooting photographs inside buildings, allowing for an easy adjustments and saving time – but for video go with the stability of solid ground.

I give this tripod a solid 5 stars. It is an inexpensive alternative to a higher and more pricey system and will serve its purpose well. Even with the dolly you can get shots that work well.

Pros

Inexpensive, solid and sturdy. Allows for little vibrations while shooting. I don’t mid that it is heavy, it can hold 20 pounds of weight effortlessly and that is worth it’s bulkiness to me.

Cons

Stiff while panning. It takes a few tries to get the muscles in your body to remember the tension. There are screws that you can adjust to make panning easier, but if you mess up you can ruin the panning entirely. Not willing to take that chance – not yet at least.

Now the Admin take on this

As stated by Jeremy, there is a big difference between still and video tripods and trying to work with the wrong kind of support system is asking for troubles. I have shot with a vast array of tripods and while the Manfrotto 525MVB (or one of its derivatives) is a solid performer, there are other good alternatives. The most important feature to look for is that you want a tripod with a bowl to attach the head to and not just a flat surface to screw the head to. While the tilt/pan head is a great starting point, eventually you will be lured by the bowl and fortunately for Jeremy, the Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Tripod has a standard size 75mm bowl.

A bowl allows you to setup the tripod first, then make it level with the ground instead of having to adjust each leg separately until the whole thing is level. This is a major time saver and well worth the extra money.

There are a few other things to look for but I will keep these for a later post.

Moral of the story? While heavy, the Ravelli is a very affordable entry level video tripod with some pro features. Of course, you can’t expect it to perform as its 1000$ Italian cousin, but at a fraction of the price, it is hard to go wrong with this tool.

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Lightroom 3 Review: part 2

July 30, 2010 By

This part 2 of Jon Lightroom 3 review. You can see the introduction in is first post.

Import Dialog


One of the first things you’ll notice about LR3 is the new import Dialog, which is largely different than previous versions. The simple dialog box of old is gone and replaced with a full screen window complete with a large preview area. The preview area is the most significant improvement- you can now preview images and video before importing and can un-check any you don’t want to ingest- a nice feature (and overdue!). However, in exchange for a more sophisticate import dialog we are also given a slightly more complex interface, with essential source and destination information on opposite sides of the screen. This can make a normally simple task of simply importing, renaming, and adding metadata, cataloging and backing up a little more tedious. It also doesn’t help that they’ve now included a few seemingly unimportant options for these tasks, for example the rename images by shoot in addition to custom name. In other words, LR3 will add the words “shoot_whateveryouwant-1”. It would be just as easy to do this with a custom name, and with this option they’ve just made the list unnecessarily longer. Another annoyance of the new import dialog is that you will get it when importing ANY new images, even simply updating a folder. This essentially creates an extra step in the workflow, i.e. importing tiffs or psd back into LR after they’ve been processed in Photoshop. For photogs who require speed and consistency and are used the efficiency of previous versions of Lightroom in this regard may be surprised when they find themselves being slowed up by these little nuances of the new import dialog.

[Read more...]

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The Case

July 26, 2010 By

This is Jeremy third post. While he provides a cheap solution to the carrying case problem, read until the end to see my suggestion.

I had a shoot out in NY, and discovered that having the proper case makes all the difference in the world. I was almost in hysterics when my case was tipped over by a stranger running for his plane. Camera equipment isn’t cheap, and having a case that is protective is a must. I was using an old camera bag my wife had since her first year of college. A close friend of mine told me about a store that he had gotten a small hard case from for his camera for under $30. So, for those of you looking for a case that you can customize on the inside, you should check out this link here: and also picking up some egg crate foam that you could find at Wal-Mart or even Foam by Mail.

I do suggest that you replace the strap on the case, it was too short and too flimsy for my liking. I ended up with two cases that only cost me $50, so I highly suggest that if you don’t have the money for expensive equipment, consider going cheap and getting better equipment as you grow. Just an FYI, these should fit in overhead compartments on the plane too, making traveling a little less worrisome.

Now the Admin take on this

Jeremy suggestion is good. Actually, I know a lot of photographers who uses these case to carry their gear around. Actually, I am one of these, I have been given one a while ago. While it feels secure and solid, it misses a few things I find important:

  • waterproof
  • near indestructible
  • secure

You may think that I am over doing it a bit but you would be wrong. Waterproof is important when you travel because you never know for how long you will be stuck in the rain waiting for a cab. Having a super resistant case is also nice because you wont be afraid to sit/step on it when ever you need it. And, lets admit it, its cool to be able to throw your camera case around without having to worry about  its content survival. Finally, I need my case to be secure. It has to be lockable and once locked and attached to something, I want to have the peace of mind that it is still going to be there when I will be back. This is especially useful when shooting wedding since I can leave all my gear in the bride room instead of the car for example.

After looking long and hard at the various offering, I picked the Pelican 1510 case. It has the perfect size for travel (maximum size to be counted as a carry on bag when flying) and fits the criteria mentioned above. While not cheap at around 145$, it is money well spent. I actually recommend that you spend a bit more and get the one with the padded dividers. Actually, my suggestion is to buy at least 2 dividers and preset them for the various kinds of shoot you may have to do.

Since about a year ago, I have noticed a lot of new products in the hard case category, anyone had good experiences with one of the cheaper models?

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Lightroom 3 Review: Pt 1: Overview Of What’s New

July 19, 2010 By

This post is from our other contributor, Jon. Jon is a pro photographer with a lot of experience who will be covering the HDSLR movement from a pro perspective. Go take a look at his portfolio, some great rock climbing shots there!

Since Adobe created Lightroom 4 years ago the software has changed the way photographers work in such a profound way that many have wondered if this little gem might just someday replace the need for Photoshop all together- for most photography needs anyway. Anyone who has used Lightroom extensively as the de-facto front line in their digital workflow can attest to the power of the program as not only an essential digital asset management tool, but also as a potent developing and publishing tool.

With the release of LR3, the gap between what is necessary in Photoshop for photographers and what is achievable in Lightroom has once again shrunken. Why do I mention that? Well, in the past Lightroom has been most valuable as a digital asset management (DAM) tool- importing, renaming, adding /editing meta data, organizing, cataloging etc have all been staples of the program since it’s introduction, along with the added benefit of being able to publish images to web galleries, contact sheets, print, or various resizing options. But LR has come a long way since it’s inception and with each new incarnation it’s become more and more relevant as a developing tool as well. While it has not yet replaced Photoshop for the really heavy lifting in digital imaging, for many photographers it may well be a one stop solution for the majority of their work.

The focus of this review will be to cover the most significant new features in LR3 that I will break down by module over the new few posts. In the meantime, here’s a quick overview of the new features. Be sure to stay tuned for a more in depth analysis of each in the subsequent posts.

So what’s new in LR3?

Accelerated Performance via new 64-bit software engine

Adobe claims that the new version has accelerated performance over previous versions, which we can assume comes in large part from the new 64-bit engine. In case you’re unfamiliar with 64-bit, in short it allows for better leveraging of your systems RAM and therefore potentially increases performance. However, to reap that 64-bit lovin’ you’ll need to be running an operating system that supports 64 bit – Mac Snow Leopard or Windows 7. More on this to come..

Support for Video Files

The key word left out here is “limited”, as the support for video does not extend beyond the Library Module, meaning you can import and achieve general cataloging and organizing tasks but that’s about it. However, we’ll be exploring some of the possibilities with this new feature that may surprise you.

Camera Raw 5.7 Processing

LR uses the newest Adobe Camera Raw engine, which is a much improved and powerful RAW converter found in Photoshop CS5. However, if you’re not using CS5 (and therefore ACR 5.7) you’ll have to jump through a couple extra hoops to gain the benefits, which I’ll be covering.

Noise Reduction performance

In short it’s excellent, far better than anything we’ve seen from Adobe to date. I’ll be covering this individually since it’s sure to be a topic of interest for most photographers. I’ll be showing side-by-side comparisons with previous versions, as well as comparisons to other NR software like NIK Dfine and Imagenonic’s Noiseware Pro. Should be interesting.

Improved Watermarking

Perhaps one of the biggest improvements over previous versions is the improved watermarking feature, which is such a vast upgrade from the horrendously limited version that it alone could be worth the upgrade. Forget having to create a droplet in Photoshop and batch export in LR in order to have a custom watermark. LR3’s new engine has full support for custom watermarks and more flexibility for creating a simple text based watermark.

New Import Dialog

A nice upgrade to the import dialog, overall it’s more of an aesthetic change than a complete revamp. Of course, previous versions were great and for those used to the simplicity and speed of past versions it may take some time to grow on you… I’ll explain why in upcoming posts.

Lens Correction Tool

Finally! One of the most useful and essential upgrades in the new software is the all mighty lens correction tool, taken directly from Photoshop. For those of you familiar with this tool it is an absolutely essential tool and a welcome addition. Not only does LR now include the tool but also has built in camera /lens profiles (similar to DXO optics) for precise and automated lens correction.

Tethered Shooting

Another welcome feature, the new tethered shooting option eliminates the need for the camera manufacturer’s propitiatory capture software getting in the middle of shooting tethered and importing to Lightroom. Is it as effective as Nikon Capture or Canons Digital Photo Pro? I’ll let you know when we get to the Library section of the review.

There are a few other less significant new features I’ll be covering that are not game changing per se but still nice features for some folks. These include the ability to add film grain, improved slideshow capabilities (including exporting slideshows to mp4 and support for audio), new publishing options, and some new print options, among others.

I’ll also be breaking down what WASN’T included in the new update, and what we can /should expect from Adobe in the future with Lightroom.



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The Rookie: Purchasing a camera

July 18, 2010 By

This Jeremy second post where he explains how he moved from HDV video camera to embrace HDSLR. While I bet a lot of you already prefer HDSLRs over video camera, I am sure a lot of readers could tell the same story, hence the reason I wanted to repeat it.

When I was looking at getting into the video production field, I decided to go with what I knew at the time. In college (I graduated in 2005) everything was tape based, so the thought of going strictly digital was un-nerving, so I went with what I knew. After digging around and knowing my budget I went with the Sony HDV-A1U. I thought I was in 7th heaven when my camera arrived. The quality of video was great, the size of the camera fit my needs for shooting in tight spots and traveling; but the thing that bugged me most about the purchase was the lack of depth of field. I knew what shots I wanted to get, and the only way to make it work was taking the camera out an extra 10 or 20 feet from the subject I was shooting and zooming in to sort of macro/mock up the d.o.f. I was aiming for.

A friend of mine who owns his own production company pointed me to the 7D and 5D, a better alternative in his mind than buying a Letus35. Don’t get me wrong, the Letus35 is a great tool, and who’s to say that some day down the road I won’t purchase one; but my thought process was in the order that I know that having a 2nd camera as a backup, and a second angle during shoots was a positive for what I could offer my clients, that solidified my decision to get the ball rolling. So through many freelance jobs and my nose to the wheel I was able to purchase the 7D and it was like something just clicked in my video production ability. The reason my shots were better is that I was very familiar with the EOS and the way it ran. I had been working with a Canon 4D for almost 2 years, and with literally a turn of a dial I was able to get the shots I had wanted since my re-emergence into video.

For any people who are on the fence or are just starting out in the video field, I am telling you that the HDSLR’s are the best way to go. With your choice of lenses, the ability to take photographs along side video and the ability to shoot at 24, 30 and 60 frames per second… you will not regret it. Just be aware that your shooting time is limited because of over heating issues. Shooting long interviews or long wedding ceremonies will be limited.

Comments from Alain, the admin

Jeremy highlighted an important point: HDSLRs clip durations are capped. While this is not an issue for most people who are shooting weddings or video clips, it is problematic for shooting interviews or performances. While you can always try to work around the limitation by timing your questions, the only real work around is to work with two cameras and start/stop them before the time limit in interval and fix the missing parts in the edit room.

Because there are no ways to start/stop movie recording with a cable remote (it only works with the IR remotes RC1) and you can’t use an IR remote to control a specific camera (it would start/stop both camera at the same time), you have to press the SET button manual to manage the recording which could be a pain if the two cameras are far apart.

Using two cameras is also a good protection versus camera over heating or malfunctions. While I know most people do not have the budget for a second 5DMrkII, a good solution is to use one of the cheaper Rebel models (ex: Rebel T1i) with a 50mm for a close up shot on the subject face and keep the 5D for the wide shot.

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The Rookie

July 13, 2010 By

A few weeks ago, I was looking for contributors to the blog and Jeremy was one of the selected few. Jeremy will publish periodic articles about the life of a rookie HDSLR worker. I am sure his experiences will connect to a bunch of readers. My goal is to cover the spectrum from both end: Jeremy is the “Rookie” and I have another contributor coming up who is a full time pro. I hope you enjoy these posts.

After my post requesting help, I received a lot of applications from all kind of people. I selected Jeremy because he is a perfect example of the new generation of HDSLR film maker: people with no formal film school training who decides to make an important career change. He is embracing the HDSLR revolution and will probably rise with it.

Film is fun. Let me clarify, making movies, weather it is for business or pleasure has it’s ups and downs, but if you are reading this there is a 90% chance that you agree that film is fun. I am at the belief that sometimes your career ends up finding you, the thing that you really want to do kinda springs out and place itself in your lap. Maybe it was a friend who called you up to be an extra in a movie they were making for laughs. Maybe it was creating a skate board video with friends that planted the film seed in your mind. But somewhere, along the path of life you have made the decision to move in the film direction and that you were not going to settle for being second best, you were going to do it and do it right.

That is me. I got a taste of film from college where I just pumped out the videos with my Sony Handycam with friends and found a passion. Of course life had taken me in a different direction, I got a job marketing for a real estate firm and one thing led to another, my Handycam was shuffled to the back of the closet and was forgotten about.

6 months ago I was laid off from my job. The high end real estate that I was marketing stopped selling because short sales were up, the company I worked for had to let me go and I was left with two options. Find a job doing what I was good at, or make a career for myself with what I wanted to do and that I truly believe I will thrive at. The film seed was still in my heart, it just needed to be watered.

This blog will be about my life creating a film career for myself. I have invested a lot of money into the required programs and computers. I am armed with my 7D, several lenses, a Zoom H4n for recording audio and a very basic lighting kit. I will admit I feel over whelmed with the things I need to learn, the equipment I will need to purchase, the techniques I will have to harness and mistakes I am already anticipating, but the seed is growing now, and I can’t wait to see how high the bean stalk will take me.

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