As promised, here is the review of the 5D training DVD from F-Stop Academy. A lot of people are interested in getting HDSLR training DVD for Christmas but dont know which one to get. By the end of this review, you should have a better idea of which one is better for your needs. While this video is targeted at the 5DMrkII market, almost all of its content is also valid for other HDSLRs.
I have decided to keep a similar review format to the one I used for my previous review of the 5dFilmschool DVD.
Notice: I reviewed the electronic download version of the training. And, as always, I suggest this format for a better viewing experience.
Pace
The pace of the clip is quite fast. Blasting over 25 chapters in less than 75 minutes could seem scary but it is in fact a very good way to cover everything one has to know to get going with an HDSLR. And if you miss something, there is always the rewind button!
Precise
Each concept is demonstrated with actual footage from the 5D. I really like the example with the Vari ND filter. The only example that I did not find convincing enough was the demonstration of what happen when a high shutter speed is used instead of staying around 1/60 as we already outlined in a past article. I would have expected a side by side comparison with a footage shot at 1/60sec.
Useful content
Philip covers a lot of ground in this training. Actually, he covers pretty much everything you need to know to start shooting your first clips. He starts from the very first step, reviewing all the gear in his bag and shows how/when/why to use each of them.
While most of the content has already been talking about somewhere on the web (or even this site!), the DVD regroup everything in a single content packed DVD. In a bit more than an hour, you will get pretty much every bit of useful content that has been written about and all of this illustrated with nice examples. you might even learn a few tricks! Not a bad deal if you ask me!
Entertaining
Philip is an entertaining guy and shares a few of his recent experiences with us during the training. I was quite surprised to see how easy it has been for him to ‘convince’ his clients to agree to use the 5D instead of a conventional camera. I also like the aesthetic style of the video. While the video is shot with a big Sony video camera, the training is littered with clips from the 5D. These clips are either from past jobs or footage taken while making the DVD content. I am sure they did this on purpose because when you see side by side clips form the 5D and those form the video camera, there are no doubts in your mind about which one you want to use.
Verdict
My wife went to Guatemala to do some humanitarian work and I wish I could have shown her this movie before she left. It would have saved me hours of explanations and I am sure she would have remembered everything.
While I think everyone will find at least one interesting/useful bit of information on this DVD (even I did learn something!), I think the people who will benefit the most from it are those who are either new to HDSLR or dont want/can spend the time to browse the net and learn all of these things. This make this DVD the perfect companion gift to a brand new 5DMrkII for Christmas!
So, should you get this DVD or the other one from 5DFilmSchool (review)? While some of the content overlap between the two products, the F-Stop DVD talks more about how to shoot and get good images (Bloom style) while the 5DFilmShool is more about the various steps required to make a film (with a story/directing line) with high production value.
My advice: get both if you can afford them 
Next up: 7D training from F-Stop Academy.
I just completed the 101 and 102 classes of the 5DFilmSchool training and would like to share my thoughts with you about it (as some others have already done).
I have been watching training videos for a while. Like I said in a previous post, I am a big fan of Lynda.com and spent countless hours in front of my computer learning about new software/techniques. This also means that my expectations regarding training video are high, very high. According to my experience, to be effective, a training has to: have the right pace, be precise (never leave any confusion in the head of the audience), have useful content and be entertaining. Lets see how the 101 class rated according to these criteria.
Note: I watched the digital download version and I suggest you do the same. It has a better resolution than the DVD version and you can watch it right away! Read the rest of this entry »
I guess that most of you guys never heard of ShapeWLB. They are a small Canadian company that builds rigs mostly for pro video camera and are now entering the HDSLR market. They rigs are stable, functional and very affordable. They offer various models but the one that interest us the most is the Sumo II (pro or not).
Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to the last section of the part 2 of the Gorilla rigs review. Due to technical issues with one of my 5DMrkII, this review will not contain the video I had planned to shoot for it (sorry!).
Meet the Tactical Shooter
The Tactical shooter is the big daddy of the Gorilla set. With it, you can create a Quick Draw (review) or a Rapid Fire (review) according to the needs of the moment.
Read the rest of this entry »
As people are receiving their Z-Finder, reviews are popping everywhere on the net. The first one coming (that I am aware of) from M. Bloom and now there is one more from Mitch. As you could have guessed if you have been following my Gorilla rigs review, I am going to review it too. Actually, if it was not of some technical issues with the UPS custom broker department who evaluated my Z-finder at over 900$, I should have received mine first! So, to all of you who think that Z-gear is too expensive, know that the UPS guys think they worth more than twice as much! Read the rest of this entry »
Jon Fairhurst made an excellent review of various audio devices you can use with the 5D MrkII. While the video are a few weeks old, I just discovered them (shame on me). Fortunately, the timing is perfect since I am looking at a complementary audio solution to my Sennheiser MKE 400
Speaking of this mic, I challenge anyone to find a better shotgun mic at the same price and size. I love it!
The review is divided in six part and I have included them all in this post to save you some clicking time.
The reviewed units are:
This is the second post in the part 2 review of the Zacuto Gorilla rigs. You can look at the review of the Rapid Fire here.
Meet the Quick Draw
The first time I saw the Quick draw in the Zacuto promo video, the thing that came to my mind was “WTF?”. I couldn’t figure out how someone was supposed to use a rig without having both hands on the camera. Also, having the points of contact far apart (compared to the Rapid Fire and Tactical shooter), would make it less stable. Read the rest of this entry »
In this second part of the review, we are going to look at what are the differences between the various rigs, how they affect their uses and what are their strong points.
To save you from reading a long posts, I have spread this part in three articles.
Meet the Rapid Fire
The main strength of the Rapid Fire is that you, as a photographer, don’t need to learn a new way to hold your camera. You still have the left hand on the lens and the other holding the right side of the camera. The Rapid Fire simply adds another point of contact.
If you need to travel light and shoot fast, this is the rig to get. While it is the least stable of the bunch (more on this in the next part of the review), it is the smallest and most compact. Also, by keeping both hands on the camera, you can easily adjust exposure or start/stop recording quickly which results in saving of precious CF card space.
Adjusting the rig
It is so simple, I wont even do a video for this! Just tug the gunstock at the junction of the pectoral and shoulder muscle. Loosen the gunstock adjustment lever a bit and find a comfortable angle while keeping both hands on the camera. Twist the lever and you are set.
Using the rig
The biggest mistake I made when I first got the rig was to assume that pushing the gunstock against my shoulder would be enough to keep it stable. The problem was that I would move my arm while panning or reframing a shot. The movement of the arm would move the shoulder/pectoral muscles which in turn moved the camera. The solution took some times to get used to: instead of moving the camera using your arm, move your whole upper body. All of the action should come from a rotation of the hips, not the arms. This might be obvious to videographers but trust me, it is something totally new for a photographer!
Film like a ninja
Most people who see me shooting in public with this rig think that I am just a photographer using an “original” support device. It is very convenient when the subject might change its behavior if he knew he was being filmed. I have noticed that people are now used to be photographed, but as soon as you say that you are filming, they suddenly change their body language. This rig might help you to solve this issue. It is also useful in places where you can take pictures but not film.
Note
I think that most of the stability problems of this rig are going to be fixed once I get my view z-finder. I will update the post once I receive it to report on the results.
Now that I have a tactical shooter, I can finally do a full review of the three Gorilla gunstock models offered by Zacuto: The Rapid Fire, The Quickdraw and The Tactical shooter (which is a combo of the two). Hopefully, by the end of the review you will be able to figure out if you want a Gorilla rig and most importantly, which one will fit your needs.
This review is going to be spread over a few posts because I want to cover the product in details and answer any potential questions you might have. Also, I want to use some exterior footage and recently the weather has not been collaborating at all.
The review is going to be spread over 3 articles:
- Overall design (today)
- Which kit is the best for me?
- Stability test
I love books, I own a lot of them. On top of being educational and entertaining, they are a great decoration element in my loft and make me look smart when people visit my place. And yes, my books are grouped by colors. It took a while to get used to it, but it is all about the look…
From the comments I have received by email (thank you!), it seems a lot of people liked my last suggestion, The photographer eye, so this time I am going to give more details about another book I like, Master Shots
This hand book is a gold mine of tips and tricks on how to position your camera/subjects to best convey a scene according to your story. Shots are grouped by themes (ex: Fight, Chase, Entrances and exits, suspense, etc..) which make it super easy to find the desired setup or get some new ideas. Seriously, just browsing the book gives me enough ideas to shoot a whole chapter!
As seen in the picture above, each setup is describe on two pages: the left page is a text description of the goals, lens to use, camera setup and advices for the shot while the right page has still frames from a (generally) popular movie using the setup, a 3D visualization of the placement of talents and camera and a rendering from the camera point of view.
It can not be simpler!
There is not much to dislike about this book. To be picky, I would say that I would have prefered to see nice (and simple) storyboard style drawings than the Poser renders. That is about it!
The concepts illustrated in the book are mostly useful for scripted stories but could also be used in documentories and other situations if you are aware of them. For example, the Entrances and Exit section gave me a few good idea on how to approach the introduction of husdand and spouse the next time I film a wedding video. Once you know the basic concepts, it is your responsability to see how to implement them to tell your story!
You can pick the book from Amazon US here.
