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.
Things are moving fast here: I talked about the book two weeks ago, received my copy last week and just finished my first reading. Verdict: I am loving it! To put it simply: it covers almost everything! From shoot preparation, gear selection, editing, etc.. It gives a solid foundation to any photographers who wants to move to video.
It is all about the content…
First, the book assumes only one thing: you are a photographer shooting stills and you want to learn how to shoot video. That is it. It goes over all the lingo, gear and processes used in cinematography and give you a working knowledge of what is required and involved in a shoot. The content goes wider and deeper than any DVD training material I have seen so far. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
A few people asked me to give more details about how we shot the love story clip (posted here). Instead of writing a structured post, I am just going to go with the flow and write everything that comes to my mind.
The clip was shot on two days. Originally, it was all planed to be done in a single afternoon (and end with a sunset shot) but a series of incidents (read: traffic) slowed us down and delayed everything so we had to split the shoot.
Pro Tip: Plan your itinerary ahead of time, map it in Google Map and make sure everyone has a copy. Park the car as close as you can to the location. Walking from one location to the next is a big time sink. Even more so when you have to carry tripods, sliders, bags, props, etc… Try to travel with as few cars as possible to reduce time spent finding a parking spot.
The crew was: Robert as the main shooter/director, me getting the wide shots and details, Christina to carry stuff and use the reflector and Florin as a photographer.
Pro tip: have the smallest crew you can manage and make sure everyone know his role. The less you are, the easier it is to manage and the faster you can move and make decisions.
I have seen this question a few times in various forums so I thought it would be another good fit for the “The Basics” section.
Since people rarely explain what they would consider “best”, I assume they are talking about the best shutter speed to achieve a filmic look.
This brings us to the question “what makes a film look like film compared to tv or Canon 5d standard clips” ? Contrary to the general belief, it is not the number of frames per second but the duration of each exposure that creates the look. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a repost from my old blog. It was one of the most visited page and since I keep seeing people asking the same question over and over again, I think it would be a good idea to forward them here. I have a few more of these posts that I will file under ‘learning the basics’.
Using tools in new ways is an essential skill for the photographer who wants to develop his creativity. In this post, I am going to do a quick exploration of the link between focal length and perspective.
To better appreciate the differences between wide and long lenses, it is important to understand two key principles:
- The focal length of a lens determines the field of view. This number, expressed as an angle, determines the amount of information that is available in the viewfinder / sensor.
- Sensor/negative size is constant. This means that if you get more information in the frame (using a wider lens), all of these elements will take less space on the sensor to make them fit.
Knowing that, if you take two shots of a subject at different lens range (let say 24mm and 70mm) and you want the subject to be the same size in both picture, you will have to be closer to the subject when using the short lens.
Now lets put this into practice! The shot bellow is done using a 24-70f2.8L at its shortest focal length (efl 24mm). Notice how much of the background is visible and the distance between the two pots.
Unless you are very lucky, you have probably noticed that not all your lenses focus perfectly every time. Some might focus a little bit in front of the subject, others a bit behind it. These issues appear mostly when using a long and wide aperture lens such as the 50mm 1.8 (or 1.4) where the depth of field is less than 1cm.
While there might be a few possible cause for this issue (ex: faulty AF on the lens, problem with the body, etc) the most common is a small discrepancy between the lens and its ‘perfect’ version that was supposed to come out of the factory. There is no need to return the lens, it is almost normal for lenses to be a little bit different from each others. This difference make them focus a bit differently while the body is set to work with the ’standard and perfect’ version of the lens. This is why two copies of the same lens might focus differently from each others on the same body, and even differently from one body to the next.
Fortunately for us, manufacturers are aware of this and have taken care of the issue in their pro and semi-pro bodies. This is where the custom function AF Micro adjustment comes into play. This function allows you to correct slight front or back focussing issues for each of your lenses. People generally refer to this operation as ‘lens calibration’. It used to be quite a chore because of the lack of tools to support the process but now it can be done in less than 2-3 minutes per lenses.
Before the release of the firmware update, I wrote an article about why controlling the shutter speed would be as important for us, cinephotographers, as controlling the aperture. I promised to show an example video at the time. Well, it took some time but I finally managed to get the required clips! The best subject for such an example would have been to shoot an helicopter but since I could not find one, I picked the next best thing: a waterfall.
Notice, in the clip bellow, how the water looks different according to the shutter speed. While on the left it looks like ‘normal’ water, on the right it looks like something else. It is because each frame in the sequence on the left has some blur while those on the right are super sharp. While the blurry frames are blending nicely with each others at 30fps, the ones without blurs looks very harsh.
As you can see, the difference in the shutter speed is only noticeable when comparing the extremes, so as long as you keep the shutter under 1/250, anything moving slower than the water in this clip should look natural.
Note: The constant exposure was created by increasing the ISO. Notice how, even at high ISO, the image quality is very usable. The rightmost section was shot at ISO 6400.
I don’t know how I missed this one but Lynda is offering a course for 5DMrkII owners on how to edit their clips with Final Cut Pro. The video only covers the basics but it is nice for someone who never touched FCP and wants to get his feet wet. I even managed to learn something!
The problem is that the tutor does not show how to use proxies or convert clips to another format. 5DMrkII files are encoded in H.264 which makes it impossible to edit them in real time without dropping frames.
While editing in H.264 might work, if you only have to do a quick video from various clips, it falls apart as soon as you have to do anything more serious. The preferred method is to use lower resolution proxies in a non compressed format then export the final cut as a sequence of TIF using the original H.264 clips. You then import this sequence in Affect Effects to apply all the required transitions, grading and effects. Yes, it is a bit “more” complicated but it has the advantages of giving you real time editing plus no lost of image quality.
I wonder if the next Macs to come out will be able to use H.264 decoding chips on video card to do all of this work in real time, making the use of these proxies obsolete.
This post is the first of 3 describing and linking to gear used by cinemaphotographer to make their videos. In this first post, we are going to review the gear available to beginners aka low budget movie makers. The second article will review the gear available to enthusiast while the last one will target those with professional goals. These classifications are not as much related to the budget as the level of dedication of the user. We have divided the gear in three sections: Camera, lens and accessories, Software and Computer Hardware. When possible, we have given two alternatives for each piece of gear: a low cost and a higher cost version. The low cost version might be something that could be sold or traded for an upgrade while the higher cost one is good enough to even satisfy a pro.
Camera, lens and accessories
Body
Right now, when people are talking about cinemaphotography, there are thinking about one of these two alternatives: the Nikon D90 or the Canon 5DMarkII. Unless you are totally new to photography, you probably already have a few lenses from one of these two brands so the choice has already been made for you (unless you are ready to switch allegiance). While we can hardly call the Canon 5DMarkII a beginner or low budget camera, since it is the only Canon alternative, we have to put it here.
Lenses
At this stage, you only need two lenses and you probably even own them: a Nifty 50 and a wide to medium angle lens. By Nifty 50 we regroup all the 50mm lenses with aperture of f1.4 or f1.8. On Nikon this lenses give you an EFL of 75mm that might be too long for indoor shooting so you might want to move directly to a normal prime lens, such as the 35mmf/1.8 for a few more bucks.
Note: The Canon 50mmf1.8 should not be considered for filming since it does not have a focus ring.
Note2: We did some comparison between the Canon 50f1.4 and the Zeiss Planar 1.7. The Zeiss compares favorably to the Canon for film making and should be considered as a cheaper alternative as outlined in our review.
Suggestions:
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM
- Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM
- Zeiss Planar 1.7 T*
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
- Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G
- Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor
- Nikon 35mm f/2D AF
The second lens has to be a zoom playing in the 20-50+mm effective focal length (EFL). There are many alternatives for these at various quality levels and price point. The zoom might not have the nice aperture of the prime, but it will allow you to play with the field of view and give you more flexibility when composing your frame. This lens will stay with you for as long as you are going to shoot which is why it is a good idea to invest in quality glass. But if you are low on money, you can pick a used popular model that you could later sale at almost no lost.
While IS (image stabilization) is definitely a big plus, if you are planing to spend most of your time shooting from a tripod your money would be better spent in a higher quality lens. On the other hand, if you are thinking about going hand held from time to time, the IS really pays off as displayed in this video comparison of the effect of IS at 70mm and 200mm EFL.
Suggestions:
- Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
- Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
- Any suggestions for Nikon users?
Filters
Dont jump right away to the next section! Filters are a critical part of the cinemaphotographer arsenal. If you don’t understand why, go take a look at this video from Bruce. At this stage, a circular polarizing filter and a square ND2 filter are more than enough. If you plan to shoot in bright sunlight, you can go with a stronger ND filter. While Bruce suggest to get the big 4×6 filters, I think it is more reasonable to start with the smaller ones and stay away from “made from real glass” filters. They are just too expensive. That is why I like the ones made by Cokin, they are much cheaper and still good quality. Make sure you pick the size that fits with your lenses!
Suggestions:
Tripod
Finally, get yourself a tripod. As with anything related to photography, tripods and heads can get VERY expensive very quickly. Dont under estimate the effect a good tripod has on image quality. Pick a cheap heavy one and you will never bring it with you, take something made out of plastic and it will die after two weekends. A tripods is probably the pieces of gear that is going to last you the longest and should be seen as an investment, so get something that will last!
There are many good tripods on the market and probably anything you pay over 150$ will give you good results. There are a few things that can make a tripod stands out of the crowd like: having a weight hook, vibration reduction, removable central column, horizontal central column positioning, etc. Personally, I use the Bogen / Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 3-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs (Black) . I love it and I see myself using this thing for a few more years.
Head
While ball heads are great for photography, when filming you are better off with a head that offers some friction to ensure smooth panning. In my mind, nothing beats the Bogen / Manfrotto 501HDV Fluid Video Head in term of quality per dollars. It is the equivalent of the 50mmf/1.8 of the head world.
Software
Since I don’t really know what exists on the PC side, I will just pretend there is nothing and let some PC reader contact me for the specifics. Or simply buy a Mac. Seriously, the Mac has some unique software that make the whole editing experience so much better (and cheaper, seriously!). As a Mac user, you most probably already have all you need to start editing your shots: iLife. While the newest version that is about to come out has some incredible features, even iLife 08 is enough for the needs of a beginner.
Computer hardware and storage
External HD and backing up
Video editing requires your system to have a secondary hard drive to store your assets/projects. Well, you are not “required to” but if you mix you clips data with the OS partition you you will experience some serious slow down. So lets just say that you have to bite the bullet (again) and get a secondary internal HD. I prefer internal HD because they are the cheapest fastest solution you can get. Do not backup anything on this drive, it is solely a scratch disk / asset vault.
Now lets talk about backup. If you value any of your work, you need to back it up. Unfortunately for us, video takes a lot of HD space so backing up on disk media is out of the question. We could go with another internal drive but I prefer to have an external enclosure for backup so I can bring it at my parents house when I am out for a long period of time. You can go with the classical HD enclosure or pay a little (ok, big) extra to get a Drobo. While the Drobo is not perfect, contrary to what their marketing department is trying to make you believe, it offers some very interesting features for its price point. Before buying one, make sure you read my post about its limitation (coming soon).
Finally, dont forget that a backup is only a backup if its replicating data living somewhere else. As soon as your data lives on only a single drive you are exposed to losing everything!
Suggestions:
- WD VelociRaptor 300GB 10,000 RPM SATA Bulk/OEM Hard Drive WD3000GLFS
- WD 500GB internal
- Drobo USB 2.0 and FireWire 800
- LaCie 1 TB FireWire 400/USB 2.0/eSATA
- LaCie 1 TB Firewire800/Firewire400/USB 2.0 with RAID
Monitor
Lets not go into any excesses here, your current monitor is probably going to be just fine. If you really want a secondary screen accept only a 24″ since it is the minimum size to display 1080p at native resolution. (Well, my 23″ ACD does too but it is out of production)
System
I guess you already have a computer, but in case you are thinking about switching, this one is easy: any recent Apple system (exception: Mac mini) will play with iMovie, Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro just fine. So just pick the one you want, my suggestions going of course with the bigger models. Also, note that the Mac Books dont have a FW port anymore. Also, make sure to upgrade the RAM to at least 2 gigs, 4 being much better.
Conclusion
After having spent (already) a small fortune, you are now equipped to produce your first movie. You already have all you need, the next levels only add more bells and whistles.
