One Guy and His Camera

Getting things cleaned up a little, or something like that:

Pictured:

• Cameras: (2) D70s bodies, D90 body, Canon HV20
• Nikkor Lenses: 50mm f/1.8d, 18-55mm 3.5-5.6, 18-70mm 3.5-4.5
• Stabilization: Manfrotto 241V suction cup, Harbor Freight double suction cup, various Gorillapods, Velbon fluid head, Manfrotto 056 3D head
• Audio: Zoom H2, Rode VideoMic
• Misc: SB800 Flash, Bogen super clamp

I’m selling the D70s & the 18-70mm lens to make room for a new Canon 7D (or Scarlet…mmm).  The double-suction cup is a cheapo $6 model from Harbor Freight; it was my first suction cup mount (used mainly for fun car chase scenes), but it gives waaaaay too much vibration (micro vibration, not the stuff you can take out with a filter, unfortunately) to really be usable.  Of course, I have a light car, so that could be the problem too.  I used the Bogen super clamp with a Manfrotto 3D head for positioning the camera.  I just got the single-cup Manfrotto 241V in this week and haven’t had a chance to test it out yet, but I’ve seen it do amazing footage, so I’m pretty excited about it.

I have to say that I absolutely LOVE the Gorillapods; the ones in the picture only cover about half of my collection.  I use them for cameras, camcorders, mics, flashes, you name it!  I have a couple with dedicated uses as well - one with a ballhead and one with a fluid head on top.  Boy do they make life easier!  I can plop them down anywhere, instantly, with like zero setup and start shooting.  Pure awesomeness!

I’ve got some tutorials in the works for the upcoming Cine Tools Wiki, so I’ll post links to those as soon as they’re done.  One is called “PODZILLA” and covers the Gorillapods & suction cups; it’s a pretty much go-anywhere, do-anything sort of kit, which is really handy.  I’ll also be posting various reviews and workflows shortly; I’m waiting on some new equipment to arrive (HV20 batteries, cough cough) so that I can get started ;)

Hot diggity!  Wish the 7D had this :D

Magic Lantern firmware introduction from Trammell Hudson on Vimeo.

I just received my Redhead Windscreen for the Zoom H4n solid-state mic (I got the Gunmetal color).  I’m a big fan of Zoom mics and I’m currently using a Zoom H2, which is absolutely fabulous.  Looking forward to my H4n!  Here’s a sample from the creator of the Redhead Windscreens:

Canon 5D Mark II & Zoom H4N with Redhead custom windscreen from iamkalaniprince on Vimeo.

Be sure to check out some of his other videos, they’re pretty sweet!

Plus a few other tests:

Red One Canon 5D Comparison Test from Rick Darge on Vimeo.

Even the might RED One is not impervious to the jello effect!

Well, I’m certainly not going to be selling my HV20 anytime soon :D

Rolling Shutter compared: D90 vs 5D mark II vs GH1 vs 7D from Mike Kobal on Vimeo.

Found this on Youtube. The artist used Maya, Nuke, Adobe CS, RealFlow, XSI, FFMPEG, and VirtualDub for his reel:

Uni-3D Homepage

Holy beans!

via Engadget

Today I’d like to share with you my most favoritist camera review website: KenRockwell.com.  Ken brings a wonderful human element to his camera reviews, which are not only fun to read, but also extremely detailed & useful.  I have a hard time choking down a lot of technical data on traditional camera review websites; his reviews are a refreshing change of pace.  He also has a lot of good articles & tips for topics ranging from taking great photographs to comparing the quality output of cameras ranging from $25 to $5,000.

As a jumping-off point, here are some of my favorite articles:

Your Camera Doesn’t Matter

How to Create a Masterpiece

How to Afford Anything

Nikon D90 Review

If you really want to get up to speed on digital cameras and photography in general, just spend a few hours poking around his site - it’s very eye-opening!  Ken’s site is one of the few that I read religiously, it’s great!

Here’s a great 5-minute review of the Blackbird Steadicam from Camera Motion Research by Sean Seah of the DV Info forums.  He’s using it with a Canon 5D Mark II, really fabulous footage:

HWM’s CMR Blackbird Review from Sean Seah on Vimeo.

I ordered mine tonight!  Should be here by this weekend, I hope :) Going to be using it with the HV20 & D90 intially, and hopefully with either a 7D or a Scarlet in the future! The Scarlet and perhaps even the RED Epic should be able to work on it - the Blackbird has an 8-pound capacity, which is pretty hefty!  Mark Harmer on Vimeo mentioned that his Canon XHA1 works great with the Blackbird, so I’m definitely excited to get mine!

Introducing the OWLE Bubo: a video mount for the iPhone 3GS.  Basically, it turns your iPhone into a monster video camera.  The Bubo has a few really nice features:

• Easy grip for stable shots
• Aftermarket lens support (capable of using filters)
• Microphone input
• Accessory attachment system (such as lighting)

Fast forward to 4:06 in the video below to see the difference between the 3GS with Bubo & the standard 32gb iPhone 3GS in action (the entire first section of the video was filmed with the Bubo, AMAZING quality from a cell phone camera! who needs a Flip camera??).  In the video, they’re using the Bubo mount with a .5x wide-angle lens and a Monster iSoniTalk mic.  There’s also a minijack input on there, which allows you to hook up all kinds of cool accessories like a Rode VideoMic or wireless microphone.

(sorry, a bit of NSFW language in the vid)

The production Bubo will feature the mount, a microphone with a foam windscreen, and a 37mm wide-angle lens.  The best part is, it’s supposed to sell for under $50!  I really like the design of the mount itself - like a video game controller, very easy to hold.  I’m sure it’d look goofy using it in real life (gotta get over that social anxiety, haha), but for on-the-spot videos or live streaming with Qik, it’s just plain awesome. Easy & stable grip and plenty of things to accessorize to your liking.  I’m on the pre-order list, so when mine arrives I’ll be sure to snap a pic of it rocking my VideoMic with the dead cat onboard :D

OWLE Bubo product website