John Frey
Forum Replies Created
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Unsharp mask is one of the effects in Premiere. It is the tool most used in still image detail enhancement and works effectively in Premiere as well. Just be very careful not to overdo it.
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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I have shot aerial video footage over the years using a variety of cameras, recording units and aircraft. The best camera/lens really comes down to your budget and what type of aircraft you will be using. Although fixed wing aircraft are used in some situations, rotary wing gives your far greater flexibility when “getting the shot”. In helicopters, cameras are mounted on ‘nose mounts’ and operated remotely from inside the craft, mounted in ‘door mounts’ and operated manually by the camera operator, and, most often, hand-held while hanging out of the craft. I have rented small Robinson helicopters for as little as $110/hr. and large Bell, Hughes and others for well over 1K/hr. The aforementioned mounts provide vibration damping, security and control, but are expensive and require plenty of install time(money). You can’t just attach a camera to the outside of an aircraft and expect to get usable footage. Vibration, in a variety of frequencies, is your enemy, not to mention bugs and other debris that quickly foul your lens. The ability to monitor and control your image, not to mention the ability to frame the shot, is essential – especially when it comes to “how much is this costing per hour?” and who is paying for it. Another major factor in all of this is the craft’s pilot and your ability to communicate with him/her, how and where is he willing to fly, etc. Yes, a GoPro might capture a usable shot, but be prepared for a hit or miss situation. And, yes, there are better cameras to ‘attach’ to an aircraft.
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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I built 2 of these rigs last summer that will hold (2) cameras for shooting action sports. Used lightweight aluminum alloy strap. The Zoom is fed by either (2)wireless receivers or 1 wireless and a shotgun mic, or any combination with the Zoom built-in mics. The Zoom records audio but also mixes and splits the audio output which feeds the audio inputs of both a DSLR and a small camcorder, which has level controls and a headphone jack. The Panasonic GH1 gets the fixed wide shot and the Panasonic TM700 gets tracking and close-ups. It’s zoom is controlled by it’s wireless remote which feeds the signal to the IR on the front of the lens via a Toslink cable. The Zoom, GH1 and TM700 all have their start/stop buttons on the right handgrip. The $5.00 Chinese start/stop remote for the GH1 also allows it’s on-board mic’s audio simultaneously but obviously you cannot feed it audio from the Zoom. Both cameras have quick release mounts and the entire rig has one as well. I can snap the rig quickly onto a tripod if need be. The whole thing balances very well and is really pretty lightweight. I found all of the components online, but had the basic rectangular pieces heli-arced (welded) for rigidity. Here’s a link to the unit.
https://www.digitalwestvideo.com/content/field-production
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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Very nice! Wonder what the wind speed was.
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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I use Fotodiox adapters with Nikon Nikkor manual lenses on my Panasonics. Great combo and very inexpensive. Just picked up a used 2.8 Sigma short zoom (Nikon mount)for under $100.00. The Fotodiox adapters are solid and available inexpensively through Amazon.
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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That is a great explanation, Tim. Your input is greatly appreciated.
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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Mike Figgis produced “Timecode” back in 2000 using (4)video cameras shooting in sync for a 90 minute continuous film. I saw it back then and thought it was pretty cool. Of course, Mike didn’t use DSLRs! Let us know how things go.
Here’s the link – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timecode_(film)
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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The Panasonic GH2 will give you the benefits of a DSLR but will not limit you to 12 minute record limit or incur overheating. In addition, it has an articulating viewfinder, clean HDMI out, and allows for adjustable depth of field with either it’s own 20mm, 1.7 lens or one of the many available Nikon Nikkor lenses with a Fotodiox adapter. I have the Nikkor 1.4 50mm and the 2.8 28mm which I purchased used for $75 each – great manual lenses with real exposure control.
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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The 14-140 kit lens, although slow, is a very good all-around lens. Many GH1/Gh2 users, like me, are using older Nikon Nikkor fixed lenses with Fotodiox adapters. My 28mm 2.8 and 50mm 1.4 are great, metal-bodied lenses with “real” manual aperture and focus rings with full markings. And, the best part is that there are plenty of them out there at great prices. Mine were about $75.00 each and the adapters about $25.00 each.
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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When you say Digital Video Cameras, you could be referring to non-dslr type cameras. Top quality “regular” video cameras have adjustable “gain settings” to boost their signal electronically. Some of the really good “Broadcast” units (expensive)do a very good job at high gain settings with low noise. They, however, do not compare to DSLRs like the top Canons and Nikons in lowlight situations, especially in price. Advise – learn to light your subject!
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore