Phil Balsdon
Forum Replies Created
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With the Canon 7D it is very important to choose a model with “AGC Disable” because internally the camera Auto Gain cannot be disabled. This means whatever audio you feed in the 7D will try to lift levels whenever the feed in becomes lower in volume.
The Beachtek DXA-SLR does this by feeding in a constant but inaudible low frequency tone on one of the channels. It doesn’t actually disable the the camera AGC it just gives it a constant reference level of audio to stabilise it’s normally dramatic fluctuations in level.
There is no after market hack (a la Magic Lantern) available for the 7D to over ride it’s AGC and allow you to set in camera audio levels manually.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
My initial Google search seems to show these are only 5400rpm drives, you need 7200rpm for optimum performance.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
23 new introductory tutorials to Premeir CS6 here, all categorised
https://library.creativecow.net/tutorials/adobepremierepro
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
You’re correct Steve it is the 701 HDV. I purchased the 701 head separately to use on my Manfrotto Monopod and Konova slider. It moves easily between the two. I don’t have any problems with the pan it’s quite sufficient for the price. (I’m probably more inclined to twist the monopod leg itself when panning though).
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
When you back up the CF Cards from the camera you must back up the whole card, not just the video files. On a Mac you can do this using Disk Utility to create a “New Image” of the card. You can give this image a unique name for id purposes. When you open this new “img” file it will always appear as “EOS” and you can log and transfer from it.
Secondly when transferring DO NOT do anything else on the computer, especially going into FCP and checking work being transferred. This appears to be the main cause of incomplete files. Allow the complete transfer to happen before proceeding any further with your project.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
Something to keep in mind is that paying more for good quality may in the long run be more economical. I still have a very useable but cosmetically beaten up Chrosziel matte box I payed a lot of money for in 1987. I still use a Mamiya 645 500mm lens from 1985 with a Fotodiox diopter on my Canon 7D and C300, $3300 was a lot of money back then.
I have a bin full of “budget” solutions that are no longer useable.
How long do plan to stick around in this business, some kit will move from one generation of technology (the camera) to the next.
Oh and Murphy’s law, if a piece of kit is going to fail, it’ll fail at the most inopportune moment.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
I agree with Steve, something not right with the arm. It should lock firmly, that’s the whole idea of them. Sometimes they can require a very firm tighten. If you’ve just purchased it take it back and get them to check it out.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
You will need to colour grade in post, the images direct from the camera will look very flat and desaturated. If you shoot for producers that edit elsewhere check with them that they understand this, some aren’t patient enough to take the extra time and gain the extra benefits of doing this.
Using cinestyle will give you a lot more latitude for grading though. You’ll have a lot more to work with in highlights and shadow areas of the image.
Do some test shoots, contrasty scenes and flat lit scenes and play with them in post. Take extra care with skin tones.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
A flip out screen is very useful when trying to frame a shot from an unusual angle, extremely low angle for instance.
Sorry Jason you are of course correct, I often forget some of the great features of the GH2.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
Yes Jeff but the reason Hollywood decides to shoot S16 is normally for low budget, the biggest factor being stock and processing costs. In the digital age stock costs are pretty much irrelevant. Lenses etc will be much the same between this camera and most other budget cameras and even more upmarket cameras that take EOS mounts.
Second reason Hollywood might choose S16 is compactness, portability and usability. This Blackmagic camera is just as clumsy as a RED Epic, it needs to fitted with all sorts of paraphernalia to make it usable, unlike an Arri SR3 or Aaton which can be just dropped onto your shoulder. HDSLRs can be used handheld with the addition of a loupe style viewfinder eyepiece if necessary. The 60D has a rotatable flip out LCD, why was it the only one?. The LCD on the Blackmagic camera is much too large for a loupe, it can’t be held with arms tucked in close to the body and up to your eye, it has to be held with arms extended and so like a RED it has to be fitted with an after market rig. Take a look at the handheld test footage John Brawley shot, it’s very difficult to hold steady. I don’t want to have to spend even a few minutes fitting a shoulder rig to a camera so I can quickly grab a handheld shot that would probably have disappeared before I was ready to shoot anyway.
Sorry this looks to me like a production tool designed by post production people. At this level of production these other guys at https://www.digitalbolex.com/ seem to have done it with more thought. It’s worthwhile watching some of the interviews with them from NAB and hearing about their design philosophy. Inter-changeable lens mount, XLR audio, easy to handhold, small viewfinder, hot shoe mounts for mics and / or on camera lighting, on camera or off camera power, 2k RAW etc. etc. it even comes with a pistol grip, all for about the same price as the Blackmagic “lunch box”.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/