Notes On Video

I was amused to see this poster today at the mall for the AR Drone with the pitch " As Seen On YouTube ." The " As Seen On TV " logo's used to mean something - someone had to spend at least a little money to get a product commercial on TV - but getting something on YouTube hardly seems like a great distinction!

The inaugural BOSFCPUG Canon Video/DSLR Filmmaker Meetup happened at E.P.Levine in Waltham last night. A crowd of about forty people turned up for a fun and rather raucous event. There were several Canon DSLR’s and a selection of lenses on hand to play with, as well as an XF305 video camera. Pizza arrived before the meeting started, and I chatted briefly with a T1i owner who’s just getting his feet wet in video, and a DV camera owner who is playing with video while trying to learn Final Cut Pro . Playing with gear before the meeting started Barbara Ellison from Canon brought the XF305 along, and was there to answer questions about Canon’s equipment, as well as ask what people were looking for in future gear. Dan Berube of the BOSFCPUG mostly managed to control the proceedings, though the meeting space was rather loud and echoey, and I think the tide might have turned in favor of the audience when they vetoed the idea of going through a PowerPoint presentation on the XF305! B...

Redrock has a page up with their new nano DSLR rigs , which range in price from the $107.50 Grippit to the $467.00 RunningMan . The Stealth , Stealth Grip and RunningMan all include a body pad support, with the latter two including a handle grip. nano Stealth It's almost impossible without trying them to figure out which of these might be the easiest/most comfortable to use, though I'm now more intrigued by the nano- Stealth . I suspect that in most situation's I'll have my left hand on the lens for focusing, and putting the right hand on the camera seems natural both for steadying the camera as well as having it ready to adjust aperture and shutter on the fly...so maybe a handle-grip isn't necessary. Your mileage my vary... nano RunningMan ( notice the handle! ) Redrock : nano DSLR rugs

From Aug. 18th through October 15th, 2010, users of Panasonic P2 HD, AVCCAM and DVCPRO HD camcorders can submit up to five videos for a chance to win wide-ranging honors, including the grand prize of an AG-HPX370 P2 HD Camcorder package. HOW IT WORKS Step 1 : Shoot a video that showcases the innovative way that you are using your Panasonic professional camcorder. Step 2 : Upload the video (no more than 5 minutes in length) on the [ http://www.ShootItShareIt.com ] web site Step 3 : A panel of judges will choose a semi-finalist winner in each category. On Oct. 19th, 1st and 2nd place category winners will be posted online. From Oct. 19th through Oct. 22nd, the public will have the opportunity to vote for the Grand Prize winner. The Grand Prize winner will be announced on Nov. 3rd. PRIZES : Grand Prize Winner: AG-HPX370 P2 HD Camcorder package (a value of over $12,000.00) 1st place: Choice of an AG-HMC40 AVCCAM HD Camcorder or an AG-MSU10 Portable P2 Medi...

Nikon has announced the D3100 , which adds 1080/24 and continuous contrast-detect autofocus to Nikons entry-level DSLR. Of course, how noisy it is while focusing, and what the rolling shutter is like remains to be seen. Of course, I'm heavily invested in Canon gear at this point, so I guess I should hope it's not very good, but the better Nikon and others do, the more it will drive Canon to improve their next camera. Speaking on Canon's next camera, no D60 announcement ( Canonrumors.com now says next week, but I don't believe them ) though they did announce some new Powershots . Sony also has new Alpha cameras coming, including the  Alpha A33, which is quite small compared to the NEX cameras, as DigitalRev points out . [ UPDATE : yesterday Canonrumors said August 26 is when the embargo on the 60D will end....today, "the EOS 60D will be available on September 22, 2010" Of course, both statements may be correct; it may be announced on the 26th and avail...

Singular Software has now officially released PluralEyes for Premiere Pro for Windows. A beta version had previously been available. PluralEyes performs an automated synchronization of video and audio tracks based on matches in the audio track. It can be useful for dual sound recording if you don't want to use a clapper board or other method to sync the sound. An introductory discount of 20% will be applied to the original price ($149 USD) if purchased before September 17, 2010. Students and instructors can take advantage of Singular Software's academic discount of 50%, which can be applied to individual purchases of PluralEyes. PluralEyes for Premiere Pro is compatible with Windows® XP®, Vista® and Windows 7®. A version for Mac OS X users will be released at a later date. A version for Final Cut Pro is already available. singular software.com

Location information (and a registration page) is now up for this Thursday's BOSFCPUG meeting. TIME : 7:00PM - 8:30PM (Doors open at 6:30PM) VENUE : E.P. Levine, LLC, 219 Bear Hill Rd. Waltham, MA 02451 The August BOSFCPUG mixer is scheduled to happen next week on Thursday, August 19th. This is being billed as the first BOSFCPUG Canon Filmmaker Meetup , featuring special guest Barbara Ellison of Canon,and is aimed at digital filmmakers who want to learn more about HD workflow using Canon's latest video and DSLR cameras. This meeting will also highlight the Canon XF305 Professional Camcorder. They'll have the XF305 to play with, as well as Canon's latest DSLR cameras with some of the most popular lenses for DSLR filmmaking. [ I still wonder if the 60D will have been announced by then... ] BOSFCPUG : Web page

I hate do-it-yourself projects. Partly because I'm hopeless at electrical and mechanical engineering; if I can't do it with a screwdriver, hammer, glue and duct tape, then it's pretty much not going to happen. But the other thing that frustrates me is how often I'll come across projects that " only cost $20 ," but are dependent upon the fact that you have some piece of unusual hardware or equipment lying around. Case in point I came across this video for a DIY Spider Trax Dolly based on the wheels from a skateboard and put together for $20. DIY on how to build a Spider Trax Dolly from Just Basl Productions on Vimeo . Looked pretty neat. So I went down to Target to look at skateboards; the cheapest was $29.99. A second trip to Toys-R-Us turned up a $15 skateboard. With that out of the way I went looking for "cheeseplate" like that shown in the video. A search on Google and Amazon turned up nothing even resembling it. Trips to two har...

The supply of Zacuto Z-Finders has been somewhat erratic the last couple of months, and they are often on back-order, but I just noticed that the Z-Finder's are in stock at B & H (so I ordered the Pro Finder 2.5.) B & H : Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 3x $375.25 B & H : Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 2.5x $375.25

Digital Asset Management Wed Aug 18, 10am - 12noon Ryan Servant, NE Sales manager for JB&A Distribution provides a detailed demo of CatDV - a media cataloging tool. Rule : Events@Rule

Rigs for DSLR shooters range in size, functionality and cost, with high-end manufacturers like Zacuto and budget places like Jag35 (you can also find even cheaper stuff on eBay!) Occupying the middle ground is Redrock, who sell a variety of units that seem to be well regarded for durability. They have now come out with a stripped down budget rig, the RunningMan . This looks interesting because it starts at $400, with a "full kit" costing $600. Though it's been pre-announced, they haven't done a proper announcement yet; it's not on their website. It's also unclear what's included, though I don't THINK it includes a loupe; even though one is shown in the photograph above. The text says it includes the microFinder loupe accessory, which is actually just an attachment for keeping a loupe connected to your camera. Cost wise, it certainly looks interesting, though with most rigs, I think you need to try them out to see if they feel comfortable and fit ...

The August BOSFCPUG mixer is scheduled to happen next week on Thursday, August 19th. This is being billed as the first BOSFCPUG Canon Filmmaker Meetup , featuring special guest Barbara Ellison of Canon,and is aimed at digital filmmakers who want to learn more about HD workflow using Canon's latest video and DSLR cameras. This meeting will also highlight the Canon XF305 Professional Camcorder. They'll have the XF305 to play with, as well as Canon's latest DSLR cameras with some of the most popular lenses for DSLR filmmaking. Actual location and time will be announced shortly... [ I wonder if the 60D will have been announced by then... ] BOSFCPUG : Web page

A while back I wrote about the .THM files that some cameras create along with their video files, which prompted this question: I try to import .avi from my laptop on my canon .. i don't have .thm that comes with it .. Can I create an .thm ?? .. or how can i read any .avi if it does not from the canon itself... First, a clarification: as far as I am aware, you do NOT need the .THM files to be able to open and play the .AVI files. The .THM files are there to help with searching and cataloging; for example Canon supplies a media browser application that uses these files. But the .AVI files should play fine without them. If you have an .AVI or other video file that won't play on your computer, it's often because the video file uses a video compressor that you don't have installed in your system. You can often get these compressors as part of editing applications (like Premiere and Final Cut Pro ), but they aren't the only ways to get them - and they may not support...

In response to yesterdays article about the NEX-VG10 vs. DSLRs , reader Paul noted that one solution for low-light situations is to use an Alpha lens: The buzz I'm hearing most is that you'd do best getting the 50mm Alpha lens that goes to f1.4, achieving a 75mm view at a 35mm sensor equivalent but sacrificing auto-focus and image stabilization. It's true that if you buy the $200 LA-EA1 you will be able to connect Alpha A-mount lenses to the E-mount NEX-VG10, so it's definitely a possibility. BUT, as Paul notes, you lose auto-focus and image stabilization. The LA-EA1 lets the camera body talk to the aperture ring of the lens, but you don't get image stabilization because, as an article at Alphatracks explains about the NEX-5/3 cameras: Sony Alpha dSLRs are famous for having image stabilization built into the body. In order to make the NEX bodies as small as possible, however, Sony engineered the small cameras to use in-lens stabilization. As a result, A-mount len...

The Sony NEX-VG10 may be Sony's answer to the success of the HD DLSR; a camera that uses a large sensor to produce a shallow Depth of Field. Certainly there's a lot of interest in the NEX-VG10 on the video forums, even if it doesn't shoot 24fps. Coincidentally, I just spent most of Saturday shooting an event using a Canon DSLR and four lenses. I've always had reservations about SLR's as video cameras - lack of auto-focus, difficult manual focus, form factor, etc., - and this experience did nothing to change my mind. Yes, I could get some really interesting and unusual shots, but the problems listed above - as well as the hassle of constantly changing lenses - had me wishing I'd used a regular video camera. So I'm awaiting the arrival of the NEX-VG10, even though it seems to have limitations too. Alistar Chapman at XDCAM-User.com got to play with a prototype Sony NEX-VG10 for a brief period of time last week. He found it small and light, though a bit...

Redrock posted this promotional video on YouTube about their upcoming microRemote . It still looks like it could be really cool, though I think it's going to be more expensive than we all thought; originally it was thought it was going to be around $500, then it went to $1,000...I suspect it'll be more like $1,500 to actually set it up in wireless mode (wired might be cheaper.) Still no info on availability:

The ' get ' plugin for Final Cut that does phonetic searching of video clips is now available. AV3 Software : 'get' page NotesOnVideo : 'get' for Final Cut

This weekend there's a special deal on Core Melts Lock & Load X. Lock & Load is a stabilization filter which is supposed to be faster than Final Cuts SmoothCam. But what's really interesting about Lock & Load X is that it claims to remove rolling shutter from clips. Unfortunately I haven't tried it, and haven't found any reviews. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'm trying as hard as I can to get my future sports show looking as professional as possible right off the bat. […] I heard of something called a BeachTek audio adapter that can be attached to a videocamera. I wanted to know how crisp the audio is when this technology is used. -CB A lot of consumer cameras have only a mini-plug input for connecting external mics (if they have anything at all.) They also often have no manual gain control. The BeachTek adapter plugs into the mini-plug mic input of a videocamera and gives you XLR jacks for attaching professional mics. They can also allow you to adjust the volume of the separate audio channels, and the one for DSLR's even disables the Auto Gain Circuitry many of these cameras have. There's three or four different models, with different features. I have an earlier model that I used to use with a video camera. It has a screw on the top that can be attached to the tripod mount at the bottom of the camera, and has it's own ...

Hand-on with the Panasonic consumer 3D camera Camcorderinfo got their hands on Panasonic's upcoming consumer 3D video camera, and put it through it's paces. While the 3D lens is detachable, it will only work with this camcorder, and you have to go through some calibration when you attach it: Calibrating the conversion lens is a tricky 3-step process, but the camcorder's menu gives a good amount of detail each step of the way. Even if you have a lot of experience with video, however, calibrating the 3D conversion lens is going to be a unique experience. You'll definitely need to do it a few times before you can really get the hang of it and figure out the best calibration for capturing 3D content. Also, in 3D mode, you have to shoot in full automatic mode - you have no control over zoom or focus - and you need a lot of light (the minimum illumination is listed at 28 lux, and that might be optimistic.) Finally, anything further away than 4m won't have any 3D effe...