Canon 5D Mark II Video Aliasing. December 5th, 2009
We were warned by many including Stu Maschwitz, as detailed in his latest blog post, that the Canon HDSLRs, such as the 5D Mark II, were not creating video properly. Video on these cameras is an after thought. Their primary function is to shoot still images, and they do a great job at that. However there is a big mistake happening when these cameras create video, and the end result is the interference pattern shown in tan sport jacket below.
Audio Tests with a Canon 5D Mark II August 26th, 2009
Today I ran some simple audio tests with a Canon 5D Mark II. My plan was to record audio with the onboard microphone and with an external microphone. Recording audio with the onboard microphone is simple. One just points the camera at a subject and presses the ‘Set’ button to initiate video recording. The 5D Mark II doesn’t provide much in the way of manual audio controls. For example, there is no way to turn off the automatic gain control (AGC) which can lead to sound booming in the recording. Also there are no balanced inputs, so an XLR adapter is required to connect professional microphones.
24p and 48h and 60i! Oh my! July 14th, 2009
In my previous post, I discussed fielding a team for the 48 Hour Film Project. Since then I’ve been contemplating workflows and delivery formats. I’ve recently acquired a Panasonic AG-HVX200A, and with this shiney new hammer every shooting opportunity appears to be a nail. Therefore I shall use my new camera to acquire imagery for the film competition.
Canon HV30 Exposure Control May 25th, 2009
The HV20/30/40 camera series from Canon is very popular amongst the indie filmmaker crowd. Priced well under $1000, these cameras are easily affordable by filmmakers who follow the ‘own the means of production’ philosophy of film making. Sporting features such as hdv and 24p, the camera series was an instant hit and continues to attract followers as can be seen by the frequent traffic at hv20.com.
Working through a Workflow May 4th, 2009
When exploring the world of visual effects and post-production, one eventually encounters terms such as workflow and production pipeline. These terms describe how vfx shots are put together, and the tools used in the imagery creation. For large post-production houses, production pipelines can be very complex. However, even for an individual working on an indie production, the workflow can become surprisingly complex.