Archive for the Video Category

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My evolving , currently most useful cinematography/video multicamera setup

Posted in Photography, Photojournalism, Video on June 15, 2011 by William Hooks

Basic Interview-Cinematography Video Setup

Camera 1

Nikon D5100, SanDisc SD cards, zoom lens

Color or Monochrome palette

Neutral to slight low angle, Rule of Thirds face placement

Audio Technica 88 WT wireless lapel dynamic omni microphone/ XLR input 1 or direct to camera

Talent files

　

Camera 2

Nikon D3s/ video bank, SanDisc CF cards, telephoto lens

Neutral angle

Sennheiser 400 MKE condenser supercardioid microphone/ XLR 2 with stereo cable , Zoom H4N audio recorder on 4 track mode/ optional Mono Mix to split levels (or direct to camera)

Interviewer files

Camera 3

Nikon D300s / video bank, Hoodman RAW CF cards, wide angle lens

Neutral angle

H4N w Rode Videomic Pro condenser supercardioid microphone,stereo extension cable (or direct to camera)

Interaction files

Other:

Microphone stand/s

Lighting

Slate

Zoom wired remote for H4N, AC adapter

Headphones

Boom/s

When separate audio and video is desired and they are to be combined in post, the Zoom H4N is the ticket.When I want to have all AV files auto-synched in -camera, each mic will be directly connected to each camera with a stereo extension cord if needed.

For another camera angle I can also use the GoPro, especially easy with the tripod adapter. That camera as of the present doesn’t allow split audio.

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Began shooting stills and video yesterday in Tahoe region

Posted in Captain's Personal Log, Photography, Travel, Video on June 3, 2011 by William Hooks

So far, a snowstorm and then overcast, with some sun and a lot of fantastic scenery being revealed… it really feels like a vacation and I’m enjoying every day more up here. Heading back Saturday and may get to Sequoia before returning to work.

I’ll do some editing before then and may post something in the next few days.  Go X-Men!

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On vacation next week- heading to Lake Tahoe region…..

Posted in Captain's Personal Log, Photography, Reviews, Travel, Video on May 26, 2011 by William Hooks

I plan to put my D5100 and microphones, Zoom H4N and other video gear to work and do some backpacking, exploring the possibilities with my GoPro wearable camera and not spending one minute thinking about medicine or radiology!

Continuing preparations to travel to China in mid-July, spending time in several cities including Nanjing and Shanghai and documenting the experience of a foreigner seeing the country for the first time. Probably I’ll stick to noodles for the whole trip…..

The preliminary experience with the upgrade to Adobe Premiere Elements 9 has been generally very good, I think this is a practical video editing software option for many people at an intermediate to moderately advanced level. And the price -less than $100 with rebate- is definitely right.

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Followup: Nikon D5100 evaluation

Posted in Photography, Reviews, Video on May 19, 2011 by William Hooks

I’m delighted to find that this camera’s small and light form has already made my videography life much easier. I can mount it on a boom and maneuver in a way which would be much less practical with D3 -sized cameras.  The battery life in normal temperatures has proven to be more than adequate for my needs, noting that I carry at least one spare.  Availability of very high-capacity SDXC cards which are compatible with this camera allows for realistic application of its longer clip recordings, up to 20 minutes.

Clearly its low-light capacity is not in the same class as the D3s. I don’t use its viewfinder much, not only because it seems inferior to the FX models but the articulated screen works very well- and I can use  the same monitor loupes with all 3 HD-DSLR’s as they’re  3-inch diagonal size.

Some remaining potential issues for my kind of use: how does the battery behave in very cold weather? What about the durability of its shutter? More testing will tell.

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Samsontech Zoom H4N portable audio recorder

Posted in Video on May 17, 2011 by William Hooks

Added this unit to my tool bin  recently and I’m inpressed with the features, and small form factor. Once I get some more experience with syncing audio and video tracks on Adobe Premiere Elements 8, I plan to post a review.

Incidentally, I plan to update to PE9 as soon as practical for these reasons: first, it allows direct integration with my cameras for file transfer. Second, it reportedly offers smoother operation overall; third, as with Lightroom it ‘s now possible to output directly to Facebook. In summary- faster, more practical workflow and that’s especially important with video versus stills.

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First week with the Nikon D51C (5100): an early review

Posted in Captain's Personal Log, Music, Photography, Photojournalism, Reviews, Travel, Video on May 6, 2011 by William Hooks

So far I have these observations:

– The Selective Color and Color Sketch Effects modes seem most appealing to me, partly because I enjoy their looks and partly because, like the others, they can be applied either in capture (with Live View) or retouching JPEG’s already shot.

-Having native ISO to 6400 available is expected to be very useful for my style of shooting- both stills and video.

-Ergonomics seem very good, although distinctly different in some ways from my pro bodies. I find that the button placements are generally very intuitive given the presense of the articulated screen and have been easy to use. I like the operation of the LV lever, it would be nice if there were a concentric video button as with the D7K – a minor issue.

– I intend to work with this camera mounted to a Matthews or Manfrotto SuperClamp, since it allows remote triggering.

-The layout of the left panel output access ports is appealing. Having a GPS-ready camera this size is exciting and like the new Nikon ME-1 microphone, the GP-1 doesn’t have an internal battery (to fail or corrode). I’m going to look for that microphone and evaluate its features as soon as available.

– Shutter lag is definitely much greater that with my pro bodies and AF is slower to much slower, very much depending on lens choice. I ‘ll experiment more with my upper-end FX lenses in coming weeks to evaluate how much of a factor that may be, should I try shooting limited sports with this camera.

– The  AC adapter has eliminated battery life as a factor in the studio , or where a generator is available.

-I’m definitely going to scarf that 12-24mm f/4 DX from Grant to use in the backcountry…..

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Added Nikon D5100 to my toolbox today

Posted in Captain's Personal Log, Photography, Photojournalism, Studio Portraiture, Travel, Video on April 30, 2011 by William Hooks

This body will give me the ability to capture full HD 1080p video, 16MP files, and perform HDR and selective color rendition of images in-camera with very light weight and a compact form for backpacking, climbing, travel and other active pursuits. The articulated 3″ screen is excellent and makes extreme-angle shooting such as video and macro much easier.

Don’t yet know how its battery will hold up to cold nor how the body will withstand heat and other weather.. we’ll see.

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Laura Shodire, the spokesperson for my ad clip at TradeForPrint.com

Posted in Captain's Personal Log, Photography, Video on April 24, 2011 by William Hooks

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A new video is being added on YouTube

Posted in Video on April 16, 2011 by William Hooks

I shot this a few days ago in Three Rivers, CA east of Visalia, with my friend Charles McElroy on his motorcycle  and the GoPro camera attached (partially….) to the front end- it detached partway into the clip, but wasn’t damaged.

My channel on YouTube  is called SiskoBenjamin

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Videos

Posted in Video on April 12, 2011 by William Hooks

These will be generated with a GoPro Hero wearable camera (up to 1080 HD) and 2 Nikons: the D300s and the D3s at least for the near future.  Both Nikons provide up to 720p HD.. for sound, they will be paired with a Sennheiser 400 MKE and AudioTechnica 8T lapel microphone. For the present I prefer to capture vid and audio simultaneously but in the future, perhaps I will split them and reunite in post.

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