Production days finalized for 26-28 December to return to the eastern Sierra, most likely including snow shelters…. I’m looking forward to finally getting in some real winter weather after so many years in southern CA.
#$!@ I ‘d even take returning to my personal ‘Ithaca’ where I grew up in northern CA right now….any place where it isn’t 80 degrees in late November.
Please call or write if you know of such a program? To my knowledge neither ControlMyNikon nor Camera Control Pro2.x, nor any other commercially available programs seem to support the D600 as of this note…… I would be very grateful for any insights!
Thanks in advance-
We ‘re planning to do the dramatic film production next weekend, 10-11 November, at City Center Motel in downtown Los Angeles.
The third, final chapter of ETERNAL GRANTITE is currently planned to be shot 29-30 December in Little Lakes Valley, south of Tom’s Place off HWY 395. I’m enjoying the edit of the project so far, and we are excited to get into some real winter conditions.. I will be using a Kata weather cover for the Nikon D600 on that trip, as it makes working in snow and rain very easy.
During a timelapse in cold at altitude over about 90 minutes, I was impressed with the endurance of the D600 and its battery. You can view the timelapse at my Facebook site, and see many more still images at Joann Loo’s FB site as well.
I feel confident taking it into full winter in December in the eastern Sierra, when we shoot the final third of this project.
Part II of the backpacking/mountaineering piece ETERNAL GRANITE will be shot in late fall/early winter conditions, as we head from Lodgepole and Wolverton to the Pear Lake region.
This shoot will involve the Nikon D600 and Rode StereoVideomic Pro, and HDR/timelapse will be done in-camera.
In December we plan to film the third and final part of EG in the eastern Sierra.
This combination of items has permitted simple, accurate geotagging of both stills and video to Google Maps while online. I must add that the altitude measurements have proven less accurate than the location coordinates, in my experience.
I really like that the GP-1 is so small, compact and light and derives power from cameras- no additional batteries or chargers, and of course the camera can be run on AC-DC converter. Startup for satellite acquisition varies with conditions, but I’ve been satisfied overall on this front.The ports for USB and MC-DC2 wired remote are reliable and I very often use the latter, especially since it allows remote video ON/OFF. With the supplied attachment to the camera strap, this frees the hot shoe of the camera for a microphone or flash, monitor,etc. Am I glad that I kept the 4-pin cable connector for the GPS unit when I sold my D90 or what?
The tight integration between LR4 and Google Maps makes it easy to even retrospectively geotag images and video.
So what?
For me, geotagging is becoming a standard feature for inclusion in my workflow for documentaries, slideshows, and location scouting. I can directly show the audience where the action (or lack of) is taking place. It’s much simpler to organize shots by location at times for editing.
For a multicam shoot, a Giottos tripod is used with its own QR plate and a Weifeng fluid head to run the B camera. Both tripods work with either of my floor dolly models.
The splitter is located on one of the tripod legs in the lower left. The director or talent in front of the camera can view on a separate monitor, at the same time as both the camera operator and the focus puller with this system. The camera, both monitors, LED lighting, and wireless lav microphone can all run from an AC outlet as shown here. All of these components are easy to use with independent batteries, as well.
It would be nice if sound could also be reviewed with no adjustments… but I can still listen to it, simply by disconnecting the splitter from the camera. After all- I’m on budget.
If you look closely, there’s also a mounted ball head for low-angle shooting at one of the base arms.
First: Looped HDMI out. This means that one can retain the camera’s monitor image while sending it simultaneously to a second monitor- allowing a DP or other director to evaluate files, at the same time or after they’re shot by the camera operator. I’ve made the adjustments on my Marshall 5″ monitors so that the displays match those on the camera.
Second: The amount of additional image detail in video attainable with uncompressed HDMI on an Atomos Ninja is significant! (I can’t fork out the $1K for one yet)
Third: A major side benefit to headphone monitoring of sound on-camera is the ease with which you can assign optimal microphone settings, especially for ENG.
Fourth: The beep function has been expanded greatly since D7000, allowing audio cues for self-timer countdown and remote control actuation among other items.
Fifth: Adding the lock for the left top function wheel is much appreciated. This greatly reduces settings errors in actual use of the camera. I do miss the absense of exposure setting lock which has not been around since the D3s…..PLEASE put these in a firmware update if possible??
These will help me when doing ENG/location interviews and studio/location cinema rig work, respectively.
The backpack is optimal for traveling with a D600 and up to 70-200 VR, compact microphone set, ZOom H4N audio recorder, shoulder rig, cables, SB-700 flash, headphones and some small lenses. The all-weather cover WILL be used!
The Manfrotto is designed to hold my RedRock cinema rig with provision to directly attach short monitor arms, freeing up the hot shoe on the camera for a light or other accessory. It’s very stable especially for its size and weight, and allows for Dutch angles by actually tilting the rig on it.
There’s a pan lock; I like the large size of the quick-release plate and that it can’t accidentally fall off- it attaches with 2 screws to the rig base, so there is no torque on the rig. The XY, pan/tilt friction controls are excellent. It’s a good fit with my smooth floor dolly which is mostly used indoors.
This way, I’ll use my smaller Weifeng 718 tripod/head for a camera with no rig (such as tutorial videos) or for a B camera.
William Hooks
maximpactphotography 