In the first part of this series, I covered some places that you could learn some of the fundamentals that you’ll need to shoot video. Now, we’re on to the equipment. The assumption I’m using is that you have a camera body that shoots video and a lens – that’s it. Now, what do you REALLY have to have to improve that basic platform, and what is the BASIC equipment you need to buy. Not the fanciest, most expensive equipment, but what do you REALLY need? The next thing I’m going to consider is – what can you buy that will have a dual purpose – another words, can you use it for stills AND video?

First, everyone ALWAYS starts with a tripod. Let’s face it, you can spend every bit of money you have on one and not get anything else. One clear thing you don’t want to do, is buy a $79 one at Best Buy. It will not cut it for stills OR video. There seems to be two main differences between a stills and video tripod. First, is the weight. If you look on B&H and just search for tripods, you can spend the better part of a day reading about all of them. I was lucky…I had invested in a nice Manfrotto tripod with a ball head many years ago. One of the great things about investing in a GOOD tripod and head up front is that you’ll really never have to replace it. However, in my case, I was very fortunate because that ball head could be replaced with a fluid head for shooting video.

You may be asking why your stills ball head won’t work? Well, it’s the word fluid – you are never going to get FLUID motion from left to right or up and down with a stills head. The fluid head does just that – it allows you to pan smoothly from left to right or right to left, and move the camera up and down with out any jerkiness. Absolutely essential for video. So, I bought the Manfrotto 501 HDV Pro Video Head for $164.00 AND got a $50 mail-in rebate. Sweet!  Is it perfect? No. Is the tripod base the best one for video? No. Will they both give me acceptable footage with a minimal investment? Yes! So, I got to reuse one piece of my stills gear, but that video head is NOT the best for shooting stills. It will work in most situations, but keep that screwdriver handy, because I’ll have to switch the heads out for any serious stills work, especially if I decide to shoot vertically.

Next up – something to help you see the images on the back of the camera. One of the best attachments I’ve gotten, has been a device that allows me to block the sun and see exactly what I’m getting on that little screen back there – yes, I’m talking about a Z-Finder (or Zed Finder if you’re of the British persuasion). This was one of the first purchases I made for video, but I’ve found that I use it all the time for stills shooting. It has a strap that allows you to hang it around your neck, it has a frame which attaches to the back of your camera, and that allows it to just snap onto the camera body when you want to see what you are shooting. It magnifies the image, blocks any light from interfering with viewing the image AND you can adjust the focus on it. When I bought mine, they were not as ‘involved’ as they are now – it was just the simple Z-Finder. Now, they have anti-fog attachments, base-plates, different magnification values and a cap to cover the lens. I spent $295 for mine and I see that they now cost about$395. Well, it’s just something that I use all the time and it’s a must have for video, so get ready to break out the checkbook for this item.

Audio is next on the list. Most of these HD DSLR’s have the ability to record audio, but you REALLY never want to use that as your main source. Any serious filmmaker will tell you that the audio is half the battle – if you don’t get it right, you might as well not being shooting ANY video. So….what’s the least expensive way to improve it? Well, I did a lot of research on this, and came up with two options. A Rode shotgun microphone and a Zoom H4N. I initially went with the Rode shotgun mike because it was cheaper AND easier to just purchase, attach to the camera and run with. For $149 I SIGNIFICANTLY improved the audio capability of my system.  Purchasing the Zoom H4N meant that I had to worry about syncing a separate audio and video track, which meant better software, etc. So, I kept things simple – hook the Rode onto the top of the camera in the flash mount, tighten it down, plug it into the microphone slot on the side of the camera, and you’re off and running.

When you attach that shotgun microphone, put the Z-Finder on the back of the camera, attach a lens and lens hood – you ALMOST look like a professional filmmaker! Slap that camera on a tripod with that fluid head and you’re ready to go.

There’s one more piece of ‘must have’ gear at this point, and that’s a Vari-ND filter. If you are a landscape shooter in the stills world, it’s a must-have for slowing down water flow and giving those beautifully smooth looking long exposures. This is one of the things I have NOT had in my bag and should have all along. They’re not cheap either – a Singh Ray model that gives you eight stops of control will cost between $350 and $400. It’s one of those things that you could have gone without for all these years if your a stills photographer, but it’s not one that you want to skip if you’re going to shoot some serious video. It allows you to control your depth of field in bright light, which is critical for some of the ‘looks’ you might want in filmmaking. Besides – I think I need some of those cool water-flow shots in my landscape work anyway, so it becomes the final piece of gear to get before I shoot.

The summary? I spent about $1,100 to give me some REAL filmmaking capability. Not a ton of money, but I think about the least you can spend to let you tip toe into shooting decent video. Next episodes; what software and computer hardware should I use and can I build anything that might help me get some of the filmmaking look?

Yup - that's me, helping to plant grapes at Arrington Vineyards in Nashville.

Last Christmas, I wrote a piece about some of the gear I wanted or thought I needed for Christmas when it came to shooting video with an HD DSLR camera. I had the folks at Zacuto tell me that they STILL get referral traffic from this post, so I thought I’d update it for you last minute Christmas shoppers and at the same time, tell you how well I did on each item during the last year. Of course, I’m in the middle of writing my series of posts on how I’m FINALLY making my first video, so you’ll get more detail about some of these items in those posts. So, here’s the (updated) 2010 list:

The Gear

OK, so I wasn’t able to find ONE place that told me just what I’d have to have in order to shoot video with these new DSLR’s. How about just a simple list, with the gear, where to get it and the price! How about some kind of order to what you should get first (my opinion, so you MAY not agree) and what about software? What the heck do you need? I figured this would be a good thing to do in case anyone (or my wife) was looking to buy something for me for Christmas. Well, here’s my list:

• Z-Finder from Zacuto – just a MUST have to see the back of the screen better and to help focus. It also helps stabilize the camera for video – $395.00
  2010 – I did buy this, and I stand by my thoughts that this is just something you have to have whether you shoot video OR stills.
• Manfroto BHDV 561 Monopod with a fluid head – this works great for stills too, but you can sure get some more stable video for not so much money – $274.95 OR
• Miller 1643 Tripod with DS20 Fluid Head – this is one of those EXPENSIVE video tripods that they say you MUST have because a stills tripod will just not work – $1,324.95
  2010 – I was really fortunate in that I have a Manfrotto tripod base and I was able to buy the 501 HDV fluid head for it for only $164 from B&H!
• Rode Videomic – camera mounted shotgun mic – $149.00
  2010 – I bought this microphone and I love it! There are many situations where other solutions are better, but if you want the fastest and cheapest way to improve your audio, this is it.
• Zoom H4N Handy Mobile 4-Track Recorder – this would go on top of your DSLR to record a separate audio track – $299.00
  HOWEVER, you need to mount this to your camera, so you also need the next item if you get the Zoom
  2010 – this is one of my next purchases, BUT it means separate audio and video tracks and that means you have to have the software to sync them. This opens up the whole discussion of what platform is best (MAC/PC) and which software that can do the best job.
• Zound Hotshoe from Zacuto – this mounts to the top of your camera hot shoe and allows you to then attach the Zoom H4N – $183.00
  2010 – yup – going to have to spring for this
  Of course, if you then have the Zoom H4N AND the Zound Hotshoe, you need lavaliere mics to hook people up
• Sony UWP-V1 Wireless Lavaliere ENG Microphone Package – $525.00 – but then, if you mic TWO people double this! AND – if you have a separate audio track, then you MUST be able to sync the audio and video up
  2010 – I’ve got ONE old Sony Lavaliere mic and it’s OK, but I’m going to have to improve things in 2011.
• Movie Film Clapper Board – $37.99
  2010 – you know, I REALLY have to buy this thing – I need one!
• Zacuto DSLR Rapid Fire – $551 – this is for run & gun filming, but it will help stabilize the camera as well
  2010 – I’m testing the Tactical shooter from Zacuto right now, but am not finished with my testing.
• Vari Neutral Density Filters – $390.00 – to control the amount of light coming in and still let you keep the depth of field that you want (make sure you get the correct size for the lenses you are going to use them on)
  2010 – This is my NEXT purchase for 2010/2011. I didn’t realize that this thing is REALLY important for both landscape AND video shooters, so it’s something that will be ‘coming soon’.
• Canon TC80N3 for Time Lapse Film making – $136.95 – if you want to put together a series of still images, taken over a period of time, this is the device to do it.
  2010 – I went ahead and got this, but you know what? Haven’t even used it yet…a time lapse of the Christmas Eve party at my house maybe?
• Final Cut Studio 3 (for Mac) – $819.00 – you’ve got to have software to edit this stuff – iMovie can work, but this is the pro deal
  2010 – The latter part of this year was a learning experience for me when it came to editing video. I’ve had to eat crow and admit that the MAC platform is better for editing video. The good news is, I have access now to a MAC mini, AND a Mac Book Pro! I’ve been shooting some video for the company I work for about six times a week. I’ve only been using iMove, which does a pretty good job for simple things. I didn’t have the money for Final Cut Studio, so Christmas is bringing me Final Cut Express. At about $170, it’s a step up from iMovie, but a lot less than FCP.  We’ll see how it works.
• Sony Vegas Pro 10 (for PC’s) – $499.95 – I’ve tested the 30 day demo a bit – a LOT to learn, but once again, you need SOMETHING to edit the video with! I decided against using it AND the PC platform for video.
• F-Stop Academy Training DVD’s for the 5D and 7D – $135 or $120 depending on which one you get!
  2010 – I’ve gotten both of these. They have reduced the prices AND there are several additional videos that will help you get started.
• One other thing that’s really cool? The iPad. Now, what does this have to do with video? Well, how about using it as a Teleprompter? That’s right, I use it about five times a week with an app called Teleprompt+ – works great for about $10.

OK, so I could keep going because there are MORE things on my list (or they should be on yours if you are serious about becoming a film maker), but it’s really starting to get up in price. Matte boxes, follow focus devices, monitors that connect into the HDMI port, it can go on and on. At the end of 2010, and the first part of 2011, I’m doing a little DIY on some of the other things that are interesting to me – follow focus, steady cam, a glide track? Who knows what I might come up with?

The 2010 Christmas Conversation with my wife:

Honey, remember that really long list of attachments I wanted for my camera last Christmas? I know I got some of them and REALLY didn’t use them at all during the entire year, but 2011 will be different because now I have some idea about all the things I’ll be able to do with my 5D Mark II and this additional gear…honey?

(insert long pause)

Honey, can I get a clapper board for Christmas? I didn’t get that last year and REALLY need it! ($37.99)

(insert LONG moment of silence)

Of course you can dear, just make sure you play with it outside.

Final Notes

And, in the interest of full disclosure – OF COURSE I’ll make some money if you buy from the links above! How do you think I’m going to buy the rest of the gear I want?

Merry Christmas everyone… Hope you get everything on YOUR list.

One of the things you have to consider when attempting to create your first HD DSLR video is knowledge. What do you need to know and where can I find that knowledge? Well, to summarize why I’m even asking, let me give you the premise for this series.

It’s been more than two years now since the release of the Canon 5D Mark II and Vincent Laforet’s film Reverie, which really blew everyone’s doors off. For some, the camera was the greatest thing to hit their lives and they ran with it. This series is for the rest of us who bought these cameras and did little if anything with their film-making capabilities.

I know that I had all these grand ideas about what I would shoot when I just figured out how to use it. The more people I interviewed about it for the LensFlare 35 podcasts, the more daunting it became for me personally. I quickly found out that all the settings I had used to capture those first video segments were ‘wrong’. Then, I started hearing about all this extra gear I needed just to shoot video, THEN it was the fact that I needed assistants, had to change out the type of lighting I owned, had to ‘think’ like a film-maker and storyboard everything out first; I needed a more powerful computer AND expensive software to edit it and…did I mention audio? How important it is to have the correct gear, how to record it, how to sync, it, and on and on.

So, I listened and did a LOT of learning from all the people I interviewed, but it was a jumble in my mind. Finally, I decided to get more serious about it and to turn out my first video by studying just a small sampling of the knowledge that is out there. Let’s face it, you type this subject in and Google is going to give you 20 million links to follow. Really? Do we have time for THAT? So, just a random search was out of the question.

Philip Bloom on location in Bulgaria

Then, I thought of the Kelby Training guys. They do some great stuff, but at the time I thought of this, they didn’t have a LOT of courses online for video. Next, I had heard of some DVD’s that Philip Bloom and the F-Stop Academy guys had put together. They had just come out with one that was for the 5D, and then immediately followed up with a version for the 7D. I reviewed them, but they were EXPENSIVE! (they are now MUCH cheaper) Fortunately, they had given me copies at no cost to do the review, so OK, I got them, they were good, but it didn’t spur me to make that first great film.

Next I looked around for a really good book that would take me through the whole process from A-Z. Well, James Ball, Robbie Carman, Matt Gottshalk and Richard Harrington came out with a great one called From Still to Motion. Here was a guide that would take you on a journey with a thorough exploration of the video-making process — from pre-production to post — while easing your transition from still to motion. Four veterans who speak the language of both photography and video fluently taking the time to share their knowledge with a clear, instructive approach; they quickly get you up to speed on everything from picking your gear, to properly lighting for motion, to using professional-level audio, color correction, and editing techniques, to media management and outputting, and much more. Here are just a few highlights from this richly illustrated, completely interactive book and DVD which has become my favorite resource:

* Explores the entire spectrum of video for DSLR camera owners, with recommendations on gear, planning, lighting, lenses, audio, editing, color correcting, exporting, media management, and more.
* Covers a wide variety of shooting styles, including indoor, outdoor, studio, portrait, event, and available light.
* Addresses technical challenges associated with DSLR video, such as camera movement, multiple camera coverage, low-light videography, and synchronized sound.
* Explores additional creative techniques such as stop motion and time-lapse photography in depth.
* Includes a real-world example of a music video and promo package throughout the book to demonstrate concepts in action, with additional profiles of photography experts in nature, sports, commercial, and weddings and events.

The accompanying DVD contains over 6 hours of video training that delves deeper into each topic, as well as high-definition footage, hands-on project files, and templates to experiment with and follow along.

OK, so would this be the book that gets me out there shooting? Well, guess not, because I bought it, starting reading it and STILL didn’t start a project. Next up was a NEW series of DVD’s from the F-Stop Academy guys and one that really spurred me on was called DSLR Video on Assignment with Dan Chung. I had been trying to get Dan on the show for awhile, but he’s a busy guy. He’s also an award winning photojournalist and filmmaker. In this DVD he spends two hours showing you exactly how to approach a DSLR video assignment filmed in Malaysia while on a real assignment. For some reason, I was hooked. Maybe it was seeing a real project go from end to end, maybe it was his style, maybe it was the explanation of how he used the equipment, but in the end I said “I can do this.”

So, here we are… I’ve gone back through all these different sources and taken notes. I’ve really narrowed things down to EXACTLY what equipment I need, what I can build, and what story I want to tell with this camera. Next stop….what will I buy to make the first project happen?

I love these Craft & Vision guys and especially David (who has been interviewed on LensFlare35) because they really have come up with a great model to get information out to us. Something that looks especially cool on the iPad in my little library. Anyway, the latest eBook from the group is The Vision Driven Photographer, Notes on Discovering & Refining Your Vision. It is an engaging and inspiring ebook focused on helping photographers of all levels make stronger photographs by identifying or re-discovering their photographic vision.

By clarifying the things you want to say, you’re better able to wield the tool of your expression – your camera – to create photographs that say what you want to say, and move others. Working through these insights and the accompanying creative exercises will help you uncover or re-discover your vision, first personally, then photographically. The Vision Driven Photographer is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5 USD.

Of course, they always have a special offer when they first release the book. For five days only, if you use the promotional code DRIVEN4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of The Vision Driven Photographer for only $4 OR use the code DRIVEN20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes start at 1:00am PST, November 24th, 2010 and expire at 11:59pm PST November 28th, 2010.

They also have a NEW Product Available – a *Special $20 Gift Coupon*. If you want to share the gift of Craft & Vision this holiday season, buyers of the Craft & Vision Gift Coupon will be issued one 6-digit code. The buyer can then forward that code to their chosen gift recipient, or write the code in a greeting card, etc. To redeem the gift ,the recipient visits www.craftandvision.com, adds 4+ PDF ebooks to their shopping cart, then enters their code in the Discount Code section of the shopping cart screen to redeem their Gift Coupon discount.

Gift Coupons cannot retain any unspent value for future use; e.g., if someone redeems a $20 Gift Coupon on a $15 order total, the remaining $5 would be forfeit (this is why they are not call them “Gift Certificates”). So, if you’re in the US, this is a great Thanksgiving treat for the photographer in your life OR an early Christmas present. Either way, I’ve enjoyed reading my copy and getting inspired yet again by David’s vision.

I just love the books that are produced by the Craft & Vision folks. They’ve come up with a great business model – find photographers who have interesting things to say, beautiful images, and then plop them down into a fantastic template and offer the product at a great price.

Close To Home, Finding Great Photographs in Your Own Backyard, is the latest in the Craft & Vision eBook line-up. This inspiring ebook by Stuart Sipahigil is about the challenges of finding the extraordinary in what we’ve come to see as mundane. Taking great photographs does not require traveling to an exotic place. By digging a little deeper and seeing things around you more clearly you can reinvigorate your photography and find new images in familiar territory. Through practical insights and creative exercises you’ll discover that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

This ebook provides photographers of all levels with the tools and encouragement you need to help you get out of the ruts we all fall into. Your city, your neighborhood, and even your backyard are all full of opportunities for great photographs. The goal of this ebook is to help you see those opportunities and the photographs that lie within them.

Close to Home is 37 spreads of photographs, insights, and exercises that will inspire as you develop your own craft. I love these types of ebooks and enjoy reading every one of them. I especially like the focus of this one because I sometimes think that I HAVE to travel a great distance to get those shots. This one makes it clear that you just don’t have to, and sometimes we all need that kind of reminder.

The downloadable PDF is just $5 USD. So, if you’d like to purchase this or ANY of the eBooks in the Craft & Vision line, please click here!

More about Stuart Sipahigil: Stuart Sipahigil is an award-winning, published vocational photographer who shoots and teaches for the love of the craft. Stuart is an amateur photographer in the traditional sense of the word; that is, he does it for the love of the craft. His photographs have won awards, appeared in publications, and have made their way into homes and businesses around the country. Stuart also teaches workshops to help other amateur photographers find great photographs close to home. Stuart’s work can be found at www.TheLightWithout.com.

Well, last week I got the new Apple TV and I have to tell you, I was beyond impressed. Now remember, I DON’T have a house full of Mac products, but a mix. Mostly PC’s, but there is the iPhone, iPad, one Mac mini and of course, an Airport Extreme. Now, I’ve added the next generation Apple TV to the mix.

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to build a media server and I’ve toyed with building a PC solution and even a Linux server. For one reason or another, I was always pretty frustrated. One time it would be cost, the other it would be some software problem, the next it would be something in the operating system. I’ve got a library of over 600 DVD’s, plus who knows how many music CD’s, then my portfolio of images and devices that I want to show them off on. Couldn’t I get all of this to just work together?

Well, this beautiful little black device showed up (it fits in the palm of your hand and is about 1 1/2 inches tall) and I plugged it in with great anticipation. It took a bit of time to set everything up because you can hook in your Netflix, YouTube, MobileMe, Flickr and other accounts. You do all the setup with this handy little remote control, but navigating through all the menus is a MAJOR pain – typing in your account names and passwords using the arrow keys for navigation over an on-screen keyboard takes forever. Of course, that’s before I remembered that I had downloaded the free Apple Remote software for the iPad! Well, sitting there controlling the Apple TV device with the iPad in my lap was the perfect solution. When it came to filling out those account names and passwords, the keyboard just popped up on my screen – brilliant! Plus, it gives you full control of your content just leaning back in your man-chair – beyond brilliant!

So…the next challenge arrived – merging content from three different iTunes machines onto a single 2 terabyte drive. I won’t go into the ins and outs of this process, but it’s not the EASIEST thing in the world to do. It actually took me several hours and some research on the Internet, but I finally figured most of it out. Moving content you have purchased from all these devices is not so bad, but all the other programs that I had converted to digital took awhile.

One tip I recommend before you throw your images from your portfolio onto that media drive is preparing the content for the iPad. Matt Kloskowski has a great set of presets for Lightroom that will allow you to resize and export your images in the perfect perspective for the iPad. You can find these and the instructions for downloading them at Lightroom Killer Tips.

Another great thing for me was the fact that all my audio podcasts were instantly available – right there on the screen! Not only that, but all of the video segments that I have created could be viewed as movies as well. Talk about cool! All the great images from the photographers that I’ve interviewed were up there on that big screen TV, while they talked about their work. Fantastic!

Now, why do I think the Apple TV is something for photographers? Well, imagine that big screen TV in your studio. Then, think of how that iPad portfolio will look on it for all your clients to see. Wow! What a great thing for a waiting room, or for your window display looking out into the street. Forget printing a bunch of images and hanging them on the walls and in your display windows. Get that big screen up and always show your best and latest work without the cost!

And finally, the rumor is, that the next update of the iPad OS (in November I hope?) is going to allow us to do even more things with this combo package. With the new AirPlay, you can stream it all from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, too. So if you feel like watching a movie you have on one of your devices, you don’t need to rent or buy it again. Just tap to start playing content on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, then tap again to instantly stream whatever you’re watching — or listening to — directly to your Apple TV. I can’t wait.

So, for $99, it’s probably the best thing I’ve recently added to my ‘camera bag’. My wife agrees and I think you will too!

Update: I even thought of two more applications. First, if you REALLY put it in your camera bag, what’s to stop you from visiting a client in person, taking the device out with your HDMI cord and plugging directly into THEIR big screen TV for a really ‘personal’ showing of their images. Second thought – what about all the movies we’re shooting with these HDSLR’s? This is the perfect way to show them on a much larger screen. Shoot and edit your video, and then put it together in a movie file that you add to your iTunes library. At that point, you’re able to call it up on your iPad, and then with the new AirPlay software, you’ll be able to show it on your portable device OR right on the big screen. In this case, I really can’t wait for that update from Apple!

Well, film maker Philip Bloom seems to have done it again. He starts out by telling you how he missed an email from Rick McCallum, producer of the Star Wars prequels and many other films and TV shows at Lucasfilm. In his blog post, he details what it was like to be invited out to Skywalker Ranch in California. Seems like the Lucasfilm folks wanted to know more about the capability of the video DSLR’s, and in particular the Canon 5D and 7D. So, Philip was excited and jumped on a plane to head out there. But what he does next, is the amazing part of the story.

He gets to the ranch and starts shooting. In his mind he has a plan of how he is going to shoot several different kinds of footage, in different lighting and weather conditions to show the power of these cameras. I don’t know if he storyboarded the whole film ahead of time, or just shot tons of footage and then figured it all out when he got back to his room. This film has all kinds of cool things going on, from the use of focus, a glidetrack, time lapse photography, etc. Philip gets it all downloaded to his computer, converts it to 24P (the 5D Mark II footage – 7D footage shot in native 24P), then puts the production together and has it shown on a 40′ screen with George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino and others in the audience. All this in 24 hours!  They were blown away with the final product and so am I.

I don’t believe that I’ve seen a better example to date of what these video DSLR’s can do. On top of that, I’m amazed that one person can have the vision, shooting experience, editing ability AND the capability to put together a final product to music that synced as beautifully as Philip did. This is another reason why he’s becoming the defacto expert on these cameras. Each time he makes a film with them, he breaks new ground.

Watch the video, visit his blog, buy his DVD’s if you haven’t figured this stuff out yet, or follow him on Vimeo or F-Stop Academy. If you have an interest in using the video capability of your camera, he’s the one to watch.

The Gear

OK, so I wasn’t able to find ONE place that told me just what I’d have to have in order to shoot video with these new DSLR’s. How about just a simple list, with the gear, where to get it and the price! How about some kind of order to what you should get first (my opinion, so you MAY not agree) and what about software? What the heck do you need? I figured this would be a good thing to do in case anyone (or my wife) was looking to buy something for me for Christmas. Well, here’s my list:

• Z-Finder from Zacuto – just a MUST have to see the back of the screen better and to help focus. It also helps stabilize the camera for video – $395.00
• Manfroto BHDV 561 Monopod with a fluid head – this works great for stills too, but you can sure get some more stable video for not so much money – $274.95 OR
• Miller 1643 Tripod with DS20 Fluid Head – this is one of those EXPENSIVE video tripods that they say you MUST have because a stills tripod will just not work – $1,324.95
• Rode Videomic – camera mounted shotgun mic – $149.00 OR
• Zoom H4N Handy Mobile 4-Track Recorder – this would go on top of your DSLR to record a separate audio track – $299.00
  HOWEVER, you need to mount this to your camera, so you also need the next item if you get the Zoom
• Zound Hotshoe from Zacuto – this mounts to the top of your camera hot shoe and allows you to then attach the Zoom H4N – $183.00
  Of course, if you then have the Zoom H4N AND the Zound Hotshoe, you need lavaliere mics to hook people up
• Sony UWP-V1 Wireless Lavaliere ENG Microphone Package – $525.00 – but then, if you mic TWO people double this! AND – if you have a separate audio track, then you MUST be able to sync the audio and video up
• Movie Film Clapper Board – $37.99
• Zacuto DSLR Rapid Fire – $551 – this is for run & gun filming, but it will help stabilize the camera as well
• Vari Neutral Density Filters – $390.00 – to control the amount of light coming in and still let you keep the depth of field that you want (make sure you get the correct size for the lenses you are going to use them on)
• Canon TC80N3 for Time Lapse Film making – $136.95 – if you want to put together a series of still images, taken over a period of time, this is the device to do it.
• Final Cut Studio 3 (for Mac) – $819.00 – you’ve got to have software to edit this stuff – iMovie can work, but this is the pro deal
• Sony Vegas Pro 9 (for PC’s) – $499.95 – I’ve tested the 30 day demo a bit – a LOT to learn, but once again, you need SOMETHING to edit the video with!
• F-Stop Academy Training DVD’s for the 5D and 7D – $135 or $120 depending on which one you get!

OK, so I could keep going because there are MORE things on my list (or they should be on yours if you are serious about becoming a film maker), but it’s really starting to get up in price. Matte boxes, follow focus devices, monitors that connect into the HDMI port, it can go on and on. So, for me (I have PC’s AND I already have a Z-Finder) I’ll want these minimum things: Manfroto BHDV 561 Monopod, Rode Videomic, Vari ND Filters, Canon TC80N3 for Time Lapse AND I need the license for the Sony Vegas Pro 9 software.

Well, what’s all of this come to? $1,460.85 – what are the odds?

The Converstation

Honey, you don’t understand all the things I’ll be able to do with my 5D Mark II and this additional gear…honey?

(insert long pause)

Honey, can I get a clapper board for Christmas? ($37.99)

(insert LONG moment of silence)

Of course you can dear, just make sure you play with it outside.

Final Notes

And, in the interest of full disclosure – OF COURSE I’ll make some money if you buy from the links above! How do you think I’m going to buy the rest of the gear I want?

Merry Christmas everyone… Hope you get everything on YOUR list.

Part of getting either the Canon 5D Mark II or the Canon 7D is the excitement of having that 1080P HD Video capability. I know that when I got mine, I had visions of these wonderful clips just spilling out of the camera and onto my hard disk. I’d look at some commercials on TV, or some scenes in a movie and I’d turn to my wife and say “I can do that now – I have that capability in my new Canon!”

So, next stop read the manual? Yup, I did that; didn’t understand half of what they said, but thought I had everything set up the way it should be and went out and shot some video. Well, the problems started right after downloading the footage off the camera. Ok you Apple owners, here’s your first laugh – I am a PC user and the footage looked great in QuickTime, but stuttered and was not smooth, audio didn’t sync with the video and a host of other problems.

Well, let’s just shorten this WHOLE initial experience to a few words. After several weeks of trying to research on the Internet, testing different pieces of software, crunching pieces of video clips from here and there, I STILL didn’t have anything that I could put together on Vimeo or YouTube. And no, I was NOT going to post another ‘Test’ piece of 5D Mark II footage up there that was pure babble! Isn’t there enough already?

So, I was lost, disappointed, upset, and really feeling like there was no way to get any decent video footage out of the camera. I’d wasted my money upgrading because my 5D had been just fine for the landscape images I was taking with it! And yes, my wife WAS giving me ‘the look’ for spending money on yet another toy that “I just had to have because you won’t believe the capability it has and the things I’ll be able to do with it” kind of story.

During all that research, I had figured out a few things:

1. I was NOT the only one out there with this problem
2. There wasn’t much information about EXACTLY what I needed to know to make this work
3. There was no list telling me WHAT extra hardware I had to have and what it would cost
4. There was no list of additional software I needed and exactly what I would have to do with it to get a nice piece of video out of it (Apple users – the all-in-one answer for everything was Final Cut Pro)
5. There was almost NO information about what software to use on a PC and HOW to use it
6. Steve Weiss (Zacuto), Vincent Laforet, Philip Bloom and a few others were doing a LOT to help educate people and to help.

So, I tried contacting the first three names I’d come up with for interviews. I figured I would learn SOMETHING from talking to them, which would help me, as well as everyone else. So, I booked Steve Weiss and learned a lot, had Vincent Laforet booked, but then Canon told him to pull down his video of Nocturne shot with the (at that time) brand new Canon 1D Mark IV – haven’t heard from him since. FINALLY booked Philip Bloom after chasing him around the globe via Twitter, email and peer pressure from his friends. I learned EVEN more from him. During his podcast interview, he had mentioned his affiliation with F-Stop Academy and the products they were trying to create on DVD, so I thought it was worth a follow-up and here we are.

So who is this Philip Bloom guy? Well, he is widely regarded as the worlds leading authority on low budget digital film making techniques. He recently hit two million views on his blog and is regarded highly in the indie film making world as a modern ‘guru’ of digital film making practices. In recent months he’s filmed a commercial in Bulgaria for a National Mobile Phone network, he spent ten days in India shooting a Viral for Greenpeace and then he shot a promo in London with Kevin Spacey – all on the Canon 5D Mark II. He also had some VERY popular videos on the web, including Sophia’s People.

Well, Philip and his partner Den Lennie decided to found F-Stop Academy in May of 2009 to answer the most frequently asked question by film makers worldwide – “What’s the best camera for creating the film look and how do you use it?” Best news is, that same question happens to be the one many of the stills photographers were asking about these cameras.

So they set about creating a course that would break down all the elements that would allow you to create images and films that mimic the look and feel of film using your video camera. Their first two DVD’s are a great chance to start answering some of the questions that myself and many others have had about shooting video with these types of cameras, AND in particular the 5D Mark II or 7D from Canon.

After my interview with Philip, I contacted him and asked if I could review the two DVD’s. He kindly said yes, and I downloaded the digital version of the one for the Canon 7D and Den sent me the 5D Mark II DVD via Priority Mail.

I’m going to focus my comments on the 5D Mark II DVD, since Phillip said they were very similar. Here’s the table of contents for the DVD:

Main Program (57 minutes)
1: Main Titles & Introduction
2: My 5dmkII history
3: Shooting with the 5dmkII
4: What kit do you need?
5: Setting up the camera to shoot video
6: Setting your ISO
7: Creating the best in camera picture style
8: Getting the correct exposure
9: Lenses
10: Lens discipline
11: Using a Macro Extension
12: The Mattebox
13: Follow Focus
14: Using a video monitor
15: Monopod & view finder
16: Variable ND filters
17: The IS Lens
18: Shooting handheld
19: Avoiding the “Jello effect”
20: Shutter speed
21: Getting the depth of field YOU want using the Fader/Vari ND
22: Shutter speed in artificial light
23: Sound
24: Best way to learn? Go out and shoot!

Workflow (17 minutes)
1: Bringing your footage into your computer
2: Converting to a format you can edit with
3: How to convert to 24p or 25p
4: Using Cinema Tools to change frame rate
5: How to sync sound

The Plus Side

The packaging is great, the DVD is professionally designed and put together, and the video footage (of course) is high quality and edited well. I think that many people will get bored right off the bat with chapters two and three, but I personally think they are essential! I wanted to know about Philip’s history and how he got started with all of this. Yes, I didn’t learn anything about using the camera, but it did give me some perspective on who he is and why he got into using these cameras. I also liked the next chapter where he talked about actually going out and using them and showed examples of his more popular ones. It gives you additional perspective if you can hear about it and watch it at the same time.

The remaining chapters were excellent, as they piece by piece explained different aspects of how to set the camera up, additional equipment you can/must use, and how to shoot with it. After watching this, it is a wonder I got anything out of the camera at all! I think I had all the settings incorrect (after actually reading the manual).

One thing to remember though is that this is a beginner’s introduction to all of the material. It just begs the question – is there going to be a MUCH more in-depth version of the DVD coming out? One that covers some of the same title areas, but goes deeper with examples of how it was shot, downloaded, manipulated and then finally edited?

The bottom line is that unless you are already successfully using the camera and getting great video out of it, this is a must-have DVD. It will save you SO much time right up front when you get the camera. I wish I’d had it weeks ago…

The Downside

Occasionally, Philip uses some terminology in the DVD that he doesn’t explain. For instance, what the heck are rushes? You eventually figure it out, but for those starting out, you don’t know what he’s talking about!

The menu settings – he went through them WAY too fast! I’m familiar with the camera and the menus, but not to THAT level! He was clicking and changing screens so fast, that even with extensive use of the Pause/Play button, it took me a bit to mimic his settings.

The Workflow section – kind of just an introduction, so there MUST be another video on the way. It clearly left me wanting, and for PC users – you will be lost. It doesn’t answer a single thing for you. You will know how to get your settings correct in the camera, and shoot some great video, but you won’t be able to do a thing beyond that unless you’ve already figured it all out.

And Finally Price – I think the pricing on the videos is WAY too high; $135.00 for the Canon 7D video and $120 for the 5D! Whether you get it on DVD, or download it digitally, the price is the same. There should be some kind of price break for the digital download, since there is no postage, handling, physical packaging, or anything else involved. I think I’d rather see $59.00 for the DVD and $49.00 for the digital download. I think they’d actually make a LOT more money with the better pricing – hard to say no to those amounts!

Here are the links to purchase either of these:
Learn Canon 5D mkII Cinematography with Philp Bloom ** Add to cart**
Learn 2 Shoot Great Video on your Canon 7D **You can buy the DVD downloads here**

Review of the Canon 7D DVD

After going through the 5D Mark II DVD, Philip then asked me to take a look at the one for the 7D.  He said that he thought it was much better. I went through that DVD as well, and would have to agree with Philip. I think it was more polished, they answered more questions and gave the information out in a much better fashion, and they added a time-lapse section as well, which was pretty cool. Other than some minor settings for the 7D, you could use the information in this DVD and apply it to shooting with the 5D just as easily. So, you make the call as to which one to buy, but at least one of these is a must for getting started with video.

Every once-in-awhile, a product comes along that you just have to have. Sometimes you don’t even realize it until you have it in your hands! And when you DO get it in your hands, you figure out there are some other reasons it may work for you! The great folks at Zacuto USA gave me one of their new Z-Finder attachments to try out.

The Z-Finder is Zacuto’s DSLR Optical Viewfinder that allows DSLR cameras to have the correct form factor for video. It offers a 3x focusable magnification, a 40mm diameter lens, an eyecup preventing extraneous light leakage, and a field of view perfectly matched to LCD screens. The DSLR viewfinder is critical for precision focus on the shallow depth-of-field cameras. It consist of four parts; the mounting frame, the skirt with optics, the focusing knob and the eye cup. The mounting frame attaches to your camera LCD screen with a double sided adhesive. Once the frame is on the camera LCD screen, the Z-finder then snaps on the frame. The Z-finder can quickly be snapped on and snapped off, if you want to get your eye in the actual viewfinder.

Zacuto also added a lanyard hook option on the outside of the z-finder so you can attach a Zacuto lanyard to your Z-Finder. The lanyards allows you to quickly take the Z-Finder off but have it nearby to quickly put back on when needed. Also, don’t worry left eye people, the eye cup can rotate!

Well, it arrived as advertised and getting it onto the back of my 5D Mark II was a breeze. There is a square piece of plastic (the mounting frame) that has a double-sided adhesive strip around the edge. You pull the paper cover off that strip, center the plastic mounting frame to fit perfectly around your viewfinder on the back of the camera, and then press down on it. Zacuto recommends that you put the camera on a flat surface (lens down) and then place a book or some weight on top of the mounting frame for 24 hours so that the adhesive adheres properly. No problem, but you ALWAYS want to just run out and test something as soon as you get it!  Good idea to wait though if you want it to work properly. Besides, it WILL come off if you decide to remove it later on.

Once the 24hours has passed, the Z-Finder will just snap on and off the mounting frame when you need to use it. Now, one of the questions I ask folks in my regular podcast, is what do they have in their camera bag? I have an interesting item, that most photographers DON’T keep in there. It’s a Rodenstock 4X Loupe, which is REALLY helpful in bright light situations to place on the back viewing screen and check focus. I know, you can just blow it up on the viewfinder with the plus and minus buttons, but this seems to be a much better way to see that critical sharpness.

Well, the Rodenstock is a little round thing, it does hang around the neck, but it was never meant to be used on the viewfinder on the back of my 5D. I used it (under a viewing hood) to check the focus on my 4×5 view camera, and just stuck it in the camera bag with my Canon equipment when I started using it exclusively all the time.

Before the Z-Finder had arrived, I’d been out shooting some video with the Mark II, only to find out that I couldn’t really see what was going on on a very sunny day. I was having a LOT of trouble seeing what I was filming and the Rodenstock loupe was not much help for live viewing! The Z-Finder arrived and was just a thousand times better for viewing what was being captured on the back. There is no light leakage from the sides because it covers the entire screen area, and the eye cup fits your eye pretty tightly. People wearing glasses will have just a bit of trouble, but I was able to rotate the rubber cup to where it fit pretty snugly. An additional issue that you may deal with, is getting the focusing ring to adjust enough to where the focus is tack sharp when wearing glasses. Zacuto is going to have a deeper mount available in a couple of weeks for those people who have a problem with this.

One other thing I started using it for, was viewing still images on the back of the screen. When I first got it, I thought that the only use would be for video. But, once you have it hanging around your neck, it becomes a MUST have item for checking your still images. You just grab it, snap it on the back of the camera on the mounting ring, and then cycle through your images to check how they really look. In a low light situation, this is probably something you don’t need to do. But, if you are an outdoor shooter, this is just something that I think you will use time and again. Doesn’t matter if you shoot macro, landscapes, or weddings, it’s just easier to see the images on the back of the screen with the Z-Finder.

The company has put a great video together which gives all the details about the product. It’s a bit long, but worth watching.

The Plus Side:

In my mind, I thought this was something only video shooters would need. What I found out was, that since I’m a landscape photographer, this became almost a necessary piece of gear to keep hanging around my neck. Besides, when you attach it to the camera, you just look cool So, I would recommend this to anyone shooting video, or doing a lot of bright light shooting. It works great on the 5D Mark II AND they say it fits fine on the new Canon 7D. The mounting piece also helps keep your face just a little further off the viewfinder so that there isn’t as much skin oil getting on it.

The Down Side:

I had two things I felt were downsides of the product. One was cost. The device is EXTREMELY well-made. It does not feel cheap at all, but at $395.00 it ‘feels’ about $100 over what I would want to pay.  Maybe that’s just me – I want it, but want to pay less for it. The second thing is dust and dirt. With the mounting frame on the back of your viewfinder, you end up creating a wonderful place for dust and dirt to hide. I didn’t put it through very heavy use, but I found that I ended up with quite a bit of dust and dirt in and around the edges of the viewfinder up close to where the mounting frame was attached. A blower brush helps, but is not the perfect solution. It may mean taking the mounting bracket off from time-to-time to do a real cleaning, but then you’ll have to order some extra adhesive strips from Zacuto.

Final Thought

One other thing, that is not a downside of the device, but one of being a still photographer starting to shoot video with these cameras, is this:  You see this great video on TV, and then you believe that you can do the same thing once you get your HD equipped still camera. Well, reality is – devices like the Zacuto Z-Finder are just the tip of the iceberg of what you will need to get that fantastic video. Think you can hand-hold every shot? Well, not really – next you’ll find you need something to steady the camera. If you’re not moving, your tripod works fine. But what if you have to move? Well, get ready to spend a lot more cash! Stocks that hold the camera against your body become another of those ‘must have’ Zacuto products that go with the Z-Finder. Just a heads up, but the Z-Finder is just the beginning when you get into shooting video!

Before the great folks at ExpoImaging were sponsors of the LensFlare35 podcasts, I had heard about their Ray Flash product and ordered one. They signed up to become one of the show sponsors a week before it arrived and I’d had a chance to test it. However, I still wanted to put this device through its paces, because I love doing macro photography of flowers.

The Ray Flash is an inexpensive substitute for traditional studio ring light units and is designed to replicate their lighting effects. It is portable and lightweight, and has been designed to take advantage of a camera’s TTL metering capabilities. Because the Ray Flash relies on the hot-shoe flash to generate its light, it contains no electronics, no flash tubes and requires no cumbersome cables. The light distribution is accomplished through a sophisticated system of internal light-shapers designed to distribute and project the light evenly around the lens.

The Ray Flash creates a distinctive ring light effect: a three-dimensional shadow-wrapped look around the subject. Because ring flash light originates from a circle around the lens, it produces a virtually shadowless look on the front of your subject, while producing a soft even shadow around the edges. The attachment is ideally suited for fashion, wedding, portrait and macro photography as either a main or fill light.

The Ray Flash is designed to fit the Canon 580EX (I & II) and weighs about 16 oz. This makes it lightweight enough to be supported by hot-shoe mounted flash units. The 4 1/8” internal diameter of the Ray Flash is large enough to accept almost all of the professional lenses from Canon.

I first tested the product on Macro Photography. Any photographer will tell you that the main issues with using a macro lens and trying to get a good image are wind conditions, lighting, and depth of field. The interesting thing is the Ray Flash helps with all of those by throwing that extra bit of light on your subject. First, if the object is moving just a bit, you are able to use a higher shutter speed to stop it in its tracks. Second, with that extra light, you can use an aperture with a greater depth of field AND you can move around and maybe get a better lighting angle because you now have more control of that light.

In this image (above), I didn’t use the Ray Flash. It looks ok, but lacks a little punch to it. Yes, I could tweak it in Lightroom, Camera Raw and Photoshop, but why not start with the best image that you can?

Now, add the Ray Flash (above). I didn’t fire a large burst, but the color has more punch to it! There is some reflection from the flash, but I didn’t put a polarizer on or try to manipulate the image in any way. So, a much better start with all the control you could ask for.

This is another example (above) where I didn’t use the Ray Flash – not too bad, but very soft light from all around – a little flat. I wanted a lot more punch to it and a more dramatic view of the morning glory! I had something in mind, but this wasn’t it. Once again, some curves adjustments, vibrance, etc., would make this a much better image, but I wanted to see that in the viewfinder.

This is the more dramatic shot that I was looking for; sun behind the flower so that the light comes through and shows the texture, while I fill in the front so that you can see the interior of it. Adding the Ray Flash really gave me the contrast range that I was looking for.

Sometimes the light provided by the Ray Flash is just enough to give you almost a ‘painterly’ look to your flowers as in the example above. I just love the extra lighting that it threw on this image – it really helped define all the texture that I was seeing through the viewfinder. This time, the reflection on the smaller pieces helped create the look I wanted.

Next, my photography student Anne and I moved on to working on portraits, both outdoor and in. She was kind enough to park herself in a spot to try the off-camera lighting capability of the unit and how it would function outdoors.

It was just great soft light, no reflections, no shadows and really set a nice mood for what we were trying to accomplish. And yes, this one came into Lightroom and I tweaked some settings! I punched up the saturation and vibrance, and reduced the clarity.

Finally, Anne took to the indoor studio, where she was learning to set up lights, pose people, and figure all of it out for the first time in her life. We wanted to take a portrait of Mary, but we wanted some soft lighting. So, we had the main light off to the left, a fill on the right (both umbrellas) and then we used the Ray Flash mounted on the 580 EXII flash attached to the camera (her Canon 50D) to fill things in and soften the look even further.

For Anne, the Ray Flash just seemed like the easiest thing in the world to use and she was comfortable with the effect it gave within minutes. And yes, I did some retouching in Photoshop, but this is my sister-in-law and there is no way I’d hear the end of it if the portrait didn’t look “just right!”

In my mind, the Ray Flash is an absolute must if you are doing any portraiture, both in-studio or out, off camera flash – you can STILL mount this baby on the flash and a stand – or macro photography. To be honest, I can’t believe I’ve been going this long without it! For under $200, it is a must-have addition to your camera bag.

The Down Side

I was only able to find three negatives with the product. I know, it sounds like a lot, but these are LITTLE nits. One, it does cast reflections inside of your flowers that may have to be taken out in Photoshop, especially on shiny wet surfaces. However, the advantages FAR outweigh this minor disadvantage and you can put a polarizing filter on the lens to help you with this.

The second thing that bothered me is how to carry it! It didn’t really fit in any of my camera cases and doesn’t have a protective case of its own. I actually ended up just tossing it on a coat in the back of my vehicle, where it lay exposed. It was just an odd-sized piece of equipment that I was afraid I might break, despite the excellent construction and heavy molded plastic feel that it has.

Finally, the fit on the flash – there is a little control that you turn to secure it on top of your flash – and I mean SECURE! That thing is NOT going to come off the flash head. However, because each flash unit is a little bit different, the Ray Flash can be tilted down slightly too much to be even with the front of your lens. Included in the package were these little pieces of rubber – kind of like a small rubber doorstop. You put one under the flash head and it magically brings the angle of the Ray Flash even with the face of your lens. Except – that piece of rubber fell out within the first five minutes of use and was almost lost for good! They give you two of them in the package. I don’t know what the permanent solution could be for this little anomaly, but the doorstop didn’t do it for me because I felt that I would loose it quickly!

So, bottom line is, visit their site for additional information at www.expoimaging.net and if you want to purchase one of these units, go to B&H Photo! I’m happy to have it as part of my camera equipment arsenal and I’m sure you will be as well!

This is a Quick Hit Thursday Podcast short. This week we’re going to talk to Eric Sowder of ExpoImaging, Inc. ExpoImaging, Inc. distributes designs and manufactures unique and innovative imaging tools for digital photographers. From portable lighting accessories such as the Honl Photo Speed System and the Ray Flash ring flash adapter, to color management tools like the ExpoDisc, their products provide new creative options that help photographers improve the quality of their images.

In this podcast, Eric talks about how the company started, the products they offer, and how they DECIDE on products. Additionally, if YOU have a product idea, they want to hear from you. Eric also gives us a hint about a NEW addition to his line of products that has not been announced yet. If you want to learn more about the company, please visit their website AFTER you’ve listened to the podcast

This is a Quick Hit Thursday Podcast short. This week we’re talking with Mike Wong, VP of Marketing for onOne Software about their iPhone application that can remotely control a Canon camera. The DSLR Camera Remote software works on either the iPhone, or iPod Touch.

The onOne Software team has a passion for two things; taking the perfect shot and building really cool software. Their goal is to build tools that save time and money for everyone who loves photography, allowing them to get back to what they really want to do: go shoot!

Mike talks about who came up with the product, how it has been received, new updates to the software, and other happenings at onOne Software. He also reveals a bit about HIS Canon equipment and what he shoots with it.

To listen to the full podcast interview, click on the player’s forward arrow below. You can also play the Podcast in a popup window, download it OR subscribe to it via iTunes.

This is a Quick Hit Thursday Podcast short. This week we’re talking with Scott Kelby, a man who probably doesn’t even NEED an introduction, but here goes:

Scott was just named the #1 best-selling computer book author for the 5th year in a row; he’s the President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), the publisher of Photoshop User and Layers magazine, and chief “Photoshop  Guy” on the popular podcast, Photoshop User TV. He also writes the wildly popular blog, Photoshop Insider, and is the creator of Photoshop World – the world’s only Photoshop and digital photography conference and expo. Furthermore, Scott also heads up Kelby Training, which teaches Photoshop and digital photography techniques to millions of people every day via online classes and live seminars. And finally… he’s the guy behind the just completed Worldwide PhotoWalk.

That walk is now one for the history books – in fact the Guinness World Record History Books in only its second year. So, we thought there were a TON of Canon photographers who would like to hear Scott’s recap about the walk, some of the most interesting things he’s learned from them, unexpected outcomes and where it goes from here. Plus, JUST after we completed the interview – Scott revealed a secret! He OWNS a Canon 50D! Let the ribbing begin…

To listen to the full podcast interview, click on the player’s forward arrow below. You can also play the Podcast in a popup window, download it OR subscribe to it via iTunes.

This is a Quick Hit Thursday Podcast short. This week we’re talking with Dr. Illah Nourbakhsh of Carnegie Mellon University about the GigaPan Platform.

The GigaPan was developed at CMU by Dr. Nourbakhsh, an associate professor of robotics, with the help of the NASA Ames Intelligent Robot Group. The GigaPan idea originated with Randy Sargent, formerly of NASA and now a CMU faculty member based in California. He, Dr. Nourbakhsh and their research team developed an earlier version of the imaging technology for the Mars Exploration Rovers that NASA used to create and explore panoramic images of the Martian surface. It is a robot which transforms your digital camera into a powerful image-maker.

The GigaPan robotic platform takes continuous snapshots of a place or an event. Then the software provided by the research team produces a panoramic image built from all these snapshots. The final image is zoomable, so you have the best of two worlds – big panoramas and startling details. Here’s a sample image of the Cape Vincent Lighthouse in Upstate New York.

There is a ton of data on the image, but here are some of the important points:

Size: 0.43 gigapixels
Field of View: 111.03 degrees wide, 42.8 degrees high
Panorama size: 427 megapixels (33308 x 12840 pixels)
Input images: 105 (15 columns by 7 rows)
Field of view: 111.0 degrees wide by 42.8 degrees high (top=34.1, bottom=-8.7)
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon PowerShot G10
Image size: 4416×3312 (14.6 megapixels)
Aperture: f/8
Exposure time: 0.008
ISO: 100
Focal length (35mm equiv.): 142.3 mm
Digital zoom: off
White balance: Automatic
Exposure mode: Manual

To listen to the full podcast interview, click on the player’s forward arrow below. You can also play the Podcast in a popup window, download it OR subscribe to it via iTunes. We created a special GigaPan for this Podcast and it will open up in a popup window, just click, load and zoom around the image.

There are some subjects that we want to cover on LensFlare35 that are not interviews with Canon shooters, but we think they are of interest to people who USE Canon cameras. So, we’re going to call them “Quick Hits” and release them on Thursdays (not EVERY Thursday). They’ll be shorter interviews with manufacturers, software companies, product managers and others that are doing interesting things in regard to Canon cameras. In addition, we’ll do some of our own reviews of software and camera equipment. Stay tuned, because we already have some interesting ones lined up!

First we’ll be talking with Illah Nourbakhsh from Gigapan. If you’ve not seen the images that have been taken with this little robotic device and a camera on the top, you’ve got to visit their site!

The next one will be John Lorusso with Parrot Digigraphic Ltd.  Parrot is internationally recognized as a pioneer and innovator in digital imaging and consumables technology and a passionate advocate of digital photography and fine art printing. They are doing some fantastic things with Canon Printers and Cameras and John will let us know just what’s up.