Beautiful budgetlens: Vivitar 70-210mm 3.5 (series 1)

Last year I paid 65,- for this lens, including the original leather lenspouch, ND-filter, manual and shipping from the States. This is one heavyweight lens, especially after working with all these 50mm lenses. It's a zoomlens with a macro-function. Here are some pictures with the Vivitar mounted on the 550D: beautiful color, saturation and bokeh, sharp but not harsh. Jeez, I sound like a wine-connaisseur... (click on pics for large view)

 

Crap or class? The 4,- Meyer-Optik Domiplan 50mm 2.8

I've read opinions on this lens ranging from 'pure crap, avoid' to 'suprisingly nice lens'. The nice thing about lenses is that there is no absolute truth to how good or bad a lens is. Aside from its technical and build qualities, everyone can have an opinion on how well a lens works for them.
In my case, for 4,- I really can't go wrong with the Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Domiplan 50mm 2.8. 4 euro's money doesn't even cover the material that it's made from. It's a very short lens and it is not the most easy glass to handle -it's easy to inadvertently change aperture while focusing- but I like the fact that it's light and compact. Anyhow, here's a few snapshots I made with this ultra-budget prime lens. (click on photo for large view)

PARK PEOPLE: HENNY

TULIPS

PARK PEOPLE: JACQUES

WALKING CANE

Mailbox: Mamiya-Sekor 50mm 1.2

I need another prime 50mm lens like I need a hole in my head. Actually, there's a hole in my wallet- and it needs to be stuffed. A modest hole because I paid 18,- for this lens. I found it on an online marketplace and even though the seller lives in another part of Amsterdam, I asked him to send it to me because I'm short on time. The guy sends me a crushproof, customized cardbox filled with newspaper and the lens is wrapped in bubble plastic in a beautiful leather pouch. And a screw-on sunshade is also included. It is heartwarming to see how people can take pride in their merchandize, no matter the value. It makes the lens even more special.

Why did I buy it? Because I saw some great photo's people had taken with it. (I know, the lens doesn't make the photographer, or filmer, but it can be inspiring...) And because I liked the look. It was cheap. I'm not just buying mind you. I'm shooting a lot of pictures. Most of it is crap but there are some beauties. I'm learning a lot about photography; skills that I can apply to my videowork as well. It's interesting to see how much these two are alike and yet completely different. Got some great shots with my Vivitar Series 1, 70-210mm, f3.5. A beautiful budget lens. Will post them soon.

Mailbox: television lens, Cosmicar 25mm 1.4

I'm going a little nuts with the lens business. A buying frenzy has taken possesion of me but I promise this is the last one in this series of C-mount 16mm lenses. (there's just 2 more coming from the States- a birthday present from my wife! although she doens't know it yet...)
This Cosmicar-for-Bolex lens is a 25mm 1.4 version and in absolute pristine condition. It produces this wild, swirly bokeh. Can't wait to shoot video with it on my GH2.

Great film, no money

I am Innocent

In december 2008 my filmpartner and I decided to make a film on a Nigerian young man who took on the fate of his village on his shoulders. He left his hometown, his brothers, sisters and ailing father to embark on a journey of which the outcome was uncertain. His goal: money for a pump, drinking water for the people his village. His travel budget: 5 dollars.
This very naieve yet very determined boy learned the ways of the world quickly: he got sick, exploited, incarcerated and abused. After traveling three continents, he found a new home in Holland. Together with a former boxer turned lawyer his luck started to turn and a remarkable story of succes unfolded. The young Nigerian by the name of Innocent boxed his way to money and recognition. But would he remain focussed in his quest for the world boxing title or would the very same fame he pursued all these years be the cause of his downfall?

Pics by a 4,- lens: the Petri 28mm 2.8

I walked out yesterday with the Canon 550D with the 4,- 28mm lens mounted to it and realized too late I had forgotten my LCD viewfinder. Since 'summer' has hit Amsterdam a few days ago, light is bursting through every crack of the city and overexposing everything and everyone. Nobody's complaining, mind ya... We usually don't see this weather before June.
But it was impossible to judge exposure without an LCD viewfinder. And I didn't have the right size ND-filter. Here's nonetheless a few pics I took (click on them for larger size).

NOSHIE

On the waterfront

bridge

ONE LAST TIME: WATERFOUNTAIN AT 1/4000 SHUTTER SPEED

The next 4,- lens

As mentioned in a previous post a few days ago, I bought 6 lenses for a smashing total of 25 euro's just to see what these 'dump-priced' lenses are capable of. I am new to the 'wonderful world of lenses' and I am very attracted to the whole concept of aesthetic subtleties, the way one piece of glass treats light differently than the other and how that affects sharpness, color and bokeh. (the 'bokeh' phenomenon in and of itself is worth an essay all by itself: the mystical word, the way it occurs, the followers and haters of its varying appearances...) But also: the build of the lens itself. The differences and similarities between the way they were manufactured 10 or 50 or 100 years ago. And how old, useless lenses become hot items.

Same lens, different camera: Panasonic GH2 & Canon 550D compared

I did a practical comparison between the Canon 550D and the Panasonic DMC-GH2. I took along five prime lenses and a tripod and set up both cameras with comparable settings, composition. Alternated camera's with the same lens. Everything was shot in 720p because for all practical purposes that's what I use most. Canon was set to ISO 100 and the Panasonic to 160. Mounted with the Carl Zeiss 25mm and 20mm f4 I upped both to ISO 200. Both were wide open, white balance was set to 6000K. Shutter at 50. Canon sat higher on the tripod because of a batterygrip, therefore a somewhat different perspective which is not solely due to difference in 'cropfactor'.(Canon 1.6 vs Panasonic 2.1)


Canon 550D/T2i & Panasonic DMC-GH2 comparison from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

Coming up: Panasonic DMC-GH2 & Canon 550D compared

I shot some footage with the Canon 550D and the Panasonic GH2 using several different lenses from my recently purchased prime lens collection. Tomorrow I will post my findings in the form of a short video on the blog. For starter's here's a frame from both camera's.

FRAME GRAB FROM CANON 550D

FRAME GRAB FROM PANASONIC DMC-GH2

4,- for a prime 50mm 1.8

There's fewer and fewer of these little secondhand shops; usually run by elderly hobbyists that make a few (extra) bucks by selling vintage stuff. This store in Amsterdam specializes in old photographic equipment and (8mm) filmprojectors. I believe this shop is one of the few in Europe that has a generous stock of spare light bulbs for 8mm projectors.
He also has boxes full of lenses, old Pentax camera's, spare caps, straps, filters and one giant 35 mm projector (100 kilogram?) that will most likely never leave the shop. And it's all crammed up till the ceiling and organized in a way that only the proprietor will ever understand. And sometimes even he has no idea...

Mailbox: ziptie gear rings

I received my gear rings today from halfinchrails.com. Simple as can be. I got them in four sizes: S, M, M+, L. 4 plastic gear rings and 5 zip ties. (2 for the L gear ring) An invoice but no instruction sheet. These are budget gears but I find 10,- for a plastic ring still quite a bit of money. I understand we are paying mostly for research & development but still... if they were 5,- a piece it would have felt right and I would have bought ten or so. For the material and shipping it wouldn't make a difference.

S, M, M+, L

Mailbox: is there a lens in this envelope?

I bought a 25mm f1.2 CCTV lens for 35 euro's and when I had to sign for an envelope, the last thing I thought was in there was a lens! This thing is so small and yet so light sensitive- how do they do that? It came with an adapter plus an adapter-for-the-adapter?! I tried mounting it with the two adapters but it wouldn't focus. When I just used the big adapter ring, it worked. The focus ring has no stop for infinity so you can just turn it around infinitely(!). On the aperture ring it just says 'open' and 'close' and there is a hard stop on both ends.
Vignetting is obvious when you open the lens up and disappears in crop mode on the GH2. I think for such a toy lens it produces nice images. Here's a few test shots I made. I'll try to post some night shots as well.



25mm 1.2 CCTV lens from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

Final Cut Pro Ten (skip 8 and 9)

Yes, it's here, it's 64-bit, it's black, it's a lot of what people had hoped for and it's $299,- (available in June!)

Best budget LCD viewfinder?

I've not been very satisfied with my viewfinder for my 550D/T2i, mainly because it keeps falling off the metal frame. And the metal frame itself also fell off, but maybe I should have let it dry longer before I first used it. Still, the loop clicking onto the frame by way of magnets is not a very solid solution.
But this little guy seems to have covered it right. The viewfinder is held in place by a click-system, it is a screenprotector, 3 x magnification, diopter adjustment, flip the viewfinder up for normal view (but with sunshade) and what seems to be allround good build quality. Shipped home for US $65,- Nice.

San Francisco to Paris in 2500 photo's

With the proper gear aboard, you never get bored:

SF to Paris in Two Minutes from Beep Show on Vimeo.

Bicycles: part 2

We made it to the coast. A beautiful day for biking

Bicycles

Great word, actually: bicycles. (Before the bicycle was the 'monocycle') I only know the bicycle; I'm from Holland. We are a nation of bicyclists. As a matter of fact, as I am writing this, I am wearing my racerbike-outfit. In 20 minutes time I'll be on my bike riding 70-80 kilometers to the coast with a few friends.

Just came across this trailer for a doc about how bikes change a nation. Shot with a Canon 550D/T2i and a Panasonic HPX-170. These guys had next to no budget, travelled out to Nicaragua and shot what looks to be a beautiful story. Read more about the gear and the way they pulled this off.


The Bicycle City. Trailer from Greg Sucharew on Vimeo.

A new & stable FCP on April 12?

About 6 months ago I bought a new Mac Pro, upgraded to the latest Final Cut Studio and was ready to start enjoying my lightening-fast editing monster. It's not been the ecstatic ride I was looking forward to, to say the least.

Final Cut Pro has crashed on me more in the last 6 months than in a few years before. What is it: the software, the hardware? Is it FCP or Snow Leopard, the combination? Is it my videocard, the memory?

35 euros: 25 mm f 1.2 lens on the way

I was looking for experiences from others in regards to mounting my 6mm f1.2 lens to my Panasonic GH2 when I came across another CCTV lens, a 25mm f1.2 including adapter and shipping, for only 35 euros. Pictures that were taken with the lens looked really nice and the seller told me I could mount this directly to my GH2. No drilling, shaving or machining! So I ordered it, out of curiosity. Will post footage as soon as I have it! Here's some still images made with this lens:

Wasted

I survived last night, a film/edit session for a large corporation. After a week of soulsearching with an external organization around 20 managers were given the assignment to make a film about leadership.
My task was to help them shape their ideas, give basic camera instructions and edit their footage. We started brainstorming at 9 am, they came back with footage at 4 pm and I had finished my film at midnight. My 3 colleagues were less fortunate and edited untill 5 am. (disaster: my roommate in the hotel had just finished rendering the film at 5 am, was about to go up to the hotelroom when he discovered a text error. It took another hour to re-render...)
The viewing and evaluation took place this morning. My team was extremely happy with the film- as were the others with their films, for that matter.So I'm back home, tired but content. Looking forward to a shave.

Edit marathon

Here we are in à hotel in Amsterdam: 4 editors waiting for 4 film
teams to return with their assignment. A job for a big corporation.
Hopefully we'll have a film at 3 AM!

Who needs new camera's anyway?

Often we're so caught up in the peripheral stuff that we spend too little time doing what we should be doing: filming. I am the first one to plead guilty. One of these peripheral things is this blog. And the gear, the technical stuff, the gadgets. It gobbles up disproportionate amounts of my time.
And then you see something that was shot on a Canon HV20 (I could have sworn it was a DSLR) and it looks stunning and blows away footage shot with the newest gear 5 times the price. And I think: I still have a HV20 lying around and I have always used it for B-roll. If I would have explored more of this camera, I could have done so much more with it. Many of us have too many options, it distracts from the core. It is is true, it is cliché and it needs to be repeated like a chant: less not only is more, less will bring you more. So here's something shot with the 'obsolete' Canon HV20:

MACRONATURE from monso on Vimeo.

Who needs dvd's, anyway?

For the first time in years(!) I have to deliver a video on dvd. Yes, I have burned the occasional dvd but almost all of my work is delivered as webfilm, in quicktime. This client wants 25 dvd's, too small a number to go to the shop so I burn it myself. Real old-fashioned handmade dvd's.
I burn 25 of them and test a few on my standalone dvd-player (which has become obsolete since I got my WD Mediaplayer 2 years ago). I also play them on my Mac and Windows PC. All is well.
I give the dvd's to my client, who gave it to hér boss to view it at home. He returns the dvd saying it doesn't play well: the lower thirds with his name & title are cut off horizontally. I ask for the dvd so I can check if it's bad. I insert it into my dvd-player and it plays fine, as expected. Then I decide to try to recreate the problem and all becomes clear when I set the dvd-player to display 4:3. It cuts off the picture exactly where he told us.

Crowdfunding?

Just came across a stunning piece of photo/video journalism. A trailer, a pitch, a teaser or whatever you want to call it, for a 'crowdfunding' project; a term that has reached my eyes for the first time today. People on the internet decide whether or not they find your project interesting enough to donate money to, starting at US $10,-.


Sin & Salvation in Baptist Town-by Matt Eich-Emphas.is from Emphas.is on Vimeo.

Gear rings on the cheap (relatively speaking)

I never understood why a focus ring has to cost ridiculous amounts of money. Even the rings from the manufacturer of my budget follow focus, DFocus, makes focus rings that cost 30,- albeit that one size supposedly fits all (lenses). But ideally you don't want to mess with taking them off and readjusting them to a new lens every time you go out for a shoot.
So you basically want effective and affordable gear rings. Enter Half Inch Rails with their zip-tie solution. 40,- for a set of 4 gear rings. Just placed an order.


HIR Zip Tie Focus Gear from Sam Morgan Moore on Vimeo.

Byebye trusted mate

After years of great service the time has come to say goodbye to a great travelmate, a trusted partner and protector of my greatest assets. We have crossed great distances together, withstood the rains, kept eachother company in trains, planes and automobiles but now are roads will separate.
It feels somewhat blasphemous to let him go and I would love to keep him until he meets his final resting place, but this house is too small for him and all of his colleagues. One of them has to go. The Petrol PCUB-1N camerabag will start a new life elsewhere and will assist his new owner for many years to come. Bye bye, trusted bag. You have served me well. May good care carry you far into the future. And may you carry great camera's in return.

Mailbox: unboxing the DFocus V3

Just received my DFocus V3. First impressions: light, plasticky but solid, nice rotation with dampened friction. The big question with this product is, as far as I'm concerned, how it will stand the test of time. I'd be interested to hear from others how this thing holds after thorough use. I'll be posting a review after I've used it a few times.

Unboxing the DFocus V3 from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

Mailbox: budget timer remote for GH2

I don't know why it was relatively hard to find a cheap intervalometer for my GH2. I was searching the forums but noticed people were spending $45 and up for a device that shouldn't cost more than 25,- (which is exactly what I paid for my remote for the Canon 550D) And they seemed to be really happy with that deal..! Was Panasonic stuff more expensive or was it just the GH2 stuff that was more expensive? Because apparently the remote that works on the GH1 doesn't work on the GH2, so I was made to understand.

Mailbox: close, but no cigar

So I got myself a Pentax 6mm f1.2 for 14,99 and I'm dying to mount this thing on my Panasonic GH2. Today I got one step closer but there's about one millimeter between me and happiness. One millimeter of metal.

My C-mount to micro 4/3 adapter arrived and it's another ring like they've been showing up regularly here lately. There is a guy who does reviews of adapter rings but the only thing I can say is that it's black metal and fits my camera. But it doesn't fit my Pentax CCTV lens and that's not the adaper's fault. There is something unusual about the design of this lens and so you must modify it.

In review: Varizoom VZ-LSP shouldersupport

I thought I wouldn't use it anymore after I bought my beautiful, modular Gini rig. But the Varizoom VZ-LSP has held its ground and remains my first choice when shooting with my Sony EX1R.
The biggest advantage over the Gini rig is weight, or the lack of it I should say. The second biggest advantage is the abdomen support. The rig just sits on your abdomen and takes away a lot of strain from  the arms.

free Final Cut Pro tutorials

I have been following FCP-guru Larry Jordan for many years. He has a voice that holds somewhere between a therapist, a hypnotist and a grandfather- very easy to listen to. Besides that, he is a knowledgeable guy with who knows how to get a message across. Even though I subscribed to his newsletter, I somehow never knew Larry had his own YouTube channel with lots of mini-tutorials. Do you know the best way to output HD to DVD? Just one example of some very valuable -and very free!- tutorials:

My first night with the GH2

Just me, my dog and the GH2 with Panasonic pancake 20mm 1.7 during our daily (nightly) walk around the block. All of this is literally within 100 meters of my home.
It just shows to prove (or proves to show??) that the beautiful stuff is all around. But the touchscreen focus makes this possible. I would not have even attempted a lot of shots without it (or the swivel lcd for that matter)- too much hassle, can't judge focus from unusual angles.

All handheld (smoothcam filter), no grading... dancing with light!

My first night with the GH2 from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

Hands-on with the Sony NEX FS100

This really is the new type of marketing: ask a filmmaker to talk about designing a new camera and then have him sell it to his peers. I mean, the camera certainly looks promising but some comments, like "look, a headphone jack so you can monitor your audio- something we really really wanted..." (is it, really??) and "a peaking function that help you with focusing- really exciting!" (yesss, it's the latest in focus technology!!) set off my alarmbells. (And notice how they flash good ol' Philip Bloom for a sec, just for 'street credibility')

Aside from this being an obvious sales pitch, I wouldn't say no if someone shoved a FS100 in my hand for the upcoming birthday...

NEX FS 100 Video Blog from Den & James on Vimeo.

Mailbox: 15,- multicoated UV filter and 2,- step-up ring

46-52mm step-up ring with 52mm LCW variable ND filter

Luxury problem: you have several camera's and want to be able to use your lenses and filters on both of them. Enter the world of adapter rings, step-up rings, stacking and threading.
I was particularly looking for a solution to mount my 55,- LCW variable ND-filter, which I bought for my Canon 50mm 1.8, on my Panasonic pancake 20mm 1.7 The step-up ring cost me less than 2,- and thus saved me over 50,- A great solution.

Lumix pancake with Kenko multicoated UV filter

I paid 350,- for the Panasonic pancake lens and needed to protect the glass with an UV-filter. The Kenko seems to represent good value for the money: 15,- for a multicoated piece of glass. I'll post some tests later to show the affect on picture quality.

Sony's answer to the Panasonic AG-AF100?

Will be around 6000,- Here's a list of the features. Another one to research, boys and girls. Here we go again!

Follow Focus on the way

I've ordered the D|Focus V3 and today I received an update that the unit is shipped. An acquaintance has had the V2 for a while and told me it is 'pretty good', especially considering the price. I figured the V3 must be better, perhaps even 'almost good'. I was looking at two Follow Focus options:

-The CineFocus R2 for around 430,- (including   shipping from England)
-The D|Focus V3 for around 160,- (including shipping from Finland. This price is only for businesses, for non-business customers you must add 24%)

extremely short review revised

About a week ago I did an extremely short review of the small Vibesta Clamp (aka Vibesta Clamp small). I contacted the reseller, Cameratools.nl, and they sent me a new one. This one works and is what I hoped for. In combination with the articulating arm this is one great addition to my toolkit. It's small, easy to setup and holds a camera without a problem. It has two threads, one 1/4" and one 3/8". For unboxing or other types of short, simple video's I won't have to set up my tripod anymore. I can connect my camera to a shelf and get a nice birdseye view. At 24,- it's not cheap but cheaper than the nano clamp by Manfrotto. Very handy.

Buying camera's abroad

The world is our shopping mall: we don't visit the shop around the corner to buy our new camera but scour the internet to find the best deal. We research our new camera over the internet, find the most information on American websites and... wind up buying in China via eBay :-| (it 'd be interesting to see how important eBay has become for the Chinese economy...)

The one and only FlyCam

I've seen these things more and more. Remote controlled helicopters with camera's. And people using their iPhone as a controller for all sorts of flying devices, some of them also equipped with built-in camera's. This particular machine is probably way beyond budget for most of us but I am sure that in the near future we can get flying HD for the masses! Meanwhile, enjoy the ride with the one and only 'fly-cam'.

FreeFly Cinema Behind the Scenes from tabb firchau on Vimeo.

babysitting or videoproduction...

I got suckered into re-editing my assignment 3 times, buying several types of dvd-packages that were rejected and I am now designing and printing dvd-covers which I vowed never to do again. And between every step sits around 2 weeks, which means that this assignment has been lingering for months and I haven't received a penny so far.

I thought I had my bases covered: in the contract I noted that 'the customer has a right to one editorial round' (one re-edit) and that I will deliver one master dvd. 'Customer is responsible for DVD-box and design, if desired.'

35 mm adapter deals

A friend and colleague just snatched a Redrock M2 35mm adapter off eBay for just a few hundred bucks. That's only a fraction of the original retail price. Everyone's so hung up on DSLR's and the likes that some very nice -and practically new- pieces of gear have become 'outdated' at a rapid pace. Well, at least to some...
Others have a lot invested in their 'traditional' camera's like my friend's EX1 and are waiting for 'the generation after the DSLR's', which would be something like the Panasonic AG-AF100. But if you don't have the money yet or are waiting for something like the Red Scarlett, you can get that 35mm look for just a few hundred euro's, as opposed to spending thousands on a DSLR plus accessories. There's a lot of 35mm adapters out there and prices are getting better every day.

Sony HVR-Z1U (+ tripod) for sale

I don't intend to use these pages for classified ads but it just so happens a female friend asked me to sell an immaculate Sony Z1 for her. This camera has extremely low hours, 150 hours tape run, and looks like it came straight out of the box. A great camera, a workhorse that is NTSC/PAL switchable and shoots HDV and DV (DVCAM and mini-DV).

The camera comes with a Kata bag, a Manfrotto 755B tripod with Manfrotto 501 head, 10 Sony HDV tapes (factory sealed), 2 cleaning tapes, a Sony HVL-20DW2 camera light and 4 NP-F750 Li-ion 4000mAh batteries (replacements). Manual, component & composite cables, remote control and ac adapter/charger are all included, as well as the training DVD  'A Complete Guide to the HVR-Z1U' with over 100 minutes of instructions and tips.