GH2 hack: testing in the dark

The new Driftwood patch/hack for the Panasonic GH2 achieves an astonishing bitrate of 176 MB. But to be honest, the technical particularities of this accomplishment elude me; you could have told me 2000 MB and what does it say..? Numbers mean nothing.
The only thing I'm interested in is seeing it in applied in the real world. How does this hack translate into picture quality? Better dynamic range? Less noise? More sharpness? I'm looking for a video that does a side by side comparison of the original bitrate and the hacked one. But I mostly get video that is is sterile testing: a rating of noise produced by the camera when shooting at different ISO's with the lenscap on... That's not a real life test?!
Shoot the same scene with this ridiculously high bitrate and shoot the same scene with 'native' settings. That way I can judge whether I really 'need' this patch as long as I'm only publishing my stuff on the internet... and whether or not it's time to 'upgrade'. Can't find such a test. I guess one of these days I'm gonna have to try it myself. Meanwhile, here's the 'test in the dark' and a 250 MB bitrate test.

Shaky camera images? Fix it in post!

A new feature to be expected in the next edition of Photoshop. Unfortunately it doesn't work with video- yet. Hope this feature is released in time before I hand over my images from my photoshoot of a classic car rally last sunday...;-)

What to do with my Canon HV20?

THE HV20 HAS MADE MANY 'INDIES' HAPPY!

The Canon HV20 camcorder was quite a little number in its heydays, packing features such as great picture quality, a choice of progressive video, HDV and DV shooting and the ability to control aperture/depth of field (albeit with a little workaround), HDMI out, external mic in, all for a very affordable pricetag. To be honest, I never really used it other than on full automatic. As B-roll to my Sony Z1 and later my EX1. Great for concerts and theater registrations; close-ups of keyboards or percussion...I've also taken it on vacation a few times: this camera takes a mean photograph as well! (on a micro-sd card, I used a 1GB)
But I haven't used the camera for over a year. And I only have one mini-DV tape left. Should I buy new tape or convert definitively to tapeless acquisition?
Since then I have bought a few other camera's that can serve as point-of-view cams. I can use my Panasonic GH2 for B-roll to my EX-1R. I guess the time has come to say goodbye to my HV20. (less than 80 hours of operation!) But only if the price is right: bidding may start underneath this article in the Comment Section!

THE CANON HV20: SMALL PACKAGE, GREAT PICTURE

Shooting classic cars

I spent my sunday shooting classic cars. Shooting photographs, mind you. Used my Canon 550D, Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC and 50mm 1.8. This job took so much out of me, I almost forgot to blog... That would have been the first day I'd have missed since I started. I am totally wasted. But the cars and locations were beautiful...

Review: Gini DSLR rig

GINI RIG: PRETTY BUT NOT PERFECT

Korean DSLR builder 'Gini' has built quite a name for himself over the last few years in the DSLR-world.  DSLR-rigs were -and still are- outrageously expensive. But Asian companies like Gini have brought these prices down considerably.
I bought my Gini DSLR rig about 8 months ago and only recently have I been using it regularly and with all the accessories I needed to be able to make full use of it. I feel that only now I can say something sensible about my rig. The emphasis is on 'my rig' because there are so many packages out there, so many configurations that you can only talk about the components in your particular set-up. But the basis, the materials, the clamps and the rods are of course all the same.

What is really the use of a rig?

1. For one, to be able to mount your DSLR like a proper videocamera, on your shoulder and getting that same steadiness you're used to when working with pro camera's. 
2. To add much desired mass to the camera's light body to keep the camera from registering your every touch or shake.
3. To be able to add a light, a mic, a mattebox and whatever other accessory you may wish.
4. It adds blingbling to your gear which to some makes you more professional-looking...

 But there are alternatives to rigs. You can buy yourself a DSLR cage. You won't be able to use your camera like a shouldercam but consider if you really intend to shoot like that. If not, a cage may be the better choice. It is generally more compact, more solid and easier to set up. It will also do a better job of protecting your camera.

BASEPLATE NEEDS RUBBER & SCREW IS HARD TO REACH

I bought my Gini rig in January. A relatively simple package: shouldersupport, baseplate, handles, monitor arm and some rods and clamps. It's easy to assemble and you can make different configurations from even a simple package like mine. But what do I really think about the Gini rig?

I still think, as I did then, that the design is wonderful and the materials top-notch. The finish is solid in every respect. (hardly a scratch after banging it around a bit) This stuff makes you feel like a little boy in a toy store. But there's a few points of criticism I have about the rig:

• the baseplate has a screw for attaching your camera and that screw is hard to tighten. It's too big and you can't get your fingers inbetween once you have a follow focus or mattebox mounted. Almost always the camera keeps turning on the base and that's a bad thing. An idea to solve this would be a little piece of rubber that's sunk into the baseplate and would accomplish two things: 1) prevent the camera from turning/moving 2)it would allow for tighter screwing.
• Another weak point of this rig is tightening the handlebars. It is a problem with all the clamps: you have to tighten the clamps so hard it hurts your fingers. Even then, I've had the handlebars loosen/slide when I was carrying a fully loaded rig. That's a very bad thing because it made me feel insecure and worried about damaging my equipment- and that's the last thing you need on a shoot. I have since tightened the clamps with a hex screw and was thus able to screw it tighter. But for obvious reasons I would have liked to just use the little levers that were made for that task and not have to bring extra tools (that can be forgotten or get lost) ...
• Gini's shoulderpad is not ergonomic. It would be nice if it would adjust/sink onto your shoulder somwhat. And you need some counterweights to balance the rig out.

A TORQUE-SCREWDRIVER IS NEEDED TO TIGHTEN THESE LEVERS

Its eight months on since I bought my rig and meanwhile, Gini may have changed some of the designs. But I have seen the baseplate currently for sale and it still looks the same. (I am experimenting with removing the screw altogether and permanently attaching a quick-release adapter.) The levers and locking system still looks the same so I am curious if others have problems with securing the clamps.

I have recently bought some extra parts for my rig. I think a top handle is essential for carrying the rig around. And you will at least need a C-shaped support to attach that- or a cage.

My advice to shooters looking into buying a DSLR-rig would be: look carefully at what others have built and see what you need for your style of shooting. Start small and build according to your needs. Gini sometimes offers good deals but so do others. And last but not least: looks are great but not very functional. The importance of keeping it small and simple cannot be over-emphasized!

VERY 'BASIC' BASEPLATE

Ordered: Manfrotto BHDV-1 monopod

I had been thinking about a monopod for a long time but after seeing a few video's on the Manfrotto BHDV-1, I totally fell in love with this model: a true hybrid between a tripod and a monopod. It's got three little legs and a fluidhead, it goes up to 200cm, folds up to 76cm and it's... light! At well under 2 kg it must be the ultimate portable solution. Aside from a carbon fiber version that would be a hefty extra investment... Anyway, it appears that once you've got a taste of this monopod, youre hooked. Here's some tricks on using that monopod.

Mailbox: Nature Fader ND filter

NICE BOX, HOPE THE FILTER IS 'GOLDEN' AS WELL...

A golden box for my new 77mm fader ND filter: I hope the product is as nice as its packaging... I already own a 52mm LCW Fader ND Mark II and needed an extra filter for my larger lenses. The LCW, by the way, is a great filter and I have used it extensively with my 20mm Pancake lens (example video). But the Nature brand is more affordable and from what I've read as good as the LCW. With the bigger Nature ND filter and with an assortment of stepup rings I should have all bases covered. I hope to do a shootout between the Nature and LCW fader ND filters soon.

77MM 'NATURE' FADER ND FILTER

Is it Chinese porcelain? A crystal bowl? No, it's an adapter plate!

A TYPICAL CASE OF 'OVER-BOXING'

I have received packages in all sizes and shapes but I have never seen a package that was so utterly over-packed as this sliding adapter plate that was delivered to me this morning! A cardboard box nearly 30 cm wide, 24 cm high en 22 cm deep (yes, I measured it, for good measure...) to deliver an adapter plate?! Aside from the fact that you could have easily fitted 100 adapter plates in this box, it was wrapped like antique glass... I'm all for good packaging but this is way beyond any reasoning and a waste at that... (interesting sidenote: this Manfrotto-compatibel adapter plate (Calumet's own brand, half the price of the official Manfrotto version) is shipped in a Manfrotto box...)

SVAROFFSKI EGG PROTECTION... FOR A STEEL PLATE?!

Missing in Action

Waddaya mean DSLR small form factor..??!

Within a week of having my mattebox all set up with my new Formatt glass 4x4 filters, I lost one of my filter holders with a Circular Polarizer still in it. I've been shooting out on the edge of a lake and experimented with different filters. My mattebox has two filter holders and I would shoot with both the polarizer and the ND filter, take out the polarizer, shoot with just one filter, etc. Occasionally I placed a filterholder with glass against my camerabag. I probably looked right through it when I left (it's glass*%##!) and found out 3 days later I was missing a filter and filterholder. So today I biked the 10 miles to the lake to see if it was still lying somewhere in the grass but that was just too much to hope for...
I just spent €25,- to send my damaged SmallHD monitor in for repair, now I need to spend another €80,- to replace my filter and holder. None of this would have happened if I just stuck to shooting with my EX1 and keep things nice and simple... Which goes to prove: the more stuff you have, the more can go wrong... (and it usually does)

MY CIRCULAR POLARIZER IN BETTER DAYS...

Cheap GoPro HD bike mount

CAMERA BIKE MOUNT: $3,- OR $30,-??!

Ever since I busted my GoPro HD mount that was used to attach my camera to racing steering wheel, I started looking for a replacement. I was looking at offers like '$20,- plus $32,- shipping'. Ridiculous. Then I saw something they sell as a GoPro bike mount but is not even an official GoPro accessory. But the price is still over $30,-. Absurd. Then I remembered I bought exactly the same bike mount last year for my Panasonic Lumix TZ7. Cost me $1,- plus $2,- shipping! Now we're talking. (don't forget you'll need a GoPro tripod mount to use any of these bike mounts)
Don't get fooled by so-called 'official accessories', an extra few minutes of searching on eBay can earn you lots of dollars...

NO-NAME BIKE MOUNT (LEFT) AND GOPRO TRIPOD MOUNT

SmallHD DP4 and sunlight

BELOW RIGHT: WHITE SUNBURN SPOT

I have been using the SmallHD DP4 for about a month now. It's been sunny and that's the reason I have been shooting outside a lot, experimenting with different lenses, rigs, my new mattebox and glass filters. My DP4 made it a lot more fun and so much easier to shoot with these accessories and judge what I was doing.

But there is a big drawback to shooting in the sun with an Electronic View Finder (EVF): sunlight. And when I disovered a few spots/specks on my monitor and contacted SmallHD what these spots could be, they said they recognized the spots as coming from sunlight going into the EVF burning holes in your screen. The EVF is a magnifier: remember as a child using a magnifying glass to burn stuff? SmallHD says it takes no more than 30 seconds to burn holes in your screen. Considering that, I'm glad the damage was limited to a few spots...

Problem is that most often we're shooting with the sun in our back. So fiddling with equipment, searching your bag, talking to talent, whatever... 30 seconds is gone in a spiffy...

Is it a flaw in the design? I am not an engineer and cannot answer that. I have read that Zacuto's EVF has the same problem and most likely every monitor/EVF combo. Can't they redirect the sunlight so it won't hit the LCD? My uneducated guess is that -if possible at all- that would require very expensive optical engineering that would put the DP4 out of our financial range.
SmallHD has warned for use in the sunlight and consider this 'user damage'. But I have to give the company credit for the way it handles this issue. For now, clients are getting their DP4's fixed under warranty. In the future the sun warning will be more explicit in the manual and a lenscap for the EVF will be shipped with the package. I would add: preferably permanently attached to the EVF and with a big yellow warning sticker on the EVF itself. Because in the rush of the job, 30 seconds can pass before you can change a lens...

SOME SPOTS ARE ONLY VISIBLE WITH BLACK BACKGROUNDS

Return of the 15,- Pentax 6mm 1.2 (a succes story!)

grind down more on the side, as shown in picture

Ever since I bought my Pentax 6mm 1.2 cctv lens, I have not been able to focus on infinity. I paid someone €20,- to shave down the rear barrel of my lens but to no avail. I started grinding my c-mount adapter but that was not succesful either.
The problem is -and I know other buyers are struggling with the same thing- is that you don't know exactly how much to grind down of the barrel. People didn't get it and I didn't, either... It's not that the person who 'discovered' this cheap wide and fast lens, Seb Farges, wasn't helpful. He shared pictures of the mod but he was not able to explain exactly why simple 'shaving off a few millimeters' didn't work. But then, upon close examination and with the help of blogger Obakesan I finally noticed what I was supposed to do: shave off the outer side of the barrel a few millimeters more, untill you reach the screw on the side.
I bought a €35,- Dremel (electric tool) to do the job and after a few rounds grinding down the barrel... tadaaaa! Infinity! I am infinitely happy with the results... I will post some footage I shot with the Pentax soon. (Note: this is not a dirtcheap lens anymore: 15,- for the Pentax, 2 c-mount adapters@ 19,- together, 35,- for the Dremel... But the Dremel is a lovely tool: I used it to slice through metal today and it lived up to the task!)

GH2 AND PENTAX 6MM 1.2: TOGETHER AT LAST!

Improving the budget fluidhead

WEIFENG/FANCIER HEAD WITH MANFROTTO 577 ADAPTER PLATE

I have been using the cheap Weifeng aka Fancier 717 fluid tripod head and I really appreciate the relatively small form factor and its fluid qualities but... there's one big drawback with this head and that's the quick-release plate. It is really fiddly to slide your camera with plate onto the tripod head: my Manfrotto head, for instance, has wedged edges that make sliding your camera onto the head a breeze. With the Weifeng/Fancier, this is bad design and a big drawback; particularly noticeable and aggrevating when you're working with a heavier setup like a DSLR rig or bigger/heavier camera than a DSLR. I simply could not mount my 15 pound DSLR rig with that quick-release plate...

But you can give your budget fluid head the same ease and convenience of a more expensive system. I mounted my Manfrotto 577 adapter plate on my Fancier quick-release plate and you will never have to deal with the Weifeng/Fancier quickrelase plate again! Another benefit is that -if you already use Manfrotto- you only have to use one type of quick-release plate. Calumet sells their own brand which is compatible with Manfrotto but much cheaper. (they have European stores as well: free delivery action running now!))

IMPOSSIBLE WEIFENG/FANCIER SLIDER PLATE

WEIFENG QUICK-RELEASE PLATE WITH SHARP EDGES

SMOOTH SLIDING MANFROTTO 577 PLATE

WEDGED EDGES MAKE FOR EASY ENTRY INTO ADAPTER PLATE

Mailbox: Accessories for my DSLR rig

FINISHING TOUCH: C-SHAPE CAGE AND TOP HANDLE

Since I have just about everything for my DSLR rig, I might as well put the finishing touch to it. I had no way to comfortable carry the rig around so what I really needed was a top handle- and a way to mount it. There were two options: a square cage or a C-shaped support with top handle. I opted for the last one because in my case (I already have a basic Gini rig) it was cheaper.
After some research I opted for the Lanparte C-shaped Cage, a top handle and 2 rod-risers to accommodate a batterygrip for my camera's. Not cheap but good quality and very functional. After a little searching I found a place that was cheaper than eBay. I have the feeling that the old days -where the best deals were exclusively on eBay- are over...

ROD RAISERS ENABLE USE OF BATTERYGRIP

MATTEBOX AND FF SIT ON BLACK RODS

Filters for your mattebox

This is the first time I took my new Formatt 4x4 filters out for a spin. I have no experience with matteboxes and filters so I was very curious to see how they would behave.  It takes quite some getting used to working with a mattebox and filters. Not only is setup time considerably increased but try to find a bag big enough that will hold a rig with mattebox...
One of the first mistakes I made was to forget the 'donuts' that seal off the mattebox from light coming in from the rear, reflecting off the glass filters. In a few of these shots, the reflection is quite visible. I tried different configurations, adding and removing filters, opening up or stopping down the lens. This is just a first test, however, and now that I've seen the results I'm eager to do some more testing. Shooting water with only the polarizer, for instance, and doing comparisons between ND Grad .9 and ND .9
If there's anything you'd like to see in particular, let me know. For now, you get a pretty good impression of what these filters do and are capable of. Money well spent.

Mailbox: Hi-Capacity LP-E8 (aftermarket)

MINI-DV?? OH, WELL, AS LONG AS THEY WORK...

I am hired to do my first professional photoshoot in a few weeks and I'm starting to get nervous already... What camera, what lenses, how many SDHC cards, shoot RAW, do I have enough batteries. I think I got everything worked out: bringing my Canon 550D/T2i because it's a nicer photocamera than the GH2, in my opinion, particularly because of the form factor.
Besides, my only two autofocus lenses fit just the Canon: the Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC and the Canon EF 50mm 1.8 II. I will pack two 16 GB cards. My biggest worry was running out of juice, considering I only have three batteries, of which two are clones. So I ordered an extra two, 'hi-capacity' batteries, which I received today from ECELL. Two LP-E8 replacements, rated 1930 mAh a piece. (23,- incl shipping). That's considerably more power than the original 1120 mAh Canon battery. But what does that mean in real life? I guess I'll find out and let you know how they fare on the job.

WHAT'S THAT? MADE IN JAPAN?!

Cracked: close call for the GoPro HD

GOPRO PLASTIC MOUNT: BAD PART OR MOUNTING ISSUE?

I went for a ride on my racebike yesterday and attached my GoPro HD with the special bikemount accessory I purchased. Everything went well for the first 80 kilometers but when I rode back into Amsterdam the GoPro seemed to shake more than a few hours before... I thought it was one of the screws that had vibrated itself loose and felt if the GoPro was still secured tight to my steering wheel. It felt solid but the camera shakes actually got worse. A minute later I checked again -still riding fast- and when I removed my hand the GoPro fell, nearly crashing onto the pavement at 30 km/hour... if it wasn't for a reflex in which I snatched the camera before it dropped to the ground...
The plastic part that was holding it simply broke off after 80 kilometers of shaking. But it shouldn't have: this is the same mount they use for motorcycles or mountainbikes and that is way more abusive than a relatively smooth ride over paved streets..? The only thing I can think of is that I somehow mounted it too stiff and there was no slack to release energy/drain vibrations..?
Because for a sports camera, this should not happen...

THE OTHER HALF OF THE BROKEN MOUNTING PART

Mailbox: portable jib

JIB INSTALLS IN A MINUTE

Got my portable jib in today from Glidecam Industries, after 2,5 months... Actually, got two portable jibs. (One for me and one for fellow gearhead, 'Soundman Neal' here in the Netherlands.) We got a little discount on the shipping when ordering two... (Dutch buyers, by the way, get slapped by all sorts of taxes. For the two jibs it added up to €78,-) The goods arrived scratch-free, wrapped in bubble plastic and shipped in a cardboard box.

The jib feels solid- as it should because there's not that much to it. Black finish feels good, welding is rough but fine. The system is indeed portable because it's light, lighter than what you'd think by looking at it. (That's of course without the weights) I mounted it on my tripod, screwed my GH2 onto the jib and played with it a little. Even without counterweights (not included, have to find some...) it feels very solid, smooth and professional. No vibrations, no rattling, no slack. We'll have to find out if that stays that way when adding weights and other stuff...

Without a monitor there's no way to frame the shot and when I ordered the jib I didn't have a monitor. But now I do. I just noticed they're selling a 'jib monitor mount bracket' and at $15,- that is a no-brainer if you want to do more than landscapes and wide shots. Sorry, Neal, looks like this story isn't over yet...

SILVER BAR FOR HOLDING WEIGHTS

PINS FOR SECURING WEIGHTS

SIMPLE... BUT EFFECTIVE

MOUNTING PLATE WITH SCREW (SUPPLIED)

A Dream Come True

I have made possible 1,5 seconds of the production of Man-Child, a feature film to be made by Koo. He needed $115.000,- to make this film and yesterday it became clear that enough people chipped in on Kickstarter to make it happen. Wow. Congratulations! I believe 24 hours before the deadline he still needed $15.000,- and I never thought he was going to make it.
I have to give this guy a lot of respect. Things looked hopeless but up untill the last seconds Koo remained relentless in his drive to draw people into his dream. What focus and positivism can achieve... All his life he had been working towards this moment: investing, reading, writing, filming, blogging, giving, sowing. Waiting for that one moment to harvest.
A week or two before the deadline not even half the money was pledged. He started changing the reward levels- I thought it was a desperate move that could have an averse effect: people can be turned off when they're pushed and lured to obviously. But it worked.
The first time I increased my donation I got a Blu-ray DVD, the second time I officially owned the right rear wheel of his Volkswagen Jetta and at level three I was entitled to a full body massage by Koo's girlfriend Jasmine. Call it outrageous, call it obscene... but sometimes a man's gotta do what he's gotta do- to make his dream come true.

Great editing: the sum and the parts...

Breathtaking video and superb editing. I love the way these seemingly unrelated images come together to create a sensation that cannot be put to words. Just watch. (by the way, there is another, longer trailer that doesn't work for me, probably because I had seen this first...)