7D WiFi with TP-Link and DSLR Controller

[1-14-15: see update at end of post]

I put my 7D on a 12 foot jib arm quite often.  I use a 25ft. HDMI cable to run video signal to my 7” Lilliput monitor.  This means I can see what I’m doing, but there’s no pulling focus or starting/stopping the camera.  Thus, I set focus (pull the camera down, adjust focus, push it up, check, try again, repeat) and when I finally achieve focus lock, I start the camera, then put the camera up in the air and let it run.  “Burning Film” isn’t that big a deal in this age of ultra-cheap storage, but leaving the camera running kills battery and and the focus thing is a major PItA.

Thus, when I saw DSLRController (a remote control for your DSLR via USB and your tablet or smart phone), I got very excited about the possibility of starting/stopping the camera remotely via a long USB cable.

To be sure, DSLR Controller does SO. MUCH. MORE.

But this post is about adding WiFi capability to your 7D… so you can use DSLR Controller WIRELESSLY.

I ordered my TP-Link TL-MR3040 portable wireless router on Amazon ($40), and received it in the mail a couple days ago.  I flashed the firmware on the router according to the easy to follow instructions on the DSLRController webpage, and in about 15 minutes I was up and running.

I am astounded by how well this set up works.  Not only that, but you can run HDMI out (monitor) and USB out (DSLR Controller) at THE SAME TIME.

Yes, I am confirming that you can monitor video via USB and HDMI at the same time.

Thus, I can run an HDMI cable to video village, while still having a 7” field monitor (my LG GPad 8.3) with touch screen controls for shutter, focus (yes, focus… even focus “a” to “b” with the push of a button), histograms, etc… In fact, most of the “everyday” controls of the camera can be accessed via my tablet touch screen.  Again… wirelessly.

Freaking fantastic.

I also glued a 1/4” nut from a hot shoe mount to the TP-Link with PC-7 epoxy so I can easily mount the TP-Link to the hot shoe mount on my 7D.

The battery in the TP-Link will likely last as long as I’ll ever be shooting on the jib, but to be safe, I also ordered an Anker® 2nd Gen Astro E5 16000mAh Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank and received the smaller Anker® Astro E1 5200mAh Ultra Compact Portable Charger for free (total cost for both, $40).  Thus, I now have plenty of power for my tablet and the wifi router when I’m in the field.

 

[UPDATE 1-14-15]  After using this set up for an 8 hour shoot last weekend, I would have to modify my glowing endorsement and qualify this as “not yet ready for prime time.”  I’m not where exactly the fault lies (the router, the tablet, the app), but often the link between camera and app would be lost, or (more often) the app would simply lock up and/or black out.  Since I was in charge of the shoot, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to troubleshoot while working (especially since I expected some hiccups since I was using it “live” for the first time), but had I had a producer/director/cinematographer breathing down my neck while I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on, it would not have been a fun situation.

I had the 7D mounted to a 12 foot Kessler Crane.  I can’t imagine that the range was the problem (when it was working, it was working great).  It really seemed like either the tablet (LG Gpad 8.3) or the app was what was choking each time it crapped out.

Word to the wise: this set up is FANTASTIC when it’s working… but it doesn’t always work.

FWIW, my second camera said he had experienced similar problems with a GoPro and the GoPro wifi app… when it worked (during his tests at home) it was awesome, but when it fails on set and the production is burning more than $90/minute for cast and crew… no good.

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Modifying a Tablet Case for Mounting on a DSLR

I recently fell in love with Chainfire’s DSLR Controller (see review here).  This wonderful app allows me to not only use my tablet as a high resolution field monitor, but I am also able to CONTROL many of my DSLR’s functions via the tablet touch screen.

I searched for quite some time to find a good 1/4” 20 thread tripod mount for my LG GPad 8.3.  I thought I had found it in the iStabilizer tabMount, but it turned out the dimension listed by the seller for the maximum size the holder could accommodate was incorrect, and I had to send it back.  You can read about that situation and my review for the iStabilizer tabMount on this blog here.

So I chose the $13 MoKo LG G Pad 8.3 Slim Folding Folio Case for this mod, as the materials are sturdy and the “folio” style case allows the front flap to function as a sun shade for the tablet.

I will have been using this case with my tablet for exactly five months as of tomorrow.  I have been using it as a DSLR mount for around two months.

I think it's probably the best "book style" (folio) faux leather case available for the Verizon LG Gpad 8.3.  I purchased the MoKo over the (extremely similar) Fintie LG G PAD 8.3 Folio Case because the MoKo has two pockets on the inside of the cover. One is large enough to accommodate a couple of business cards or credit cards, and the other is for a sim card or an SD card.

I have made a very simple modification to the case to allow me to use it as a mount for my tablet on my DSLR. I simply drilled a small hole in the center of the back of the case, and using a hot shoe mount joined to a micro ball head with a 1/4” 20 thread extension nut, I am able to attach my tablet to my DSLR hot shoe or camera rig.

I drilled a hole slightly smaller than the 1/4” post so the post would actually thread into the tablet case backing.

  

 
(the micro ball head and hot shoe mount; note the rubber pad to keep the hot shoe mount from scratching the back of the tablet)

  

At some point I plan on creating two side support "flags" so that the front flap on the case can function as a sun shade for the tablet when I use it as a field monitor/touchscreen in bright light situations.

MoKo Case Mod for DSLR Camera

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DSLR Controller App Review

My favorite app on my LG Gpad 8.3 tablet is almost certainly DSLR Controller by Chainfire.

By simply attaching my tablet to my camera via USB I am able to see what my camera is seeing at high resolution on an 8.3 inch screen.  Thus my tablet is turned into a hi-rez field monitor (and my tablet was FREE!).  Not only that, but I am also able to control MANY of the functions of the camera via my tablet’s touchscreen.  In order to make this happen, your device needs to support OTG, and you’ll need an “On the Go” cable (an OTG Cable).  I purchased this two pack for $7 from Cable Matters on Amazon.

Here’s the list of functions from the app’s Google Play page:

• Live View
• Auto Focus (tap Live View)
• Manual focus adjustments (in AF mode)
• Histogram
• Zoom control
• Grid and aspect ratio overlay
• Bulb capture
• Continuous capture
• Image review (+ follow shot, gallery)
• Image filters (peaking, contrast, channel mask, grayscale, 4 modes/filter)
• Video recording
• HDR/Auto Exposure Bracketing
• Focus Bracketing (incl. HDR)
• Focus A-B
• Mirror Lockup support
• Timelapse (incl. HDR)
• Wi-Fi Passthrough
• Extensive modification of settings
• Shutter speed
• Aperture
• ExpComp and Bracket
• ISO speed
• Auto-Focus Mode
• Focus and Zoom area (tap-and-hold Live View)
• Picture Style
• Drive Mode
• White Balance
• Color Temperature
• Auto-Lighting Optimizer
• Metering Mode
• Image and video quality and format

That’s some crazy functionality from an app.  Much like Magic Lantern, Chainfire has harnessed the potential of the Canon DSLR (more specifically, the USB port) in a much more robust and useful capacity than Canon’s own USB connected software (which does little more than trip the shutter).

Even though the app has the ability to transfer photos from the camera to your device, I don’t anticipate using that functionality very often.  It’s nice to be able to use the app to move or back up pics from the camera to your tablet, but it’s pretty slow, and not very realistic to wait for the transfer to happen while you’re actively using the camera/tablet.  It’s something that you could do when you’re done, but I don’t think it’s fast enough to use on the fly.

There are several other apps that address similar functionality via the USB port of your tablet and OTG, but I don’t think any do it as well as DSLR Controller.  Not only that, but at $8 it is absolutely the most affordable solution with features this robust.  The closest competitor, Helicon Remote, offers a “free/lite” version, but it only works with low rez JPEGs (definitely not RAW), and when it comes time to purchase the full app they want FIFTY BUCKS!!!

It’s kind of annoying that DSLR Controller is still listed as “BETA” (it’s been listed that way for more than a year), but I guess it’s just Chainfire’s way of covering their asses if something goes wrong (similarly, Magic Lantern makes it VERY clear that they aren’t responsible if something goes wrong when you’re using their software).

In addition to the spectacular functionality of DSLR Controller, Chainfire has added functionality that will allow you to control your camera via WiFi (so, no wires/cables).  For camera’s without WiFi (like my Canon 7D), they have a “how to” on their website that shows how to make the app and your camera work with a simple portable wireless router(TP-LINK TL-MR3040 wifi hub) you can purchase cheap online (around $35).  This is a fantastic feature for using your camera on a jib arm.

I often mount my 7D on a 12 foot Kessler Crane and then need to use a 25 ft. HDMI cable just to be able to see what’s happening via my field monitor; now I can actually CONTROL THE CAMERA when it’s on the 12 foot jib arm.  That means focusing, changing ISO, shutter speed, iris, start/stop filming, etc., etc.!

Not only has this app turned every tablet with OTG USB functionality into a field monitor (often with superior resolution to even higher-end dedicated field monitors!), but it also gives you remote control of your camera.

This is simply a fantastic app for still photographers and DSLR filmmakers alike.

…

P.S. Chainfire is working on another app for auto-focus micro adjust.  Here is some text from the Chainfire site about the app (currently in alpha development):

DSLR Controller AFMA

DSLR Controller AFMA is an app made to assist Auto-Focus Micro-Adjustment calibration of your lenses on your Canon EOS bodies, based on the moiré method.

It is based on the code for DSLR Controller and as such runs on the same devices and has the same connection capabilities. Of course, your camera must support Auto-Focus Micro-Adjustment for this to be useful at all.

It is currently in alpha stage. I'm releasing it in the current state because I will be out of the country for a while, and I won't be able to finish it up further before I go. The manual (http://dslrcontroller.com/afma/) seems long and daunting, but once you've used it once or twice, it really only takes a minute or so to set up.

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Now That’s a Vintage Lens

The first vintage lens I loved was an Angienux 25-200 T3.9 that one of the co-producers on our first feature owned.  We used it to shoot the end credits with a “vintage Italian cinema feel,” (live, quick, super-zooms, lens flair, etc.).  This is actually the same lens that Kubrick used quite a bit on Barry Lyndon.

Incidentally, here’s an article from American Cinematographer where John Alcott (Barry Lyndon cinematographer) discusses the Angienux). [I’ve actually copied the article in its entirety to this blog, for fear the valuable information might disappear at some point, since that link is the only source I could find for this article.]

I thought that Angienux was pretty old tech to be using for 4K digital footage.

However, Vimeo user Ignacio Sanchez found this 1919 Toledo lens at a flea market in Madrid and adapted it for his 5DmkII and 550D running Magic Lantern.  Now THAT is old tech… and it looks awesome.  Perhaps a little “soft” (HA! –what an understatement), but gorgeous nonetheless.

110 years old lens in 5DmkII - Tessar 1º design. UPDATE: from 1919 from Ignacio Sanchez on Vimeo.

TOLEDO lens TEST#1 from Ignacio Sanchez on Vimeo.

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Scanning Multiple Photos at Once

Anyone born before 1984 has albums (or stacks) of printed photos.  Consumers didn’t start using digital cameras until the mid-nineties or so.  Therefore, anyone born before 1984 has probably wanted to scan in a ton of photos at one time or another.

The problem is, there are NO good options (time efficient, decent-quality, and inexpensive).

You can use a scanning service, but sending my precious photos out to some anonymous nit-wit in a lab somewhere is NOT a gamble I am willing to take (also, have you seen Red Dragon?! –I don’t want that guy handling my photos).  Not to mention, there is the intermediary of the carrier (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.) on BOTH sides of the operation, and in my experience, those guys lose things WAY too often to trust them with my treasured memories.

I am ASTOUNDED that there is not a HUGE market for a consumer device that would allow you to simply place a stack of photos in a hopper and have a scanner process images automatically.  Surely there are THOUSANDS of people who would pay a couple hundred dollars for this device.  And considering what scanners cost (they basically come FREE with your printer these days), I can’t imagine that there wouldn’t be a HUGE profit on this $200 item.

I also can’t believe there doesn’t seem to be a single review or blog post online discussing the possibilities of using a multi-sheet document scanner for scanning multiple photos in a single session.  There are TONS of people wanting to do this (scan multiple photos at once), but nobody writing about the possibility of using the available tools.

So here’s my contribution to the throngs of people yearning for a way to scan their thousands and thousands of photos into their computers.

The ideal solution is obviously a scanner with autofeed that can process a stack of photos in batches.  Anything I’ve found in the past decade that is of any quality whatsoever (mostly Nikon and Kodak products) is in the over-$2,000 range.  There have been cheaper “family photo” scanners that can do a small stack, but they are generally extremely limited and tend to have horrible scan settings (like 300/600dpi max and only one option to save to JPEG).  Not only that, but they seem to have gone the way of the Dodo; I can’t find a single one online at the moment.

The closest thing available are document scanners like the NeatDesk ($340 and a pretty low rating on Amazon) and Fujitu’s ScanSnap ($447 and a four and a half star rating from more than 1,300 reviewers), but they are specifically catered to documents, and thus scan at only 300-600dpi maximum resolution and only save to JPEG or PDF (and at the $300-$400 price point, I can’t imagine why in the world you would buy either of these things instead of a $99 all-in-one that also prints photographs).

For a while Epson had the Epson B11B172171 Perfection 2480 limited edition for around $500 (or you could purchase the B12B813372 for around $160 which was just the photo feeder lid that you could attach to either the Epson 2480 or 2580 flatbed scanner), but all of these have been discontinued and I could only find a few in weird places around the web (places I wouldn’t necessarily trust to buy from).  Actually, there are two used ones on Amazon, but they are  $475 and  $639 –USED!).  The B11B172171 was a flat bed scanner, but it had a 4x6 photo feeder in the lid, and could scan a stack of 25 photos at 48bit, 2400dpi resolution.  I am very curious as to why it was discontinued.  I’m not sure I would have gone for it, since the max photo size it could scan from the feeder was only 4x6, but I guess that’s better than the nothing that is available now.

[UPDATE]: I have found the B12B813372 in a couple of places for around $140, and it will work the Epson Perfection 3590 Photos Scanner (as well as 2480, 2580, and 3490) which you can still find in some random places on close-out (or perhaps even used).  The only downside is being limited to a max photo size of 4x6.

HP offered the 5500C ($300) for a while, which was very similar to the Epson (25 photo stack feeder), but evidently it jammed all the time, as all the reviews I’ve read for it are awful.

So today I did a bunch of research on “what’s out there” in the under $200 range for devices that offer a multi-sheet document feed for the on board scanner.  Full disclosure, for my photo printing needs, I switched from Epson (a prosumer grade, large format printer) to Canon nearly a decade ago, and I’ve been very happy with that decision (so I guess I may be a little partial to Canon).

The brands that I came across in my research were the ones you would expect to find: Canon, Epson, HP, and Brother.  After a couple of hours of online research, I decided to go with the Canon MX922 even though it only has a Contact Image Sensor (CIS) and a resolution of 2400x4800 for the flatbed (compared to a Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) sensor with a resolution of 4800x9600 in my older Canon MP990).  The specs for the Auto Document Feeder shows only a resolution of 600dpi x 600dpi, though looking at the way the ADF functions, I’m not sure why the ADF and Flatbed have different scanning resolutions; they seem like they utilize the same sensor.  From the specs, I’m also not exactly sure what 48-bit internal/24-bit external means (why would internal/external be different?), but that’s the same spec as my MP990.

Most importantly, the MX922 has a 35 sheet capacity auto-doc feeder for the scanner.

The price at Staples is currently the same as Amazon ($99) even though that’s the “regular” price on Amazon and a “special mark down” at Staples (where I guess it’s usually $199 –I’m kind of assuming it’s being discontinued?).  So I went to Staples, picked one up, drove it home and plugged it in (total time from leaving my house to printing the first test sheet was about 23 minutes).

Unfortunately, the Canon software does not allow using any of the scanner’s “photo” settings if you have selected “ADF” (auto document feeder) for the source.  This is INCREDIBLY annoying!  Also, the ADF only allows for a limited number of document sizes: Letter, Legal, A4, A5, B4, B5.  This means I had to set the feed guides at their smallest setting and then find something to set between the feed guide and the edge of my stack of photos to accommodate the 4x6 size.

As you can see from the scans below, the photo almost always rotated a bit, but I think with some creative engineering I can remedy this situation without too much trouble.  For the record, processing a stack of 24 4x6 photos from the ADF was no problem -though each photo was rotated a bit (oddly enough, when I scanned a bunch of photos at once, they were much less rotated than in the examples below).  I think I could have processed more photos at once (there was space); that just happened to be the size of the stack I grabbed.

For the time being, I’m focusing on scanner settings (not the physical feed/rotation problem) to see if a decent image can even be obtained from the Auto Document Feeder (since the whole point of this experiment is being able to load a stack of photos for automatic scanning).

I spent a lot of time scanning a single photo using various set-ups from the “Canon IJ  Scan Utility.”  All the scans below were from the same (bad) original photo from January of 2007 via Flickr printing (the physical photo was sent to me 7 years ago by a family member).  So the original image is of poor quality but should serve well for comparative analysis.  I purposefully used a “sub-par” print to illustrate various things like moire/banding, color correction, etc.

In the end, none of the scans from the Auto Document Feeder were really acceptable. Some people might be satisfied by the results using “Custom Scan, Source: Document, Apply Auto Document Fix, Reduce Moire” or a similar custom set-up using the ScanGear option (which is similar to Canon’s previous “use device driver” type menu), but I wouldn’t spend a lot of time trying to archive the entire family photo album collection if this is as good as the quality gets.

For only $99 I may end up keeping the MX922 because I like that it has a LAN option (I can hard wire it to my network so everybody in the house can use it), but I’ll have to see if I think the printer is as good as my MP990 (which I think does a great job for “snapshot” photos; I’ve got a Canon Pro 9000 mkII for my large format and “pro” photo printing).

After all this research, time, and work, I am wondering if the Canon scanner software can be hacked.  It would seem that ALL the limitations I ran into were software based (limited available selections/settings for scans utilizing the ADF source).  Magic Lantern has done AMAZING things to unleash the potential of Canon’s DSLR cameras, so perhaps there is a hack that could unleash all the potential of Canon’s scanners in a similar manner.  If only I had the skillz.  If this is up your alley, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail!

For now though, scanning a stack of photos automatically from an auto feeder remains a pipe dream.

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Scans from the ADF source (auto document feed) on the Canon MX922 scanner (click for 300dpi image)…

For comparison, this first photo is scanned from my older Canon MP990 platen using typical photo settings from the Device Driver menu

Also for comparison, this photo is scanned from the Canon MX922 platen (vs. the auto document feed) using a typical “photo” setting in Canon IJ Scan Utility (the same scan utility used for the remainder of the photos below)

Custom Scan, Source: Document, Auto Fix, Reduce Moire

Custom Scan, Source: Document, No Auto Fix, Reduce Moire

Custom Scan, Source: Auto, Auto Size, Auto Rez, Image Correct

Auto Scan, Image Correct

Auto Scan, No Image Correct

Scan Gear Advanced, Color Matching Profile (all filters off)

Scan Gear Advanced, Recommended Color Profile (all filters off)

Scan Gear Advanced, No Color Profile (all filters off)

Scan Gear Basic, No Color Profile

Scan Gear Basic, Recommended Color Profile with auto Correct

Scan from Windows’ Devices Menu (right-click scan from Windows 7 Devices Menu using custom created profile for “source: feeder”)

 

archiving family photos
multi-feed photo scanner
photo archiving
auto photo scanner
scan multiple photos at once
scan stack of photos

Converting Manual Lenses to “Cine Style” Lenses

Cine Style lenses are the best lenses with which to shoot video, but most are unattainable to the average DSLR cinematographer.

Older manual lenses can be converted to “Cine Style” lenses by removing the bearing that “clicks” the aperture into place.  This allows for in-between aperture settings, and also allows one to turn the aperture ring (stop up or down, or open/close the iris) during shooting without adding noise to the audio or shaking the camera.  Once the bearing is removed, it is important to introduce grease/lube to the aperture ring to prevent unwanted movement (so that the aperture ring functions in the same way the focus ring does).

Here is a link to a page on DSLR News Shooter about the de-click master, Eddie Houston (also formerly a guitarist for Thin Lizzy and Status Quo, and before that, a technical manager for Canon in the days of “FD”).

http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/2010/12/27/the-lens-doctor-de-clicking-in-the-uk/

Mr. Houston even has an E-bay page with converted lenses.  You’ll have to pay in Pounds though.

White Lithium grease is often recommended, but there are dangers of it separating into two components over time (one of which is liquid and will get all over your lens innards). I’ve had a hell of a time finding a grease (damping or otherwise) for greasing a lens.  There seem to be thousands of discussions on this topic, but no one will say, “Try this grease; here’s a link (or at least a store) to where you can buy it.”

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/810185/0

Taking the DSLR for Video Plunge (Part 3: Choosing the Right Accessories)

Taking the DSLR for Video Plunge
Part I: General Questions and Choosing the Camera
Part II: Choosing the Right Lenses for Canon DSLR Video
Part III: Choosing the Right Accessories

[I’m going to go ahead and publish this un-polished post, because it’s a work in progress and has a lot of valuable links that I want to get online; check back often, as this post will definitely be evolving. Please also feel free to make suggestions for additions in the comments!]

The MASTER LIST of what I think I need to get started:

• Rail Kit - some people will opt against this, but I’d like to utilize the stability of rails for my accessories)
• Follow Focus - the main reason for using rails, and yes, there are some good follow focuses that don’t need rails, but…
• External Monitor/LCD magnifier - most people recommend just starting with an LCD hood and magnifier (you need this for shooting in bright sunlight, and magnifying the LCD allows for sharper focusing
• Neutral Density (ND) filters – if you plan on shooting outside and want shallow depth of field, these are indispensible
• Universal Quick Release Plate – for moving your camera(s) from rig to rig
• Solid Tripod and Video Head
• Dolly (already made)
• Extra Batteries
• Battery Charger (with car adapter)
• Battery Grip – probably not a necessity, but since I found one with great reviews for $80 (vs. $300 for the Canon one) I decided to give it a shot

Right now I’m opting to not get a shoulder mount (I’ll be using mostly sticks, a high hat, a crane, and a dolly).  For handheld I’ll build a fig rig (see below).

 

FOLLOW FOCUS

Several fellow filmmakers have suggested I won’t need a follow focus, but after even just a few weeks of mucking about, I know I really want one.  I tend to rack focus a lot, and I also do a lot of wide pans that utilize shifting the focus, and trying to focus by grabbing the ring on a short Nikon prime without bumping the camera or jostling your shot is extremely difficult.

Phillip Bloom: best entry level follow focus (D-Focus V2)

 

RAILS/CAGE/RIG

Building your own rail system: http://blog.planet5d.com/l9x

9” cage with top handle and tripod mount:
http://www.thecinecity.com/eshop/product.php?productid=487&cat=299&page=1

http://www.indisystem.com/products/Bulldog.html

http://www.edelkrone.com/the-pocket-rig/

Redrock Micro Bundle Review on Creative Cow

90 degree clamp review: http://justbaslproductions.com/Just_Basl_Productions/90_Degree_Clamps.html

Bendable Fig Rig (this is the Fig Rig I went with –mistake, more on that later): http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?73078-My-DIY-rig-is-a-Figrig-plus!-%28Pics%29

DIY Rig handles:

http://filmmakeriq.com/2011/08/diy-dslr-rig-handles/

The Next Rig I’m trying:

http://filmmakeriq.com/2010/09/50-diy-dslr-cage/

Do it yourself shoulder rig:

http://www.diyphotography.net/convert-an-ikea-cutting-board-to-a-camera-video-rig

http://filmmakeriq.com/2011/05/diy-dslr-pvc-shoulder-rig-tutorial/

 

BATTERIES and related accessories

From my own experience, third party batteries are shite.  They don’t charge properly, they don’t hold a charge properly, they drain fast when not in use, etc., etc., etc.  The battery for my old Canon 40D was somewhat of a miracle.  I could shoot for WEEKS without charging that thing.  Thus, I have great faith in Canon OEM batteries.  They cost about twice as much as after market products, but in my experience, it’s worth it.  And you don’t want to get left in the field with no juice.

I am purchasing a dual charger as well.  B&H sells the Pearstone Duo, which received rave review, for $80, but I found what appears to be the exact same thing on Amazon for only $55 delivered.  It doesn’t have the name printed on the front, but everything else appears to be exactly the same.  I love that this charger has a digital read out, charges each battery independently, and even has a USB out to charge your phone!

UNIVERSAL QUICK RELEASE PLATE

Tripod Quick Release plate cross reference chart (this was great when I was trying to figure out how to make all my tripods/heads work together, and what universal adapter I was going to go with and invest in): http://www.tripodquickrelease.com/Bogen_Quick_Releases.htm

MATTEBOX

One thing that’s not on my master list above is a mattebox.  I keep going back and forth on this one.  When shooting outside, a sun-shade mattebox is pretty much indispensible (to keep direct sunlight from shining into your lens and creating flare and haziness), but you can always just use a card or bounce (though it would be awkward to hold the camera and the card, so an assistant is preferred) if you don’t have a dedicated sunshade mattebox.  But what I’m more interested in is a mattebox for utilizing filters (specifically ND filters).

The biggest thing preventing me from getting a mattebox is the price.  A decent one is around $500, and the RedRock Micro and Zacuto Petroff are $1,000 and $1,300 respectively.  More than a thousand dollars for what is basically a universal filter holder with barn doors?  I think the “pro-look” of a mattebox has grossly distorted the going market price for this item.

This brings me to:  universal filter holders.  I’m not sure why this isn’t discussed more among DSLR video shooters.  Purchasing ND filters for all your different lens sizes is cost prohibitive.  You can use step-up/down rings so you only need one set of ND filters, but if you go this route, it’s a serious PITA to switch out the filters (screwing them on and off) when you need to make adjustments.  Enter the universal filter holder.

When shooting stills I used to use the Cokin filter system.  Basically, there is a square holder that attaches to the front of your lens and can hold up to three filters.  I recommend the “P” system which uses 84mm filters and can accommodate lenses up to 82mm in diameter.  They make two bigger sizes, but they become cumbersome, and aren’t really necessary, supposedly the “P” system works great, even with wide lenses (I’ll be using this system with the Tokina 11-16mm).

I actually don’t recommend Cokin filters (they’re made of resin, not glass, and I’ve seen distortion and color problems, especially when stacking multiples), but I DO really like the universal holder idea.  Furthermore, there are other manufacturers (like Lee and Tiffen) making square filters for the Cokin P (84mm) system out of high quality optical glass (as noted below, even Hitech and Fotodiox are making square glass filters, though I assume much lesser quality).  Not only that, but there are plenty of knock-offs on eBay, which means you can get what is essentially a Cokin P universal holder, the 77mm ring that holds the holder, and even a square hood for $12 shipped on eBay ($16 on Amazon).  I can then get the appropriately sized Filter Holder rings for all my lenses and simply pop the holder onto whatever lens I’m using, thus making it possible to use one set of ND filters on all my lenses.

It’s probably worth noting that Fotodiox is making glass 84mm ND2 filters for the Cokin P system for only $6 a piece.  I assume they are crap, but for $6… might be worth it to someone on a super-tight budget… at least to get you by until you can purchase a $250 Lee ND filter. ( yowch!)

So once I have my universal filter holder and appropriately sized rings for all my lenses, all I need is a cheaper mattebox that I can use for the flags and barn doors (for lens flare).  I will be sure to get one that can “swing away” (instead of actually fastening to the front of the lens) so it’s easier to use with multiple length lenses.

UPDATE: (actually, this section on universal filter holders got too unruly for just a section of this post, and I created a new post for the topic)

Taking the DSLR for Video Plunge
Part I: General Questions and Choosing the Camera
Part II: Choosing the Right Lenses for Canon DSLR Video
Part III: Choosing the Right Accessories

The Technicolor Profile (Greater Depth and Range from your Canon DSLR)

Recently a filmmaker buddy turned me on to the new Technicolor CineStyle profile for Canon DSLR’s.  (You’ll need the Canon EOS Updater to install it; here’s a post on installing the Updater Utility if you lost or simply don’ t have the original disk from Canon.)

I came across Vincent LaForet’s blog looking up information, and I found this useful information in one of his posts:

Once installed  set the following settings in your picture style:
Sharpness: 0
Contrast: -4
Saturation: -2
Color Tone: 0
And as always, shoot in multiples of 160 ASA.  (i.e. shot 160ASA, 320 ASA, 640 ASA, 1250 ASA, 2500 ASA etc – NEVER 100 ASA, 200 ASA, 400ASA etc – this applies to VIDEO ONLY btw.)
You will get SIGNIFICANTLY better results.   You’ll find that something shot at 320 ASA has less noise than something shot at 200 ASA (sometime better than 100ASA!)  That’s due to the sensor’s native sensitivity (of 160ASA.)
Also turn off Highlight tone priority and auto-lighting optimizer.
Remember to never overexpose (or “clip”) those highlights.  You’ll never recover them.  ”When in doubt, underexpose” is what I suggest.  I routinely underexpose by 2/3 to 1&1/3 stops (in extreme situations) to make sure I don’t blow out highlights – I know I can easily open mid-tones and shadows within that range.   No one can recover the highlights however – ever.

You will notice that when using the Technicolor CineStyle profile, your initial footage looks more flat (like viewing an untouched  RAW file vs. viewing a JPG).  This is because your camera is capturing more information.  This means you have more to work with when doing color grading.  While things don’t look as shiny when you immediately view the footage (without making any changes), you will be able to get better final results when using this profile.

p.s. Here’s definitive proof of that “multiples of 160” if you’re not buying it.
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Taking the DSLR for Video Plunge (Part 1: General Questions and Choosing the Camera)

Taking the DSLR for Video Plunge
Part I: General Questions and Choosing the Camera
Part II: Choosing the Right Lenses for Canon DSLR Video
Part III: Choosing the Right Accessories

As a filmmaker, I would love to have the luxury of owning every gadget, camera, and lens I might ever want to use.

As an indie filmmaker, I know I am limited by the amount of cash at my disposal.  So while I love shooting on RED, I can’t afford a camera and all the required peripherals, and I know not every little project can budget for renting a RED camera package and lenses.

Thus, I am looking more and more at actually purchasing a DSLR for “film” work (I still hate calling it video, even though that’s what it is –it just conjures thoughts of bad sit-com looking footage).

In addition to doing online research, I also put quite a few questions to two of my friends who shoot regularly using DSLR and other high-end digital cameras.  I thought it could benefit others if I posted the information here.

Jeff McCutcheon is an indie writer, director, and cinematographer living in Columbus, OH and working in Los Angeles.  He was the cinematographer for Jeffie Was Here (2010), and also co-directed, shot, and edited the award-winning 2011 short, Change.  Jeff owns a Canon 5D mark II.

Luke Boyce is the technical and creative mind behind Shatterglass  Studios in Champaign, IL.  He is responsible for various aspects of tech and production on the 2010 film Leading Ladies, the 2008 short, Sugar, as well as many other film/video projects in both the corporate and entertainment fields.  Luke’s company owns a RED One and a RED Scarlet, as well as Canon 5D, 7D, and 60D.

So here’s the first e-mail I sent out:

Howdy, fellas.

We're going to shoot some dance for the camera stuff, a short, and a television pilot this Spring, and I'm seriously considering the Canon platform to make it happen (vs. renting out higher end stuff).

I don't really care about any of the still photo features, so I'm thinking about going T3i instead of the more expensive 7D, and apparently 5D/1D is way overkill.  Also, what about the 60D?  It seems to be a similar price point (a few hundred dollars less) with similar features, but doesn't come up in these discussions as often.

Ten specific questions...

1. Slow Motion:  I see people saying they shoot slow motion with their T2i, but it must suck (choppy and video-like)?  Correct me if I'm wrong but at full 1080p, 30fps is as fast as you can shoot, so slo-mo is not a real option
   
   
2. h264: is ALL footage compressed in the camera?  Isn't this a major detriment?
    
3. 12 minute limit --I assume this will not affect me at all... even the RED is limited to around 12 minutes, right?
   
   
4. cards: I remember we had to get "special" RED cards for the RED, but that seems like it was a myth.  As long as you're using good, hi-speed cards, all's good, right?
   
   
5. video out for monitor: do all these cameras have video out for utilizing a decent sized monitor?
   
   
6. zoom during shooting:  I've heard you have to get a special lens, but even that stops down during zooming?
   
   
7. Jeff says the on-camera screen on the 5D is fantastic and can be used with a simple magnifier for good focus?  Seems hard to believe you can pull sharp focus with a 2.5" or 3" screen.
   
   
8. the rolling shutter issues and the jelly frame: what does this mean, and how big of an issue is it?
   
   
9. Have you had luck with peripherals like follow focus, steady-cam type stuff, etc.  What would you suggest, and what can't you live without?
   
   
10. Can you plug the camera into the wall, or must you use batteries (just curious)?

http://nofilmschool.com/dslr/
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/280/2615
http://normanpogson.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-use-nikon-lenses-on-canon-dslr.html
converting 30fps to 24p

Thanks so much in advance for letting me know your thoughts!!!

 

From Jeff:

Slow Mo - I forgot the 60P on the T3i/t2i is 720P.... But the reason I
forgot is because we routinely shot 720 60P and uprezzed it to 1080
and no one could tell the difference (truthfully I couldn't even tell
the difference (although you saw how we shot [the last project] it was sorta
"dirty" to begin with. )

It is compressed, so it's not even close to as clean as the red (and
has less latitude in post) but I watched "Change" on a giant screen at
a festival and it looked good - sorta like 16mm (think leaving las
vegas).

yeah, 12 minutes limit is no problem, what is a problem is overheating
sensors. We had 2 5d's and one 7d on set during Change, and really hot
days, the other two cameras would often overheat after a few hours,
requiring at least a half hour's rest.

(Mine never did overheat , i guess I just got lucky off the production line)
Yeah a good class 10 card will work. I get mine pretty cheap at microcenter.

I think they all have HDMI out which goes to hdtv easily
On the zoom, you need a manual zoom lens (I use an old Nikon)
otherwise you'll introduce a stutter -- whether or not the zoom stops
down during zoom is entirely dependent on the lens (look for a
straight f4 as opposed to F4-5.6)

Not sure about the other cameras -- you can add this to your resources though:
http://cinema5d.com/viewforum.php?f=30&sid=e86c7828c886d4ec7332352b9823b15a
It is true, it's no picnic focusing off the lcd - you do need a good
magnifier (the hoodman is crap) I made mine out of a nice achromatic
lens. it's no picnic focusing off of a 7 inch lcd either though, so
for me (if I'm not going to be hooked up to large monitor) I prefer to
handhold it without any 7-inch screen.

 

From Luke:

You came to the right place cause we use Canon alongside our RED's on a weekly basis. Let me just say right off the bat that the 60D is the way to go. We had a 5D that we did love, but the full frame gave us almost TOO much depth of field to where it didn't look as filmic. The 60D and the 7D (as well as the T2i and T3i) all use the APS-C Cropped sensor which is basically the same sensor size as the RED and S35mm film. That's the way to go. But I would avoid the Rebels (T2i and T3i) if you can because they limit your ISO's and things like that. They're basically entry-level versions of the cameras. But from a video perspective the 60D and the 7D are essentially the exact same. If you were going to be doing heavy photography as well, I would say go with the 7D, but if you are focusing on video the 60D is the way to go. We not only use it regularly, but we started using it based on suggestions from professional cinematographers we talk to in Chicago. Here's a couple commercials we even shot recently with the 60D which both include slow-motion: http://vimeo.com/31869432. Again, the main benefit you get with the 60D over the T2i is way more manual controls (ISO choices, manual Color Temp, etc.) plus the viewfinder is adjustable unlike the 7D and the T2i.

Answers…

1. Slow-motion can be achieved at 60fps in 720p on the T2i, T3i, 60D and the 7D. If you're final output is 1080p (which it obviously would be if you're shooting with a 1080p camera) than you shouldn't be able to discern a difference. As this does seem like a compromise, almost all cameras other than RED and Phantom force you to downrez to do slow-motion. Even Canon's new C300, a $20,000 camera, forces you to do 720p to do 60fps.

2. Yes. All footage is compressed, but that is the way it is for all current cameras like this on the market. All cameras are using either AVCHD, H.264 and the newer iFrame which is just another H.264 codec. The only thing this does is limit how much latitude you have in post to color-correct, but by using Technicolor's free color profile for Canon's you can eliminate any issues with that. It flattens the image and gives you as much information as the sensor can achieve. The only camera to really get if you don't want the compression issue is RED, which is the only camera that shoots RAW and gives you all available information. But trust me when I say that as long as you shoot with Technicolor's profile, you can still achieve some badass coloring with the H.264 files.

3. Shouldn't affect you at all. We use Canon's to even shoot long live events. 12 minutes is quite a lot of time for narrative work. We've even managed full interviews in the 12-minute time on numerous occasions. It's never been an issue.

4. All CF and SD cards work, but lower class cards will buffer a lot. Your best bet is to get a few 16gb cards (SDXC for 60D and T2i/T3i's). They work like a charm.

5. All the camera's feature mini-HDMI output and will give you full camera information on external monitors.

6. This is all depending on the quality of the lens you're using. If you're using, say, a 50-300mm f4-5.6 you'll get some stop down as you zoom, but if you use the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 you won't. Much more expensive lens, but the quality of your image is almost totally reliant on the quality of your lenses.

7. The quality of the lcd's on all of the Canon cameras are top-notch. Really great. The issue with the 5D and the 7D are that the lcd's are fixed and so it's hard to see them in weird positions. The 60D and the T3i both of pop-out LCD's that can be adjusted anywhere. It's MUCH better. The cameras all also have a zoom feature that lets you get a 1:1 image for focusing. It's great, but the caveat is that it can't be utilized when recording. Also, be aware that photo lenses are not really intended for motion stuff. They're great to get that great image and depth-of-field, but cinema lenses include much higher quality optics and gears that allow for continual focus. When pulling focus on photo lenses you have to account for "breathing" issues. I've seen a million professional videos shot with these lenses though, where they manage to still work it out just fine. You just should account for not doing many rack-focuses.

8. This is all depending on your personal taste. Rolling shutter and jelly basically refer to the fact that CMOS sensors record the image from top to bottom so when you're moving the camera around the processor inside the camera is not always fast enough to get the image from top to bottom so you get skew and when handheld you get the "jelly effect". Because of the saturation of the market with HDSLR's now this effect is almost accepted, but for many, myself included, it can be a tell-tale sign of "amateur hour". The main way to avoid this is to keep the camera on a tripod as much as possible. Avoid going handheld, and in cases where you have to, use a shoulder mount. Those two things will pretty much eliminate the jelly effect/rolling shutter. Keeping in mind that these tools are extremely cheap, but with care can produce incredible imagery. I've seen Canon stuff that I had a hard time believing it was shot on the Canon, just because it was shot with care and expertise.

9. Steady-cam works great for Canon stuff, but it's not easy. We rarely use it. We have never used focus gears or follow-focuses on our stuff either. This has been a good and bad thing. Focusing by hand is hard, but can be done.

10. You can find cheap AC-Adapters for Canon's to keep it plugged in no problem. We have a pair of these in fact, that work great:
 http://www.amazon.com/Canon-ACK-E6AC-Adapter-Mark-Digital/dp/B001KBZ3PK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324323050&sr=8-1

Stillmotion Films is a canadian production company that is one of the best in North America. They shoot mainly using both Canon's and RED Epics. They do a spectacular series on shooting HDSLR with gear reviews and tutorials and how to get the most out of your stuff. I desperately want to get one of the monopods they recently reviewed here:
http://vimeo.com/26869155.

You can check out all of their videos and tutorials at this page:
 http://vimeo.com/stillmotionfilms/videos/page:2/sort:newest

Like I said, with care and technical detail there is no reason whatsoever that you couldn't shoot incredible stuff on a Canon. It's the best out there at that range. If you want to go higher, the Sony FS100 is an absolutely incredible camera but it uses proprietary Sony lenses and is $6,000. I say, go with the Canon's and learn what you can for sure.

Hope this helps!

 

Conclusion: I’m getting a Canon 7D.  The 5D is overkill (and thus, for my needs, not worth the extra money). I had been concerned about the full sensor of the 5D vs. the RED-sized sensor of the 7D/T2i/60D, but everybody seems to agree the smaller sensor is the way to go.  Most people have said that the 5D actually has "too much" depth of field.

After using a couple of friends’ T2i/T3i’s for a couple weeks, they are definitely no longer in the running.  The T3i’s aren’t able to shoot multiples of 160 ISO/ASA, they only have one processor (as does the 60D), and they just feel cheap.  The dual processors in the 7D (vs. only one in the 60D) has proven to provide better images in low-light, so that’s another reason to choose the 7D over the 60D.

My final response to the two fellas above:

So, for a couple hundred dollars more, the 7D seems like a superior tool.  It lacks only in the audio recording department, but it seems like I'll almost always be recording dedicated/external sound anyway (for serious shoots).  And there seem to be rumors of a firmware update that will put the 7D on par with the 60D soon?

Better body (magnesium over plastic), dual processors (vs. 60D single), 19 points for autofocus vs. only 9 on 60D (which, admittedly, would be more for stills), and, a big one for me, 100% image coverage in the viewfinder, vs. only 96% with the 60D.  I'm not sure that I would ever like or even use the articulating viewfinder... am I wrong?  Maybe when the camera's up on a crane or down low on a dolly I guess.  Hopefully I'll have an off-camera monitor in those instances anyway though.

Seems like that dual processor vs. just one is a pretty big humdinger... especially for low light shooting.

 

Both Luke and Jeff responded that it’s GREAT having the articulating viewfinder on the 60D and it gets used more than one would think, but that wouldn’t be a sufficient reason to go 60D over 7D.

Here is one final link to an article by Dan Carr on choosing between the 60D and 7D.

 

And just so it doesn’t look like I wasn’t thorough in my research…

A couple other filmmaker friends suggested things like the Sony FS100, the Panasonic GH2, and the soon to be released Nikon D800 (with uncompressed HDMI out).

The Sony FS100 is great, but it’s cost prohibitive with a $5/6k (body only) price point.

A lot of people like the Panasonic GH2 for it’s in-camera software hacks (Canons have almost none). Reports also state that this camera blows the moire and aliasing issues of the 7D out of the water, but comes in second just about everywhere else.  And I firmly believe that the average viewer doesn’t care one iota about moire.

The Nikon is intriguing, but to utilize the uncompressed HDMI out you need an external recorder, it’s not available yet (there will always be “the next big thing” around the corner), and it costs twice as much (body only) as the 7D.  Not to mention every time I’ve tried to switch from Canon to Nikon, I’ve regretted it about 10 seconds later.  I’m sticking with Canon.

Taking the DSLR for Video Plunge
Part I: General Questions and Choosing the Camera
Part II: Choosing the Right Lenses for Canon DSLR Video
Part III: Choosing the Right Accessories

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