Another quick test during my beauty shoot with Irina, trying the new indislider mini and a few longer lenses. I really like the crop factor on the 7D for beauty work, a 50mm produces the same field of view as an 80mm on a full frame body and so on, allowing for more distance between the model and the lens which helps avoid distortion, and frees up space for lights. Shooting video clips at such a close range is quite challenging, the slightest camera shake ruins the footage. I was pretty excited to try out my new indislider, a few clips were shot with it, will do a separate review on it later, during the beauty shoot, results were mixed, too many “stutters”, due to the weight of the longer lenses, (only used perfect clips in the video). Lenses used: Voigtlander 40mm, Sigma 50mm, 1.4, Canon 100mm 2.0, Canon 70-200mm. If you like what you hear: http://nealwilliamsmusic.com
A very short clip with Aymeline during my photo shoot with her (not enough time to shoot more video). First clip, Canon 5D2, the rest was shot with the Canon 7D, used the 5D2 for photographs. Lenses used: Sigma 50mm 1.4, Canon 70-200 4.0, Voigtlander 40mm 2.0. lights, 4 Tungsten softboxes. Iso speed 100. Music: Gratisvibes.com
The Olympus E-P2 just arrived and I am excited about this little camera. This is a quick video comparison between the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic Lumix GF1 and to illustrate size I am also showing the Canon Eos7D next to it. I really , really like the new external view finder VF-2- on the E-P2. Makes me (almost) forget that I am looking at a live view! It is that good! The only gripe I have with it is that if I am not careful with it while it is attached to the camera, it is possible to accidentally brake it off. Dig the full manual movie mode, the built in image stabilization and the colors right out of the box (esp greens) are very nice. I will update this post once I have had some real shooting time with this little gem.
“The name Temenos is taken from a Greek word meaning the sacred space surrounding a temple or an altar. Carl Jung used this same word to refer to the inner space deep within us where soul-making takes place.” states the first sentence on Temenos’s web page. I just spent the weekend there, the temperature below the freezing point, windy, one foot of snow, no electricity, water or phone/internet connection. Did i miss it? Yes, but only for the first couple of hours. Once the stove heated up and the water (from the well) got hot, everything was good. This place is very quiet and peaceful. 4 fully charged batteries (which I kept in my pocket), to keep the weight down I brought the fantastic Canon 70-200mm 4.0, 17-40mm and the Sigma 50mm 1.4 (the only heavy piece of glass). my fingers got stuck on the tripod legs and I had to go inside to warm up about every 15min, leaving the gear outside to avoid condensation on the glass ( I took the battery out every time). It was a challenge to keep the camera from shaking in the wind, esp with the 70-200mm attached. Shot in color and converted to b/w only using the 3way color adjustment in fcp. Music: http://mathieu.lozinguez.free.fr/mp3.html
Knowing there was a good chance the Saw Lady would be playing today, I grabbed my gear and headed towards Grand Central Station. I could hear her play long before I spotted her. Please let me introduce you to the Saw Lady. The Instrument is based on a large logging saw, despite her peaceful appearance the NYC Police slammed her with a $150 fine and she had to have the teeth removed from the blade. She insists it does not effect the sound, visually of course, I would have preferred a real saw! Shot handheld, 17-40mm, Iso 1600, Sennheiser MKE400. Merry Christmas!
Shot before our photo session, just for fun and to relax. I really like the lightness in Olga’s moves and look forward shooting with her again after the holidays.
Canon 7D with 17-55mm, multiple softboxes, green screen, music: http://www.myspace.com/fletcherbeadon
Finally got around doing my first subway music sampler video, great talent out there and this is the first of a series. It was a challenge not to get run over, esp during rush hour, poor lighting conditions really called for the Canon 5D mark II but I was set on shooting it in 24p. The 7D holds up very well, most clips ISO1600, 3200, contrast enhancement and b/w conversion in post. Steep curves applied to some clips bring out the noise, no noise reduction applied here since I really like the grainy look for this subject matter. Keeping it raw and real. Shot hand held, mostly, 17-55mm, 12-24mm, 11-16mm, wide open. Sound recorded with Sennheiser MKE 400.I am still waiting to get info for the two first gentlemen who can be found at the 72nd street station and the subway passage from 6th to 7th ave. For now check out the www.undergroundhorns.com
Had to pick up a friend from Grand Central Station today. Got there 15min early, did not bring a camera but had my droid. Took some photos and a few video clips. Edited in FCP, desaturated, noise reduction, contrast adjustment. If you are wondering how the Droid holds up against, lets say, the Canon 5D mark II? check out this clip
If you like what you hear check out Neal’s music http://nealwilliamsmusic.com
Many of you have emailed asking which one I recommend, Canon 7D or 5D mark II, this is a quick comparison between the two cameras, focusing on what I think makes a difference, check it out, about 3minutes, hopefully this will help you make a decision which camera to get.
A quick test clip during my photo shoot with Sophie. Playback at approx 40-50%. Time remapping and color correction in after effects. Canon 7D with 17-55mm, aperture 4, shutter speed 1/125, ISO 100. Lighting: 5 Tungsten lights, indirect, against large reflector boards. Buy the music here: Kraftwerk
Walking around mid town, east village and china town with no particular goal other then then to capture traditional street photography inspired video clips, which I am a big fan of. Check it out and let me know what you think. 0:25through 1:10 was shot with the 7D and 12-24mm mounted on the Flycam. The rest tripod, steady bag and hand held. Lenses: 70-200mm, 100mm 2.0, 50mm 1.4, 17-55mm. 5D for clips at 1:37, 2:10 and 2:20, at ISO 3200 and 50mm 1.4 an 100mm 2.0, the rest was shot with the 7D, ISO range 400 (daylight) to 3200. Grading in FCP, mostly just desaturated and contrast added. The night clips from the 7D required noise reduction just to match the night shots from the 5D straight out of the camera, truly outstanding when it comes to low light, the 5D. The 7D exhibits more noise (about 1 to 1.5 stops behind 5D in terms of sensitivity) and can’t quite match the 5D’s dynamic range . The two cameras complement each other very well. Hope you enjoy! Music: Stumblebum Brass Band
Video portraits: The idea was to shoot video that looks like “breathing” photographs and use transitions that look like closing and opening aperture blades on a large format camera. The east village is the perfect place for this kind of project, known for its diverse community, one will find the most interesting faces to photograph. Tripod, 5D2 with 100mm 2 and 75mm-150mm, one afternoon of shooting. Enjoy! Music: http://mathieu.lozinguez.free.fr/
Update: Finally had a chance to finish this little project, a few new clips from another walk on the high line, this time the iso was limited to 3200. the clip at 1:12 was shot at iso 1600. Most color was shot during twilight and total darkness, iso ranging from 1600 to 6400.the b/w was shot at iso 400 during daylight hours . After running noise reduction the 6400 shots at 1:30, 1:38. 2:20 through 3:30 look much improved, not ideal but usable. I will limit my highest iso setting to 3200 and only use 6400 for emergencies. The camera produces the best quality from iso 100 to iso 2000, and 2000 looks like iso 400 on many other cameras!
The 7D is definitely a bit noisier then the 5D2 but hey, its okay, the images obtained are unobtainable with most other cameras. Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 (my back up lens) lots of shots wide open, very sharp. Tokina 11-16mm and 12-24mm, Nikon 75-150mm.The clips are mostly ungraded, except for noise reduction, b/w was done in post, some clips slowed to 24p, some sped up. Music: Hiding on the Hill, by Dikayl Rimmasch.
This test is a bit more conclusive. 5D mark II mounted on base plate and the 7D mounted on top of the 5D mark II. Recorded at a shutter speed of 1/80, aperture 8 at 1080/30p, settings for both cameras. You will notice the 5D pulling out slightly more information in the sky. (i e 5D has better dynamic range) on the other hand, the 7D pulls ahead in the panning department (not by much), showing the least amount of rolling shutter of all cameras I have tested. Good enough for most situations. The video can be downloaded from here.
Was in mood for pizza this afternoon and visited my favorite pizzerias in the Lower East Side.
Canon 7D, shot hand held, 17-55mm and 11-16mm, both at 2.8, 720/60p, Iso range 100 to 1600. Manual white balance, Sennheiser MKE 400 (with dead mouse wind shield attached) and skylight filters to keep the grease off the lenses.
check’em out when in NYC,
Pete’s-a-place,
502E 14th Street, 212 573 0671
Artichoke on 14th Street between 1st and 2nd Ave. (can’t miss it)
The Pizza Shop, 110 Ave A,
Muzzarella Pizza, 221 Ave A (yup, that’s how its spelled)
and
Viva Herbal Pizzeria, 179 2nd Ave.
Quick and dirty test on rolling shutter. The pan speed was not controlled and varies from camera to camera. Aperture 8 - 11, Shutter speed 1/80. (except for D90, shutter was not looked and most likely higher) ISO 100. Frame rates: D90 at 24p, 5D2 at 30p GH1 at 24p, 7D at 30p. the first half of the pan is extremely fast, the second half is closer to “real life”, keep in mind this is an extreme test and by no means scientific . A lot of you asked me to do this test and I find it interesting but it has never bothered me during my shoots using this cameras.
I just picked up my Canon 7D from Adorama and could not wait to try it out. I wasn’t really sure where to start, 720/60p or 1080/24p, low light, raw, jpeg, to make things worse, the weather sucked today, gray and too cold for this time of the year. I headed towards East Houston street and spotted three guys playing on the corner of First Avenue. I have never seen so many people giving Dollar bills away and buying CD’s. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the Stumblebum Brass Band. Time Lapse with the Canon 7D with the Tokina 11-16mm attached. Set to Manual mode, medium quality jpegs, 2sec intervals at 1/3 of a second. Converted to b/w in Photoshop and and some post to match the raunchiness of the sound. I wish there was more, but the Police showed up and ended the session, told them to pack it up, and so they did. I managed to buy the last Cd as they hurried away. If you like what you hear check them out at www.stumblebumbrassband.com
Shot with the Lumix GH1, Iso 100 to Iso 1600.
Had a great time playing tourist for a couple hours, with Alexandra Avalone as the leading lady and Toby Tanser as the hungry peanut man. Lenses used: Lensbaby fisheye, Tokina 12-24mm, sigma 50mm 1.4.
My friend Dikayl Rimmasch asked me to participate in his project “model campus” a short and funny episode reminiscent of sixties college life. We (Dikayl and I) synchronized our 5D mark II’s and set
up different angles and let the talent loose. Dikayl shooting longer lenses mostly, and I had my wide and ultra wides attached and for some shots my 70-150mm. The shoot was a lot of fun and its great to work with someone as talented as Dikayl. Check out his other videos on vimeo! All model footage is ungraded, right out of the camera, this is the first edit. Click here for the color corrected, final version.Lenses we used: 70-200mm 2.8, 70-150mm 3.5, 24-70mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4, 17-35mm 2.8, 11-16mm 2.8 at 16mm.
The Olympus in grainy art mode during my photoshoot with Alina, some clips looking at the sunset with the Lumix GH1 and a few more with the Nikon D90 of Con Edison polluting the air. Lenses used: 70-200mm 2.8, 11-16mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4, 14-140mm, 14-42mm. All clips converted to prores422, sandwitched in FCP to my friend’s song “Thought Talk”. If you like what you hear, check them out at http://www.myspace.com/deadleafecho or at http://deadleafechonyc.com/
I shot this video during my fall fashion shoot for Zoot magazine (on news stands in October). Photos were taken with the Canon 5Dmk2, I was planning to shoot the video with the 5D2 but then decided to use the Lumix GH1 instead. I like what I see! Kit lens, Dynamic color mode, slowed to 24p from 60p. Check it out and enjoy! Music: http://www.musicr.info/Dennis+Moser/
Meet Robert Geller, New York City’s hottest men’s fashion designer. Robert won the GQ/CFDA Best New Menswear Designer of America award and was nominated for the DVDA Swarovski award. I shot this video during my cover shoot for Soma magazine. Check out the photos and in depth interview in Soma’s fall issue, on stands in September. Shot with the Lumix GH1, in 720/60p, kit lens, 50mm 1.4 and 35mm 2.0 via adapter. The 50mm is a pleasure to use. Slow motion archived by conforming to 30fps, down from 60fps in FCP. Shot monochrome, Contrast enhancement in FCP. Music: pulpohungary
This one is for you runners out there (if you don’t run, forward it to your friends and family members who do, they will thank you for it), esp if you are preparing to run a marathon this fall, watch this essential two minute video! First time marathoner or multi time marathoner alike, it will help you succeed and avoid silly mistakes that can cost minutes or even force you to drop out. This short video is my friend Toby Tanser’s idea. Toby, with more then 160 international race victories during his professional career, the author of The Essential Guide to Running the New York City Marathon, Train Hard, Win Easy, is also the founder of Shoes4Africa. He lives and coaches in NYC.
Shot with the Nikon D90, 17-35mm. FCP, MisFire effects.
Music: http://www.amadou-mariam.com
Tried something different this time, inspired by the way Silvia posed and acted, the styling and the weather. It was drizzling and we had to run for shelter a few times. The video clips were shot during a photo shoot. After the shoot I knew I had to emphasize Silvia’s presence and mood somehow, it was very dramatic. Even if she just stood there, it was suspenseful. Shot with the Canon 5Dmk2, 50mm 1.4, 24-70mm 2.8 and 75-150mm 3.5.
shot in color and monochrome. Ungraded color and b/w. Grey card for white balance. Music: Twistedtracks.com
A few short clips shot with my new Olympus E P-1 in the ART6 filter movie setting, walking around in Central Park, East River Park and Lincoln Park. Olympus is mysterious about the frame rate, I guess it is around 8 fps, shot at aperture 4 with the kit lens. Fun effect. The E P-1 is the best compact camera for still photos at the moment, small footprint, manual controls, big sensor, great image quality. The movie mode is not up to that level, aperture control but no AE lock. Still a great little toy that can be carried around all the times. The clips are ungraded, right out of the camera, this is the color and effect (vignette) the ART6 filter produces. Music: Twistedtracks.com
For Kayla, painting is a form of both physical therapy and self-representation. Her work is as much about the process as it is about the product. In the preliminary stage of a painting, Kayla uses basic assumptions of how to demonstrate depth, space and color effectively. Her decisions thereafter are based on spontaneity and experimentation. It involves mixing media, geometry, as well as combining the relationships between the sense of depth and flat planes. Whether or not the outcome is a hit or miss, the inspiration of the success or failure leads her onto the next project.
Kayla is a freelance artist, part time student (painting major at Pratt Institute with an academic scholarship in light, color and design,) and model.
This is my first shoot with the Panasonic Lumix GH1. This little camera rocks, esp in 720/60p. Shot in B/W with the kit lens. Contrast enhancement in post. Music by Lehoczky Tamas, Pulpo Hungary, if you like what you hear, check it out here
Canon 5D mark II and Panasonic Lumix GH1, comparing video clips shot at ISO 400: . The clips were taken minutes apart, I was mainly interested in comparing the out of focus areas. Click through to Vimeo for the Canon clip and for full resolution downloads.The Lumix looks very good compared to traditional camcorders. I look forward to my 35mm lens adapter to shoot with high speed glass on the GH1 wide open. For now, Canon has the more appealing bokeh, and a more natural tone curve, whereas the Lumix GH1 has a pretty steep tone curve which adds to the harsher look when it comes to bokeh. the sensor is exactly half the size of Canon’s sensor. What I like about the GH1: Record until the SDHC card is full, 60p, full manual controls, swivel LCD, silent AF during recording, optical quality very good on kit lens, image stabilization works very well, small, unobtrusive, very good sound recording, use 35mm lenses from Nikon and Canon via adapter. What I don’t like: AVCHD, AVCHD, AVDHD…….What I like about the Canon 5Dmk2: unparalleled image quality, full manual controls.
What I don’t like: Sound recording, but there might be a way around it, codec could be better, 12min recording limit.
Head over to vimeo if you want to download the original clips to compare them at full resolution.
