Once again we have a chance to see the test Canon 5D Mark III, this time in comparison with Sony FS100 and Panasonic GH2 by Andrew Reid editor of EOSHD.com. There are three shooting scenes he chose for the test located in an old ex-factory in the east of Berlin, Germany. In individual shoots the only illumination came from the pearly strip light, the iPhone torch and a reflection of petrol station lights caught in the mirror. In these extremely low-lit locations the three cameras were tested on noise in the lows, resolution, ISO 12,800 performance and handling of highlight. For the test were used three lenses of Leica R series: Leica Elmarit-R 35mm F2.8, Leica Summicron-R 50mm F2 and Leica Elmarit-R 90mm F2.8.

 Details on this project are described in the article Shootout in extreme low light. Andrew Reid adds also his observations on this topic:

“This was a test shoot for the kind of extreme lighting I’ll be exploiting for a project I’m working on at the moment called Blind Hell. So far it is has been great to exploit a cleaner (almost noise free compared to film!) image at ISOs like 1600. But when you push amazing tech like this to ISOs like 12,800 you see things which have never before been utilised in the history of film. The way light behaves at this level of sensitivity goes beyond what human vision sees. The way it reflects off surfaces, the way it dances and moves – and my aim is to exploit this new territory to the full, creatively. It is far more exciting than just getting a cleaner image with less noise.”

Source: http://www.eoshd.com/

If you are new to Avid's Media Composer DSLR workflow it is essential to look at the new good video footage prepared by Alex Walker, director of photography and editor. The presented in video method of maintenance work on all Canon DSLRs.

Alex Walker briefly describes performed in the guide steps as follows: “We start with AMA native H.264 playback, then cut offline DNxHD36 files and relink to the originals, and then wrap up with encoding for the web using Sorenson Squeeze 8.5 and x264”.

To prepare a magnificent time-lapse video of Planet Earth such as the one bottom, you will need only: six sunny days, a 121-megapixel camera (the iPhone is not a good choice) and a geostationary satellite.

Photos to the video we can enjoy were captured by the Russian weather satellite, Electro-L every half hour beginning on May 14th, and end on May 20th, 2011. The satellite is placed on a geostationary earth orbit, this is exactly 35.786 km (22.236 mi) above the Earth's equator and follows the direction of the Earth's rotation. An object in such an orbit has an orbital period equal to the Earth's rotational period, and thus appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers.

Photos taken by satellite are a combination of visible and near-infrared wavelengths, depicting the Earth in a way not visible to the human eye. Dennis Chesters, GOES Project scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center explain the process: "The 3 reflected sunlight bands can simulate a conventional red-green-blue color picture. The near infrared channel is a vegetation indicator, since plants reflect near-ir as well as green. You can learn more about the basic characteristics of Elektro-L’s ten-channel imager, the Multichannel Scanning Unit (MSU), here".

And some interesting facts about the way they made those photos:

"The images are the largest whole disk images of our planet, the resolution is 1 kilometer per pixel. The images are "masked" by a circular barrier that blocks out the light of the Sun and other stars. This is to prevent damage to the camera by exposure to direct sunlight. City lights are not visible because they are thousands of times less bright than the reflection of sunlight off the Earth". 

See more Electro-L movies and full-size images at http://Planet--Earth.ca/

Source: http://planet--earth.ca/

123D Catch for by Autodesk is a great little app compatible with the iPad 2 and the new iPad. It allows you to capture the world around you in a whole new way. After you take some photos with your tablet, the app converts them into 3D models! In order to make it work you need to take photos of your object or person from as many angles as you can. Then the app submits them for processing on the Autodesk Cloud where they are automatically converted into a realistic 3D model. You can use your gyro to control the camera when viewing your captures and there's a cool gallery with many examples. To get great results you should avoid shiny or reflective objects and make sure the background isn’t uniform as 123D Catch uses reference points in the background of your photos to create your model.

Here's the full list of features of the app (via iTunes):

✓ Take photos with your camera-equipped iPad and submit them for processing on the Autodesk Cloud where they are automatically converted into a realistic 3D model that you can view, share, and download.

✓ Take up to 40 photos and upload them to the Autodesk Cloud for processing

✓ Connect with the 123D Catch Community Gallery to see the amazing captures other users have shared and to submit your own!

✓ Included example gallery to explore!

✓ Interactive startup guides you through the process!

✓ Use your device’s gyro to control the 3D camera when viewing your finished captures or simply touch the screen to use Multi-Touch view controls

✓ Receive Notification Center alerts when your capture is finished processing

✓ Email your finished captures to friends

What's even better, this app is 100% free so if you own an iPad 2 or the new iPad, make sure to download it (its available only in the US store at the moment). Here's the link.

Source: http://itunes.apple.com

Even though RED did not announce a new camera at NAB 2012, the company has something that can strenghten its position on the market. The game changer is the RED Dragon sensor that will bring 6K resolution to RED's Epic and Scarlet-X cameras! There is not a lot of info on the new product but here's what we know. The new sensor will be out this year (as usual, RED does not want to reveal the launch date at this point) and it will offer 6K resolution (obviously), 15 stops of latitude/dynamic range and 120FPS on an Epic and 85FPS on the Scarlet-X. The company will upgrade the Epic first, then it will be time for the Scarlet-X. Epics with the new sensor will be upgraded at a back to factory price of $6,000.

And here's a short video on the matter by Engadget:
 

Source: http://www.definitionmagazine.com | http://www.engadget.com

Ok, so you want to shoot a nice video from the first person perspective - wouldn't it be great to have a professional helmetcam? If you don't want to spend a lot of money on it and you have some spare time, here's the best solution. The guys at DakaKin made a very cool video tutorial showing in detail what needs to be done to achieve a perfect result. Just check it out below.
 

Just don't forget that you will need some additional weight for counter balance. Here's a short comment by DakaKin:

"It depends on the camera you put on it, but we ended up using 5 lbs for a 5D. If you were using something like a T2i/550D you wouldn't need as much. Use whatever makes moving your head around most comfortable and be sure to stretch your neck beforehand."

You can find the Manfrotto Tripot Head at Amazon (here). It is priced at $43.99.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/DakaKin

Stewart Copeland shot an inspiring documentary on Roger Smith, who in 1968 ate a peach during a break from work and took out a pocketknife and began carving the peach pit into a tiny pig. What happened then? Carving peach seeds became his passion. He made hundreds of objects of peach seeds, hummingbirds, stingrays, gospel choirs, entire villages, he even made a baseball stadium with more than 100 figures! This 11 minute document tells his story. What's more it was shot with a DSLR camera - the Canon 7D, to be exact. The result? Amazing! Just watch it yourself.
 

Here's more on this inspiring and lovely movie:

"Roger Smith’s unique art, inspiring talent, and fascinating life are the subject of a short (11 minute) documentary by filmmaker Stewart Copeland. The explores Smith’s process as well as his inspirations and presents a thoughtful portrait of a self-taught artist who’s distinctive art is as much a part of his rural Southern landscape as it is a reflection of it.

Roger Smith has been featured in the books TRADITION: TENNESSEE LIVES AND LEGACIES by Robert Cogswell and WEIRD TENNEESSEE by Roger Manley. His peach seed Santa Claus was selected as one of the ornaments of the White House Christmas Tree.

Stewart Copeland is a documentary filmmaker from Tennessee. His films have played nationally and internationally, including The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Atlanta International Film Festival, an extended international tour with the Rural Route Film Festival and national broadcasts on POV and The Documentary Channel. Stewart is also the recipient of the prestigious Individual Artist Fellowship through the Tennessee Arts Commission. His last two documentaries were JENNIFER and LET YOUR FEET DO THE TALKIN', both films are available through the Grammy Award Winning label Dust-To-Digital."

And below is the complete list of equipment used for shooting:

• Canon 7D (2)
• Canon 50mm f1.4
• Tokina 11-16mm f2.8*
• Canon 24-70mm f2.8*
• Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6
• Redrockmicro Follow Focus*
• Marshall 7” LCD Monitor
• Cavision Shoulder Rig
• Manfrotto 055XB Tripod
• Manfrotto 501HDV Head
• Zoom H4n audio recorder
• Sennheiser G3 Wireless Lavalier
• Audio-Technica AT875R Short Shotgun Mic

Source: http://www.stewstew.com | http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com

"The Avengers" are a big hit and a visual and technical masterpiece. Over 75% of the film, including many of the jaw-dropping scenes that were shot in front of the green screen, took place at the state-of-the-art Albuquerque Studios in New Mexico, while an additional 5% of the movie was shot at nearby locations around the city. In other words the whole movie was mostly shot in one location.

Albuquerque Studios boasts eight enormous sound stages, some of the biggest in the world, and The Avengers used six of them. They built the elaborate Helicarrier, or the flying aircraft, stretching across two stages that are nearly as big as a football field, with an intricate control station to boot that took nearly five months to build. Another set featured in the movie is Tony Stark's, or Iron Man’s, high-rise apartment. The set stood more than three stories tall and there was room overhead for lights and rigging in the massive ABQ soundstages.

In total, about ten different sets were built, keeping the cast and crew busy for ten months from November 2010 to August 2011. According to sources, it took hundreds of local vendors, from lumber mills to craft services, to build one of the most impressive sets ever seen on the big screen.

Executive Producer Patricia Whitcher said that with so many moving parts in a production like this, it really benefited everyone to have the ability to set up shop and shoot in one location for three months.

Albuquerque Studios opened in Spring 2007 and was expanded in 2008.ABQ features eight massive soundstages, including four 24,000 sq. ft. stages separated by operable partition walls that open up to a massive 48,000 sq. ft. shooting space - you can fire off a gunshot, or a nailgun, on one stage without disturbing filming on the other. In addition to The Avengers, the studio has hosted a number of major Hollywood productions, including the cutting-edge, 100% green-screen production of The Spirit, sci-fi blockbuster Terminator: Salvation, Denzel Washington thriller The Book of Eli, Due Date, and many more.

With new technologies it is possible to shoot impressive movies at lower budgets and at almost one location.

Source: http://www.abqstudios.com

Everyone, even the best edited movie without a good soundtrack is defective. If your video productions are muted by viewers during the presentation is the time to think about improving the knowledge on sound editing.

Tutorials produced by Ripple Training does not require any special recommendations so let only to inform about a new set of 11 lessons titled Sound Editing in Final Cut Pro X. The total training time is 76 minutes. Additionally includes media files, for those who want to follow along in their own copy of Final Cut Pro X and a searchable ebook with text transcription of the movie's audio. Damian Allen, consultant for the film industry will guide you through fundamental principles behind Parametric EQs, Compressors, Noise Gates, Foley, Surround Sound and more.

The lessons are titled:

• Audio Fundamentals
  
• Editing in the Timeline
  
• Enhancing the Soundtrack
  
• Working with EQ
  
• Working with a Compressor
  
• Creating a Surround Mix
  
• Editing Voice Over
  
• Using Other Effects
  
• Adding Foley Effects and Music
  
• Exporting and Collaboration

This tutorial is for users who want to improve the quality of their soundtracks and who are already fluent in Final Cut Pro X. Price for the iTunes and iPad edition is $29.99.

Source: http://www.rippletraining.com/

GoPro is known for its versatile cameras that are perfect for shooting your sports activities, in good quality HD video and photos. Especially the HD HERO line is popular among professional athletes.

Now GoPro announced the launch of a new gear dedicated to the HERO cameras called Dive Housing. It features a large, flat glass lens (picture above) that allows for maximum photo and video sharpness underwater in all resolutions. It is also waterproof to 197ft / 60m, so it is ideal for diving, snorkeling and any underwater filming scenario. A great addition and of course this housing can be useful also in other situations when you don't want to wet your hardware.

The Dive Housing is compatible with all HD HERO cameras, GoPro mounts and accessories.

And here's the list of included items:

• waterproof Dive Housing
• protective lens cap
• tether string 
• assorted mounting hardware

According to the company, this new accessory adds to the HD HERO’s reputation "as the most versatile camera in the world". The housing is now available for order at GoPro's online store and retailers around the world. It is priced at $49.99, so it is really affordable. 

Source: http://gopro.com