Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Cinelight 1K Junior Fresnel REVIEW!…
September 15th, 2011 | Author: Fergle Gibson
In the current economy, us lesser affluent individuals barely have enough cash-money to get by, let alone to purchase cool new film-making toys. One of the most exorbitantly priced parts of any production, and any Director of Photography’s arsenal, is the lighting. Sure, you may have an expensive camera and an array of overly-priced accessories that you floss around like it was on a TV show hosted by Xzibit, but none of that comes anywhere near to how much you will have to spend, or have already spent, on a half decent lighting kit for anything other than your basic interview setup… Unless you’re renting, that is. But who rents, anyway? Renting’s for n00bz.
In come Cinelight, a Hong Kong based company with a European supplier in Romania, who make affordable / inexpensive alternatives to most of our favourite light fixtures. Yes, I know… As soon as you read “Hong Kong”, you may feel like you want to turn in the other direction. A simple Google search for “Chinese cinematography lights” will unearth a whole bunch of threads on various forums urging people not to buy them for various reasons. But before you get too lodged up your own ass, inflexible to the idea of anything coming close to the likes of Arri, Dedolight, Lowel, Ianiro, Cosmolight or whoever, hear me out, because any of you with any sense will want to read the rest of this review.
Maximum Geezahrelli – A Kessler Crane Pocket Jib Test & Review…
February 28th, 2010 | Author: Fergle Gibson
The following footage was shot with the 5D Mark II, using a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens, on a Kessler Crane Pocket Jib.
Zacuto Mini Baseplate review…
December 23rd, 2009 | Author: Fergle Gibson
If you are shooting video with one of the recent crop of video-capable DSLRs, such as the Canon 5D Mark II, one thing you should invest in, without question, if you don’t already have one, is a good baseplate. Having your DSLR (or any other camera, for that matter) mounted to a baseplate unlocks a whole new world of possibilities, such as the ability to be able to control your focus with more precision, accuracy and repeatability via a follow focus, the ability to control and prevent unwanted light from entering your lens via a matte-box (something a lens hood can’t compete with), the option of adding shoulder pads, battery mounts, hand-grips, LCD screens… The list goes on! All of these things make your camera more capable, and as a result, make you more efficient at your job, and it all comes down to having a good baseplate.
Zacuto Z-Finder V2 review…
December 12th, 2009 | Author: Fergle Gibson
The Canon 5D Mark II and 7D are fantastic cameras, and in my current opinion, are capable of shooting some of the most beautiful looking footage in their price range… Even above! However, when using either of these cameras to shoot video, they do have a few drawbacks, namely the lack of a proper viewfinder, making the ability to achieve critical focus extremely challenging… Not exactly something you want to risk screwing up all the time when working on a PAID production!
Transcoding h.264 files from the Canon 5D Mark II…
July 26th, 2009 | Author: Fergle Gibson
From a stills point of view, the Canon 5D Mark II is a fantastic camera, and totally kicks the ass of my 5D Mark I. But from a motion stand point, sure, the footage LOOKS great, but you’re very limited in terms of what you can actually do with it, and here’s why…
The Canon 5D Mark II records to the famous h.264 codec, which, when rendered at a low bit-rate, is great for web-distribution, and also produces some really awesome results at low file sizes. However, at higher bit-rates (let’s say 35Mb/s and above), it becomes almost impossible to view, let alone edit with… Unless you own a monster super computer that doesn’t yet exist. Don’t get me wrong! High bit-rates are where it’s at, just not if recording to the h.264 codec.