Amateur Photographer

I finally finished putting my clips together from my trip last year.

Tags: avchd, camcorder, hd, panasonic, tm700, Video, Videography, vimeo

I haven’t posted much lately due to the fact that my media editing PC went down and I had to have the motherboard replaced. Also, it has been so humid here that I haven’t shot anything since I returned from my trip. I do have some stuff in the pipeline on some new photo/video accessories I’ve purchased, plus some more stuff on my TM700. Today I want to talk about the post production of the video from my Spring trip.

Organizing and Viewing Footage and Photos

I probably use video camera storage opposite of most people. I store the video I shoot on the SDHC card in the  camera and only use internal memory as backup if I have used all the space on my cards. I only used internal memory once, when we were on the outskirts of a tornado system in Kansas, and I was shooting the storm as we drove.

As soon as we got to the hotel each evening, I would hook a small external hard drive, and insert the SDHC card from a camera into my netbook and boot. I would then copy the entire folder to the external hard drive, keeping video and photos in different directories. Here’s an excerpt of my folder structure

• PHOTO
  • Nkon D90
    • Nikon D901
      • DCIM
    • Nikon D90 2
      • DCIM
  • Panasonic TM700
    • TM700 1
      • DCIM
• VIDEO
  • Panasonic TM700
    • TM700 1
      • PRIVATE

etc.

If you’ve used an AVCHD camcorder you know that the PRIVATE folder contains lots of subfolders with the video being in the STREAM folder. I copied everything over since there isn’t much overhead in the other PRIVATE subfolders.

When I returned home I hooked up the netbook with the external hard drive to the network and backed up everything to my Windows Home server. Next, I copied all of the files from the external hard drive to my editing PC.

For viewing my footage,and mentally deciding the clips I want to use,  I’ve hooked up the external hard drive with the original files to my PS3 so I can view photos and video on my 46” HDTV.

What am I going to make?

I’ve decided to make a 20 minute video for rendering to DVD and Blu-Ray. For online viewing the video will be divided into 5 sections that can be watched individually.

I have planned for a long time that rather than use Creative Commons or Licensed music tracks, I’m going to compose the music myself for two of the sections, and and use traditional folk music for the remaining three sections.

So, the next posts on this blog are going to be audio-centric for awhile, but I think photographers and videographers will find a lot of useful information on this overlooked topic.

Tags: camcorder, Photography, Videography

Most people who know me personally are sure that because I’m a technology freak, I’m going to jump on the 3D bandwagon as soon as possible. I’m not, and as a matter of fact, I heven’t really kept up on the topic.

Right now, due to movies, 3D is still an event. Watching a large screen in 3D is a kick, but Personally I wouldn’t want to put on special glasses for every movie out there. It’s OK on occasion.

I can see why the big multi-produict companies  such as Sony, Panasonic and Samsung are pushing the technology. They can leverage their other tangible assets (cameras, camcorders, game consoles, blu-ray) tp get more 3D TVs into the home, but there are problems.

• First, those glasses. Do my friends want to wear them to watch my TV, and how many of them will I have to buy?
• Second – In a movie theater, seating is setup optimally so that everyone is more or less sitting directly in front of the screen. Here at home I have seating for six (nine if I really need to crowd them in), but only three would be in direct line of site to the TV. What is 3D going to look like  for those that have to sit to the side of the TV (assuming I could afford nine pairs of glasses)?
• Third – Programming. Right now you have mainly blu-ray movies and Sony PS3 Games. I’m sure gamin would be great in 3D. If 3D takes off, TV sports would be early adopters, but in reality, how much will 3D add to regular series television?
• Shoot Now – Watch Later

The photo on the left is either a 3D conversion lens attached to a Panasonic TM700, or a new 3D consumer camcorder. We’ll know for sure on July 28th. I would love to shoot 3D photos and video, and I could go out now and buy the equipment I need.

Even without a 3D TV, My personal 3D material could still be viewed in 2D, so compatibility isn’t an issue. However, I don’t want to spend money on a technology that may or may not become popular with the public.

Heck, most of my friends still don’t own an HDTV yet, but at least HDTV is a normal extension of the old TV. You can buy an HDTV to replace your old system, turn it on and it doesn’t change how you watch TV; it’s just better than before. However, current 3D technology places restrictions on the viewing habits of consumers with its requirements. Why pay more money for a technology that can’t be shared by visitors to my home?

If you’re an enthusiast photographer/videographer, you probably own an upper level “consumer DSLR or Video Camera: Nikon D90, Canon 50D, Sony CX550, Panasonic TM700, etc. No matter what you own at this level, you have to deal with some sort of menu system that replaces dedicated buttons found on higher-end models. Before you go on a shoot, it is relatively easy to sit at home and customize any camera for the type of shooting you do, but how easy is it to make quick adjustments when you you are on a shoot?

DSLR

By a good margin, my favorite “quick adjustment System” for a DSLR in the field was my Olympus E410. The shot above is the “advanced” adjustment screen, but you can use a simpler screen  that has basic settings.

Using the system is very easy. You make selections using the directional buttons on the back of the camera, and then either press the OK button to go to a deeper menu, or for very fast adjustments you turn the main control dial to change settings. Once I got used to this system, I loved it, and it was very quick to use. In contrast, adjusting my Nikon D90 is not as quick, because it is harder to see (and sometimes remember) what the icons on the display mean. The Nikon adjustment features are good, just not as quick to use as the Olympus system.

In contrast, the worst system on a shoot is my Olympus C-8080 Compact Camera. I’ve mentioned before that it takes great pictures, but it by far has the most confusing and non-intuitive  button layout and menu system of any camera (still or video) that I own.

VIDEO

I really haven’t found a menu system on a upper level video camera that has easy adjustment in the field. What amazes me is that most of the upper level cameras don’t include a dedicated button for the most important feature when shooting: exposure lock and compensation. Unlike a DSLR (most have dedicated exposure lock and compensation buttons anyway), the feature is a must-have on a camcorder, even if you are shooting static scenes. If someone walks into a static shot, you don’t want your exposure to change if they cross in front of a light source. When doing crane, dolly, or panning shots, it’s important that exposure stay locked.

I mentioned in my Panasonic TM700 post last week, that my Sony HC1 has an exposure lock button, with a compensation lever next to it. Every upper level consumer video camera should have this feature.

Of course, most video cameras allow locking exposure if  you go into the menu system. On my Canon HF10 this may require anywhere from 2-4 clicks of the joystick, which is ridiculous for such an important feature. My TM700 is a little better. requiring two taps on the touchscreen, but this does require that you use the LCD screen, which is a hassle if you’re trying to setup a shot with the EVF. However, the large control ring is good, and I’m liking it more as I get familiar with the camera.

Tags: dslr, menu system, Photography, Video

This promo also has actual sound recorded by the on-camera microphone system. The video below is in HD. You may wqnt to pause and let it fully load before playing

Tags: camcorder, demo, hd, nex-vg10, preview, promo, Sony, Video, Videography