CineSkates Camera Sliders - Roller Skates for Your GorillaPod

Here's the video to a very interesting project by Justin Jensen, a mechanical engineer from Austin, TX. Definitely the best idea I saw since a long time ago - roller skates for a GorillaPod. What I like most is the fact that you don't need to buy an extra slider and carry around tons of equipment with you. This product is super simple, small and as it works with 3 wheels instead of 4 you can roll over bent surfaces, too!


Definitely something you should support. So please visit this site for more information.

Cheers,
jonni

Technicolor CineStyle™ Picture Style (profile) for Canon DSLRs - free download

To download the Technicolor CineStyle profile for your Canon DSLR check the link below. If you don't know what this is good for check the other link which will redirect you to Philip Bloom's website with some comparison screen shots and more information. Basically this profile increases the dynamic range of your camera which will give you much more possibilities in post production. A must have if you're filming with your DLSR.

download link

link to Mr. Bloom's post

Here's a litte demo video that I found on vimeo which demonstrates how the new picture style increases the dynamic range of your DSLR. I think it works pretty well, but check it by yourself.

Another Canon 550D No Budget Low Light Music Video (Bruno Mars' Grenade - Live Acoustic Cover Version)

Here's another video that I shot on the Canon 550D. It was a spontaneous shoot at midnight so I had no tripod, steadycam or rig with me. It was all shot handheld so there's a lot of camera shake in the clip. I did only have one Z96 LED video light to light the scene. Faces are overexposed everything else underexposed, but it was a just for fun shoot, so who cares. The camera was set to 1080 24p, ISO 3200, WB=5200K, flat custom picture style based on the neutral setting. It was all shot with the cheap 50mm lens. There were also some scenes that I shot with the kit lens, but I'm not sure if they ended up in the final clip. Audio was recorded on the Zoom H1 audiorecorder which was places in front of the band. It had a windjammer on it but the level was set to high so sound quality isn't as good as it should be. I edited this video over night and did some color correction with the famous Magic Bullet plugin.

I hope you enjoy the clip. Don't expect too much cinematography, just enjoy the music. If you have any questions concerning the shoot feel free to post a comment.

Cheers,
jonni

Lia74 feat. Kiddo - Be Friends (official music video, shot on a Canon 550D / T2i)

This is my first little music video. Entirely shot on a single Canon 550D. It was very cold when I shot the clip, but the camera performed very well. I used some aftermarked batteries and had no energy problems at all. The lenses I used to shoot this: Canon 18-55mm 3.5-5.6, Canon 50mm 1.8, Beroflex 28mm 2.8. To light up the faces I used my Z96 led light and a silver reflector in some shots. But since I didn't have assistants all the time (Thanks for your help, Marko), I couldn't use the reflector in all shots. So in some shots I had to light the faces up in post. My Capa viewfinder was foggy all the time, but it did it's job. I also used my DIY steadycam in some shots, but since there are so many cuts, you can't see that very well.

Feel free to ask anything you want and please comment and share this.

And please visit amazon and iTunes to support the artists.

By the way, here's a flickr photostream with some screenshots.

Merry Christmas to all of you,
jonni

Magic Lantern firmware for the Canon T2i / 550D and 60D

If you're shooting video with your Canon 550D or 60D you should definitely check out the Magic Lantern firmware. It will give you much more possibilities to adjust the settings on your camera.

I installed it today and it really blew me away! It is great!

What i liked most:
- turning off the AGC
- on screen audio meters
- live view zebras !
- on screen cropmarks
- built in intervalometer for shooting timelapses !
- custom (native) ISO steps !!!
- custom shutter speeds !!!
- kelvin white balance !!!
- DOF "meters"
- higher bitrates !!!

These are all the features that I missed on this camera (but there are many more). So if you're interested in "tuning" your 550D or 60D check http://magiclantern.wikia.com - and please consider a donation if you like it.

Here's a nice video by Matt Dennie that demonstrates what the new firmware looks like:




My rating 5/5.

Cheers,
jonni

Canon 550D on the Delkin Fat Gecko mount

As a big fan of cool camera angles I had to try mounting the 550D to my car and shoot some clips while driving around.



There are many products on the market which make it possible to mount your camera to a car, bike, door or whatever. But after comparing all these products on the web I had to get the Delkin Fat Gecko. It is a really solid, small, cheap and reliable product. I got mine for 70 Euros which is about $90.

Here's a video of the Delkin Fat Gecko. I thinks it shows pretty well how strong this mount is (you don't have to understand the words, don't worry):



The build quality is almost perfect. I didn't expect to get a product with this quality when I ordered the Fat Gecko. It's pretty heavy but the adjustment screws keep everything in place all the time.

I tested it with my 550D, the 18-55 kit lens and a lens hood. The suction cups do their job very well. In the beginning I was sceptical and afraid that the mount could get loose, but after a few minutes I knew that there's really no reason to be afraid when using the Fat Gecko. You only have to make sure that your mounting surface is smooth and clean.

The only thing I have to test is if it works better with IS turned on or off. The clip above was shot with IS on all the time. But I tested it with IS off, too. Have to compare the shots.


My rating - go and get it. 5/5.

arigato gozaimasu,
jonni

Full Version of "The Bridge" by Marlon Torres

I just came along the very inspiring full version of "The Bridge" by Marlon Torres - and i HAD to share it! This was entirely shot on Canon 7D and 5DMKII DSLR cameras!

Check this link for more information.

Enjoy!