In the 2nd part of this special HD video with a DSLR , “What’s in the Bag” segment, photographer Chris Weeks shows you the whole rig set up and ready to go.
Plus there is the all important sound tip in there that you can’t miss.

Here is the honest truth about a couple of things:
The new generation of DSLR’s with HD vid capabilities do have what some may consider, limitations.

A. They produce a compressed video file, in H.264 codec, which should be converted to ProRes 422 for working in Final Cut Pro.
A little like taking a compressed jpeg and converting it. One day they will be as RAW and uncompressed as your still files. Soon we hope.

B. The native sound is terrible. With a mic next to everything (lens focusing, fingers changing f/ stops) you pick up a ton of unwanted noise. Best to record sound separate from the camera, and sync it in post. Chris shows a great inexpensive tool for doing that in the video. remember, the Vince Laforet now famous Canon video had no sound other than an added music track. It’s called recording MOS or mit out sound. Really. Coined by director Otto Preminger.

C. As great as still camera lenses are for stills, cinema lenses are best for shooting vid. Smoother f/ or T/stops transitions,as they are called in cinema, and a larger barrel to hit focus with. The reason all of the focus rings are so large is to give you a bigger area to get to your focus correctly. With cinema lenses, yo have a greater chance of hiring a film camera assistant who can really help you.

D. The output of a camera, like a Canon 5D, while shooting is NOT HD! Yes, it is recording in HD, but you will see that only in playback. Using an outboard monitor, which we recommend, is great for focusing (beats the tiny camera monitors) and then HD playback to check picture.

E. Get ready to open your wallets as the additional gear to get some good results will be pricey. But it’s here, and the working photojournalists are being asked to step it up. And we’ll venture a guess that the wedding photog industry will be the first to fully adapt.

F. As we are all still discovering things in Photoshop, even though we have a great workflow and know what we want to do and how to get there, get ready to include Final Cut Pro or, at a minimum, iMovie or the new Photoshop Premiere 8. Make some room in the brain pan, because there are lots of new thing that you’re about to learn.

But for now, check out the rig and the awesome sync sound tip for Chris Weeks:

We’ll be showing you some additional way to go, in the coming weeks and some specific articles on pieces of gear and what to look for.

We thank Chris for sharing his knowledge and research on all of this.It’s always best to hear from a pro who uses their gear to get the money. Maybe now, after seeing what he uses, you may want to go back and see some of his videos we posted.

As a commercial producer for many years, I hope to bring a real perspective to this subject, and share gained knowledge on the new technology available to you as a photographer.

In another installment of “Whats’ In The Bag” photographer Chris Weeks shows us how he’s making the addition and transition to video.
As the photo agencies, like AP, Getty and Corbis, are asking their contract and freelance photographers to start adding video coverage to the mix, a whole new animal has raised it’s head.
And get your credit cards ready to feed it. It’s a hungry beast.
But thankfully there are some folks that have done some great research for you.
Sure, you will have your brand preferences and styles, as we do, but Chris Weeks was kind enough to share with you the contents of his bag-this time with video in mind.
The cornerstone camera he uses is the Canon 5D Mark II, and he did his research on all of the other goods he needed.
Thankfully, living in LA, there is no shortage of amazing film crew personnel, that can help steer you in the right direction.
He learned a lot from these folks.
What we dig about Chris is his total honesty and openess with what he is sharing.
Remember, a carpenter can tell you what tools he uses, but it doesn’t mean by purchasing them, you’ll be able to build a house.

In this segment Chris shows you the different bits and pieces and what they are mainly used for. Being a photog, you’ll relate to the way he approaches the video world.

In the next segment you’ll see the whole rig put together, and as a special bonus, he shares a very cool tool that’ll make your sound recording life a ton better. When he showed us, we immediately incorporated it into the shooting work flow.

So that’ll be in Part 3. C’mon back for that.

And remember to check out his videos so you can see how he used the gear, you are looking at here.

A few weeks ago, we ran into a photographer at an event in Hollywood, and since we usually chat up the shooters, this time was no exception.
Chris Weeks is a freelance photographer based in LA, who has one of the freshest takes on the standard assignments that occur in a photogs life.
Check out the work here.
Now we featured a series of his Street Photography videos not long ago ago, and knew we had to check out what kind of gear he was toting.
He was kind enough to reveal the goods, not only in his basic gear bag, but also his DSLR video rig. W’re making this into a 2 parter because there is so much to go through.
Not only does Chris have a unique vision, but his honestly also shines through in his assessment of gear and why he uses it.
You really need to hear this stuff from the folks that make a living with their photography. They depend on this equipment to make a living, and put it through some pretty rugged real world situations. Again and again.

So here is Part 1 of “What’s in the Bag” with Chris Weeks:

Come back soon for Part 2 , where Chris gives you his take on the a full up DSLR video rig

You know we love choices. It all about finding the right tool for you. Go to the brick and mortar stores to see how a camera feels in your hand, hit the trade expos if you can.
And download the trial versions of software and try them on for size.
Like this software, Nikon Capture NX2 which has a huge following and it splits the audience a bit.
You use this to process your RAW images, although it also works with jpegs. And just because it’s made by Nikon, rest assured it works with all digital files no matter what camera they come from.
Some people just make this another step in the workflow, instead of, or in addition to Photoshop CS.

Here is where you can do some very slick localized digital photo corrections, working directly on the image, with mouse or preferably Wacom pen, without using layers or lasso’s.
Yep, that is one of the key differences between this and Photoshop.
Layers v. no layers
And the way it works is Continue Reading »

(This just in: Xrite is holding a free webinar on the best way to use the ColorChecker passport. 2 times to sign up for and it’s free. We love it when manufacturers help you use their products! See you Online!)

It’s about workflow. And the right color.
How do you know it’s the right color? Of course some of it is objective, but you have to know what the standard is.
Every pro knows that the best way is to include a color chart in your shot, or in one of the frames.
You know those shots where you get your assistant to stand in the scene and hold the chart?
What? No assistant?
We don’t have one either. Most of the shooting we do is run and gun, with little op to stand in front of the subjects holding the chart.

So, XRite knew this and came up with a perfect solution: Continue Reading »