I have been waiting intently on a package waiting for me in Jerusalem with the following items:
1. Adorama EF/FD adapter for my 35 lenses to fit on the Canon 7D
2. XLR cord to 3.5mm jack so I may try to plug sound directly into the 7D
3. 2 more 16gb Dane Elec CF Cards (1.5 more hours a day of card space!)
The CF cards are self explanatory.
The XLR adapter is a bit disappointing because for some reason, the Auto Gain messes with the microphone and I get unusable sound on my clips. Further research will be needed but until then, the Zoom H4n plugged in works phenomenal for our run and gun style.
Now on to the adapter....
First off, I didn't intend to buy the Adorama version however the Ebay seller sold me this one since it had an EMF chip installed in it. I'm not sure if the Adorama one has one or he just added it. Either way, the chip allows for the circuits within the camera to work so that the reflective spot meter works, just not obviously the iris nob since it's all manual 35mm lenses.
Second, there are limitations I had read about and was fully aware of before purchasing the adapter. Since the focal flange distance is physically different FD to EF, there are some things that don't directly adapt without a piece of 1.2 crop glass in between the lens and the adapter. Thus causing a bit of cropping (although with the 7d it's not so bad I believe with the smaller sensor vs the 5d) and also because of the quality of the adapter glass(the adapter total was $40), you get some weird pro-mist filter like effects on your highlights while fairly wide open. (Note: without glass in the adapter, you will not be able to focus to infinite.) My 50mm f1.4 shows it alot. Although lenses during the day like my 35-110 f3.5 works fairly well. Although, certain breech lock lens mounts don't stop down all the way which is also frustrating. Have a good set of ND on you at all times if this becomes a problem.
Overall even with the limitations of the adapter, it allows me to use my FD glass on my EF mount 7D for relatively cheap. I brought my 35 AE-1 Program with me anyways and it does come in handy. Once you get over the finicky Open/Lock mount trick so the iris ring works, it works like a charm. It's not a perfect solution but if you're on a low budget and have glass laying around you want to work, it can do the trick. Use only for daylight situations or if you want that blooming effect on the white highlights. Good purchase but with it's limitations. If you don't want to deal with the hassles, then buy L series lenses from Canon. If you do that, you're probably not even thinking about saving money on lens adapters.
Further testing will be done but initial experience is a positive one.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Romania
Romania felt like another home to us. We spent quite awhile catching up on a few production items and definitely was a hard place to leave. After 5 days, we felt like we knew Brasov like the back of our hands. A quaint little town on the edge of a booming tourism curve with everything one could ask for. Their own version of the Hollywood sign, ski/snowboarding only 15 minutes away, and the culture of Transylvania to name only a few. Mostly the nice people were the main reason to go there. We met new friends and got to know a bit of history about Romania.
Our new friend Cornelius took us around Brasov and gave us insight that could not be researched or read anywhere else. He took us to a cemetery and told us about Romanian tradition. Then we moved on to the old walls of the city and the citadel up in the mountains of Brasov. Lastly we spent some time at a local bar with such interesting people ranging from artists, poets, and fellow travelers.
We also went up to the mountain to have some fun in the snow. Zach took the camera down the mountain once and I was able to meet the owners of the Florine Ski Shop. They were incredibly nice and I even signed the wall. So if anyone goes to Florine's ski shop, look to the right when you first walk in, you should be able to see my name written on the wall in sharpie!
There's way more to talk about in Brasov however those are best saved for the segment of the episode to watch! Until next time.
Our new friend Cornelius took us around Brasov and gave us insight that could not be researched or read anywhere else. He took us to a cemetery and told us about Romanian tradition. Then we moved on to the old walls of the city and the citadel up in the mountains of Brasov. Lastly we spent some time at a local bar with such interesting people ranging from artists, poets, and fellow travelers.
We also went up to the mountain to have some fun in the snow. Zach took the camera down the mountain once and I was able to meet the owners of the Florine Ski Shop. They were incredibly nice and I even signed the wall. So if anyone goes to Florine's ski shop, look to the right when you first walk in, you should be able to see my name written on the wall in sharpie!
There's way more to talk about in Brasov however those are best saved for the segment of the episode to watch! Until next time.
Budapest
Budapest night life was incredible which I had no prior knowledge of. After talking to the owner of our hostel about our film project, he took it upon himself to show us something that no other city could match. The night life and energy of the bars and club scene in Budapest was phenomenal. 6 different dance floors with 6 different types of music going on at the same time. People packed everywhere and massive amounts of dancing.
It was quite hilarious walking around the club with a camera because I was bombarded with people asking me to take their picture for some reason. We got some hilarious pictures of people thinking I worked for some Hungarian night life website/magazine. Unfortunately the camera was taken away within an hour of us going around filming everyone at the club. Their reason was that the camera was "too big" even though someone else later that night was going around with the same camera taking photos. It was frustrating however we didn't speak Hungarian and I did not wish to argue (consequently or potentially getting kicked out). So the camera was checked at the coat room and we relaxed and had a good time enjoying the club.
It was a good night and we did get some good footage with the less obtrusive flip cam which seems to come in handy quite often when we need to be more stealth with our filming.
Outside of the clubs, the Budapest Parliament building was a site to see and so was the Dohany Street Synagogue. Dohany Street Synagogue is the largest functioning synagogue in all of Eurasia.
Budapest was a pleasant surprise and I hopefully will be back someday to spend more than a few days their.
It was quite hilarious walking around the club with a camera because I was bombarded with people asking me to take their picture for some reason. We got some hilarious pictures of people thinking I worked for some Hungarian night life website/magazine. Unfortunately the camera was taken away within an hour of us going around filming everyone at the club. Their reason was that the camera was "too big" even though someone else later that night was going around with the same camera taking photos. It was frustrating however we didn't speak Hungarian and I did not wish to argue (consequently or potentially getting kicked out). So the camera was checked at the coat room and we relaxed and had a good time enjoying the club.
It was a good night and we did get some good footage with the less obtrusive flip cam which seems to come in handy quite often when we need to be more stealth with our filming.
Outside of the clubs, the Budapest Parliament building was a site to see and so was the Dohany Street Synagogue. Dohany Street Synagogue is the largest functioning synagogue in all of Eurasia.
Budapest was a pleasant surprise and I hopefully will be back someday to spend more than a few days their.
Vienna
Unfortunately it seems I say this too often to myself but we spend way too short of time in each city to truly appreciate the beauty of the locale, culture, and people of that city. Vienna is no exception to this. We spent two days in Vienna and were able to see a few sites and grab some Vienna coffee and Vienna Schnitzel. It was hands down the best coffee and water I have ever tasted. The water runs from the snow capped mountains for a taste that Dasani has nothing on. The coffee was rich and possessed a full body flavor that Pete's coffee can't compete with.
Unfortunately it was fairly cold for most of our stay in Vienna and it made it a bit more difficult to film and shoot in. Running around a bustling city in the cold with a glidecam on proves to be quite uncomfortable after awhile. Either way, Vienna was a great city to stop by in on our journey.
Unfortunately it was fairly cold for most of our stay in Vienna and it made it a bit more difficult to film and shoot in. Running around a bustling city in the cold with a glidecam on proves to be quite uncomfortable after awhile. Either way, Vienna was a great city to stop by in on our journey.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
DOF/Run and Gun
Before the days of the HDSLR revolution that many are calling it nowadays, you could never get the picture quality for the price you can now. SD was the only option for prosumers and a GL2 was the cheapest thing for about 6k dollars. With the advent of the new cameras for under 5k (1Dm4, 5D, 7D), sensors and picture quality is amazing. Film school students should invest well into an HDSLR for their film classes because something like the 7d is only 1,700 with a kit lens.
With the latest project I've been shooting, "No Lands Too Foreign", it has come to the attention that the normal cinematic approach that I would normally would try to achieve is not what I've been doing on the documentary for a few reasons.
I do not have an AC to pull focus for me. No HD monitor for me to have confidence in, no fizz system, or even something as nice as a follow focus. Mixed in with the fact that there are no rehearsals or multiple camera men to grab the coverage I'd like or even multiple takes, the likelihood of missing moments that can be golden goes up exponentially. The main responsibility is to capture the images that will tell the story and shots that are out of focus do not do that.
If we were shooting on a 1/3 inch (or even a 1/2 inch sensor on the ex3) HD sensor, EVERYTHING would be in focus. With the 7D, night shots can be quite difficult when shooting fully open and with the subject fairly close (to about 5feet even on a 28mm prime). You can check to see charts in the ASC manual and find out how much DOF you're actually getting.
In summary a few things you should note:
1. Know you're project and what style you will be shooting. Run and Gun is not the most ideal but is the normal style of documentary shooting so use your gear appropriately.
2. As much of DOF all film students try to maximize, you will not always have the tools you need to make things perfect. Operating and pulling focus is not ideal but can be done. Shooting this project on the 5d, though will look better, will be extremely difficult with the vistavision size sensor and the +35mm DOF you'd get off of the lenses you have.
With the latest project I've been shooting, "No Lands Too Foreign", it has come to the attention that the normal cinematic approach that I would normally would try to achieve is not what I've been doing on the documentary for a few reasons.
I do not have an AC to pull focus for me. No HD monitor for me to have confidence in, no fizz system, or even something as nice as a follow focus. Mixed in with the fact that there are no rehearsals or multiple camera men to grab the coverage I'd like or even multiple takes, the likelihood of missing moments that can be golden goes up exponentially. The main responsibility is to capture the images that will tell the story and shots that are out of focus do not do that.
If we were shooting on a 1/3 inch (or even a 1/2 inch sensor on the ex3) HD sensor, EVERYTHING would be in focus. With the 7D, night shots can be quite difficult when shooting fully open and with the subject fairly close (to about 5feet even on a 28mm prime). You can check to see charts in the ASC manual and find out how much DOF you're actually getting.
In summary a few things you should note:
1. Know you're project and what style you will be shooting. Run and Gun is not the most ideal but is the normal style of documentary shooting so use your gear appropriately.
2. As much of DOF all film students try to maximize, you will not always have the tools you need to make things perfect. Operating and pulling focus is not ideal but can be done. Shooting this project on the 5d, though will look better, will be extremely difficult with the vistavision size sensor and the +35mm DOF you'd get off of the lenses you have.
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