|
24h in 25p-night Shot with Nikon D4
http://vimeo.com/35858905
UPDATE:
I am now working again with the Nikon D4 on a long project.
Many people including me were very concerned about the "picture softens".
My conclusion is, that all but the 2.7 crop factor are causing the picture to be very soft.
As far as I am concern non of the other full frame/crop modes is delivering a picture which is usable for broadcast. The 2.7 crop on the other hand is sharp and producing a very nice picture.
Nikon D4 (pre production model), first impression by Johnnie Behiri
I was lucky enough having the Nikon D4 (pre production model) for 24 hours. My original plan was to shoot a short feature with it and by doing so, check its strength and weaknesses, but the short notice confirming having the camera left me no choice but run a very “simple test” one that might not satisfy all….
I’ve divided the test to “night and day shots”. Both videos are NOT color corrected. I wanted to share with the community what I got out of the camera. (CC versions might follow).
For my eyes, up to ISO 1000 the camera produces clean video images.
Also, please take a look at “24h in25p”-night, 0:49min.
Surprise, the “rolling shutter” effect is almost a thing of the past!
Obviously having the camera for such a short time did not allow me to master it. I truly hope some of the short comings I discovered are due to my lack of “Nikon experience”. Hopefully those are not “short comings” after all….
My decision was to shoot with 2 prime lenses. The reason was to see how useful and functional the “crop” function is. So everything you see (but the Capoeira shots) was done with the Nikon 20mm+85mm lenses.
What to like about this camera?
I liked what I saw, though hoped I could get a bit more sharper image. I would love to experiment more and get even better results if possible.
-Audio quality: It is very nice. I dare to say that the D4 is producing a cleaner sound then my Tascam DR-100.
-Needless to say that the headphone socket is a real treat…
-“Crop factor”: I can’t say enough good things about this function. Simply put, AMAZING! By the way, Nikon representative told me that the best video quality produced by that camera is on the 2.7 crop factor so this setting is a default. You are able to toggle between “full screen” and “1.5 crop factor” as a second option.
Things I would love Nikon to review and hopefully change in a firmware update if possible:
-It is unfortunate but sound levels can not be adjusted after starting recording.
-When switching the camera on in video mode, there is ALWAYS a need to press the LV button BEFORE being able to actually shoot video.
-Clear HDMI output is great but when an external EVF is connected, there is a need to see some information there. I couldn’t find a way to “overlay” the info in my Cineroid EVF for comfortable shooting.
-Also, when shooting with an External EVF connected to the camera via HDMI, I could not find a way to turn the camera LCD off. At times I am not interested that others will see what I’m shooting or just would like to save a bit more of the battery life.
-In some occasions, there is a delay after pressing the record button between the LCD screen and the external EVF. The EVF will go blank for a second or 2 before you see what you are recording.
-There is a way to assign 2 front buttons for a smooth aperture control. This is a nice feature. The problem is that the changes are so quick that I ended up pressing the button in steps so the end result is like using a “clicked” aperture ring on a manual lens. Welcome feature, wish it had a “slower response”.
Crop factor changes: As amazing this feature is, there is no way to operate it “on the fly”. There is always a need to fiddle within the menu in order to access and change the settings. This feature should definitely be accessed easily.
-WB settings: There is no way to see the WB settings on the LCD screen only down at the battery pack compartment window.
Other nots:
-My Cineroid EVF showed 1080i signal before hitting the record button and 720p right after pressing it. So I guess clean 720p signal can be output to an external device if you are interested in recording HD ready resolution while simultaneously filming into a memory card…..
- All footage was shot in natural picture profile setting in1080/25p
Equipment used:
Nikon D4 pre production model firmware 1.0
Lenses- Nikkor 2omm f/2.8, 85mm f1.8, 14-24mm, 70-200mm
Rig-O’Connor (All but the Vocas handle)
EVF-Cineroid
Tripod-Sachtler DV8 SB
Camera bag- Kata DR-465i and FlyBy 76
Light craft Fader ND
A special thanks to my trainee assistant Claudia for doing at most for helping during this long day!
Also, a big thank you to professor David and his team for preforming a short Capoeira theme for us. More about their school: suldabahia.at/
24h in 25p-day Shot with Nikon D4
http://vimeo.com/35858338
UPDATE:
I am now working again with the Nikon D4 on a long project.
Many people including me were very concerned about the "picture softens".
My conclusion is, that all but the 2.7 crop factor are causing the picture to be very soft.
As far as I am concern non of the other full frame/crop modes is delivering a picture which is usable for broadcast. The 2.7 crop on the other hand is sharp and producing a very nice picture.
Nikon D4 (pre production model), first impression by Johnnie Behiri
I was lucky enough having the Nikon D4 (pre production model) for 24 hours. My original plan was to shoot a short feature with it and by doing so, check its strength and weaknesses, but the short notice confirming having the camera left me no choice but run a very “simple test” one that might not satisfy all….
I’ve divided the test to “night and day shots”. Both videos are NOT color corrected. I wanted to share with the community what I got out of the camera. (CC versions might follow).
For my eyes, up to ISO 1000 the camera produces clean video images.
Also, please take a look at “24h in25p”-night, 0:49min.
Surprise, the “rolling shutter” effect is almost a thing of the past!
Obviously having the camera for such a short time did not allow me to master it. I truly hope some of the short comings I discovered are due to my lack of “Nikon experience”. Hopefully those are not “short comings” after all….
My decision was to shoot with 2 prime lenses. The reason was to see how useful and functional the “crop” function is. So everything you see (but the Capoeira shots) was done with the Nikon 20mm+85mm lenses.
What to like about this camera?
I liked what I saw, though hoped I could get a bit more sharper image. I would love to experiment more and get even better results if possible.
-Audio quality: It is very nice. I dare to say that the D4 is producing a cleaner sound then my Tascam DR-100.
-Needless to say that the headphone socket is a real treat…
-“Crop factor”: I can’t say enough good things about this function. Simply put, AMAZING! By the way, Nikon representative told me that the best video quality produced by that camera is on the 2.7 crop factor so this setting is a default. You are able to toggle between “full screen” and “1.5 crop factor” as a second option.
Things I would love Nikon to review and hopefully change in a firmware update if possible:
-It is unfortunate but sound levels can not be adjusted after starting recording.
-When switching the camera on in video mode, there is ALWAYS a need to press the LV button BEFORE being able to actually shoot video.
-Clear HDMI output is great but when an external EVF is connected, there is a need to see some information there. I couldn’t find a way to “overlay” the info in my Cineroid EVF for comfortable shooting.
-Also, when shooting with an External EVF connected to the camera via HDMI, I could not find a way to turn the camera LCD off. At times I am not interested that others will see what I’m shooting or just would like to save a bit more of the battery life.
-In some occasions, there is a delay after pressing the record button between the LCD screen and the external EVF. The EVF will go blank for a second or 2 before you see what you are recording.
-There is a way to assign 2 front buttons for a smooth aperture control. This is a nice feature. The problem is that the changes are so quick that I ended up pressing the button in steps so the end result is like using a “clicked” aperture ring on a manual lens. Welcome feature, wish it had a “slower response”.
Crop factor changes: As amazing this feature is, there is no way to operate it “on the fly”. There is always a need to fiddle within the menu in order to access and change the settings. This feature should definitely be accessed easily.
-WB settings: There is no way to see the WB settings on the LCD screen only down at the battery pack compartment window.
Other nots:
-My Cineroid EVF showed 1080i signal before hitting the record button and 720p right after pressing it. So I guess clean 720p signal can be output to an external device if you are interested in recording HD ready resolution while simultaneously filming into a memory card…..
- All footage was shot in natural picture profile setting in1080/25p
Equipment used:
Nikon D4 pre production model firmware 1.0
Lenses- Nikkor 2omm f/2.8, 85mm f1.8, 14-24mm, 70-200mm
Rig-O’Connor (All but the Vocas handle)
EVF-Cineroid
Tripod-Sachtler DV8 SB
Camera bag- Kata DR-465i and FlyBy 76
Light craft Fader ND
A special thanks to my trainee assistant Claudia for doing at most for helping during this long day!
Also, a big thank you to professor David and his team for preforming a short Capoeira theme for us. More about their school: suldabahia.at/
Vienna coffee houses-Working with the Sony NEX5n for broadcast
http://vimeo.com/33429338
Working together with my BBC correspondent Bethany Bell is a cameraman's dream come true. The reason is simple, she lets me do my job....:).
A minute before the new Canon C300 and Nikon D4 are here to lift the picture quality bar, here is our attempt to work with the Sony NEX5n in a "normal short feature for broadcast environment". It is part of our ongoing effort to test different modern working tools.
Lenses: the kit 16mm f/2.8 and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses (my decision using those lenses was based on their "off the shelf availability").
Creative style: "Sunset". Settings: contrast -3, saturation -1, sharpness -3.
Format: AVCHD 1080/25
Tripod: Sachtler DV8 SB
Rig: Vocas
Camera bag: Kata FlyBy 76
Audio: Tascam DR-100 recorder, Sennheiser G2 EW100 wireless system, Sanken Lav mic, Cos 11D
Electronic VF: Cineroid Metal HDMI version
Light: Cineroid mini LED light L2C
Editing: Adobe Premiere CS2 with Cineform Neo4k
Color correction: Cineform “FirstLight”
The little Sony is a lot of fun to work with. Its low light capability is very nice and working in even 1600 ISO is a absolutely "worry free". Moiré and aliasing are surly there but after working with the Canon 7d how can I complain...:)
Camera DID NOT warm up and shut off probably due to the fact that I was working with EVF connected and my sequences (even the interviews) did not stress the camera to the limit.
About this short feature:
Vienna's coffee houses are often called the city's "public living rooms". For the price of a hot drink and perhaps a piece of cake, customers can come and spend the day, just relaxing with friends or reading the newspaper.
Often housed in beautifully grand and ornate buildings, coffee houses are so much a part of the fabric of the Austrian capital that Unesco recently included them on their list of intangible cultural heritage - describing them as places "where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill."
Bethany Bell went along to Vienna's Cafe Weimar and Cafe Diglas to find out more.
Music: Karl Minarik
The BBC Close-up series focuses on aspects of life in countries and cities around the world. What may seem ordinary and familiar to the people who live there can be surprising to those who do not. conditions. bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16538189
"forever-a while"- A music video Shot with
Sony A-65
http://www.vimeo.com/29245251
“forever- a while” by Angel of Sona, sonaofficial.com
Shot in a day with the yet to be released Sony Alpha A-65
There is not much info about the video quality of the new Sony VDSLR cameras which are not out yet (A65/77 NEX-7), so I felt it is time to make the effort and see what the A65 can do to start with. I had the camera for a day and I’m happy to share the footage with the community.
My aim was to test general picture quality and camera usability during “normal” production environment conditions.
The Lovely Angel of Sona and her nice producer Ingo were quick to respond to my offer for shooting a no budget “instant” music clip.
The A65 I got was very close to the final production model.
I have no doubt that after lerning the camera inside out, better picture quality can be achieved.
Besides being curios seeing the overall picture quality, I wanted to experiment low light sensitivity, codec strength when color correcting and last but not least see if moiré and aliasing are controlled in an acceptable way.
The 3 Sony lenses I got to work with are all widely available and very affordable.
Disclaimer: I do not work or got paid by Sony for doing this music clip
Gear used:
Camera: Sony Alpha A65
Lenses: Sony 35mm f1.8, Sony 50mm f1.8, Sony 17-105mm f3.5-5.6
Tripod: Sachtler DV 8SB
Fader ND: Light craft
Rig: Vocas
EVF: Cineroid metal
Lights: Cineroid mini LED
Bag: Kata, Bug 203
Editing platform: Adobe Premiere CS2
CC: Cineform "First Light"
Sachtler Ace tripod system exclusive review
http://www.cinema5d.com/news/?p=7853
Sachtler just announced their new, amazingly affordable Ace tripod system.
In our video review we inspect the tripod in detail to see what the Sachtler Ace does and does not offer.
The Ace tripod system will be availble by October/November 2011
Pages:1 - 2 - 3
| 
