21Aug Android devices as your next field monitor and camera controller?
A few months back I wrote a post about the possible use of android devices as a Camera monitor slash controller for your Canon DSLR. It only took about 3 months for the guys over at dslrcontroller to almost make it a reality. I say almost because the video record mode isn’t working quit yet in the beta version, but i’m sure it’s only a matter of time. The device list is limited right now and the controller software is still in beta, but the design is as promising as I expected.
On the current supported tablet list are the Motorola Xoom ($429), Samsung Galaxy Tab ($339), Asus Transformer ($379), and the Acer Iconia A500 ($340). The Samsung Galaxy Tab is probably the sleekest looking and feeling out of the tablets I’ve played with, plus you can get it in a smaller form factor then the rest of the models on the list.
The Acer and Asus models don’t require any special adapter cable, but the Motorola Xoom, and Galaxy Tab require special adapters. You can pick up the special adapters for the XOOM for about $10 on amazon and .
If you feel like a DIY project you can also make your own adapter.
The app is a very affordable $8.60 on the Android market place. Also having all of the control options that the EOS utility has to offer rolled into a single monitor could be an amazing feature for many people.
To top all of this off, most of these tablets have display resolutions of at least 600 x 1024 with some of them sporting 1280 x 800 (720p) screens. This easily keeps up with, or out paces many of the other monitor options on the market. The prices are also much lower then most of the higher end monitors out there. As soon as they get the video mode working, you’ll be set. Now someone just needs to come up with an easy way to adapt these monitors to a camera rig.
18Aug Light Craft Fader ND v.s. Polaroid Fader ND first look.
I started filming comparison footage of the Polaroid and Light Craft Fader ND filters this afternoon. Early tests seem to point towards the Light Craft fader ND as a clear step up from Polaroids offering. Both do a good job of reducing the light into the camera, but the polaroid Fader ND really seems to add it’s own color adjustment to the image.
(Click on the image for full resolution)
I made every effort to get the exposure as close as possible, which really means I checked my meter and eyeballed it. From this example it’s very easy to see that the Polaroid casts a blueish hue over the image. It isn’t horrible but it is very noticeable next to the Light Craft Fader ND filter results. You could probably recover most of the color with some correction in post but from the footage I’ve shot so far, it really does seem like the Light Craft ND filter is worth the money.
If all goes well I should be finished filming test footage tomorrow and have a video up this weekend. I was expecting a difference, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this dramatic. I think, depending on your taste, many people would still be just fine with the results from the Polaroid fader ND filter. I know I’ve used it for quit awhile without noticing the difference.
17Aug What’s under the hood of my editing computer?
I get e-mails now and again asking about the computer I edit on. These stats aren’t a requirement by any means. In fact most people don’t need 24GB of ram for editing. If i’m working on editing with little to now effects, 6 or 8GB of ram work just fine. I only really notice the effects of 24GB of ram when i’m working in after effects. With that much ram I can watch an AE preview of 2 to 4 min without much problem. My 2.67GHz i7 processor is a little bit dated, but it still handles HD footage with out a problem.
I know a few of you might cringe at the fact that i’m running Windows Vista on my primary editing computer, but despite all the complaints I’ve seen, I haven’t had much of a problem. Ram is cheap these days so there isn’t any good reason to skimp and i7 desktops are starting to show up for under $600 all over the place. So if you’re on the hunt for a new editing computer there are a lot of options out there to choose from.
I haven’t had time to post results of my AMD server running Premier pro but it does manage to handle it without much problem. It’s nice to know that a good editing computer isn’t nearly as expensive as it used to be. Chances are, even a low budget system will handle your next project without much problem.
16Aug 2 SanDisk 32GB Extreme cards for $119.95
Sandisk Extreme memory cards are considered by many to be Top notch and normally you pay top notch pricing. But over the past few months, prices have seemed to drift downward. Right now B&H is offering a 2 pack of 32GB SanDisk memory cards for $119.95 which ends up being about $60 a peace. Still more then some of the other brands on the market, but it could be a good deal if you’re looking for premium SDHC cards.
16Aug Shock mounts back in stock.
I got back from Chicago yesterday morning, and after a 10 hour nap, I finally had a little bit of time to get the printing press back up and running. Zoom H1 shock mounts are now back in the Noob Store. Juiced link DS214 adapter should be up shortly.
Stills from the film project I worked on this weekend are available over at Deadlantern.com if you’d like to check them out. Thanks to T.J. and Ali from Avant Trash for all there hard work and support during the shoot, we couldn’t have done it with out you. Also thanks to all the DSLR FILM NOOB fans that stopped by our booth and picked up a copy of Outpost Doom at flashback weekend. You guys are great.
I have a huge collection of pictures from Flashback weekend and Wizard world that I need to sort through. Hopefully I can get them up tonight, before getting back to the list of gear reviews I’ve been trying to finish.
It was a very long week and I’m glad to be home.
12Aug A protective case for your 5 inch monitor.
I had to leave for Chicago yesterday morning and I needed a couple of cases for my Sony CLM v55 and Smallhd DP4 monitors. I started digging around the house to see what i could find and it turns out that both monitors fit quit nicely into the same case that I use for my Zoom h4n. I didn’t realize it until now, but the seller actually links to my video review in his listing. It looks like the price has gone up by $1 since the last time I ordered these cases but $15.99 is still a pretty good price for a nice little
. Especially when it’s protecting a $400 investment.
These cases zip up just fine even with batteries still attached to the back of the monitor and provide you with just enough room to squeeze in a short HDMI cable. The hard shell case does a good job of protect the screen on the Smallhd monitor. It’s to bad SmallHD didn’t follow Sony’s example with the built in sun hood. If you’re already the proud owner of one of these 5 inch monitors and need a case you .
I’ve been filming quit a bit over the last 2 weeks and I think I actually prefer the Sony CLM V55 monitor to the DP4. I thought I might like the build quality of the DP4 over the v55, but I think Sony’s design features are better overall, even if it is made out of plastic. It also seems like the Sony CLM v55 is much brighter then the DP4. Focus peaking on both monitors isn’t anything amazing and often gets confused if there is any on screen readouts like the focus box. The DP4 also seems to get very warm when used for more then 30 min. I have two more days worth of work to do in Chicago, then hopefully I will have some time to put up a full video review.
09Aug Canon LP-E8 generic battery road test.
I finally had a chance to give some of these Generic LP-E8 batteries a proper road test. Two full days of filming with over 100 GB of footage and they kept up better then I expected. I ended up averaging about 2 to 2 1/2 hours of filming with two batteries in my Zeikos battery grip. The battery life was a little shorter then the Canon Branded LP-E8 batteries I own, but only by about 20 min.
My tests weren’t very scientific. I started with 2 Canon brand batteries in the morning, filmed as needed, and noted the time I ran out of power. The Canon brand batteries made it the longest at 2 1/2 hours. The second set was the decoded LP-E8 batteries I picked up on ebay awhile back which had a slightly shorter run time of about 2 hours 10 minutes. The surprise came when I switched over to the Power2000 1500mAh batteries. Both Canon’s batteries and the decoded generic batteries are rated at 1120mAh so I was expecting these 1500mAh batteries to keep up with or out pace the other battery packs. They only actually made it about an 1 hour and 50 minutes which isn’t horrible, but the price is actually slightly more then the .
This picture is missing one of my Canon LP-E8 batteries because it’s actually in the camera i’m taking the picture with, but this kind of gives you an idea of what they all look like. On the left are 5 Generic Decoded LP-E8 batteries, on the right are the Power2000 batteries and at the top is a Canon brand battery. The current prices (at the time of this writing) are ($7.88 a peace), $9.50 for the Power2000 batteries, and $49.99 for Canon brand batteries.
Again, my tests weren’t scientific and I have no idea how many hours of video footage was actually recorded on each set of batteries. My impression is that the are the best bang for the buck, but the Canon brand batteries did seem to last the longest.
09Aug Alesis PalmTrack field recorder for $39?
The Alesis PalmTrack is very similar in specs to the Zoom h2 field recorder. Both have 4 Mic capsules and both allow you to record 4 tracks at the same time. The PalmTrack also has a threaded adapter mount and the added benefit of being a usb audio interface for your computer. There is also the standard line/mic audio inputs on the side. Scott over at the frugal filmmaker did a good job of covering this unit a few weeks back.
All of these features are pretty normal for a field recorder. The one thing that stands out is the price. Right now Newegg is offering the Alesis PalmTrack for $39 when you use promo code EMCKBKE53. Looks like the deal is only good until Thursday, so if you’re in need of a very low priced field recorder this is one of the lowest prices I’ve seen. B&H and Amazon are offering the PalmTrack for around $90 and I think the original list price was somewhere around $150. There isn’t a whole lot of camera gear you can buy for $39.
08Aug My car just got replaced.
I have to be in Chicago next week for a film project and I’m driving, so I had little choice but to go car shopping today. I’m now the owner of an 09 Nissan Versa. Not the classiest car in the world but good gas mileage and lots of room for our traveling film crew. Four guys and 3 cameras, that’s a lot to expect from a little compact. Let’s hope it does better then the Kia.
Time to travel in compact style with a car load of film gear. I miss having days off.
06Aug Mother nature hates me.
Between storms I was able to run out and grab a few shots with my cell phone of my car. Lightning hit the tree right next to my car and crushed the back of it. Thankfully all of my camera gear was in side. My car is totaled, but I still have to drive it home.
Thankfully all of my footage from this weeks shoot was saved and no computers were damaged in this storm. I guess it’s time to start looking for a new car.
