11Jun HMN sound & Sennheiser ME-2 Lav mic audio testing
I’ve been testing and using the HMN Sound lav mic for the last few weeks (earlier post here) and I’ve been pretty happy with the results. The shelved version of the HMN lav sounds very similar to the $140 Sennheiser ME-2 Lav mic I normally use. At $79 however, the HMN lav is a bit more affordable than Sennheiser’s offering and it leaves me wondering if the ME-2 is really worth the extra $60.
Placing the two lav microphones side by side, you can see that the HMN Sound lav (left) is slightly wider and slightly shorter than the Sennheiser ME-2 (right). Both microphones have a brass outer shell casing. This is easy to see on the ME-2 thanks to all the use it’s seen, but I actually had to scrape a little paint off the HMN to find out what it was actually made of. Both microphones also use a very similar tie clip and the cable size is pretty much the same.
All of the sample tests have been converted to a 192 kbps mp3 format for easier download. This first test is the HMN Sound lav plugged directly into the Zoom h1 field recorder.
This next test is the Sennheiser ME-2 plugged directly into the Zoom h1 field recorder.
For the last test I’m using the Azden ULT dual wireless system. I have the HMN Sound lav plugged into the left channel and the Sennheiser ME-2 plugged into the right channel. The receiver is feeding the audio directly into the Zoom h1.
I’ve listened to this last one a few times and to my ear it sounds as though the shelved HMN might have a slight advantage over the ME-2. The sound difference is very subtle and i’m having trouble deciding which one I actually like more.
Sometimes tests like this really boil down to personal preference. Both microphones sound good, but the HMN is roughly $60 less than the Sennheiser ME-2 and audio difference seems pretty minimal compared to the difference in price. Take a listen to all of the audio samples and let me know what you think.
10Jun Canon 6d + 24-105mm f4 $1899 combo deal
I still have and use the Canon 6d on a regular basis. It’s a great full frame stills camera and a pretty decent video camera (minus the moire issues). If you are in the market, seller “beststopdeals” on ebay has a very attractive combo deal. Right now they are selling the Canon 6d body with the Canon 24-105 f4 lens for $1899 with free shipping.
If you get a great price on the Canon 24-105mm f4 you are looking at around $600. Subtract that from $1899 and you are paying about $1300 for a 6d body. Want to upgrade in the future, you can always sell off the 24-105mm and you’re left with a very good deal on a full frame (almost) Canon body.
This particular seller is listed with a US address, but many of these Ebay deals are selling gray market cameras. They also often require a signature for delievery. I picked up my Canon 6d and one of my 5d mark III bodies in a similar sale and had no problems, but if either of those things bother you, spend the extra and order from Amazon or B&H.
10Jun Nvidia GTX Titan vs R9 290x for NLE work – First impressions
I’ve been test driving the R9 290x for almost a month now and so far it has been a positive experience. Rendering speeds are slightly faster than a GTX 680 and it has no problem keeping up with the Samsung 4k panel I’ve been using. It’s pretty impressive for a GPU that sells for around $300 used, but how does it stack up against a $1000 Nvidia GTX Titan?
Looking at the two cards side by side, the first thing you’ll notice is the size difference. The R9 290x has a TDP of 290 watts and with a stock cooler it can run as high as 95C. In order to keep the temperature and fan noise down the Sapphire tri-x version of the 290x has a very large cooler as well as a 3 fan configuration. The positive side is that the GPU stays around 80C, but the trade off is a massive heatsink attached to the GPU.
The Nvidia GTX Titan on the other hand, has a TDP of 250 watts and uses a single fan design. Lower TDP means less heat is generated and less cooling is required to keep the GPU stable. The end result is a GPU in a much smaller package that tops out at around 80C.
Installed in my main NLE system (pardon the mess), I have much more room for cables. The single fan configuration also allows me to use the PCI-E slot that had previously been taken over by the R9 290x’s massive cooler. I kind of regret choosing a motherboard with only 2 PCI-e slots, I really could use 1 or 2 more.
While i’m all about the convenience and form factor of the Nvidia GTX Titan, I’m still interested to see how much of an advantage the Titan actually provides for the extra $600 plus price difference. If the Titan really blows the R9 290x out of the water, it still might be more reasonable to consider the GTX 780 TI. At a price of $680, it’s basically a Titan with 3GB less GDDR5 RAM and roughly the same performance. Plus, a $1000 really does seem like a lot to spend on a GPU. I guess it really just depends on your budget.
I started running some basic tests last night. I’ll start posting some results once I’ve had a chance to do more test rendering. Should be interesting and hopefully helpful to for those of you in the market for a new GPU for your NLE.
10Jun Used Gear Watch: Audio Technica 4073 shotgun mic $290
One of my favorite boom microphones, the Audio Technica 4073 is often overlooked by filmmakers. It’s popularity in ENG work has made it so common that you can usually get it for a good price on the used market. New, the Audio Technica 4073 will set you back around $700, but right now there’s a 4073 boom mic on ebay with right angle cable and shock mount for just $275+$15 shipping.
If you are in the market for a very formidable boom mic at a reasonable price, you might want to move fast. These used 4073 mics only show up at this price 3 or 4 times a year.
09Jun Crucial MX100 512GB SSD $219
For those of you who haven’t made the jump yet, an SSD is well worth considering and the new Crucial drive has a very attractive price. While the new Crucial MX100 512GB SSD drives aren’t at the top of the pack in terms of speed, the current $219 price tag still makes them a very attractive upgrade option. If you’ve been working on a spinning hard drive, almost any SSD drive will make a huge difference in how your desktop and NLE performs. Even a somewhat sluggish system starts to feel snappy with an SSD boot drive and $219 for the Crucial MX100 512GB SSD is a sweet spot in terms of price/performance.
Personally I’m still using all Samsung 840 EVO drives, but if I were building a new system or upgrading and I was trying to save a little money, the Crucial MX100 would probably be a good place to start. SSD drives are finally starting to be affordable.
UPDATE: Looks like you can find it for just $199 on B&H with free shipping right now!
06Jun New Metabones Canon EF to Sony NEX Lens Adapter (Mark IV)
Thanks to Sven for point this one out. Looks like Metabones just updated their Canon EF to Sony NEX lens adapter. The Mark IV looks very similar to the Mark III with some subtle changes in the opening size and coating. According to Metabones website here are the upgrades:
- The new design of inner housing in MARK IV has a bigger inner hole. Improving the Tilt shift lens preformance.
- The inner hole is painted with matt coating. This can further reduce the internal reflection.
I don’t see anything listing upgraded electronics or functionality. It appears that the new Canon EF to Sony NEX lens adapter has just a few minor design changes. If you aren’t having any problems with your Mark III, there probably isn’t much reason to upgrade to the Mark IV, but if you’re in the market, you may as well get the latest generation. I wonder if the Metabones Mark III adapter will get a price drop after this announcement.
06Jun Komputerbay 128GB SDXC Speed test
I’ve been testing out that Komputerbay 128GB SDXC card with the Panasonic GH4 over the last 3 or 4 days and I haven’t run into any problems with write speeds. Even at 1080p 200Mbit/s the card seems to sail along without any trouble. No dropouts or write issues so far, I might even approve it for paid work if it makes it through a few more weeks of road testing.
As promised here are speed tests from CrystalDiskMark. The rest of the information is nice to have but for video work Sequential read and write speeds are what you’ll want to focus on. The advertised speed for the Komputerbay 128GB SDXC card is “60MB/s Write, 90MB/s Read”. As you can see from the results, the read speeds fall a little short of the mark coming in at 76.76 MB/s. However the write speeds for this card seem to be “write” (pun intended) on target at 64.20 MB/s which slightly faster than advertised.
Compare those results to the results (above) from the Sandisk Extreme pro 32GB card and you’ll see that the Komputerbay 128GB SDXC card results are pretty close. The Extreme pro is slightly faster in both reads and writes but both cards are more than fast enough to keep up with the GH4.
Where the Komputerbay 128GB SDXC card really pulls head is in price per GB. A Sandisk Extreme pro 32GB card will set you back about $50 which works out to $1.56 per GB. At $64.50 the Komputerbay 128GB SDXC card works out to 50 cents a GB, that’s 1/3 the price of Sandisk’s offering.
Keep in mind that the Komputerbay CF cards I’ve tested in the past have been a little bit unpredictable from card to card. Some people have reported speed differences as high as 20% from one card to another. This is the first and only Komputerbay SDXC card I’ve owned so I don’t have a very large sample size. From the Amazon reviews I’ve read, it seems like the SDXC cards might suffer from the same quality control issues. About 14% of the reviews are negative out of 1350 total. So make sure you check your card speeds as soon as it shows up.
The other thing to note is that with a large capacity card like this, you are putting all of your eggs in a single basket. If you shoot on 32GB cards, all 4 cards (128GB worth) would have to fail for a shoot to be a total loss. However a problem with a single 128GB card may cause you to lose everything. In the old days I feared using anything over 32GB for that reason, but the hassle of changing out cards every 45min or so has me rethinking that strategy.
Once I’ve had a chance to use the card for a month or two, i’ll let you know how well it works out. So far so good.
05Jun Next GH4 lens buy, the Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8
The most impressive thing about the m4/3 format for me is the size of the lenses. This Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 is equivalent to my Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS in focal length yet it’s less than half the size and much lighter. With gear this small I can fit 2 or 3 primes, a couple of zooms, and the GH4 into a small shoulder bag and still have room for audio gear, batteries, and a few extras. That’s basically a full kit (minus lighting) in something the size of a messenger bag at less than half the weight. The trade off is that you give up some depth of field compared to a full frame combo. On m43 body f2.8 is closer to f5.6 on a full frame camera and f4 is closer to f8 on a full frame body. (credit to Dave Dugdale for reminding me to add that to this post)
The box that the Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 came in is pretty large compared to the lens itself, but the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS towers over both of them. While the 70-200 is one of my favorite lenses, leaving it at home reduces the amount of weight i’m carrying around by a little over 3 pounds (35-100mm is about 3/4 of a pounds). Plus the Panasonic 35-100mm has image stabilization and very good optics so there isn’t a big compromise in usability and quality.
I’ve only had the Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 for a few days, but so far i’ve been pretty impressed with the results for such a compact lens. I’ll be taking it out on it’s first shoot this weekend and I’ll report back once I’ve spent a little more time with it.
While I wont be selling off my Canon gear anytime soon, i think i’m starting to fall in love the with the m4/3 form factor. If I only need to bring a single camera with me and i’m not shooting low light, the GH4 is most likely the camera i’m going to use.
04Jun Panasonic GH4 $1699 on Ebay
If you’ve been looking for a Panasonic GH4 body but don’t want to pay the current inflated street price of $2000, there are currently a few on ebay at the original MSRP of $1699. Not sure how long they’ll last, so if you want one you might want to jump on it
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04Jun Komputerbay 128GB SDXC card
This Komputerbay 128GB SDXC card showed up on monday and I’ve been giving it a few tests on the Panasonic GH4. At $64 it’s one of the most affordable 128GB SDXC cards on the market and if the advertised “60MB/s Write 90MB/s Read” are accurate, it could be an attractive option.
As of right now I’ve only had a chance to shoot a few 4k (100MB) and 1080p (200MB) shots with the Komputerbay 128GB SDXC card. I haven’t had any dropouts yet, but I also haven’t had a chance to sit down and do a full set of speed tests. If all goes well (no more hail storms from above), I’ll take it out this afternoon to shoot some 96fps to see how the card handles. Hopefully I’ll have some speed tests up by the end of the week.
