Zoom, Zoom.............. and Zoom

Like a Formula 1 team, there is more Zoom coming to the kit (and some F1).

The SSH-6 shotgun mic has really delivered for me, becoming the reliable and versatile mainstay for a series of interviews, performing above expectations. The only issue with the combination is camera mounted run-and-gun shooting, where the shotgun capsule and H5 become too bulky and unbalanced on camera and my other shotgun options are basic in comparison (and still really need the H5 or H1n as a pre-amp).

The H5 adds a lot of length to the already decently long mic capsule and the shock mount adds height as well as being a little front heavy (it is a Boya one which is effective, but not purpose designed for this combo).

I am also concerned that constant assembly and dis-assembly of the two mic-capsules for different combo’s and to fit it into the case, will wear out or damage the capsules/H5 prematurely. basically, with a lack of protective covers, I always re-mount the X/Y, to fit in the case then switch them over for most shoots, 2-8 times a week. It would be great to have two mics set up for their respective capsules, with the ability to switch if desired.

The H5 was also a good buy, basically an H1n for the next level up, offering so many different capabilities and combinations and with the SSH-6 it has proven to be a great static interview mic, but there must be a better way of using both on camera?

Option one is to grab a dedicated shotgun mic (Diety D3 or dearer MKE 600).

This does not sit well with me already having the SSH-6, especially considering the quality I have been getting out of it. I am also used to the Zoom interface and would miss the control and pre-amp quality, especially compared to the mediocre EM1 mk2’s amp.

Option two is a to further add to my recorder options.

The Zoom F1 (LP kit) adds a mini recorder from the “field” series, so an excellent pre-amp (possibly better than the H5’s) in a very small form factor. The other way to buy it (SP) includes a shotgun mic, the SGH-6, but the SSH I already have is the better and more versatile capsule. I only need the dedicated shock mount to make it work (the F1 has no tripod socket, but the special mount looks very efficient), and I also get the decent Lav option also. I picked up the F1 locally on sale and a deal online on the mount for $250au all up.

This means, I go from a versatile, but not always ideal H5 for area, interview and event recording, with its X/Y or shotgun capsules and/or the Lewitt condensers in X/Y, A/B or non linear config or the option of external feed, but a compromised shotgun form for on camera work, to the same options, but with a better shotgun configuration with the SSH or a smaller one wth the Neewer as boom mic on the F1 and the option of a small talent worn Lav form, then the H1n as backup or X/Y area recording with the F1 (both share sd card and battery size).

Three Zoom’s?

The H1n is a mic I highly recommend to anyone looking for a better pre-amp, an event/area recorder or makeshift shotgun, as it really is one of the best bangs for the buck out there. Is it redundant in this outfit? No, I use it as an independant backup, a second wearable Lav mic control, an area recorder to go with the F1’s more focussed options, a post-synchable mic for the OSMO and again adds a backup. The H1n and F1 combined basically add up to the H5 without XLR inputs.

The H5 adds XLR in/out connections, a good X/Y and pre-amp and the ability to record up to 4 tracks at once (technically 5 with the SSH-6 mid-side and XLR’s). The H5 will be matched to the G9, which is the big event camera. For interviews etc I will get the condensers sorted (volume fading at the moment which I think is a power issue).

The F1 fixes the H5’s only real down side, bulk, and adds a wear-able Lav mic. It will be matched and balanced to the EM1x in its “on the go” setup. The EM1x seems to need a lot of H5 line output (-10 to +0), the opposite of the G9 (-35 to -25), so switching the H5 between the two adds another thing to remember.

They all have a role or roles and there is no one mic that does everything they can do individually.

Sticking with Zoom mics gives me depth, consistency of operation while keeping my audio up to a solid B+ across the board or possibly better with the Lewitts (“A” being picky sound engineer level). There are a lot of other Zoom recorders and mic capsules*, but I am happy with these as the best givers available, within my limited budget.

I house all of my audio/video gear in several XCD semi hard cases, which allow me to pack fast as needed and in any bag that is at hand.

This was the current layout, which was not ideal.

In Case 1, the H5 with SSH-6, X/Y capsules, AC adapter and Boya shock mount. This is the go-to at the moment, but I need to take the other case for options I may need.

In Case 2, the H1n and “other” mic case, which usually only gets included if I have time or a need for backups. The little shotgun mics and Lav are never used over the SSH-6 if I have the option (or the X/Y for groups etc) and the condensers are used for tricky, big or high quality recording situations.

The bottom two are basically the same, the top two have changed a lot. Having effectively the opposite dynamic to the Lowe Pro Pro-Tactic 350 (old), which I often find so very frustrating, these cases always seem to hold exactly what i need and pack well into other bags (except the vexing P-T 350!).

The new configurations, that now feel a whole lot more balanced and useful are;

Case 1, the event/group/performance kit with the H5 balanced to the G9, with mounted X/Y capsule and the 2 Lewitt Match 040 condensers, plus an optional small Neewer shotgun and Boya Lav for booming or backup (always have backups). This will also have the AC adapter and the now better balanced Boya shock mount. This kit leans heavily towards large group or area coverage with more intimate options at hand.

Case 2, which is now far more more useful, is the interview/travel/grab-and-go kit, consisting of the F1 balanced to the EM1x with SSH-6 and matched shock mount, Zoom Lav, Zoom H1n for area recording, optional Lav control or backup (always). There is also the Boya mini shotgun for booming or remote work with the H1n. This kit is biased towards single or small group work or general indoor/outdoor field recording, but will also act as a logical expansion for the event kit.

I can now basically grab either case and do any job, but each has a strong and less strong side and of course both cases give me a multitude of options.

My maximum capabilities at any one time are now;

A shotgun with left right stereo mid-side (3 channels) or X/Y (2 channels) with two XLR condensers and two separate Lav or twin mini shotguns mics on bodies (up to 8 discreet mics). Not a Hollywood grade set-up, but way beyond my likely needs. For cabling, I can get the XLR’s up to 40’ away total, and the 3.5 mics up to 90’ away and of course, the Lav’s can go anywhere.

Different configurations or “polar patterns”, important to handle different shooting environments, include true shotgun, short stem shotgun, mid-side stereo, cardioid condenser and omni directional Lavs.

Importantly, everything has back-ups, replacements and alternate plans.

A last thing to add. My OSMO has not been getting the attention it deserves, mainly becasue it has rubbish sound, so, seeing as I have a surplus of small mics, I purchased the mic adapter for it and will add a mini shotgun (and maybe a Lav) to its kit.

*The H2 is a multi mic, probably the best all in one, the H6 is like the H5 but too bulky, the H8 and F6 over the top for me, the F2 is a specialist Lav only, the F3 is the same, but has 32 bit float sound (basically better than RAW sound) and more, including Q and P series and several capsules.

Mat Box Thoughts

I had a case of flare the other day.

Not good flare, not creative flare, just the damaging global veiling flare you really do not want.

I was not even sure at first, but placing my hand just in front of the lens revealed a great deal of lost contrast, in a situation that was already perilously close to unworkable.

My hood was removed to mount a larger thread filter, ironically giving me a larger surface to catch stray light at the expense of the only tool able to help.. I fixed it by moving back into the room further and applying the 2.7x tele-converter option in the G9, but my working distance then became problematic (10ft mic cable at full stretch foced me to use a new extension that turned out to be sub par*, providing a crackly connection to the camera so I spent the entirety of two interviews holding the cable in by hand.

The problem was highlighted when the very impressive K & F varible ND arrived. Really nice, but I do not have a hood option for it (the proper one cannot accommodate the handy turning tab).

Mat box?

The Smallrig one (3575 mini lite) is appealing, but I have to shell out half its value again to get the 62mm thread adapter meaning I would have 8 useless ones for one I would use exclusively (no 46mm in the kit). I thought stepping rings would work, but the filter thread is on the adapter, so I would have to step up the box adapter ring, then step down the adapter ring to the filter size, which may not work at all. The other feature of the box is a slider to take filters……….$300+ filters.

$140 for a hood laden with accessories I would not use and only shading one angle? No thanks.

Smallrig do make a flexible shade arm (3199) for about $40, which would do the job, but may also just be in the way a lot. Things can get busy on a rig with monitors, mics and lights, without adding a flexi arm.

I have ordered a 62mm screw in hood and a 62-67 step ring for an old 67mm metal hood I have. Either will work well enough and be a whole lot smaller than a mat box.

Already pro enough looking to fool most?

They do look the business though.

This brings to mind another realisation. The monitor I felt I needed seems to have become, a bit like the mat box idea, just something I pull out for big jobs, more to aid the client than myself.

The Pana screen is busy and small, but for most jobs is plenty. Eye detect AF works well for interviews and the EM1x with touch AF is likely going to be my on the move camera. I did use the monitor the other day when a particular person and environment made AF too twitchy, but only once and the extra process of setting it up is uninviting for small jobs.

*yep several lessons there (1) check new stuff (2) bring everything (3) predict possible scenarios. More cables have since been ordered from the brand my first one came from, measuring 3 to 25ft.

Value Of Reality

What would I do with $12,000au for a video lighting kit?

Assuming I would have a video bias*, after a visit to the Apurture shop, I would have a powerful main light (a 2 or 300D), a couple of secondary lights (150/120D’s), a few Amarans as spares, a couple of decent RGD Panels, a handfull of mods and stands to put them on…….just.

I would have a key light strong enough to fight off daylight, and several other options capable of changing the colour of walls, add fill, ambience, hair/rim and creative light or evenly cover a decent sized area. For every 100 watts, controlled and focussed, the cost is about $1000, but I would have quality of spread, build, consistency and application.

Taking into account the need for several trips to the car if using this in the field, maybe an assistant and plenty of insurance plus the assumption that the camera rig would be up to the job (Black Magic 4k Studio Plus or Pocket 6k and good glass at a minimum), this becomes a big commitment.

What can I achieve with a budget of say……….$600au*** all up, and a need to get to the location in one trip, but still with some creative freedom when there?

A 2k lift from a sample taken with single Neewer (not at full power) and the Neewer 4’ soft box, slightly inferior to my newer Godox ones. My wife actually disliked the 26” soft box this close saying t was too powerful.

Turning to Neewer, Selens, Godox and the like, I can actually budget for $100 per 100 watts**. This is the reality of necessity, but still, what is the actual difference?

The lights are cheap and feel it. They will likely not survive a decent drop (although some of YN560 flash units have survived several), may simply stop working mid shoot, can blow-over in strong wind, have less consistent light and their power rating measurements may be a little on the “soft” side.

The best light is of course natural, supplied for free and in great qualtity (different spot, different day).

So, lets budget for a more realistic $150-200 per 100w, meaning you have either upgraded the actual unit on paper for more realistic actual output, or simply added depth.

My current kit consists of 2x Neewer SL-60w, 1 Selens 150w (not here yet so a big unknown), 4x 120cm soft boxes, 2 Neewer and 2 better Godox with grids, several brollies and 5-in-1’s, a 660 Bi-colour and 480 RGB panel, a couple of little 200 LED’s and 6x decent stands to put them on. Not counting the stands, the lights came in at $500 for on paper, roughly** 3-400w total (I may aslo add a 30w 10.6” flapjack for versatility). Add to this some K-mart blankets, shower curtains and curtain rods for bounce/flag options and it can still fit in a long bag on a trolley for the stands etc, a backpack for cameras and mics and a separate bag for lights. I live 500m from work, so this is do-able anytime.

A Neewer 60w in a soft box managed to light a single person in a reasonably well lit room with 4 large sky lights at mid day (I still needed a 3 stop ND filter to achieve f1.8 at 1/50th), shooting into a reverse bounce umbrella soft box at 70% and still provided enough grunt for bounce fill. In a darker room, I managed with a 480 panel through a diffuser disc at 35%.

A second light could either double my coverage, or output or add depth if needed. The Selens, assuming it lives up to its on paper promise, will more then double that again (13000 lm vs 4000 lm) and from one place. If it is really good, i.e. is more powerful than the Neewers, but the same quality, I will grab a second for added depth, which seems a steal at $100 for 150w.

My camera (G9) capable of decent 4k 10 bit 422 is now served by similarly decent if not exceptional lights and mods. Balance is retained.

Yes I would like better lights, but the reality is, I do not need them for my work. The end product is not cinema grade, just better than average. I see my self more as a run and gun documentor of school life, than a maker of commercial grade footage. I would need to justify the expense and added work flow considerations.

This is not a cop-out. The reality is, with more to spend, I would likely still fall back on cheaper options like battery operated Amaran 60’s or the new Godox ML’s, simply for convenience. My jobs fall into small and fast interviews, documenting life (both done) or large events, outside of my realistic lightng parameters anyway and often handled by outside operators while I handle stills.

Another advantage is I do not have to insure this kit, just myself. Total loss of this kit would not matter and would possibly not even be fully replaced, just parts once I have a better understanding of my true needs or may even coincide with a reduced or increased need. I might even replace it with a single better light and mod and non light based mods for the rest.

This brings up another advantage, the ability to try a cheap version before commiting to a dearer one. I have already experienced this with flash photography. I tried lots of things and settled on some of the cheaper and easier options as favourites. Ask me before this and I wanted big strobe lights and massive soft boxes, ask me now and I am more than happy, prefer even, reflected umbrellas with cheap strobes.

Where could I be in three years time?

With the dearer option, would everything would be fully functional barring insurance covered drops or theft. I doubt however it would be close to paid for.

The cheap option might be in exactly the same shape, or if not, maybe up to half would be replaced if it failed to keep up or to perform as needed. Even if I added a single better light (Amaran 200D or Godox ML150) and mod, the overall would still come in under $1000 total, or if the work load increases, several Amarans. I have already earned its full value in work generated this year, work that replaced a lot of stills jobs cancelled due to COVID.

Ten years? I doubt it will matter.

Making do is a reality at the moment, but the assumption I am missing out or cutting necessary corners may be erroneous. Just like with my stills kit, cheap but workman like on my non-commercial scale is probably smart, not blindly naive.

*Adding strobes for stills would not take much.

**On paper. I know there will be difference in quality, spread and endurance.

***I do already have stands etc for stills, so this is just video empowerment added to an existing kit.

Massive.........Bargain?

Trawling the web, I must have caught someone’s attention as I received an email from ebay for a deal on a Selens 150w cob light, for $100au.

It looks like a Neewer, only slightly different, has a better looking remote and most other offers for the light start at $150au minimum. The seller looks ok as well.

Could it be that there is a decent copy of the Neewer, with even more power for around the same price?

A lot of the details like the blue lock switch, mounting stem, back LCD and basic shape are identical to the Neewer SL-60w, but the chip does look bigger, the remote a little nicer and the heat flanges are a little more involved, all good signs. The little light on top is matched by a blank cover on the Neewers.

No reviews that I can find, but plenty of guarantees from Paypal and ebay, so I will give it a crack and see what we have. I may get another if it is what it says it is.

It is rated at 14000lm, compared to the Neewer’s 4100lm, whcih sound too good to be true. Something I am expecting is a very hot-spot prone light, probably with a noisy fan, but the way I use them (bounce diffused), that should not matter and may even be useful sometimes. If it’s not better, it will hopefully be at least the same as the Neewers for about the same cost.

Mind Sets And Video

Now that video is my semi-obsession and suddenly part of my profession, has my still photography mind set changed?

More importantly, am I a better or worse stills shooter for it and is my intent the same?

I feel that the differences in processes are indeed messing with my head.

Stills shooting is all;

• Identify subject and relevance, generally at the same time,

• refine composition, light and angle,

• set base settings to suit the situation and intent,

• execute fast and intuitively,

• post proces to define the look wanted, with a lot of latitude available.

Some shots are a result of making the best of what you have in front of you.

where video is;

• identify potentially workable subject and location combinations,

• pre-set some settings, then set the rest (more than stills) to make it viable for creative intentions and technical limits,

• identify subject and composition, including movements,

• manufacture or control light,

• execute to the best of your ability, repeating if needed in a controlled and precise manner,

• post process within strict limits for consistency and creative impact.

Some shots (video) can be pre-meditated, waiting to see what develops in a controlled space.

In process alone, there is clearly a difference.

The video process is likely making me a better stills, story teller. I am more aware of the linear nature of a story, with establishing, subject, detail and environment shots all taken into account. This is better and tighter than I usually shoot and something i have been aware of needing of improvement for a while.

On the other hand though, I feel the extra control and different priorities of video are making me a complacent stills shooter technically. I am almost just going through the motions with my stills, which is contrasting strongly with strong moments of still photography nostalgia and video micro control.

With stills for example, shooting RAW, I have never needed to worry at the front end about white balance or exact exposure control, both elements in need of precise control in video.

My videography on the other hand seems to be getting better the more I channel my stills shooting brain. If I think of video frames as good stills frames, I get better video.

Maybe, hopefully, the application of both will empower me to be a constatly developing exponent of both.

Pushing A Little More

I thought I would push one of the video stills a little more. DaVinci does a great job considering it is pushing these around, but C1 runs out of room quickly.

A Surprise Change Of Heart

I was set on the great little 26” soft box as my Neewer point light mod. Really set. I liked Joe’s image, I like the form factor and I like the theory of it.

So, I tried it out on my wife.

“Too bright, too close”, and that was at 10%!

So, not phased, well not too phased to keep going, I decided to try my new squeeze, the mod I am determined to master, the 4’ reflected octa brolly.

A 2k video lift, G9 Natural style, -5 cont, -2 sharpness with a little brightening and colour added in post.

No comfort issues, no consciousness even of the proximity (1m), just broad, soft light.

Painterly.

Counting My Blessings

Working in a tech reliant field tends to make you grateful for the better choices you make, so in the interest of sharing and also to acknowledge these winning devices and processes, here is a list.

Note; many well loved things are not listed, this list is limited to newer surprise givers or items that lifted my game unexpectedly.

The Panasonic Leica 8-18.

Not a huge wide angle fan, I am slowly coming around.

My only non Olympus lens, purchased over the Olympus 7-14 for practical reasons (filter size, cost, handling, focal range), it would likely have been an Oly 8-25 instead if it had been out, but I am happy with my choice.

This lens takes great images and does it reliably. AF was a little patchy on my older cameras, but touch AF on an EM10 flip screen or any focussing form on the EM1’s or G9 is nearly faultless.

It has also been dropped twice and so far (touch wood), no issues.

My only negative is the annoying AF/MF switch, that throws me sometimes.

Capture 1 and ON1 No Noise.

C1 has promoted all of my imaging up a level from Adobe. After a few teething issues and I will admit up front, I do not know it backwards yet, C1 now fills me with confidence. What it cannot handle comfortably (underexposed 6400 images or worse), ON1 No Noise handles easily and quickly.

Shots not previously possible are now easy enough.

Camvate Univercal C-Cage.

Since this image, weights have been added to the base, a longer side stem and the quick release mount for the top.

This was bought for the wooden handle, since added to the G9 cage, but the “leftover” half cage, made up of this C-Cage with 197mm extension bar, the Smallrig rubberised top handle and mini top handle used as a side handle/bumper bar, then with weights added, makes a very stable, nearly gimbal quality kit with the EM1x.

This cage effectively bought Olympus back into my video kit. It is not as smooth as the OSMO, but that is part of the charm. It adds a semi-obvious hand help vibe, without amateurish jitters, just like a heavy pro camera.

The Neewer Camera Backpack (model? Its big anyway…..with red piping).

Now the video kits home, this thing makes portable possible. With my hands free, I can wrangle a trolly laden with lighting and sound stands, somethng I could not do before.

My 130cm Hand Trolley

So, I finally bought a decent hand truck. The little flat pack one I have been using was too short, too flimsy and the wheel width was annoyingly small, making it “walk” a lot when crossing bumps etc. The base model, no frills delivery trolley now holds a rigid plastic tool box on the base and a long Neewer lighting bag strapped above it and can handle any environment without breaking my back.

My lighting kit now comes in at a minimum of 4-6 stands, poles, lights and other bits, which I can now carry without being tempted to leave behind that last item I end up needing. The bag alone is way too heavy to carry even 50m, but with the trolley, 500m is possible.

The G9.

The base rig, lots more to be added as needed.

It is hard to overstate how easy this camera makes video compared to the Olympus interface. Everything about this camera can take on a video persona, meaning set up as I have it, it simply has no distractions. All buttons (and wheels and dials) to the video task only. It is also generally better at video, especially 1080, even in basic Natural mode than the Oly, and when using 1080, there are a wealth of extras available. I especially like the 6 Custom settings.

The Godox 860 Flash.

I have a ton of flash units, mostly Yungnuo, with a couple of Godox and bunch of those handy little Oly ones that come with some cameras. The 860, my day bag unit has converted me to daylight fill, TTL ceiling bounce and TTL off camera. It just does it all so well and with high speed sync if needed. The 685 with eneloop pro batts is probably as good and the YN’s really nail studio work, but I will ride my luck with the 860 as long as I can.

The Neewer SL-60w Point Light.

Pumping out a ton of light through a double diffused soft box.

This little power packet has given me some serious video light. So impressed, I have since purchased a second and some extension cable options, this light get video into still camera flash territory for me and will likely see use with my stills cameras also.

They are cheap feeling, plasticky and obviously not built for abuse, but at less than $100au each, I can afford (a) a backup and (b) to replace them as needed. The remote is also handy and they are light.

Softly, Softly.

My testing of light modifiers before jumping at the 165cm umbrella has highlighted a few things.

All mods are good at something and any can be good at what you need with a little grey matter applied.

Some of the cheaper mods are by far and away better value that the dearer ones and usage trumps purchased expectation, which is to say, there was more variation just in stem length used with my brollies, than between some very different mods.

A 165cm white reflective brolly would not add much to my setup. My 7’ white or silver are softer and wider covering, my 42” white brollies are versatile and nice, my 4’ Octa soft boxes are under-used, being user friendly and versatile.

Reflected is preferred over shoot through for me.

Control is a more important addition to my setup, something the black backed brolly would add, but egg crate grids would do even better.

All mods should be bought with grids if available.

Instead of a big white brolly, I went a second set of 2x 4’ Godox octagon silver/diffused brolly soft boxes, but with grids, for the same price as the single brolly.

A good base and consistent. Not the best light I can do, but versatile and always useable.

This will add the following;

2x more (4 total) 4’ deep silver or diffused white mods, which could make a massive 8x8’ wall of light with decent throw and enveloping coverage. I have enough 3m+ stands and flash units for these (with 1 of each to spare),

2x egg crate grids for any two of these which I feel are the best investment,

2x spare diffusers for two of them go double soft (which does make a slight difference),

2x spares for longer term durability, guaranteeing 2 at any time.

Filters, More Filters.

K & F filters look to be good value and well respected in the industry.

I decided to add a 62mm (my “big” size) 2-400 variable ND and 46mm (most of my primes) 1/8 Black Mist.

The BM 1/8 is going to be close to, but slightly different from the Kenko 05 and lets me have two cameras filtered up at once. I like these in comparison to the Tiffen Balck Mist, looking slightly less aggressive. One reviewer, a rare Kenko vs K & F reviewer, stated the K & F is “grittier” or less clean looking than the Kenko.

The Var ND is the same and will let me be more versatile with my “run-n-gun” Olymus kit. The fixed ones have more optical stability so give me more confidence, but some times a variable is handy, even if they have issues with some light sources. I went the Nano-X VND, the one with the green reflective finish and orange lever.

The Kenko is smooth, maybe slightly too smooth for all situations, the K & F is more aggressive and the two could be used together to make a 1/4.

On the shopping list, are the Kase Blue Anamorphic Streak and Tiffen Glimmerglass, both likely bought from the U.S. as any other source is way dearer for these.

The Anamorphic look also really appeals, although I do wonder if a Kenko 4 or 6 point star would be a cheaper and (for me), as effective option. The basic idea with either is light streak, being linear (anamorphic) or multi (star).

The Glimmerglass, as well as the Tiffen Satin, are two of the few Black Mist style filters that do not lighten blacks too much, just reduce sharpness, which i like. This is the true Black Net look of the pre digital period.

More research needed.

Black Magic Or Not

After such a small time in the world of Videography, I am already aware of the draw of Black Magic or similar.

Contradictorily, my real needs are regresssing to 1080p as my primary work flow setting, not yet needing 4k* for any job and enjoying the many cool features 1080 offers, like time lapse, super slow-mo, live cropping, I am loving the 1080 world.

The G9 can stream, shoot 4K 10 bit 422 in camera for 10 mins or continuously with a Ninja V upgrade and in Vlog-L, with an even cheaper upgrade, so a decent upgrade path can come from the kit I have.

So why would I need an even more powerful camera without any of the current benefits I enjoy like stabilisers and easy to use form factor?

Mainly for the benefits of RAW shooting, or just better LOG formats. This is a new horizon for me, discovering the benefits and power of grading.

The GH6 appeals also, as does the GH5s, using the same sensor as the BM 4k, but at less than $2000au the Black Magic Studio Plus or Pocket Cinema 4k models seems too cheap and too versatile.

The Studio in particular, with a full control panel option, still coming in under the price of the GH’s seems to be the one, and the existing cameras (EM1x, OSMO and G9) are then still useful for hand held and B camera roles.

Of course, I could just get another G9 on sale. Still a massive bargain of a camera for video or stills shooting.

*The EM1x may be shot in C4k for better capture, but down sized at output.

Too much? Sometimes too much is exactly that, other times it is the little extra that takes you to the next level.

Read The Damn Book!

I hate reading instructions, but I will admit, it never goes to waste.

I opened up Da Vinci Resolve the other day for the third time ever and stumbled my way into the colour grading section. I am not yet up to the whole timeline thing, just making my footage better for the project at work.

Lots of options, lots of new terminology.

When I transitioned from film to digital, a lot of the terminology came across easily. The basics were like for like, with only a few little changes like Noise = Grain to deal with.

Dealt with.

So, Gain, Gamma, Lift and Off-set………….What the hell?

My first reaction was to go to the things that made sense.

In the base colour correction panel in DVR, there are some old friends such as white balance, tint, contrast etc. These are little wheels, running in little windows along the top and bottom of the tool window and proved to be mainly a distraction.

The big ones, the ones that dominate the panel are the above. Each has a virtual wheel and the colour wheel (other type of “wheel”) sat proudly above it.

I needed to know why.

In Japan they are ready for anything, anywhere and I guess they always read the instructions.

In a brief moment of clarity, I decided to look for the actual instructions.

Easily found, all 470 pages down loaded and opened easily and to my surprise were both easily navigated and taken in. The section on Grading even has a small essay on the why and how of the process and a little history, a bit like reading a magazine article.

Lift = Shadows

Gamma = Mid tones (or tonal range)

Gain = Highlights

Off-set = Global

Simple as that.

The colour wheel in the middle lets you actually control the colour of each level of exposure separately. Very cool.

Want more contrast? Push the Lift down, blackening the blacks.

Want more “Crunch”, go to the Gamma tool.

Control overly bright highlights? Gain is your friend.

The other tools are more global, but are still useful as support for these. Want a warmer image, but not in the highlights? You could warm up the othe two settings, or drop the highlight warmth back and warm up the whole.

Natural colour style on the Panasonic reacts well to this. I shot flat, meaning +0 across the board, but now see the benefit of reducing sharpness and contrast. I have had less luck with the Olympus “Flat” profile and have heard little good about OMLog400 (which is however supported with a LUT in DVR). I may try their “Muted” profile in C4k with contrast and sharpness pulled back.

Six different clips were shot the other day in the same place, but over time. I will admit I got six slightly different looks thanks to poor white balance control and in-out natural light messing with exposure, but DVR has allowed me, with little practice and a quick read of the relevant instruction pages, to get five to match well and one to be “in the ball park”.

I know there are things I did clumsily, but overall the process felt linear and clean and more importantly, I got what I wanted.

Footage Taken, Lessons Learned.

The shoot today was a mixed success.

My wins were satifying;

• My lighting was soft using a double sheer to cover the window and a hair light.

• Focus was spot on using eye detect continuous.

• The filter look subtle but effective adding a lovely Bokeh to background lights.

• Sound was good with the Zoom H5 and SSH6 used as a boom and most importantly.

• I have learned a little Da Vinci colour grading (see below).

Negatives were not terminal, but eye opening.

• The light changed a little over the morning as morning sun slipped in and out of cloud cover, sometimes during a useable clip, which was reduced somewhat by the double diffusion used, but changed by about 1 stop in extreme cases.

• The footage shot in Natural colour style was fine and had room for adjustment, but my white balance discipline was poor, creating headaches for me later, which thankfully DaVinci sorted.

• The H5 goes to sleep when the camera is turned off, needing to be touched to wake up, which justified my using headphones to monitor audio.

Using Da Vinci, I managed to colour match all six clips well enough, the hard way I am sure, but matched none the less. I will provide a few different looks to the school, just to see what takes.

A steep learning curve, but one I am keen to take on. The main thing for me was separating the creation of a timeline based event and simple colour grading and sound adjustment. Once I realised I did not need to go through the process of making a full movie, but could just drop a clip in, compare it to others and adjust them to match each other, then render them together or individually, life got a lot simpler.

The Neewer SL-60W Quick Look.

So my Neewer 60w point source LED light, came today.

It cost $85au!

It is brighter than my 660 panel, probably my 660 and 480 together. It is handy to use with the remote, which is cheap, but works well, but equally in-convenient, needing power from the wall, but $85….. .

In comparison videos, this light actually looked slightly more even and a smidgeon warmer than the Godox, which retails at over $200 (for now).

Above, shot in manual mode, all at the same settings; Ambient light, then the 660 using all the warm and cool beads for maximum output and the SL-60 at 100%. It is actually providing daylight fill (see the window top right). The 660 was also wall connected which gives it a little more power than batteries alone. Out of frame is the nicely rounded edge of the SL-60 light.

It is plasticky and light weight, not built for heavy use, but again, $85….., so buy a few of them.

Fan noise is insignificant, especially considering it is capable of lighting a whole room from way back. You can feel it running when you are touching the unit, but have to put your ear to within a few inches to hear it. For closer work, I think it would be pushing it anyway as the minimum 10% setting is still a lot of light, so I will continue to use the slim-line 480 panel (silent and gentler).

The light is a point source, so yes, it is un-focussed by design. A modifier is needed to either soften or shape it. One reason I jumped at one, apart from the price, was the small collection of mods I have at hand that will not be used for stills work (plenty of other options available there), again keeping my total outlay to, you guessed it…...$85.

The 26” double baffle soft box is a little small, but provides even and soft light.

A brolly is good, probably reversed, and my 90x20 strip soft box, which rarely gets any use as it is a pain to assemble, is ideal for video and stills, especially as a hair light as the long flat edge can come closer to the subject and not be in the frame.

The 7” diffuser dish is perfect for it and works well with a grid and/or diffuser.

I have not tried it, but I guess my big umbrella mount, 4’ internal bounce soft boxes, or the monster 7’ brollies, would also be a good match. I do not trust the plastic brolly mount on the light for heavy loads, but on a C-stand to take the weight, it will be fine.

A 10.6 inch “Flapjack” light was also on my list, but several things stopped me. They are hard to ad mods to, much like the LED panels, but lack even barn doors. They are strong, but not as soft as I hoped. The point light is as strong and easily modified, both softer or more focussed.

I may buy another for, did I say……..$85, or the new Aperture Amaran 60D for about $250 instead, using the Neewer as a second light when indoors. It is slightly more powerful, can run on NP series batts and is even smaller.

Remembering The Before Times

In the before times (a few months ago), I liked or disliked movies based on my emotional response to their content. I judged a movie based on the promise and delivery of a story line that fell into my comfort zone pre-conceptions. If I knew before hand it did not sit there, I tended to avoid them. Cowardly I know, but the world if full of bad news, why go looking.

A little shy when it comes to putting myself in emotional harms-way.

As an example, I would have had little or no interest in “12 Years a Slave”, not because I am not sympathetic to the plight of the characters or lessons learned, but becasue I find these stories troubling and frustrating on a deeply emotional level, something I do not need reinforced time and again.

This goes for tragic animal stories especially.

I know these things happen, I am realistic, but not happy about them nor keen to share their imaginary plight. I do my little bit as able to prevent or repair the real issues through my own actions and support of charities, but I do not need to be beaten over the head with more tragic stories. No “Lassie” for me.

Unfortunately for me, many of the greatest scenes in the most beautifully crafted films come with this baggage.

The tragic evacuation scene in “Atonement”, a massive and magnificent one take sweep around the beaches, only reminds me of the people and animals killed in the name of human hubris. The compelling but horrifying hanging scene in “12 Years”, most of “No Country For Old Men” are good examples of the craft at its highest level, but hard can be to watch content. “Amelie” they are not.

With a new found awareness of movies that are true modern (or older) master productons, my preferences have shifted to those that are well lit, with gripping sound, are masterfully blocked, strikingly shot and equally well written.

Does this mean I feel more comfortable with the content? No, it just means that my judgement of these films, for what it is worth, is now split into an awareness of content and one of production qualities, each judged on differnet levels.

More Lite Duty With "Kit" Lenses

A small swimming event this time, with even lighter gear.

The amazing little 40-150 “plastic fantastic” kit lens, one of the best value lenses around, gave me a very lite day at the swimming pool.

Obviously no faces of these little ones, But look at that colour and clarity. Hundreds more like them.

This lens is a real sleeper. It got a little wet, hopefully without long term issues, but even if it dies, a second hand one will come in at $100au maximum or I may just buy a kit.

Big Rig On The Horizon

First up, sometimes I like a good mistake.

Sssssttttteeeaaaadddddyyyyy cccccaaammmmmmmm.

The last delivery of the day (the first was the Neewer SL-60 light) is the long side bar for the Camvate “leftovers” rig.

This is a thing now. Something that is genuinely powerful and useful (if a little ugly).

The amazing stabiliser on the EM1x, with its very capable and reliable touch AF, auto exposure and white balance, gives me a “free” rig, something that can be literally grabbed and run with. The OSMO is still the ideal gimbal replacement (actually a gimbal), but the nearly gimbal like Oly, has a very good organic feel, something between hand-held and too perfect smoothness.

The little smallrig handle on the side gives my left hand a contact point and provides protection for the screen.

The top handle is perfectly balanced with the 12-40 lens, which is 20% longer in MIS-1 (total range 24-100 eq). I am mostly using the primes on the G9 with its dual focal length extender ability.

The whole thing is heavy enough to let gravity help make it stable, but not so much that it is uncomfortable for extended use.

For decent quality, I will be shooting in Flat C4K, then down sizing, so two card slots and 2 batteries are handy.

The only down side is regular dis-assembly for camera duties, but I will worry about that as needed. I have since ordered the quick release adapter for the top plate fixing this and cleaning up the leftover side bar sticking out of the top of the cage’s top plate.

Testing, Testing, 1 2 3 4 5..........

Lots of testing, because in a few days, my self proclaimed video competency is going to be put to the grinding wheel.

Thirty interviews over a month in several locations, none of my chosing, but within tolerances, then to be mixed together for a set of quick fire short films about the schools three learning parameters (Curiosity, Courage and Compassion).

So far we have;

G9 set to Natural, flat settings, with the Kenko 05 Black Mist filter used to slightly soften contrast, smooth Bokeh and helps control highlights. All very cinematic.

White balance will be set manually, exposure also using Zebras and the Histogram. I a more comfortable with the Histogram, looking for the subject to sit slightly right of middle when introduced.

The 25mm f1.8 will be used wide open, which is not as risky as it sounds in M43, but still needs some care with focus. This will provide (on this lens), a nice relaxed middle ground between a true portrait lens and wider angle, with gorgeous Bokeh, added to by the filter. An ND filter will be applied if required.

Thi combo seems to give plenty of warmth and oomph, without harshness. White balance is the key.

This lens and the natural profile have been tested over and over and provide a perfect balance of smooth/sharp, with softer Bokeh than the 17mm and less compression and contrast (room needed) than the 45mm. If I am forced to use wider or longer lenses in later shoots, the settings will be reduced to -1 contrast for the 45 and -1 sharpness for the 17, to help take the edge off these.

For lighting, I am sticking with a simple three light setup;

The main light will be natural if possible or a 5500k balanced Neewer 480RGB panel into a white brolly or through a diffusion disc (disc most likely unless it is too contrasty). I may switch to the Neewer SL-60w when it comes for bigger spaces.

Fill will be either a small reflector or nothing, depending on the softness achieved with the main light.

A small hair light will be used (176 Neewer), set to light amber and very low, which will contrast well with the slightly underexposed background, unless a background light provides this.

Backgrounds will be as they come, but darkened and blurred. In the first room, there are a pair of soft down lights in the background, framing the subjects nicely.

Sound is, after exhaustive testing and re-testing, coming from the Zoom H5 with the SSH6, using the wind muff, vocal compression and mid/side set to off, which sounds to my ear, the fullest and most rounded sound and the muff removes the slight sibilance, which I don’t like and it is the most reliable*. The Lewitt mics are more open sounding, but lack the same vocal depth and the Boya LAV, which is very good, is a little fiddly for fast turn around. The Zoom will be at 45 degrees above and in front of the subject and about 1 foot away. I will take the Neewer, Boya and H1 as backups. Gain 5.5 seems about perfect as a starting point.

*The Lewitts seem to suffer from early drop-out when first connected, which I am guessing comes from phantom power draining the NiMH batts (they often go from 3 to 1 bar when this is turned on). It comes right after a few seconds, but then can drop away again (again battery drop?). This is something I am going to fix with an AC adapter, but until then, it is a little too twitchy for my needs.

Lighting, Media And Brain Melt

Hello again.

As I have said before, M43 has a huge advantage when using flash for still photos.

The 2 stop advantage over full frame is real. Shootng with artificial lighting is a fixed math formula for all formats, but M43 needs only a quarter as much to achieve the same depth of field! Sometimes, when I am doing a job, I bring out the “big guns”, a set of 5 YN560 units, all reasonable, but dumb mid range camera flash units and it dawns on me that to do this with full frame (where f4 becomes f8 etc), I would need several mono blocks, not cheap little flashes.

To this day, I have not ever needed to use all of my flash units on full power, so my maximum potential is untapped.

Ok, so now we are doing video. This is where it is harder, but some of the advantage is intact. Generally for video light has to be constant which is harder to achieve than strobe lighting. It also has to be used with fixed shutter speeds and low ISO’s, so the M43 advantage is a little less sure footed.

With this in mind I have bought a bargain Neewer 60w point light LED as a safety net. It cost less than $100au and I already have several modifiers that get little use with my stills kit (26” double baffle soft box, 80x30cm double baffle strip, 24” square double baffle with grid and 2x 7” diffusers with 6 grids and diffuser cloths), so no accessories needed.

A point light gives me a strong and controllable directional light, one that can be diffused and/or focussed, where my 480 and 660 panels lack that much control (or as much strength).

If it works well (and it reviews well against the Godox SL60w, even having slightly warmer light), then I will get a second.

On my shopping list I actually had a 10.6” Flapjack light, but on deeper researching, it looks like they still need controlling and even more diffusion to be a primary light, adding nothing much to my existing kit. The Point light on the other hand adds grunt and direction, it just needs diffusion, which I have.

The 480 can now be used for background colour, the 660 for fill and the little 176 for hair light. If I need to go battery only, I can get by, but logic says I will have power if indoors.

A project I am working on now, thirty talking head interviews in differnet locations around the school, needs a primary light (window or the 480 into a reversed umbrella), hair light (176 with an amber gel) and back light (a 216 with coloured gel). The reversed 480 with umbrella at only 1m from the subject is a little clutterred, with the stem jutting out a fair way. The 60W at 2m and a bigger brolly would be safer and more powerful.

The first look I liked, the 480 through a diffuser panel at about 2m. The panel was set at 50% and 5500k, so getting closer will give me a ton of power in reserve.

This is the 480 into a 40” brolly (shooting throught produced hot spots), with a small hair light (176 LED at 10% with amber gel or optionally a reflector), both at about 1m. This is the softest light, but maybe too soft and I dislike the stem sticking out towards the subject at only 1m. The first room I am in has a gorgeous window with a full length semi-translucent blind, which I may simply supplement with the 480. I will likely go with a combo of the above, slightly feathered and a hair light for separation.

After some testing the project has come down to;

The G9 in Natural +0/-2/+0/+2, 10 bit 422, 1080p, white balance at B2/M2, then set the white balance to the main light (5500k usually).

The main light will be a 480 through a feathered diffusion disc or into a reversed brolly, with a hair light and some flagging to arrest spill, or I will use window light, but best to be prepared.

The 25mm f1.8 wide open was chosen as my available space may be limited and its look wide open is warm and generous with gorgeous blurring. It will be filtered with the Kenko Black Mist 05. Without the filter, I would reduce the saturation and sharpness.

Exposure will bet a -1 to darken the background, then lifted to bring out the main subject. I will histogram this, but also match each job by eye for consistency.

A sample lifted from a video test (my poor wife, trying to earn the real money). A busier background than I will use, but the basic colour and main light (window) are good.

Sound will be a Lewitt 040 pencil condenser boomed 8” above and in front of the speakers mouth, run through the H5. This combo blew away all of the competition with the Neewer/Boya mini shotguns coming in second or optionally the SSH6 when used as a shotgun at 1m, not a boom. At gain 6, the Lewitt just filled the space with clean, full presence.

The Zoom and shotgun capsule or Boya boomed will be used if we go outside or for some environments. Without the Lewitts, I would just use these for consistency.

Eight Dollars Well Spent?

I got the cheapest lens adapter in the world to other day ($8), for the Helios 44-2 screw mount. It does not convert the 58mm to a full frame focal length equivalent like a Metabones or similar, so 116mm f2, here we come.

I must admit, I skimped on the adapter, for two reasons.

1) The lens is a little long to be super useful and I have shorter options.

2) The lens is a little rough. The camera it came off, an old Praktika, is a bit mouldy and smells as such, so I assumed a little haze would have crept into the lens. They can be self cleaned, but I will see first.

Technically only an upgrade of “1” I guess (M42 to M43).

My first bit of footage was eye opening. It has a similar look to my Olympus half frame 25mm. The colour is cool and muted, the contrast high and the Bokeh……odd, swirly, maybe jittery? Not sure, but certainly full of character.

It looks sharp also. Not modern “perfect” sharp, more clear and old school sharp.

The images below are; f2, then closer to show the quality, f4 and a portrait at f2.8. The portrait is a little subject movement and/or focus miss soft, but has a snappy look I like. I added the same small amount of de-hazing and saturation to the files, but did nothing to the natural colour of any of them. The f2.8 and f4 images look a little different becasue the aperture ring is quite stiff, so I had to reframe.

Some Oly lens images for comparison, both lenses shot at their minimum focus distance. F2.8 first, then closer then f4. The Oly needs some de-hazing at f2.8 (applied). Notice the jittery Bokeh on this lens, which looks similar to the helios, but in this image is more pronounced. I feel the colour is pretty close, but contrast is heavier on the Helios (more testing needed). Overall I rate the Helios as the better lens for contrast and colour, the Oly slightly sharper.

Below a simple Bokeh test, all wide open for each lens (Helios on top). Slight magenta caste to the Oly, but that may have been the angle.

A FHD video frame lift. No filter added, showing the gritty nature of the lens.

The adapter is tight and sure, being as simple as a tube needs to be. There is no play nor any aligment issues.

The one issue I may have to deal with though is excess oil on the aperture blades. This looks to be a common issue and one I can likely find a fix for, but so far, it has not actually made any difference, only being noticed very recently. The lens is manual only, so as long as they move when pushed, no issue.