Although I couldn't resist splashing out on my slider, if you ask what should be your first upgrade as a budding DSLR video-maker many might say 'a 50mm lens'. This is because it is a piece of kit that helps you achieve that much sought after 'film look', which is the reason so many turn to making videos using DSLR cameras in the first place.
A 50mm lens with a low f-stop capability allows you to create that very pleasing shallow depth of field effect, with the background blurred out but the foreground subject in focus.
Being as I am on a very tight budget I had to make some hard choices about my purchase. Even the fairly reasonably priced Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens - £98 on Amazon - had me umming and ahhing so I was intrigued when I came across a review of the Yongnuo 50mm lens for the Canon EF mount.
Basically, the Yongnuo is a straight Chinese copy of Canons popular 50 mil. And being a Chinese 'clone' it comes in £56.99, which is a very attractive saving. Of course, it would be false economy if the Chinese lens wasn't any good, so I checked out a few reviews before making my choice...
Well, no surprise there. You pay your money, you make your choise. For me, in particular, the choise wasn't as simple as thinking 'well, just another £40 would get me the Canon 50mm' - for a start, £50 is £50, and additionally the Canon lens I'm really after (long term) is the Canon EF 50 mm-f/1.4 USM Lens, which is £239.38!
Like everything, at this point, I don't want to buy 'too expensive' as I am still learning.
I should have a chance to use the Yongnuo on a live project this week so I'll post up the results next weekend. Looking forward to trying it out.
This was actually delivered a couple of weeks ago, but I've been playing with it so waited until I could produce something worthwhile before I posted up my thoughts.
Right off the bat I can say that a slider (a mini portable track for short dolly shots) is one of those items of equipment that you only really appreciate once you have one. After just a short time you wonder how you ever managed without one - they immediately raise your game.
Obviously, a tracking shot isn't everything, but as people get used to movement in sequences they find static scenes (or at least, cutaways or scenes with no dialogue) a little 'boring'. I literally had a client complain to me about some of my work being 'boring'. I guess this is all part of the modern expectations about always having something going on in the frame (naturally, within the limitations of the story you are trying to tell - movement isn't always an appropriate effect).
Anyway, I had the opportunity to use my new slider for a project I had to do on a computer data center. This was probably an ideal situation in which to apply some movement in the frame as - let's face it - a data centre is probably not the most interesting environment for a lot of people! Here's the result, but note that these are just some of the rushes and the voice-over hasn't yet been applied...
Above: My slider test reel. The opening sequence is a rather nice drone shot done by Bakehouse of Hull.
I was really pleased with some of the effects, the shots 'sexy' up what are some pretty dry pieces of equipment. While I'm sure anyone 'into' servers will probably find them interesting, the lay-person will probably appreciate the little extra help to make a scene a little more palatable.
There are cons as well as pros to using a slider. The first is trying not to fall into the trap of using it for everything (which is hard when the novelty is still fresh). In my case, space to use the slider - even just a 60cm (two foot) one like mine - is a consideration, as I struggled a bit in the narrow isles between server cabinets.
You also have to think about the amount of kit you are carrying. As a 'lone gunman' I struggle at the best of times and while the Koolertron is made of (good quality) lightweight materials it does require a heavy-weight tripod to get the best use from it. Stability of mounting is everything, and you may even have to use two tripods - one at either end of the slider - to ensure a silky smooth tracking shot!
The quality of the Koolerton
Now this slider is - as is plain - an entry level manual slider. At £80 it isn't the cheapest, but I decided that the ball-bearing tracking mount that it has was worth the little extra money - rather than paying £40 for one of the bargain basement sliders which are simply metal 'sleds' on a metal track.
Friction - or lack of it - is the key to a smooth tracking shot. The Koolertron track mount runs beautifully smooth and has two 'friction knobs' which you can screw tighter or unscrew to vary the friction. This is essential to a nice 'glide'.
I was very impressed by the quality of the material and finish of the Koolertron, it all feel very well put together.
Obviously, this is just the first run on the ladder as far as sliders are concerned. As a manual slider - one I literally have to push along to get my tracking shot - there are issues of speed control and consistency in movement. It takes some amount of practice to get that perfectly moderated glide - in the beginning, you tend to have to do a shot again and again as you gauge your speed of movement.
The next step up would be perhaps to add some sort of pulley or gear system with a motorized system the ultimate guarantee of a smooth and consistently paced tracking movement. But, while I learn how best to utilize this piece of equipment a basic manual slider is fine (and it's good to have a bit of kit that doesn't require batteries or power)!
Never having owned an iPad the idea of creating movies on a tablet was something of an anathema to me. They seemed too clumsy a device to be easy to use for capturing video and I had concerns about the size of the camera lens.
"...the iPad 4 (4th generation) supports “H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second..." Ipadwiki.com
Still, my casual experiences with shooting movies using my iPhone (5s) has taught me not to make assumptions. I have been pleasantly surprised with some of the shots I have managed to get with my smartphone and so I tried to have an open mind about the iPad.
First tests - exterior, subdued daylight
I knew I would have to do mt tests in two or maybe even three parts in order to appraise the iPad's abilities. Filming would have to include a variety of lighting situations, distances and static and moving subjects. So, for my first test, I did some filming at my local part, in the early morning, which would provide me with some subdued daylight with some patches of shaded areas...
In this test movement was kept to a minimum with no fast or abrupt camera movements. I also did not make use of the iPad's digital zoom. I quickly decided that this facility was not a viable option as the depreciation in picture quality is not
I did make some limited use of my new Koolertron 24"/60cm Ball Bearing Pro DSLR Camera Slider Dolly Track, but I kept the movement very slow.
Conclusion
Well, I was pleasantly surprised with my first attempts using the Gen 4 iPad. Obviously, as long as one is aware of the limitations of the technology then one can deliberately avoid highlighting it's limitations. And, in this case, the subject matter and lighting (and lack of movement) played to the devices 'strengths'.
I can see how, from my point of view, the output from the iPad might represent a current 'minimum spec' for movie-making. But, still, it is watchable - within the limitations of how one might expect to deploy this sort of movie for general viewing (500 pixels wide within a web browser). I've yet to view this movie on a large TV screen, but I can imagine how the crispness one get's in this 'squeezed' 500px format will dissipate, soften and ultimately start to pixelate quite noticeable.
It (the iPad) is, after all, what it is.
One thing I should add, I was really impressed with how easy the iPad was to handle in hand-held situations. The size and shape were ideal for a two-handed grip, which made filming by hand quite steady and intuitive.
It was also very nice, as a camera user who has had to put up with little 4 inch LED screens on my other cameras, to have a luxuriously large preview screen! I can now see why so many DSLR and video camera users like to use large 'field monitors' - the extra screen really helps you to frame, check focus, identify small objects that you would have missed on small screens and give you a sharper window on your 'world'.
Useful link: iPad Generation 4 technical spec at Wikipedia Next: I'll try the iPad out indoors in an interview situation, with particular attention to the quality of sound recording.
