One slight personal niggle I have with my new Andoer tripod is the camera mount. It features a long camcorder format mount, like this...
Now, this is designed to complement the long narrow 'footprint' of camcorders, and is - in my opinion - overly large for the smaller format of DSLR or mirrorless cameras. Additionally, I find this sort of mount a bit of a pain to use, you have to screw the camera onto the mount so it isn't quick or easy to remove (you have to remember to keep a screw driver or coin on hand to unscrew the mount).
Left: My Andoer tripod head, showing the long type of mounting plate intended for camcorders.
Of course, you can detach the mounting plate and camera from the tripod head with relative ease...By unscrewing yet another screw catch to release the mount/camera!
DSLR mounted on the long camcorder plate. While it actually
works perfectly well, it's a little ungainly.
I much prefer a QR (quick release) type mounting plate which has been designed specifically designed for use with DSLR/mirrorless cameras...
The compact QR mounting plate of my light-weight tripod. The smaller size
of the mount is more suited to DSLR/mirrorless cameras than the long
camcorder mount, in my opinion.
This sort of mounting plate has a trigger release catch, making it fast and easy to detach the camera. Some tripods actually come with this sort of QR mount built in (as above), but my Andoer tripod doesn't. Pity.
Luckily, you can buy the above type of mount as a separate unit which you can then attach to your longer camcorder mounting plate, killing two birds with one stone. You now have a smaller more compact mounting plate and also one which has a quick release catch. I bought one of these, which was also made by Andoer, their Compact Quick Release Assembly Platform Clamp + Quick Release Plate (£7.89)...
One aspect of this QR mount that I particularly like is the
'safety catch' on the 'trigger'. The trigger release catch cannot be
accidently knocked open without the additional 'safety' being
activated. That's really neat.
All I had to do, was attach this to the tripod's long mounting plate and then I had a smaller more compact mount for my camera that is also quick and easy to detach...
My Andoer QR Compact mount attached to my Andoer tripod's long mounting plate. I've mounted it with the trigger catch to the side and the bubble levels facing the rear. I can now attach and detach my camera quickly and easily.
The Andoer Compact Mount comes with integral bubble levels to help you ensure that you tripod head is perfectly level. This is very handy for me as one of the criticisms I have of my Andoer video tripod is that it's own single bubble level is not very easy to see, so having these extra levels, just under the camera, are perfect.
Finally, I find the little extra height that adding the compact QR mount gives you makes it slightly easier to manipulate the camera lens focus, aperture and zoom rings.
It's now been about four months since I did any proper, directed, film project. And while I now feel completely free to film what I want, not being controlled by a set brief (one set by someone else) does have it's down side. When you have no set brief, what exactly do you film?
Being assigned a filming brief may seem like a confining situation, one with limitations on your creativity but, in actual fact, it's the puzzle of making something creative from within the confines of someone else's concept that drives designers and artists to be at their most innovative (or that's the theory, anyway).
On the other hand, some creatives find the lack of third party interference - with the conceptual catalyst coming from 'inside' rather than from without - liberating. It does add an extra burden of having to come up with the original idea in the first place, which can be the hardest part.
This is the quandary I find myself in, now that I am out of a job just what do I film? KISS and make up
An added additional complication is that I am currently involved in learning how to use various items of video equipment, including a new camera. So, trying to undertake some sort of filmed 'masterpiece' while trying to fathom unfamiliar kit is probably adding too many potential pitfalls.
If my work experience taught me just one thing it was never, ever, attempt a live project with unfamiliar, untested equipment. Alway, do your learning and testing on a separate tailored - non-critical - project.
So, the moral is keep it simple, stupid!
“The man who chases two rabbits catches neither.” Confucius
Don't over-complicated matters, by trying to produce a clever movie, while trying to master clever equipment. Start small and simple. So, I began by looking for some simple ideas for film projects and found some on the Vimeo web site with their 'Easy Vimeo Projects'.
'5x5 Project: Garden drops' by Nicolai Amter
These small movie ideas are, on the face of it, uncomplicated concepts with which you can practise your elementary film making skills, but also do have the potential to be creatively challenging if you want to push yourself further.
First steps
Everyone is different, and because I am me - and a little quirky - I actually liked the idea of the 'One Minute Project'. This is really bare bones, but - to me - is also a little left field (but then I am a fan of David Lynch)...Others might find this boring.
In any case, such a simple format will allow me to focus my attention on the mechanics of my film making; exposure, focusing, composition and style.
Christmas has come early, thanks to my lovely wife who insisted I order my gift early to ensure I got it before the shopping mayhem begins in earnest this week! We made wish lists and we sat down and chose what I wanted, and I know that doesn't sound altogether Chistmassy, but we do buy each other little surprise gifts too.
Andoer Aluminum Video Tripod Panorama Fluid Head...Merry Christmas!
Anyway, the gift I chose was a nice, sturdy video tripod. While I did try to replace all the video equipment that I had at work before I left, my redundancy came a little sooner than I expected and I wasn't able to buy a few items before the paychecks came to an end. A good tripod was among these.
Now, my trusty work tripod had been a heavy-weight Vinten Pro-5 fluid head video tripod, wonderfully made, but a bit of a pain to lug about. Still, it was ideal for rock-solid shots, and particularly smooth when doing slow steady pans. It was, also, the ideal platform for my slider own it's own, with the slider attached centrally via the quick release - anything lighter than this weight of tripod means that you may have to resort to attaching two tripods, one at either end of the slider, for stability.
The solid Vinten Pro-5 heavy-weight video tripod, with my Koolertron 60cm
camera slider attached via the tripod's head.
Sadly, I am no longer in a position to be able to afford tripods of this type (which are about £350 or more if you go down the Manfrotto route), as I am out of work. So I did some research for budget equivalents and, for starters, here's good primer for what to look for in tripod features...
Now, the budget video tripod that keeps coming up as a recommendation (as in the above primer) is the Magnus VT-4000, and this would have been my first choice, but even at just £160 I could not justify this expense (especially as the wife and I put a £100 limit on presents to each other this year). So, the next best tripod, which was nearer my budget, was the Andoer Aluminum Video Tripod Panorama Fluid Head (£105).
Now, compared to the Magnus VT-4000 the Andoer is missing a couple of handy features - like the spiked feet (for outdoor shooting stability) and the counter-balanced, tension-controlled head. But, the Andoer still has very smooth, friction controlled pan and tilt head - the friction coming from screw nuts which you adjust the tightness - and thus the friction - of the head's movement.
I am fairly happy with the smoothness of the pan and tilt, plus the Andoer comes with a nice extra feature which the Magnus - nor my old Vinten - doesn't have, an extendable control handle...
The handle has a screw collar which can be loosened and then you can pull the arm out, which gives you a nice long length of handle, with which to smoothly control your pan or tilt movement. It's a simple feature but one that does actually help you perform these actions in the steadiest possible way. Somehow the longer handle makes these movements smoother and I am sure there is a logical explanation for this, but all I know is that it just works.
The Andoer unfolds to a very reasonable height, tall enough for me (at 6'4") to
have the camera's viewfinder at eye level. Obviously, the more one extends
the legs, the more unstable the tripod becomes.
The fluid head of the Andoer attaches to the tripod via a 'swing away' pivot (or 'ball') mount. Now these heads are far more effective for video work than other, so-called, fluid video heads which mount on ordinary photographic tripod bases by means of a simple screw attachment. The screw-tensioned ball mount allows you to quickly and easily find 'level' without going through that tedious shortening and lengthening of tripod legs that you have to do were the head attached via a fixed method.
And finally, the aluminium tripod legs are of tubular design (rather than the 'U' shaped alloy telescopic legs you find on some cheaper tripods), and while the diameter of the tubes isn't as large as my old Vinten, they are definitely sturdy enough to support my slider. Yes, the absence of spikes on the feet is a disappointment, but - thinking about it - I can't actually remember the last time I made use of the spikes in tripod (I think it was a few years back when I was filming some students playing football on a grass pitch). The rubber feet it does come with are perfectly adequate.
All in all, I am very happy with the Andoer tripod (thank you, Wife). It comes with a handy little bag, with a shoulder strap and is also - by the way - a very nice satin black colour that does, actually, make it look more expensive than it actually is!
Above is a sample screen from the footage I took on Sunday with my GoPro. This is pretty much a typical example of the quality of exposure I got (4k, wide angle). Very disappointed - so didn't even bother to cut an edit - but I think I know what's wrong, so it's back to square one again.
To be fair, it was actually one of those miserable grey December days that we get in Yorkshire. The sky actually did look like that, and everything else did look a little bit flat as a result, but not this washed out!
Although you do expect to do some correction in post - mainly to compensate
for the 'GoPro bend' that the camera's extra wide angle lens produces the
vignetting caused by the filter is still a bit annoying.
Here's a screen shot I took of one of the movie frames - which I colour adjusted
in Photoshop - to illustrate the sort of exposure and contrast (and perhaps sharpness)
I was actually hoping for. I know the GoPro is capable of this in the right
circumstances and with the right settings.
The problem seems to have been to do with some of the fiddling about I did in the GoPro's advanced settings (ProTunes), as I adjusted the ISO and the colour set-up in order to try and get a flat colour profile so I could grade the colour in post...But I didn't expect it to turn out this flat!
The other issue was the very obvious vignetting, which was caused by the 52mm filter adapter I added to the GoPro's lens. Unfortunately, in 4K mode you cannot adjust the lens mode to anything narrower than 'wide', which may account for it picking up the edges of the filter. I suspect this filter adapter was really made for 1080p footage (where you can set the 'lens'- field of view - to 'narrow').
Not to be disheartened, I have readjusted the GoPro's settings and bought an alternative lens protector and I will try again. While there is nothing I can do about the miserable grey skies we are getting at the moment, I hope I can make the other colours - and contrast - in the movies look a little more vibrant in future.
The official GoPro Protective Lens. £20 for a pack of two from Amazon.
I'll try out the 52mm filter again in 1080p, just to see if it is the ultra-wide 4K that they are incompatible with. A bit annoying, but my fault for not researching the product thoroughly enough before buying it, Lesson learned.
Typical! Just getting all set for my first GoPro shoot for a long while and guess what? I couldn't remember the camera's WiFi connection password, Which I need to remotely view my footage!
Luckily, humans being humans, this is a common issue and so there is plenty of help available on YouTube. Here's a tutorial I found most helpful (there are a few that aren't so clear)...
...I get the feeling - knowing me - that this won't be the last time I need this, hence posting this up!
One other note - Since I first got my GoPro I have changed mobile phones. I no longer have an iPhone and now have a Samsung Android phone, so I was worried whether there was a comparable GoPro app for my new phone. Short answer: Yes, there is and it's as good as the iPhone version!
GoPro Hero 4 Black filming Settings
Having sorted that slight 'technical issue' I thought I'd double check my filming settings in the GoPro. I knew I wanted to shoot in 4K at 24 frames per second, but was unsure what other settings I could adjust. The good news is that the Hero 4 includes a range of advanced filming settings which it calls 'Protunes', these are things like ISO adjustment, sharpness and colour profiles. Again, I found a couple of videos that explains these settings...
There are actually a lot of similar videos like these on YouTube and I strongly suggest you watch four of five to get a feel for what will work for you. Filming settings are somewhat subjective, but you need to now what each will effect so that YOU can make an informed decision about where to start. Even then, only experience will tell you what will be YOU'RE preferred settings.
Finger's crossed for Sunday's shoot - just some family Christmas fun, but I desperately need to the practise with the camera.
This post is a little bit of a cheat, really. I actually bought these items at the beginning of September, however, due to my unexpected hospital stay and subsequent recovery period, I have only just gotten around to unboxing these gadgets!
GoPro Hero 4 Black Batteries
I wanted some spare batteries for my GoPro, but didn't like the idea of paying the £15 a piece price tag of the official GoPro ones. So I read a few reviews of third party batteries and plumped for the Smartree alternatives...
For the very same price as just one official GoPro battery, you get two batteries and a three battery USB charger! These 3rd party batteries come highly recommended, some user's actually claim that they are superior to the original GoPro ones.
GoPro Filter Adapter and Filters
Because I sometimes like to use my GoPro without the accompanying clear plastic protective case (for example, mounted on my gimbal), I do worry about accidently scratching the GoPro's lens.
For this reason, I sought out a means to attach a UV filter - as I have done with my full sized cameras - to give the lens an extra pain of protective glass. I found Neewer 52mm Black Metal Filter Adapter and filter set on Amazon for just £11.09...
The set comes with the circular adapter which slips on to the GoPro lens plus a wallet containing a UV filter and selection of ND filters (very useful on very sunny days).
Remote Control for the Feiyu-Tech FY-G4 Gimbal
Although I principally want to use my gimbal as intended - as a handheld stabiliser for my GoPro - as there are a couple of scenarios where I may want to operate the gimbal remotely. Feiyu-Tech produces a couple of different remote control units, there is a wireless one (£25) and a wired version (£14). I chose to buy the wired one, as I am a fan of 'low-tech' for reliability reasons...
The remote allows you all the same movement options as the normal gimbal control, but also adds the ability for you to remotely pan and raise and lower the camera by means of a 'D pad' button. How this might be useful will become clear with the next addition to my inventory...
FY-G4 Gimbal Telescopic Extention Pole/Handle
A useful technique while filming with a gimbal is to be able to raise the camera up quite high, in this way you can achieve a sort of poor man's crane effect. Indeed, the Feiyu-Tech G4 Gimbal kit comes with a pair of carbon-fibre rods, which screw together and attach to the bottom of the gimbal to allow you to raise it to greater heights.
However, carting about a couple of short poles with your camera kit and then having to stop and assemble them is a wee bit of a pain. So, I found a Neewer 28"/70cm Handheld Telescopic Extension Rod (£6.99) that gives you that extra height when you want it, but then collapses down into a convenient handle accessory when you don't...
Now, here's where the remote control comes into play...
Unfortunately, the switch to turn the G4 gimbal on is located inside the base of its handle and this is where you screw on any extension pole - making it impossible to operate with a pole attached. And so, unless you turn the gimbal on before you attach the extension (and then keep it turned on), the remote control is the only way to get full control of your gimbal, including the ability to switch it on and off, with a pole in place.
I think that, if you have an extension pole then, the remote is practically a mandatory additional purchase.
I'll be testing all of these 'new' items over the next coming weeks.
Zed ProMedia have done an interesting video test of the X-T2's battery longevity when filming 4k video. It's the sort of methodical technical test that I find interesting so I am posting it up for reference...
When you start reading about mirrorless cameras and 4k video - whether they be Panasonic, Sony or whatever - it won't be long before you start hearing about overheating issues and the length of time that you can film before the camera cuts off. In fact, one of the criticisms that was levelled at the X-T2's specs was that it could only shoot 10 minutes of 4k video at a time (by adding the booster grip you can increase this to 30 minutes).
That this is being seen as a major issue by some people seems a little funny to me, as I rarely shoot sequences that go beyond a few minutes at a time, even when interviewing. Of course, there are times you may want to keep on rolling, but for very long sequences - certainly beyond 10 minutes - I prefer to use a video cam with an internal hard drive.
Anyway, that's an argument for another time...
What is pertinent - however you prefer to shoot - is battery longevity and whether overheating is a serious and persistent issue with the X-T2. This video seems to conclude that overheating isn't, but that there are some glitches with using multiple batteries together via the booster grip (hopefully, this will be addressed in a firmware update).
As for me, I am restricted to just the one battery at the moment (spares are at the top of my wish list), and until I buy a couple more using the booster grip isn't possible, so I can't confirm or replicate the findings of this video test. But what I will say is that during my recent tests with the X-T2, I have found it positively eats battery capacity, especially when you make use of the WiFi facility.
