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Geek blog for all things hackintosh, dslr video plus tweaking, hacking and modding your gear and gadgets.

21Jan/120

Rode VideoMic HD Brings Serious Audio to HDSLRs: NTG3 technology, SD card and Blimp!

Thanks to photography bay I just read about the upcoming Rode VideoMic HD (not availale yet). It sounds like a dream come true: the technology used is from the Rode NTG-3 (even the NTG-2 kicks ass and is highly recommended), furthermore it has a wind and shock-protection as well as integrated SD-card recording (!).

There’s no way to know just how much of NTG-3 tehnology is going to show up inside this new VideoMic HD; however, if it’s anywhere close to the quality and isolation that it delivers, we could be in for a real treat.

* Integrated digital recorder (microSDHC)
* RF-bias, true condenser shotgun microphone (based on RØDE NTG3 technology)
* Line and Mic (mixer) inputs (with ‘plug-in’ power)
* High level headphone amplifier for monitoring
* Three-level High Pass Filter (0, 75Hz, 150Hz)
* Integrated Blimp wind protection and shock mounting
* Multi mode outputs (Dual mono/split 0db and -10db for auto safety/dual mono + 20dB)
* High frequency ‘boost’ switch for increased intelligibility at distance miking
* Utra-lightweight metal casing
* Quick release mounting system

5Oct/110

Nikon D800 36MP Camera Announced. Canon 6D of 5D MKIII to follow as a response?


Nikon Rumors is reporting a 36mp D800 coming in the next 30-60 days at a 99% probability. As Canonrumors pointed out, this can be a great thing for Canon users: New full frame sensor cameras, as well as a 5D MKIII or a 6D could be possible. Well, we are desperately waiting, currently equipped with two Panasonic GH2 Cameras that are hacked to the extreme. See an example Video on Vimeo (66Mbps Hack). If there is no alternative coming out soon, lots of people will stick to their GH2s, as they are currently the best there is, especially when using the Atomos Ninja (see a great Example on the Atomos Ninja with the Panasonic GH2).

[UPDATE] Nikonrumors posted More Nikon D800 bits and pieces: 100% Viewfinder coverage, improved AF with face recognition, SD+CF dual memory card slots as well as a USB 3.0 possibility. The question remains, why not CFAST? On another post, the ISO range is said to be 100 – 6400, ISO LO @ 50 and ISO HI-2 @ 25600. We can only wait and see...

15Aug/110

Comparison: Canon Camera Roundup for Pro-DSLR Video

Since lot of people ask me, which (photo) cameras to buy which also work for filming, here is a short roundup of cameras that I find worth mentioning. All of the cameras mentioned will work with Magic Lantern:

  • On-screen audio meters
  • Manual gain control with no AGC
  • Zebra stripes (video peaking)
  • Custom Cropmarks for 16:9, 2.35:1, 4:3 and any other format
  • Control of focus and bracketing
  • (among other changes, such as Video-Bitrate setting)


    Price/Value/Feature Comparison

    Canon Rebel T1i
    Canon EOS 500D

    Canon Rebel T2i
    Canon EOS 550D

    Canon Rebel T3i
    Canon EOS 600D

    Canon EOS 60D
     
    Canon EOS 5D MKII
     
    500d 60d 550d 60d 5dmkii
    USA: $579.90

    Europe: 449.00€ (used)
    USA: $629.00

    Europe: 549.99€
    USA: $699.95

    Europe: 646.99€
    USA: 1,029.00$

    Europe: 879.00€
    USA: 2,499.00$

    Europe: 1,890.00€
    The Revel T1i was a great camera, although we cannot recommend it, since its successor is the 550D and the 600D. If you can get a cheap second hand alternative at ebay, you might get a deal, though. (Seen on ebay for $199 used) The 550D is a great camera, although the 600D beats it in price/value. If you can get your hands on a cheap second-hand 550D, you might be able to even save some more bucks. (Seen on ebay for $399 used) The 600D is our definite winner in price/value: feature-rich, reasonably priced, enjoyable to use and, most importantly, takes great pictures. It's relatively small, but is fully supported by Magic Lantern and you should be really happy with that camera if you use good lenses and fast Compact Flash Cards. The 60D is a great camera, although almost in the same range as the 7D (which has no Magic Lantern support yet). If you are only shooting photos, go for the 7D - if you are doing video, save some bucks and go for the 600D. Invest the spare money in good lenses. The best of all the cameras compared, if we leave out the price. While this is also the most pricy camera, it certainly gets beaten by the 600D when it comes to price/value. The Canon EOS 5D MKII is the best camera for digital video out there, although with the 600D and with fast enough SDXC cards, you will almost match the quality of the 5D MKII.

    Conclusio: get the 600D if you need to save money, get the 5D MKII if you have some spare 3000$. Invest in good lenses, such as the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, even if you are using it on the 600D (it will get converted to a 38-168mm, though). The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS is a cheap but quite good alternative. Make sure you get a really fast SDXC card, since you will want to increase the Video Bitrate with Magic Lantern to make your videos quality increase as well. Recommendation: the Lexar Media 64 GB SDXC Flash Memory Card LSD64GCRBNA133 stores 64GB (!) and is blazingly fast.

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