Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Canon 5D Mark II Video Sample At High Frame Rate

It started snowing earlier today, so I grabbed my Canon EOS 5D Mark II and headed outside to get some footage at high frame rate. I have the Firmware update applied to my 5D so I have full manual control over ISO, shutter, and aperture in video mode. High shutter speed in video mode can produce a really cool effect. Cramming so many frames into a short time gives optical overload. You'll notice high framerate frequently in a zombie movie, or I've even noticed it in action movies when you're supposed to be sitting on the edge of your seat. As a note, higher frame rates are NOT intended for everyday use - definitely not the nice flowing video that you're used to seeing.




Saturday, January 2, 2010

Fuji FinePix S5000 Review

This review is a blast from the past on the FujiFilm FinePix S5000 . This is the first camera that I used to shoot candids at weddings. The honest truth is that I don't think I ever switched the camera to anything but Auto because that was the skill level I was at then.

The camera definitely isn't a professional camera, but it was at least a starting point for me. Looking back, it probably wasn't the best camera even for a newbie like me.

I did like the fact that I could store a bunch of pictures on the camera with the low megapixel count. With it being so low, I wouldn't have been able to do any larger prints, but I didn't have any stellar images to print anyway.

My biggest problem with this camera was during the reception. It's an "SLR-Like" camera. I didn't think that would make a big difference, but in low-light scenarios, it definitely did. It was practically impossible to see what I was shooting in lower light because all I could see was the digital approximation of what came through the lens. If I wanted to even attempt taking a shot, I'd have to either start to take a picture which sent the flash into crazy flash mode (ie flash machine gun bursts), or I'd have to not look at the camera at all and take my best guess of what the camera was looking at. Even if I could have seen what I was shooting, focusing was a joke.

This camera was decent to learn some basic concepts of photography like what to shoot and when to shoot, but it wasn't production quality. If I had wanted a camera in a similar price range (at least it was back then) that would have solved most of the issues I had with the Fuji, I could have gone with the Canon Digital Rebel. The Rebel is a GREAT starter camera. Honestly, I could still be using the Rebel if I had a decent lens to go with it. But live and learn - I started with the Fuji instead, and I still managed to learn a few things with the camera.