videography

With more and more cameras able to capture full-HD videos in 1080p these days, the role of a camera doesn't just stop at stills. To get professional-grade footage free from camera shake, however, you'll need specialized videography tools, which can be a hassle to transport due to their size and weight.

Los Angeles-based designer Grant Parrinello has come up with a concept design that combines multiple videography accessories into one. It acts as a steadicam to help stabilize your dSLR when you're chasing after your subject and can double as camera crane for shooting at high and low vantage points. … Read more

The Aviator Travel Jib lets budget videographers capture videos with smooth, cinematic panning at a fraction of the price of professional systems. A jib is also known as a camera crane, which is typically used in movie productions to get a sense of the scene, usually with the camera panning or zooming from a higher vantage point.

Weighing only 3.7 pounds, the camera crane is able to extend up to 6 feet and should be able to carry your dSLR and a kit lens (the accessory can support cameras of up to 6 pounds). When not in use, it can be folded down to 24 inches for portability. … Read more

Video-sharing site Vimeo has rolled the cameras on its Vimeo Video School, a freely accessible section of the site devoted to moviemaking tutorials for beginners and more-advanced videographers alike.

Launched earlier this week, the Video School expands on and organizes user-generated how-to and tips-and-tricks videos.

It features a Video 101 section, made up of Vimeo-produced clips about the fundamentals; a DSLR Basics section, also Vimeo-produced and devoted to shooting video with digital single lens reflex cameras; and a Featured Lessons section, in which Vimeo staffers offer up lessons on a variety of topics, from composition essentials to storyboarding basics to … Read more

In an unusual move, Canon released a firmware upgrade for its high-end EOS 5D Mark II camera that substantially expands its video capability nearly a year and a half after the SLR was released.

Customers of the $2,500 camera had sought more flexibility in the 1080p video frame rates to better match their medium of production. The camera initially only supported 30 frames per second, but the firmware 2.0.3 update changes that to 29.97fps "to comply with TV production standards," adds a 23.976fps option for those in the cinema world, and for those who set the camera to use the European PAL video standard, there's also a 25fps option. (As is common, the terminology on the camera itself is rounded up to 30fps and 24fps.)

There are other significant changes in the update (downloadable from Canon's Web site). First, video can operate with a set shutter speed or aperture, with the camera maintaining exposure by varying other settings. Previously only fully automatic or fully manual settings were possible. The shutter speed changes let photographers choose between freeze-frame-style video or smoother but blurrier motion, and the aperture settings make it easier to keep a shallow depth of field to focus attention on the subject.

Second, the audio sampling rate has been increased from 44.1KHz to 48KHz for better sound quality desired by professionals, and input recording levels can be set manually. And third, a histogram can be overlaid in manual shooting to gauge exposure.

"I have been lucky enough to have played with the new firmware for the Canon 5DmkII over the past couple of weeks. It has utterly revitalised my love for the camera," said Philip Bloom, a filmmaker with 20 years experience. "The 30p has always been a problem. It's a frame rate that is of no real use to me as I need 25p or 24p for my work. Converting your rushes [rough video from the day's shoot] from 30p is more than a nightmare...This can take sometimes over a day depending on how long your rushes are."

Absent is support for 60fps modes for 720p video in the lower-end but newer 7D, the higher-end 1D Mark IV, and the newest Canon SLR, the lower-end Rebel T2i, aka 550D. The 60fps frame rate is better for slow-motion video.

Dawn of a new era The video SLR era is significant because it offers videographers higher-end features such as interchangeable lenses that are relatively expensive to come by in the video world. In addition, the 5D Mark II's full-frame 36x24mm sensor has much better low-light sensitivity. However, for professional use, where people need camera rigs to mount the SLR, separate audio recording gear, external monitors to aid in focusing, and expensive gear to edit video, the costs still can mount quickly. … Read more

If you've been waiting for something revolutionary to replace Canon's two-year-old XL H1 HDV model, then it's not quite time for the fireworks. Instead, the company's delivering a modestly enhanced version in conjunction with a feature-reduced, but significantly less expensive spin-off.

Like its fixed-lens, handheld counterparts, the XH A1 and XH G1, the XL H1 now splits into two personalities: the $8,999 H1S, which, like the original H1, will come replete with the HD SDI, Genlock, and SMPTE timecode support necessary for operation in a multicam environment when it ships this June, and the H1A, … Read more

If you've ever tried to set up a tripod in New York City, you know that it can be difficult enough just avoiding all the people. Then, if a police officer spots you, you also have to explain why you've set it up, which can lead to the officer telling you that you need a permit. Now, the city is planning to modify its photo and video permit rules in ways that has alarmed many local photographers and videographers. An brief announcement by the city outlines some of the changes, though a PDF of the full notice explains … Read more