Duration : 0:6:25

Technorati Tags: camcorder, camera, compare, comparison, creative, creativevado, flip, flipvideo, geeks, hardware, hd, help, highdef, highdefinition, info, Kodak, kodakzi6, mino, pirillo, review, ultra, Vado, vadohd, versus, video, vs, zi6

Duration : 0:10:28

Technorati Tags: blog, camera, digital, film, gadgets, help, information, photo, picture, pirillo, review, video

Duration : 0:6:53

Technorati Tags: 720p, blog, camcorder, camera, digital camera, gadgets, help, information, pirillo, video, video-record

Duration : 0:5:33

Technorati Tags: blog, camera, digital, gadgets, help, information, photograph, photos, pictures, pirillo, review, software, video

Music: Autumn Leaves by John Coltrane

CAMERAS WITH INTERVAL SHOOTING MODE AVAILABLE VIA SHOOTING MENUS:
• Nikon D5000
• Nikon D200
• Nikon D300
• Nikon D300s
• Nikon D700
• Nikon D2
• Nikon D2H
• Nikon D2Hs
• Nikon D2X
• Nikon D2Xs
• Nikon D3
• Nikon D3s
• Nikon D3X

CAMERAS THAT REQUIRE NIKON CAMERA CONTROL PRO SOFTWARE TO FUNCTION
• Nikon D3000
• Nikon D40
• Nikon D40X
• Nikon D50
• Nikon D60
• Nikon D60 Black Gold Edition
• Nikon D70
• Nikon D70s
• Nikon D80
• Nikon D90
• Nikon D100
• Nikon D1
• Nikon D1H
• Nikon D1X

Duration : 0:8:56

Technorati Tags: Adobe, apple, Card, Cord, Demonstration, digital, Do, Education, Extreme, Frames, Gitzo, Head, help, Hotline, how, iii, image, Interval, IV, Lapse, Legs, lens, Lesson, Lightroom, Manfrotto, MC-36, Memory, Motion, movie, Multifunctional, Nikon, photography, Photoshop, picture, QuickTime, Reflex, Remote, SanDisk, Sequence, Shooting, Single, slr, Time, Timer, to, tripod, Tutorial

I’ll be doing a live chat next week: http://www.stickam.com/profile/smpfilms

-LIGHTING-
Clip Lamp (Cheap)
http://www.lightbulbemporium.com/proddetail.asp?prod=60-836
Bulb For Clip Lamp (Cheap):
http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/products/reveal_main.htm
Work Light (Slightly Cheap):
http://www.lightinguniverse.com/products/view.aspx?sku=266966
Pro Soft Box (Not so cheap):
http://www.amazon.com/Nova-Video-Soft-Box-36/dp/B000GFOG18/ref=sr_1_12/102-4243580-9012931?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1176960057&sr=1-12

-CAMERAS-
If your going to shop, look at all the camcorders in your price range on cnet.com because they give the best reviews in my opinion. Just remember, sometimes cheaper isn’t always better.

Starters: Use a cheaper camcorder to learn with between the prices of $150 – $400. MiniDVs are the best because you may need the tapes for future TV opportunities. Stay away from SVHS, DVD, and Digital8. If your buying your first camcorder, but you don’t have much money then buy the Canon ZR500:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_ZR500/4505-6500_7-31660615.html?tag=prod.txt.1

Pros: You have 2 choices here… realistic or film-like. For a realistic look, I would recommend the Sony DCR-VX2100 (that’s what I use):
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_DCR_VX2100/4505-6500_7-30567263.html?tag=prod.txt.1

If your making videos to be shown on TV, then go with the film-like camcorder. For this, I recommened the Panasonic AG-VX100B (nearly every major TV network is using this for mobile projects):
http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_AG_DVX100B/4505-6500_7-31568573.html?tag=prod.txt.3

If your going to buy a camera, shop around. Think about the types of videos you plan on making and focus on finding the features that suit you. For example, if you want to shoot at night, then get a camera that is better in low light. If you plan on shooting more day time, then get a camera that has good color (the bigger the lens, the better the color). Ebay isn’t always the best place to purchase cameras though because there are people who will scam you there. Trust me, I learned from experience.

-WHITE BALANCING-
Normally you should adjust the white balance your camcorder before filming, but not all cameras can give you the right settings. So for this tutorial, I added a little bit of brown to my video in editing to show you an example of what white balancing does.

-GREEN SCREENS-
Here’s a good site I found on how to make a portable one. However, I just baught some cheap bright green fabric and tacked it to my wall, lol… Hey, if it works!
http://www.stormforcepictures.com/howto-buildamobilegreenscreen.php

SIDE NOTE: In this video, there is a shadow around me when the background is white… I put it there myself as an effect because I used a lot of shadow effects in this video, so no, it wasn’t a green screen or editing problem.

-PANNING STABLIZERS-
I’ve always recommended the Pan Pilot, but I’ve also got a cheaper alternative method for keeping your camera steady while you walk. You can always buy a tripod with a handle on it and open the legs up. The legs will act as weights that will steady your camera as you walk, yet it’s not as smooth as the Pan Pilot
http://www.PanPilot.com

-SOUND PROOFING-
Definately look into this if you plan on recording indoors a lot:
http://www.knoxfoam.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/soundproofing/sound.htm?E+scstore

-MICROPHONES-
WIRED: If your camera picks up too much other noice (like echos or unwanted environmental sounds), then consider getting a directional mic. I have this one, but I didn’t use it for this video so you could hear the echos. Otherwise, it would have been clearer.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_ECM_MSD1_microphone/4505-6469_7-30456347.html?tag=also

WIRELESS: First off I’d like to say that Sony’s wireless mics suck, here’s what I’m talking about:
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=WCS999
Do not buy that!

STARTERS: If you’re going to spend that kind of money on wireless microphones to do candid camera stuff, try this… buy a smaller camcorder (for example, that Canon) and put it in a place that is out of view of your candid cam, but within range of your audio. The Canon is very small so you can hide it in a bag or a large pocket. You could then film with one camera from a distance and at the same time, use the Canon to record your sound. When you go to edit, just take the sound from the Canon and add it to your candid video footage. Wala! Plus, you’ll own 2 cameras in case you ever want 2 camera angles.

PROS: If your camera doesn’t have any XLR ports (for better wireless or boom mics), then consider getting an XLR adapter:
http://beachtek.com/cgi-bin/online/store.php

Duration : 0:5:30

Technorati Tags: 101, chroma, color, correcting, Films, green, help, high, key, make, Mr., quality, Safety, screen, sharper, SMP, Tutorial, videos, youtube

Duration : 0:6:0

Technorati Tags: camera, change, digital, dslr, dust, help, how-to, lens, photo, photography, quick, Scott, sensor, slr, Stamile, technique, tip

Duration : 0:5:31

Technorati Tags: blog, camera, digital, gadgets, help, information, photo, picture, pirillo, review, slr, video

Duration : 0:8:37

Technorati Tags: blog, camera, digital, dslr, gadgets, help, information, photo, picture, pirillo, review, shoot, slr, video

Music: Glittering Blackness by Explosions in the Sky and Autumn Leaves by John Coltrane

Which lens did I use for those four time lapses?

For time lapse #1, I used the 400mm ƒ/2.8G AF-S ED-IF VR mounted on D300 at F/4.0, VR set to off and focusing set for Infinity (∞).

For time lapse #2, I used the Nikkor 85mm ƒ/0.74 AIS Noctilux mounted on D700 at F/1.0, using the hyperfocal focus [focused on the mountains using a laser rangefinder to calculate the focusing distance then go halfway to Infinity (∞)]. Four Quantum Qflashes; two pointed on the snow-filled surface at 1/64 power and two with snoot attachments pointing at the mountains at full power. The Milky Way is what brightened the photograph before the sunrise.

For time lapse #3, I used the Nikkor 45mm ƒ/2.8D ED PC-E Micro-Nikkor N, mounted on D3 at F/4.0 with slight upwards shift, using the hyperfocal focus [focused on the arch using a laser rangefinder to calculate the focusing distance then go halfway to Infinity (∞)]. Five Quantum Qflashes; two behind the arch to add backlight with 45 degrees head tilt at 1/32 power, two on both sides of the camera with a 45 degree head panned away from the arch at 1/64 power, and one on another rock directly behind the camera on higher level, pointing down at the arch at 1/128 power. The sunrise is what caused the saturation to increase.

For time lapse #4, I used the Nikkor 600mm ƒ/4.0G AF-S ED-IF N VR with VR turned off, mounted on a TC-1.7EII, again, mounted on D2Xs in High Speed Crop (HSC) mode at F/8, manual focused on the moon then tweaked the focusing slightly behind the moon to get Venus in focus.

CAMERAS WITH INTERVAL SHOOTING MODE AVAILABLE VIA SHOOTING MENUS:
• Nikon D5000
• Nikon D200
• Nikon D300
• Nikon D300s
• Nikon D700
• Nikon D2
• Nikon D2H
• Nikon D2Hs
• Nikon D2X
• Nikon D2Xs
• Nikon D3
• Nikon D3s
• Nikon D3X

CAMERAS THAT REQUIRE NIKON CAMERA CONTROL PRO SOFTWARE TO FUNCTION
• Nikon D3000
• Nikon D40
• Nikon D40X
• Nikon D50
• Nikon D60
• Nikon D60 Black Gold Edition
• Nikon D70
• Nikon D70s
• Nikon D80
• Nikon D90
• Nikon D100
• Nikon D1
• Nikon D1H
• Nikon D1X

Duration : 0:4:31

Technorati Tags: 0.74, 14-24mm, 2.8, 4.0, 400mm, 600mm, 85mm, Adobe, AF-S, AIS, apple, Astronomy, Astrophotography, Card, Cord, Demonstration, digital, Do, ED-IF, Education, Extreme, F/, Frames, ƒ, Gitzo, Head, help, Hotline, how, iii, image, Interval, IV, Lapse, Legs, lens, Lesson, Lightroom, Manfrotto, MC-36, Memory, Motion, movie, Multifunctional, Nano, Nikon, Noctilux, photography, Photoshop, picture, QuickTime, Reduction, Reflex, Remote, SanDisk, Sequence, Shooting, Single, slr, Star, Time, Timer, to, Trails, tripod, Tutorial, Vibration, VR