I love it when a rig comes together.

The last bits to (satisfactorily) complete my 5D Mark II rig arrived today:

Though I've run it in various configurations previously, the final setup is nothing short of a joy to use.

-Kurt

Lens sharpness does matter, Mr. Ken Rockwell.

Warning: This is a controlled rant alert.

When I first started with a DSLR, one of the first websites I found was Ken Rockwell's lens reviews. Chances are, you've seen his site too - seeing as they rank highly on Google - and he's pretty darn good.

Nevertheless, there is one article on his site that I beg to differ with: Lens Sharpness Doesn't Matter.

Well, Ken - sorry to disagree with you, but sharpness does matter. Sure, lens sharpness may be overrated - especially when comparing some of Canon's mid-range zoom lenses to L series offerings with shockingly similar performance - but it is a topic worthy of some finesse.

Thing is, sharpness is not an all-inclusive definition of a lens. Sure, a lens may be sharp in its center, but that may be the only place it can claim that fame.

Two, older EF-mount lenses prove that point:

Canon 22-55mm f/4-5.6 USM

Tamron AF Aspherical 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6, EF mount

Though both of these lenses are no longer on the market, they're generally quite affordable on eBay - making them appear to be quite attractive to the DSLR filmmaker looking for a dirt-cheap starter lens.

Sucker alert.

If lens sharpness did not matter before, these two lenses ought to change the course of things. There's a certain manner that both of these lenses handled areas out of focus and those areas supposed to be in focus that the line became quite blurred (pun not intended) between what was what.

That, and vignetting (darkening of the edges) occasionally proved to be an issue as well.

Cases in point - from the Tamron:

It's not that this photo isn't sharp (though there is enough purple fringing on all the edges to make it appear as if the camera was shaking slightly during the exposure), but the sharp areas and blurry areas all look about the same.

Technically speaking, the difference between these areas are known as the "circle of confusion" (explained very well here: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm), but - for the purposes of this basic explanation - let us just call it for what we see in the photo: It is a circular, muddy mess, with vignetting to boot.

Mind you, this is a photograph taken in RAW, not video or .JPG, so you can imagine what the results would have looked like with the extra compression (or reduced scan lines as the 5DM2 uses for 1080P). Not so good.

The Canon didn't fare much better:

Aside from obvious fringing, the out-of-focus areas in harsh sunlight look as if the camera was mounted to a pogo stick. Granted, I could have put a gradual ND filter on it for these photos, but I doubt if I would have improved anything other than the exposure.

It's neither sharp, nor pretty - it's muddy.

In closing, lens sharpness does matter, though the overall sharpness of an image is more a result of whether the lens does a nice job of separating the out-of-focus areas from those that are in focus.

Be mindful of what you're buying, and remember this when you find a low-end lens for cheap:

"In the field, bad lenses are worth half of what you paid for them."

-Kurt K. - "Man with the 5D"

Follow focus jumping teeth? 5D Mark II won't sit straight? Try this.

First of all, let's get the legally-binding blog disclaimer over with: Nobody sent me this doo-dad free (or paid me) to review it.

Too bad.

Bleeding pocketbooks aside, one of the other endless oddities about DSLR filmmaking is that us fellows in the 5D Mark II camp have only one 1/4"-20tpi threaded boss at the bottom of the camera to work with. It doesn't even have a recess to accept the pin supplied on basic tripod plates either.

That's where CoolLCD came in and designed this handy little solution for us 5D Mark II users, called the CoolPlate:

The plate centers itself with a pair of nylon screws, which fit into a pair of recesses in the bottom of the Mark II, along with a 1/4" screw at the center. The CoolPlate is drilled for two 1/4"-20tpi mounting locations and one centering pin, which makes it ideal for most camera plates, and eliminates any shifting that may be an issue on some rigs:

What's more, the Cool Plate adds not much more than 1/4" in height to your rig, so it isn't much of a bother for the convenience:

For Mark III users, a similar product called the CoolProtector - a CoolPlate with an accessory retainer bracket - was available, but is presently out of stock. CoolLCD stated in an email to me that the "...CoolProtector is out of stock because we are designing [a] new version."

In the meantime, us Mark II owners can pick up the earlier Cool Plate for $10 off the eBay price by going through the CoolLCD site. Not a bad deal at all.

-Kurt K. - "Man With the 5D"

Powering a BeachTek audio adapter with an external battery source

I run my rig off an Anton-Bauer Dionic 90 battery (through a 3rd-party battery adapter), a 3-hour-rated lithium-ion setup which has more stored power than I know what to do with. Given this convenient power source (with 5v, 7.2v, 12v and 15v connections on the adapter), I prefer that all the accessories on the rig run off the same power source to avoid last-minute confusion as to what on the camera has fresh batteries and what doesn't.

That, and it sure saves on batteries.

Amongst the accessories on my rig is a BeachTek DXA-5Da audio adapter, which - unlike my monitor - does not have any source for power other than a 9V battery box. Granted, the 9V power source is used only for the VU meter and headphone amp - audio devices hooked up to the unit will pass the signal to the camera with or without a battery - but it's nice to have these features at hand without worrying about battery life.

Granted, in the time that I've run it, I've used alkaline 9V batteries, not lithium - which probably account for my assessment of 9V battery life in any electronic equipment. You mileage may vary.

The unmodified BeachTek DXA-5Da

With that said, I contacted BeachTek about the voltage requirements of the unit, wherein I found out it will run equally as well on 12 volts as 9, with no issue.

EDIT: The 12V source caused an unreasonable amount of static and electronic noises when shooting. I later installed a 12-to-9V step-down adapter in the box, which I have added to the list below.

As my Anton-Bauer adapter has a 12v power source, I figured I'd take advantage of it - in a home-spun method.

Anton-Bauer adapter plate w/12v output

I located a power plug and wire off a useless Chinese doo-dad that would mate with the cable provided with the adapter and stripped the wires for soldering to the BeachTek:

Donor 12v wire

So, out came the screwdriver, and apart came the BeachTek.

WARNING: 
These photos are for example purposes only. Opening up any electronic device as shown will void its warranty and most certainly cause possible injury or death to your person and/or others. Doing so will also ruin your sex life forever. Do not try this at home or on the moon. Your stupidity will never be my responsibility in a court of law, because you free me and everybody else in the world of liability by opening your electronic stuff.

Now that that's over with, let me continue.

The DXA-5Da comes apart via the four screws at the base (hidden by four adhesive caps). Not much room to work with, particularly as the battery leads limit your ability to move the bottom half of the box aside to work in.

One drill bit later:

After a bit of debate, I decided that this location near the battery door would be the most ideal location to place the wire. Nothing would be in the way inside, and it'd be equally free of the controls at the front.

Adapter wires soldered - note tie wrap to keep the wire from pulling through

Soldering the wires into the existing 9V leads couldn't have taken more than 30 seconds.

EDIT: These procedures show the 9V unit being connected directly to the 12V source. Due to the issues relating to this combination, I purchased a 12V-to-9V step-down converter on eBay and wired it in-line with the 12V power input. The step-down unit would not fit in the BeachTek without modification, so I cut a hole in the 9V battery box, and glued the unit in from the back as shown:

 
It's a convenient and quick way about it, but given that there is no switch to re-direct the source power from the battery leads or the wire, I'd be hesitant about allowing someone other than myself to use it - combining a 9V battery and the 12V power source on the same circuit could be a nice invitation to fry something (probably the most expensive thing on your rig, as Murphy would have it).

EDIT: Now that the step-down unit takes up the area where the 9V battery would otherwise be, there is no risk of someone running the unit off of the 12V lead and a 9V battery at the same time. I did not solder the new leads to the 9V contacts either, so it wouldn't work even if one jumped it with alligator clips.

From the outside, neat and clean.

At any rate, it works perfectly off the 12V from the Chinese A-B adapter, with the step-down unit installed in the BeachTek. Excuse the funky look of the VU meter; it looks normal in person. Must have had the polarizing filter set wrong.

Success!

During my discussions, BeachTek informed me that they are working on a new adapter for release in the future that may interest me. No word of what it is.

I'm already going nuts in anticipation.

-Kurt - "Man with the 5D"

The Top 5 DSLR Video Accessories You Need, Mr. Beer Budget Filmmaker

Lots of articles have been written online about what gear you "need" as a DSLR filmmaker, most of them quite useless, e.g.: "Buy a memory card!"

Yes, dear, we will.

Hence, I present the following list of what will truly help you as a budget DSLR filmmaker, and - most importantly - the reasoning behind these suggestions so you may make an informed decision.

FYI - the following items are related to camera accessories only. You should already have a good lighting kit.

Drumroll, please.

1. A good fluid head tripod

This seems obvious - unless you don't have one. Basic, fluid head Manfrottos are generally a good bet and easy to find on eBay or Craigslist. The Manfrotto 501HDV or 503HDV are generally more than enough for most needs; simply check the weight ratings and choose the one that best suits the rig you intend to build (in short, do not cheapen out on yourself and buy a head that will support your existing camera, but not the endless 15mm rail system you are planning to get in the future. You'll be surprised how quick the future arrives).

While I do not recommend the Manfrotto MVH502A - shown here - it is more or less a good visual example of what to expect.

You would be wise to stay away from the new, Chinese-made Manfrottos such as the 502HDV (MVH502A) - which are quite troublesome, for what they're worth (more on that in a later blog post). Ultra-cheap Ravelli/Dynatran (amongst others) "fluid" heads bundled with tripods are even worse, as they get their fluidity through greased nylon bushings under pressure. These bushings do not last long, and - as a result - neither will your tripod head. This is one place where cheaper isn't always better, and used is an advantage.


2. A lens with image stabilization (IS)

It seems as if every single DSLR photographer on the internet will swear to you that IS bad for video. What they aren't telling you is that they've never used their DSLR for video. Ever.

Though most Canon and M43 IS-equipped lenses are not primes (Canon, we want that 50mm IS-equipped prime. Now), you'll thank your lucky stars for having an IS zoom lens on hand if you find yourself in need of a shot that cannot be done with a tripod.

Why? An IS-equipped lens is its own built-in Steadicam.

Don't believe me? Here's some footage:

Not a single bit of the IS footage was stabilized in post production, and the only other thing assisting me in those shots was a handle on top of the camera. I didn't make much of an effort to hold the camera steady in either shot. Pretty neat, eh?


3. An audio adapter and a good microphone*

I don't care if you've just shot something that makes Roger Deakins' Skyfall look like a clip from America's Funniest Home Videos (and you didn't) - if you used onboard AGC audio from your DSLR as your one-and-only microphone, you might as well dub Yakety Sax to your footage as a soundtrack.

One of the cardinal rules of video making is to make sure your audio is just as good as your video, if not better. Even mediocre SD 480P can be made to look better than it is if the audio has a professional sound to it.

In short, onboard camera audio is home-video territory. Don't go there.

The BeachTek DXA-5Da.

If you've made the effort to invest in a DSLR, consider an onboard, XLR mic audio adapter part of the package. A used BeachTek DXA-SLR can be had on eBay without much fuss (the one in the photo is a BeachTek DXA-5Da, and it can be mounted directly under your camera if you don't have a rail system, as can the DXA-SLR). Both adapters have a pair of XLR outputs, and connect to the camera with a 1/8" or 1/8"-to-1/16" audio jack.

You can set one up with a pair of Rode NTG-2s (which are about the best you can get in a high-quality budget microphone) and have excellent sound that will last you a long time.

*Ok, ok - that's two things. But one doesn't work without the other.


4. A focus LEVER - not a follow focus unit

No, you don't need to go rushing out to buy a follow focus unit just because everybody else is.

First of all, most sub-$150 follow focus units are poorly made to the point that you're better off without them. Second, you'll find that a focus lever will pretty much do everything you want for less than $20 - which is a heck of a lot better than plunking down $150+ on a follow focus unit, plus the price of a rail system to support it.

Yes, this little doohickey will do just as well for the time being, and will even serve as a spare gear ring once you do save up for that follow focus unit: 

Lumiere LA L60400 - not great, but it does the job.

If you can't afford anything else because you blew whatever you had on your camera and lenses, heed this bit of advice. Get the lever and hold off on the 15mm rail jazz that only serves to make China a bit richer every day.


5. A decent external monitor or eyepiece

Pulling focus on a DSLR is more difficult than you think, especially if your monitor doesn't swing out (case in point, all Canon 5D models to-date). If so, I hope you won't have to shoot any shots from ground level.
 
At any rate, an external monitor - despite appearing to be a frivolous expense - will save you quite a bit of time and embarrassment re-taking shots that you flubbed up due to pulling focus incorrectly. Find one that runs on a common rechargeable camera battery (unless you're running an external battery adapter, in which case, see if you can find one that will run off the external feed). 

Feelworld FW678-HD 7" monitor. More than you'll need, but I chose it because I wished to power the monitor from my Anton-Bauer battery with an XLR4 power input. This turned out to be the cheapest monitor available with the feature.

If all else fails, just get the eyepiece - it's cheap, and it'll do the trick.

-Kurt K. - "Man With the 5D"

P.S.: None of the companies listed above have paid for the above mentions, nor provided their products for testing. Most unfortunate, for me.

The importance of framing: Jib shots

FreddieW on YouTube once remarked that the camera you use is not as important as how you use it.

Being a film-look perfectionist, I can come up with a few hundred reasons why that is not always the case. Nevertheless, provided one has the talent for it, this statement is - in essence - true.

A perfect example can be seen in a recent test video I shot when I was checking the usability of the second-hand 8' jib crane seen here:

Not in the mood to smash my 5D if something was to go horribly wrong, I shoved my tried, tested, and thoroughly beat Flip Ultra HD crash cam on the rig.

We're talking about a camera that is best known for its mediocre 720/30p home-video look, and an automatic iris and rolling shutter that just won't quit.

And this is where framing comes in. Despite some obvious "this camera is running on full-auto mode, and we can tell" moments, it looks like a million bucks:

Yep. Framing is everything.

-Kurt K. - "Man With the 5D"

Flat is better: Setting up for film look

Don't let the simple look of this video fool you - it is one of the most valuable you'll ever see:

I've covered this subject before for ENG cameras - such as the JVC GY-HD110 - but it bears repeating for DSLRs: Getting the film look is not just 24P or the way you frame your shots. Out of the box, just about any ENG or prosumer camera will be set with contrasts and saturations set far too aggressively. Case in point, the video I shot for the HD110 settings:

While not everything in the HD110 video applies to DSLRs, the concept is the same: You want a flat image to work with.

Indeed, these are the excellent results I got with Philip Bloom's settings - as in the first video - which allowed me to shoot and correct the following footage (for sky color) in After Effects by adjusting the highlights and midtones:

Not all cameras will be the same, of course, but these settings remain about what you'd want from most other DSLRs. For instance, Panasonic's GH2 does pretty good on its Nostalgic preset, but still benefits from reduced sharpness.

-Kurt K. - "Man With the 5D"

When 15mm rail systems don't fit: Fixing Cinematics' High Riser Baseplate

I cannot fault anyone for using a 15mm rail system. They're modular and most convenient - provided you don't run into an oddity.

But that's what I found when I mounted a Cinematics High Riser Baseplate to my own rig. After installation, neither my Fotga DP500II follow focus block or Cordvision arms fit with ease, so I decided to look into the matter further.

From bottom to top:
Cordvision 90 degree angle arms
Generic, Chinese 15mm rail block (all over eBay and often supplied with cheese plates)
Fotga DP500/DP500II Follow Focus Q/R block
Cinematics bridge from Q/R high-riser baseplate

The industry standard center-to-center distance is - supposedly - 60mm.

But is it?

Relative center-to-center distances of the four blocks are as follows:

Cordvision: 60.7mm
Generic: 60.5mm
Fotga: 60.5mm
Cinematics: 60mm

In short, the real standard (amongst the prosumer market, anyway) is 60.5mm - if one considers that the Fotga and generic blocks are the most common and frequently sold on eBay.

Additionally, I should note that Cordvision rails are thicker than most by 0.2-0.3mm, which accounts for the difference in the Cordvision products.

Thankfully, the Cordvision 60.7mm spacing presents no problem when running 60.5mm spacing everywhere else, but the Cinematics 60mm causes the 60.5mm equipment to bind up. Though the contracting portion of the block can take up some discrepancy (as noted with the Cordvision equipment), the inner section will not - and this is where the extra 0.5 center-to-center distance of the Cinematics' bridge causes havoc. You can see it plainly in this photograph:

There's the secret of my fitment issues - but how to rectify it? Grinding the 0.5mm off the inside of the block will only cause one of the clamps to fit loose - and that's not a reassuring thought when these bridges are the only two things holding my entire rig from crashing down over the riser mount.

Luckily, the generic bridge shown earlier has a 40mm recess in it, which matches the Cinematics riser block perfectly, even without the curvature built in:

The generic bridge also has the necessary center hole, but threaded - and unusable as-is. A bit of work in the drill press changed that. A 7/32nd drill bit was used to clean out the threads, followed by a 1/4" to make the final hole. The result?

 

It may have cost me the use of one of my cheese plates, but I can adjust any block (particularly the follow focus, of which its position changes with each lens used) on the bottom of the rig with no issue now.

Rule of thumb: If you're running 60.5mm throughout, replace your Cinematics blocks with generics. It's the best solution.

Kurt K. - "Man With the 5D"