garethspics

If it ain't broke........

Sadly, audio is the weak link on DSLR's to the extent that many people use a separate recorder and accept the extra work in editing. A half way solution is to use an adapter DXA-SLR - beachtek but at a price. It might be worth checking with Beachtek if there are any known issues with connection to 5D MK4. Pro video cameras are equipped with XLR sockets and comprehensive monitoring, but problems can still occur. Sound recording is too often overlooked and is actually more challenging that the pictures in many situations.

Keep it simple. ND is cheap and quick. I also tend to find that light frost does a good job and you can make fine adjustments by clamping the frost over the doors and varying the opening of the doors. Other methods? Iris down the camera or move the light further back. Dimmers are mainly used on large sets where it would be difficult to get to the lights easily.

Another factor is the ability to repair older tech cameras. Cameras with parts made of pure unobtanium become worthless because they simply can't be fixed. The same problem occurs with vintage aircraft and not-so-vintage cars. Once the supply of custom built electronics dries up that's it.

<p>The A7S II has an optical low pass filter which is used to limit the resolution of the lens. Too much detail at the sensor can cause aliasing which upsets the video encoding and produces unwanted artefacts.</p>

<p>Yes, pretty standard stuff for celebs of a "certain age" and some younger ones too.</p>

<p>I have the same issue on negs with my V700. I have tried it with Vuescan and Silverfast as well as Epson Scan and the problem remains. It simply can't get the reds right so I must assume it is a hardware issue. Compare that with my Nikon Coolscan which gets it right pretty much first time and there is no contest. Bizarrely it seems to be OK on slides, though.</p>

<p>I am afraid the V700 isn't all that good on 35mm, it simply doesn't have the optical resolution to get close to the claimed 9600dpi. I have the V700 and Nikon Coolscan IV, which is rated at 2900dpi and the Nikon is far better. I use the Epson for medium and large format where the resolution is less important.</p>

<p>Those Lowel lights have quite primitive reflectors; they are unlikely to give an even spread. In fact you don't need that much power, I assume you have a tripod, so you could get away with something like the Dedo DLH-4 lights. I suggest you rent a kit first; they aren't cheap but very efficient and have superb otics. Copy lighting is the way to go.</p>

<p>Black velvet should work. Any slight reflections on the black velvet should be easily crushed out in your editing software. Use a garbage matte to remove any unwanted light spill on the background.</p>

<p>If you are working in a dark space then any of the lights you listed will have plenty of power. Having a tungsten option is useful if you are working in a space with other tungsten colour sources so your lights match. You may still wish to mix your colours, though, but I recommend you always white balance to the source that is lighting the face. Have a look at Virtual Lighting Studio.</p>

<p>I was in a similar position to you and I went for a Crown Graphic. Relatively simple to use and not too expensive. There are so many other things to get used to apart from the camera. Do you have access to a large format enlarger? Printing 5x4 is something else, the quality is incredible.</p>

<p>I can't really add to Matthew's response. Video files are huge because you are effectively taking 30 pictures every second. Software can reduce this later if the final viewing is to be of lower quality.</p>

<p>There is a direct correlation between file size and video quality. The 3.98GB size is the limit for the FAT32 system used on the cards, so the camera uses a technique called chunking. Some editing packages can seamlessly join the chunks together, some can't.</p>

<p>There are Arri clones available, about a third of the price but I can't comment on how well made they are. Plenty of reviews available for you to enjoy.</p>

<p>Beachtek make an XLR-3.5mm jack adapter box. If you're on a budget get a DXA-4 off the auction site, otherwise go to their website.</p>

<p>This a tricky one! What you really need is an asset management system and they normally come as part of an NLE system (expensive) or bespoke software (very expensive). The problem is adding metadata to your clips that can be searched for and edited by a future NLE system. At present the only universally useful metadata in a clip is actually the clip name, so a convention needs to be established which can re-name the clips such that you can search it at a later date. Example might be YYYY_MM_DD_location_brief_description.<br> As for deleting unwanted clips, beware! Many pro or semi pro cameras place clips into folders and any attempt at deleting them could cause problems ingesting later on. Different pro manufacturers have free software to allow you to view, rename and copy selected clips from their cards, but they often tend to be optimised for their own NLE systems. Examples that spring to mind are Canon's XF utility and Sony's XDCam browser. DSLR cameras generally don't have folder structures to worry about<br> Large broadcasters generate a mind boggling amount of footage and are wrestling with this very challenge. Just search for "BBC DMI"</p>

<p>Could be just one. Depends on the director, logistics, time constraints.</p>

<p>Definitely put some protection in front of it. I have had a 650W bubble explode on me and I can tell you it made a right mess. The reflector was badly pitted, the interviewee nearly jumped out of her skin but the glass shield did its job. I have also had a 5kW studio bubble go off as well. That was something else!</p>

<p>You could try using hard lights. You will still get reflections but they will be specular and can look quite good. They also give less spill into unwanted areas. Careful placement will avoid shadows in the wrong places.</p>

<p>That sandwich story used a gun mic as well as the reporter's lav, so there was somebody holding it! Whilst a DSLR can produce superb results, it's a lot more tricky than a purpose-built video camera and requires numerous workarounds (both in shooting style and extra kit). The key is in the skill of the operator (there's a surprise) and shooting within the limits of the format.</p>

<p>It could be a Dedo light. Tungsten with a lens and the ability to spot up dramatically.</p>

<p>You haven't selected flash have you? That will fix the shutter at 1/60</p>

<p>Spot on Joe. The OP could hire for the first shoot and see how they do it.</p>

<p>You get what you pay for. I would be looking to supplement light that is already there rather than blasting in from big lamps. A superb kit is a couple of 150W Dedo lights, compact, dimmable and relatively safe. If you are after a slightly softer look, then a 1 foot square led panel may do the trick. Off topic, but don't forget audio. Camera mics are useless for interviews; the viewer can tolerate poor pictures up to a point but not poor sound, so check that you can plug 2mics into your rig.</p>