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Monday
Mar012010

Revolution!

DateMonday, March 1, 2010 at 1:35PM

Good afternoon fellow blog readers,

For today's post we're going to dive into a little behind-the-scenes action at Aqua Vivus.  We have been getting quite a few emails lately asking questions about what type of gear we use and how we like it.  This is one of my favorite subjects because we are living in a very revolutionary time when it comes to camera gear.  First, a short story...

Last year around this time I (Tom) bought my first camera.  Before then I had rented and borrowed video cameras from friends and family, but it was about time I had one of my own.  You would figure that I would purchase a video camera since I own a video production business, but there was a new photography camera that was really making waves in the video industry because of its incredible imagery.  I speak of the Canon 5D Mark II, which may go down as one of the most revolutionary video cameras of our time.  It had plenty of limitations (no professional audio control, no manual video control) but with a few tricks, one could produce some amazing video. I decided this camera was exactly what I needed to achieve the looks I wanted for my films.  I fell in love with the dreamy quality of the shallow depth of field, which is impossible to achieve with a standard video camera unless you equip it with bulky expensive adapters. Another great advantage to the camera is that it is small and looks like a traditional still camera - perfect for taking video when you want to go unnoticed.  Sometimes people aren't comfortable around video cameras and they freeze up, which is the exact opposite of what I want.  I want to capture the real, raw emotion...no acting allowed! 

 

A screen capture from the 5D Mark II, shooting straight into the sun. So much detail is captured, incredible dynamic range.

One of the best things about the 5D Mark II is the ability to change lenses for different situations - which is what filmmakers do all the time in Hollywood.  The lens plays a big part in determining how each shot will look.  For weddings it can be a challenge since a lot is happening that you can't control, and you can't set up the shots how you would be able to on a traditional set.  The end result is well worth the challenge, I was blown away by the footage I got from this little camera.  With the right lenses, you can almost shoot in the dark and still get a nice looking image.  Simply amazing.

A few months later, the Canon 7D was introduced and at about $1000 less than the 5D.  It offered some additional benefits that the 5D currently is still lacking - namely the ability to shoot in different frame rates.  With the 7D you can shoot in the highly sought after 24 frames per second (or 24P), and also at 60 frames per second (or 60P).  24P is the frame rate that movies run at, so our eyes are used to associating that type of movement with movies, high quality commercials, and most television dramas.  If you have noticed that your home video camera has a certain look that is a lot different than what you see in movies, then you can be assured 24P is a major factor in tthat.  60P is especially useful for us when we want to get the super slow motion effect which we have been utilizing in our films lately. 

This month a new camera has hit the scene - the Canon Rebel T2i.  This will bring on a new onslaught of budding filmmakers with its ability to shoot such high quality full HD video at 24P/30P/60P, and for only $800.  Until last year this type of imagery was only available to people with large budgets for cameras over $6000, but now it is available to the masses! Canon has been airing this commercial to promote their new line of HD cameras.

I'm very excited to be shooting on these new cameras, it has definitely played a part in defining our style here at Aqua Vivus.  Thanks to Canon for making dreams come true!

AuthorTom | Comment1 Comment |
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