fbpx

DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

Search

Submit A Story

How to make just a single light look like many for photos and video

by 1 Comment

For some of us, especially when we’re just starting out, we’re limited on gear. Maybe we can only afford a single light or perhaps we can afford more, but we want to experiment with just one before laying down a huge amount of cash. Either way, having just a single light for our work is not uncommon. It is possible to make one light look like many though.

In this video, filmmaker Brandon Li shows us a technique for multiplying a single light using multiple takes and compositing. It’s a technique that we’ve seen used a lot in photography, particularly product photography, but not that often with video – especially when you’ve got a moving camera.

[Read More…]

This video is everything you need to know about using low-budget Canon FD lenses for video

by Leave a Comment

There was a time when it was hard to even give Canon FD lenses away. I remember picking up a Canon A-1 and 50mm f/1.8 FD lens about 12 years ago at auction for £3. Both camera and lens worked flawlessly, too. Now, though, FD lenses have become a big hit with filmmakers. Their prices have gone up a little bit in the last few years, but many can still be found for bargain prices.

In this video, Media Division spends almost an hour and a half walking us through the Canon FD lens lineup to see how they perform and compare to the rare and expensive Canon K35 cine lenses, which were used to shoot everything from Aliens and Her to Westworld and The Handmaid’s Tale. Can Canon FD match the look of K35?

[Read More…]

First Look: Zhiyun updates a legend with the new Zhiyun Crane 2S 3-axis motorised gimbal

by 5 Comments

Zhiyun has today announced an update to their ever-popular Crane 2 gimbal. Not surprisingly, it comes in the form of the Zhiyun Crane 2S. Over the original, it offers increased load capacity, a more extensive camera compatibility list, axis locks, an improved follow focus wheel, larger OLED screen, more shooting modes to match the rest of the gimbals in Zhiyun’s current lineup and greater accessory connectivity.

I’ve had one here to play with for a couple of days so far, and we’ll have a much more extensive review coming in the near future, but here are some of its major features and differences over the original Zhiyun Crane 2.

[Read More…]

How to shoot a night-to-day transition in a single take with some lighting trickery

by 1 Comment

We’re not talking about the timelapse holy grail here. We’re talking video. One of the most difficult things to do in film is to show the passing of time in a single shot. There are many ways to do it, but rarely is it all caught in the same take.

This video from the folks at Aperture’s A-Team shows us how it can be done with a little forethought and some fancy trickery with your lighting setup. It’s actually not as difficult as you might think, although it definitely takes some planning and there are one or two tips that can help improve your odds of pulling it off.

[Read More…]

Canon to release two 8K cameras in 2021 – but these ones are actual Cinema EOS cameras

by 2 Comments

If you’ve got a hankering for some Canon 8K but you’re a little disappointed with the EOS R5 then have no fear. Now that 8K is at least out there in the Canon world, it’s seemingly going to become more common.

According to a report on Canon Rumors, Canon is set to introduce two new Cinema EOS 8K cameras in 2021. One will be a new flagship along the lines of the C700, while they say that the other will be a little more modular like the C300 and C500 lines.

[Read More…]

Hollyland’s Mars 300 Pro wireless HDMI video system brings lower latency & weight with more connectivity

by Leave a Comment

Hollyland has today announced its new Mars 300 Pro wireless HDMI video transmission system that offers significant improvements over its predecessor, the Mars 300. While it still has the same 300ft transmission range, it has lower latency, weighs less, features a new OLED display, can stream to your smartphone as well as the included receiver and it’s available in three different kit options.

It even offers a few options over the slightly more expensive Hollyland Mars 400S we reviewed a little while ago, such as HDMI passthrough and a receiver that can actually output to two HDMI monitors or capture devices simultaneously.

[Read More…]

This lunatic is diving 18-story buildings with a $20,000 drone-mounted RED camera

by 1 Comment

The world of FPV droning doesn’t typically have much to do with the more aesthetic, cinematic of drone filmmaking. At least, not usually. Well, not unless you’re Paul Nurk. Going by the name NurkFPV on YouTube (and Instagram), Paul is pretty obsessed with FPV. How obsessed? Well, he’s obsessed enough to build an FPV drone he could mount a RED Epic Mysterium-X to it.

The goals are to capture the speed and excitement of flying FPV, but at a much more cinematic way than FPV cameras typically allow. They’re usually pretty cheap stripped-down action cameras, essentially, with low resolution and terrible dynamic range. Strapping a RED to such a drone, though, is no easy task.

[Read More…]

The Vortex8 is a $5,000 650W cinema LED panel with an IP65 waterproof rating

by Leave a Comment

Well, this is an interesting looking light, if not cheap, by any stretch of the imagination. Coming in at $4,999, the Vortex8 is the new flagship LED panel from Australian lighting manufacturer Creamsource. It’s a high powered 650W LED panel with a 60 x 30cm front face and it’s IP65 rated for use in even the wettest of weather.

If you haven’t heard of Creamsource before, that’s perhaps not too surprising. They’re not a common name amongst most photographers and filmmakers. But their kit has been used to light the likes of The Mandalorian, Captain Marvel, Black Panther and more.

[Read More…]

Learn how to use sound design to add massive impact to your videos

by Leave a Comment

Sound design is an often-ignored part of video production for many people outside of the world of big movie studios. But it’s an important part of the overall production that can add a lot of value to the end result. It’s not just for feature-length movies, either. It can be used very effectively in your vlogs and travel videos, too.

In this video, filmmaker Bryn North talks us through the process of adding sound to your videos. To demonstrate that you can do it with just about anything, Bryn downloaded a bunch of clips from ArtGrid and cut them together. Then he walks us through the types of sounds and why he chose certain shots for certain clips.

[Read More…]

Irix expands its Cine lens lineup with the new Irix Cine 15mm T2.6

by Leave a Comment

Irix has today announced the addition of the new Irix Cine 15mm T2.6 to their cinema lens lineup. Teased a few days ago, it joins the 11mm T4.3, 45mm T1.5 and 150mm T3.0 Macro lenses in the Irix range of cinema lenses. Irix says that it’s designed for super-high-resolution 8K video, with minimal distortion, and compact and lightweight construction.

Like most cinema lenses, it features built-in toothed gears on the focus and aperture rings for use with follow focus systems and is weather sealed to stand up to a wide range of shooting environments. It’s available in several popular mounts, including Canon EF, Sony E, Micro Four Thirds and PL.

[Read More…]

Recent Posts