The Phoblographer

Andrew Reed over at EOSHD loves the Panasonic GH2; he well should due to the fact that he is a professional videographer. He also has used the camera at super high ISOs in black and white while still achieving a film-like quality to the video. Because I dabble in street photography and have a video background, I have a love for Kodak Tri-X and the smaller Micro Four Thirds bodies like the venerable Olympus EP2: still considered by me to have some of the best image quality of all the models made. But even though the old camera doesn’t have the video capabilities of the newer GH2, it can still look quite nice providing that you use it correctly.

Here’s how to make your videos look like they were shot with Kodak Tri-X video film.

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We’ve written before about the best budget lenses, the best accessories for HDSLR cameras, the right Canon lens for you and we even listed a bunch of autofocus lenses for DSLR videography. But what if you need to start shooting more video to help your business grow? Sure, you can spring for the autofocus lenses but they’re not always the most affordable and photographic lenses aren’t always the most ergonomical when it comes to shooting video. Instead, you may want to spring for some of these bad boys: providing that you have the right accessories too.

After having real-world and live testing, we bring you the guide to the best lenses for shooting video (and lots of other accessories too.)

With this said, always remember: vision comes first.

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We’ve talked about using filters before in photography, but if you want to get into videography, you’ll learn that filters take a much bigger role. For example, what if you want to shoot video with your lens wide open? For continuity purposes, you’ll need to keep a steady shutter speed and sometimes your ISO being on the lowest setting won’t work well enough in extra bright situations. For problems like this, consider the Light Craft Workshop Fader ND Mk II: a filter with 10 stops of light reduction.

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As photographers, we sometimes want to shoot video but our DSLRs are plagued by different issues. For example, they can be ergonomic nightmares when it comes to trying to record steady handheld footage. Part of this is because of the fact that the LCD screen needs to be held at a certain distance away from you. Enter the Kinotehnik LCDVF: a highly recommended viewfinder attachment for HDSLR videography at an affordable price.

But is it for you?

Correction: We originally called this the CowBoy Studios LCDVF. Kinotehnik emailed us to tell us that theirs is a knock off and not related. However, the products are similar but Kinotehnik’s version is superior. It is also easily mistaken. Here’s how to tell the real vs fake.

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The Zoom H4n has become a very popular gadget due to DSLRs’ full 1080 HD video capability. This added functionality is great for not only still photographers who buy HDSLRs (High Definition SLRs), but also for videographers who can’t splurge on professional video cameras. The only issue is that an HDSLR’s audio does not sound very good. The sound might be good for home movies, but if you are using your camera to shoot professional quality movies then you need a different solution for recording sound.

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So the other night, my good friend Mike Florio and I shot some video footage for my friend’s band: Mancie. The footage is in the video above, but we’d like to know if you can tell which was used more: the Canon 7D or the Sony NEX VG-10. Here are some hints:

- The Sony was shot at +24 decibels of gain and the Canon was shot at ISO 6400.

- The Canon had the 50mm F/1.8 on it and the Sony had the 50mm F/1.4. Because of how dark the venue was, the lenses were shot wide open.

- One camera’s footage was much more difficult to transcode than the other, and it was all edited in Final Cut.

- One camera is better resolution wise.

- One camera’s sensor has a larger dynamic range than the other as well as better high ISO handling. DXoMark could help you with this one.

As you know, I’ve stated that I wanted to throw the NEX VG-10 out the window, but I’ve also admitted that it has some terrific footage. Additionally, I swear by my Canon 7D, and still consider it one of the best cameras out there for the money. Don’t think it’s possible? You’d be surprised.

Let us know in the comments below with a good reason and once we’ve reached 30 comments we’ll reveal the answer.

Update: Most of the footage in the video was from the Canon 7D. Indeed, the footage from the Sony NEX-VG10 is the pixelated footage. At first, I thought it was just a creative effect. I was wrong, Final Cut was having problems transcoding the footage.