By Dan Chung

The Nikon D800 with Zacuto EVF fitted

I went to Nikon yesterday with my photojournalist friend Keith Bedford to get hands on a pre-production D800 and in particular look at it’s video functionality. As with my previous look at the D4 I was unable to take away any recorded imagery but we were able to test the camera with a range of accessories to see how the camera would work when set up for video. Below are a few of my notes and observations. Much of the camera’s video side is similar to the D4 and because of this I am not going to go over them again in detail here (check out my previous report and Johnnie Behiri’s if you are unfamiliar with the D4).

Keith gets his hands on the D800 with SmallHD DP6 attached

My first impression was that the camera body is very well built, similar to the D700 but with a more rounded appearance. The grip was very comfortable in my hands, Keith has much bigger hands than me but too commented how nice it was to hold.

The only D4 video feature I found missing from the D800 is the the 2.7x 1080P crop mode. The D800 only has full frame (FX) and 1.5x (DX) crop options. Technical considerations are cited as reason for this as the D800 CMOS chip is around twice the resolution of the D4 one. I did discover that on the D800 you can assign the Fn key on the front of the camera to change the crop which is quite quick to do, you cannot however adjust the crop whilst recording.

Audio is the same as the D4 with manual control in 20 steps and a headphone jack.

On the preproduction D800 and D4 cameras we also found it was impossible to change the audio level once recording. For news this probably means you will need to use an external mixer or mic with audio level control (some radio mics have this feature) if you want total control of the audio while the camera is recording.

We tried both the SmallHD DP6 and Zacuto EVF fed via HDMI from the D800 and they worked as they should without the need for firmware mods – good news. Looking at the image on the DP6 it seemed very clean and crisp, even at 1-1 pixel mode. Noise was well controlled.There was moire evident on the monitor though and I assume that Nikon are using line skipping techniques to generate the video output (the current Canon DSLRs suffer from similar moire). Remember that this was a pre-production camera and the final unit may be different. I could not make a fair assessment of sharpness and colour as we were in a poorly lit room with no broadcast monitor.

The SmallHD DP6 worked well with the D800

If you are recording the clean HDMI signal with an external recorder and no card in the camera then I was hoping you could use the expanded focus to check sharpness during shooting. Sadly the HDMI output of the image is also enlarged when you expand the image to check focus on the rear screen (unlike on video cameras like the Sony F3 or Canon C300). There may be a way around this but we couldn’t find it. Also the expanded focus magnification buttons are on the left of the LCD screen same as the D4 – this I found inconvenient to get to whilst shooting and I much prefer the Canon 5D mkII placement of this function on the right of the camera by your thumb.

Zacuto EVF on the D800

For some news shooters the clean HDMI is not just useful for recording video though – the past year has seen the rise in use by news organisations of live transmissions using low cost cellular products like the Teradek Bond. The clean HDMI feed from the D800 should work with devices like the Bond and would certainly be useful to news organisations looking to do more live coverage on a budget.

One other thing that we checked was how well the Zacuto Z-Finder works with the D800. The screen is a little bigger than the previous models and I thought it might not cover. I held the Z-finder to the back of the camera and it seemed fine. One less thing to worry about if migrating from a previous DSLR.

The Zacuto Z-Finder seems to cover the D800 screen area

Autofocus is not something I recommend for DSLR video shooting, however we did try it on the D800 in video mode. It seems quite quick compared to my 5D mkII but not as fast as newer mirrorless cameras like the Sony NEX7. The focus seems to hunt a little back and forth a lot of the time before settling on the subject. The other thing that it does it open up the aperture to allow focus in certain situations, this is obviously undesirable while recording. I do think the AF seemed good enough to get focus before, but not during, recording.

One last thing that I got to see for the first time was the new XQD card for the D4. It seemed to be quite robust and it will be interesting to see if it takes off as a format. The D800 does not take the XQD card though, instead having SDXC and CF card slots.

16GB Sony XQD card

The D800 is certainly a step up in operability from other DSLRs, if you are a Nikon user already shooting video on a D7000 or D3s then it should be a very welcome upgrade (as long as the image quality is as expected). But with the rumour mill going nuts about the Canon 5D mkII’s possible replacement, I think it will be worth waiting to decide which way to jump if you are in the market for a new DSLR.

By Dan Chung

Having got my Canon C300 I’ve decided to take a look at the rig options available for it. There are a multitude already on the market; some highly customised for the C300, others more generic. As per usual I will be focusing on news and documentary use only.

Some of the major manufacturers had their hands on the camera before or shortly after it was announced and have had time to develop and manufacture their rig solutions to coincide with the camera actually shipping. This was smart of Canon as it means that users have multiple options to get the camera into a production ready setup without having to wait months for the manufacturers to catch up. One major benefit of the C300 compared to other large sensor camcorders is that it is quite lightweight and can possibly be used on the owner’s existing 15mm rod based DSLR rigs with little modification – quite a few of the options below don’t need you to start again from scratch if you have a setup already.

Redrockmicro had one of the first dedicated cage setups for the C300 and it was used extensively by Vincent Laforet and the other filmmakers who shot the promo films for Canon. The Ultracage Blue wraps neatly around the C300 giving it some protection and multiple mounting points for accessories. 15mm rods can be added top and bottom with option for a handle on the top. The baseplate form-fits the camera neatly and when assembled the basic cage does look very much like it is integral to the camera itself.

Redrockmicro C300 Ultracage with tophandle

Most of the Ultracage setups you see pictured online are in a cinema-style configuration but what is potentially more interesting to readers of this blog are the lighter weight handheld rigs Redrock offer. The $972 UltraEvent handheld is compact and similar in operation to the older Event for DSLRs. Redrock also offer just the $550 base cage which might be useful if you already own a DSLR rig and just want to add the C300 to it neatly.

Ultracaged C300 in Cinema configuration

The C300 ultraEvent

Zacuto have also come up with a whole range of C300 rigs and accessories. Taking a slightly different approach to Redrockmicro they are offering rigs based around two different baseplates for different applications.

The Zacuto C300 Striker

They are offering smaller rigs based on their popular Gorilla line of handheld supports. The entry model is the $510 C300 Target shooter which is designed for simple run and gun. There is also the $975 C300 Striker which is still small but has a handle. If you already own a Gorilla rig then you can adapt it using their new $150 baseplate for the C300.

Zacuto C300 Gorilla baseplate

Again, owners of other manufacturers’ rigs may find this baseplate is all they need to get up and running with the C300. One nice feature is the rod port on the side of the plate, which allows you to add a rod sideways out from the base – great for monitors and EVFs.The only thing to note about the Gorilla C300 baseplate is that it does not work with a regular rod-supported mattebox, only height adjustable ones (but given that the C300 has built in ND, this is not really a problem for me).

Canon C300 Target Shooter from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.

They then have larger rigs based around their Studio baseplate. The Stinger is a pretty conventional full shoulder rig which is very versatile. The baseplate has a design that places the rods next to the base of the camera to ensure the correct rod spacing for matteboxes etc. One of the nicest things about this setup is that Zacuto have announced an accessory that will move the C300 handgrip off the side of the camera and down to replace one of the rig handles. This will allow you to control the camera start/stop and aperture without taking your hands away from the grip. They have also talked about a remote focus device that will allow you to focus the lens from the other handle – something I would like to see.

Zacuto C300 Studio baseplate

Canon C300 Stinger from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.

The other neat thing they are offering is a wing-style top plate and handle arrangement which looks very versatile. You can see it in the video below.

Canon C300 Accessories from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.

The last rig they offer looks great at first sight. The Recoil is a rig that balances the C300 on your shoulder and relies on an external EVF for viewing the image. This setup is great for balance but I have my doubts about how well it would work in practice for me. The main issue with the C300 used this way is that the ISO and white balance adjustment is then behind your head and can’t easily be changed without taking the camera off the shoulder. That may be fine for some shoots but would not be great in a news environment.

Recoil for Scarlet, Epic and C300 Cameras from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.

Genus have a new C300 baseplate on the way too. It appears to be of a more conventional design than the Zacuto or Redrockmicro plates. As with the Zacuto it places 15mm rods close to the camera body for proper mattebox clearance, but the plate is less form fitted – there is a sizable gap between the camera and the tripod base. Whilst this is not too much of an issue for studio applications, it does mean that any run and gun configuration based on this plate will be slightly bulkier.

Genus C300 baseplate

German company Denz also has a C300 custom €520 baseplate for 15mm rods along similar lines to the Zacuto one, but with the addition of left and right serrated rosettes which allow the attachment of handles and other accessories directly to the baseplate. Using Denz’s own handles and a shoulder pad this should form a very compact rig.

Denz C300 baseplate

They also offer what they call a substructure which works with the baseplate to form a cage (not unlike the Redrockmicro one) with mount options for rod clamps and handles, price is TBA, but given the price of the other products on their webstore, don’t expect this one to be cheap.

Denz C300 baseplate and substructure

Denz C300 substructure with rod mounts

Letus have added a C300 cage to their Hurlbut Master Cinema Series collection. The modular system which we previously covered is fantastically well engineered generally but heavy and designed for more cinema-style shooting. It would be interesting to see how the C300 handles on the rigs if used for documentary work instead. You can see it in the video from Wideopencamera below.

Letus Hurlbut Visuals Master Series With Canon C300 from jared abrams on Vimeo.

Ikan have been promoting their Elements line of rigs for use with the C300.The rig is a fair attempt at turning the C300 into a ENG style configuration and their pricing is reasonably keen. However, there is no specific C300 baseplate and their regular baseplate comes in the kit instead. I assume the height of the rods does not allow for non-height-adjustable matteboxes.

Ikan Elements rig with C300

Shape systems have adapted their existing line of rigs to work on the C300. There does seem to be a lot of metal in their rig and I would be interested to see how easy and heavy the C300 is to use when configured on a Composite rig.

Shape C300 composite rig

Very different to other offerings is the Canoflex system designed specifically for the C300. It takes its design inspiration from the Super16mm cameras of yesteryear. It is essentially a metal plate with a handle battery plate, power and HDSDI video distribution. Rails can be added along with grips and a shoulder pad. It is clearly designed to work with an external EVF and not Canon’s inbuilt one. Price is TBA (edit – Wideopencamera has Filmtools giving the price at between $5000 and $5,500 US).

Canoflex C300 rig

So what am I currently using on my C300 ? Actually, I’m not really using a rails-based rig at all. What I do have is a modified inexpensive bracket originally designed for a Sony EX1 camcorder from a small company called WestsideAV that allows me to fit a radio mic and monitor arm to the side of the camera.

Westside AV Sony EX1 bracket on the C300

I’ve added their shoulder brace designed for the Canon XF105, which has a small bag at the end which you fill with batteries to act as a counterweight. The whole setup adds practically no weight and not much bulk to the camera. The brace is detachable allowing the camera to be stowed in a bag easily with the bracket still on. The downside to this setup is that there is no easy way to add a follow focus, mattebox or support for a long lens. WestsideAV are working on a dedicated solution for the C300 but it is not yet finalised.

Counterbalance bag filled with batteries on the Westside AV shoulder brace

I will have to get a 15mm rods-based solution for the C300 in addition to my WestsideAV bracket. Hopefully I will get a chance to check out all the rigs above at NAB 2012 before making a decision.

(disclosure – Dslrnewssshooter.com is an affiliate of Zacuto)

By technical editor Matt Allard

With all the external recorders that have hit the market recently I thought it would be worth reviewing one of the ones I purchased – the Sound Devices Pix 240. In this video review I take a detailed look at all its functions and talk about what I like and don’t like about it.

About Matthew Allard, Aljazeera Senior Field Cameraman, Kuala Lumpur:
Matt has been a Camera/Editor in TV news for more 20 years, previously working for both Channel 9 and Channel 10 in Australia. Twice Network Ten Australia’s cameraman of the year as well as being a Walkley Finalist for outstanding camerawork in 2006 (for coverage of the Cronulla Race Riots) and a Logie Finalist for outstanding news coverage 2006 (Bali 9). He is a multiple ACS (Australian Cinematographers Society) award winner. His Sword Maker story that was shot on a 7D won the prestigious Neil Davis International News Golden Tripod at the 2011 ACS Awards. He has covered news events in more than 35 countries, from major sporting events to terrorist bombings. Based out of the Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre in Malaysia he is an avid user and follower of new technology, shooting stories on HD broadcast cameras, the Sony F3 as well as new Canon DSLRs.

By Dan Chung

Sony HX9v on the Mobislyder

I’ve been having some serious fun lately with a new toy called the Mobislyder. Dreamt up by the people behind Glidetrack this new £99/$135 slider is designed for use with IPhones, GoPros and small compact video capable cameras. It’s small, lightweight, modular and works straight out of the box.

As regular reader’s of this blog will know I am a fan of Kesslercrane sliders for my regular work and this gadget is obviously not in the same league. Glidetrack also make larger, more professional sliders and the Mobislyder is not mean’t as a replacement for them.

What the Mobislyder does allow you to do is have a lot of fun. You can carry it anywhere, it’s short enough to sling in a rucksack and it weighs around half a kilo. There is a 1/4″ 20 screw thread in the middle of the slider so you can mount it on a tripod. The rail gives about 30cm of actual sliding.

I tested it both with my Iphone 4 and the Sony HX9v compact. It’s great for quick little product videos and impressing friends at a party or just having fun. For professional work I can see a few applications such as sliding in an incredibly tight spot like on a car dashboard. If you are using a camera like the Panasonic GH2 or HX9V for a stealthy shoot then the Mobislyder might get you some interesting shots without giving the game away.

The test below was shot with the Mobislyder, a Sony HX9v (set at 50i for broadcast compatability) and a small tripod on very cold Beijing day. The slider was a little less fluid than when using it at home, but I guess that is to be expected given the conditions. I was pretty please with the results from such a small setup though.

The slider appears to be based on Nylon rollers and occasionally there is a little too much friction. It’s not a dolly that can guarantee you the perfect slide first time, every time, but with a bit of practice you can usually get the effect you want in a few tries.

A close up of the rollers and carriage of the Mobislyder

There’s not too much to criticise about the Mobislyder for the price. I did find the Iphone mount a little too plasticky for my tastes and not rigid enough to support my IPhone 4 in a heavy Otterbox defender case. Without the case it was fine as I am sure it would be with a regular IPhone case. The ball and socket mount was similarly not too rigid and I found the best way to mount the HX9V was to the slider using the little wedge plate they supply.

The Otterbox case with IPhone was a little too heavy for the Mobislyder

Cameras like the HX9v are best mounted direct to the Mobislyder

If the rail isn’t long enough for you Glidetrack have an optional 660mm long section that you can interchange with the shorter one. There are also bunch of fun looking accessories promised in the future; including a set of wheels that turns the slider into a mini dolly instead.

The Mobislyder is definitely the easiest way to get some cool movement into casual video shoots. If your birthday is coming up think about asking for one.

You can find out more about the Mobislyder here.

By Dan Chung

Cinevate launched an interesting new addition to their Simplis rig range last week. The Trawly is basically a set of wheels that are combined with a Simplis baseplate to allow a whole range of camera moves. Check out the video to see how it works.

For run and gun shooters it looks like an interesting proposition but I can’t help wondering how often you would find a nice smooth surface to roll along in many of the places I have to shoot assignments. Even so this is a novel piece of equipment and certainly more compact than having to carry a seperate mini tripod, rig and table dolly.

Introductory pricing is set at $449 until March 1st. Existing Simplis rig owners can add a set of wheels for $99.

Trawly in handheld rig mode

The Trawly in low configuration

You can read more about the Trawly here.

By Dan Chung

I’ve been testing out the new Cineroid L10C-5K LED light for the past few weeks and have been very impressed with it. It’s an amazingly compact yet extremely powerful LED light designed for on camera use.

Compared to my other LED on camera lights the L10C is quite a bit brighter. Normally I use either I Litepanels MicroPro or the inexpensive F&V light Z96. The Cineroid beats them both for brightness and yet is quite a bit smaller.

Top to bottom: Cineroid L10C-5K, F&V Z96, Litepanels MicroPro

The light comes in 2 versions, to 5400K daylight version that I tested and the L10C-3K version which is 3000K tungsten. Both lights are fully dimmable in 30 steps and has a display on the back showing the value. In terms of colour accuracy I don’t have access to a colour meter and so was unable to do scientific tests. To my eye the Cineroid is pretty white and it looks pretty good on camera. Beam spread is a claimed 120 degrees and is certainly wider than the Litepanels MicroPro or Z96.

The Cineroid is fully dimmable

To give you a better idea of how these lights compare I’ve shot the simple test below to show the brightness and coverage of the three competing LED lights. The Litepanels MicroPro, The F&V light Z96 and the Cineroid L10C-5K were used to light the same shot one after the other – no settings were changed between takes. (The camera used was a Panasonic AF101 using a Tokina 11-16mm lens set at 15mm with an f2.8 aperture. White balance was set at a constant 5600K.) All three lights had fresh batteries and no diffusers fitted.

The L10C-5K has an optional protective clear filter that attaches via magnets. This can be changed for the included honeycomb filter. I found that the filters came off all the time in my bag as the magnets were not strong enough. Without the filter the LEDs are exposed to the outside world and I’m not sure how well they would handle the wet. This is the light’s biggest failing but for me it wasn’t a deal breaker – I am looking at other ways to keep it dry.

The L10C with clear protective filter fitted

The light is powered from a Sony style battery from a plate on the rear of the light. You can buy an $39 PA-01 adapter which converts this plate so you can use Canon LP-E6 batteries from the 5DmkII if you want to travel light. You can also power the light from a DC source such as the D-tap connector on a broadcast battery but you will need to buy an additional cable. Runtime with a LP-E6 was around 30 minutes at full output but when the Canon battery does get too low the light tends to flicker rather than just stop working – something to watch for on a shoot. For longer runtimes I would recommend a larger Sony fit battery instead.

The PA-01 adapter allows the use of Canon batteries

Unlike most LED camera lights the L10C-5K runs a hot after a time, probably because of it’s extremely high light output. The small heatsink at the top of the unit is scalding hot after prolonged use and the rest of the case gets pretty warm too. I would advise careful use and placement of the light to account for the heat.

The light is supplied with a mini ball and socket mount which allows you mount it on top of a DSLR or video camera – although this is seldom the best place for it. I fitted my light with an MA-T03 arm from Tilta that can attach to rails or screw into a regular 1/4 20 hole.

The light can also be controlled wirelessly using an IR optional controller. I didn’t buy one of these and so couldn’t test this function.

For now the Cineroid LED has earned a place in my kit bag. It is so small I can carry it everywhere and so bright that on many assignments I wouldn’t need to carry a larger Litepanel. You could build a small kit out of several L10C lights that would fit in a small bag and be able to light indoor interviews. For run and gun solo filming it should certainly be on your list of lights to look at.

The L10C-5K has a suggested retail price of $249 US and you can see more about the L10C-5K here.

By Ahmed Elhusseiny

Every year, somewhere in the middle of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, a diverse and motley group of people from around the globe gather for the annual counterculture arts festival-cum-social experiment known as Burning Man.
 
I had heard stories about the festival and bits and pieces from friends and had seen enough images of the event to have some general idea of the aesthetic of the place. It was really that aesthetic rather than any kind of experiential or narrative aspect that was for me, the primary draw. Here was an entire city full of extravagant set pieces, whimsical vehicles, and fully costumed extras, set down in the middle of an almost otherworldly desert landscape that only magnified the surreal characteristics of the entire scene – all just waiting to be filmed.
 
When a chance arose to attend last year’s “Burn” the prospect was too good to pass up.
 
Technically it wasn’t the easiest shoot to plan. For starters, let’s talk about dust. Not just any dust, but the finest, highly alkaline powder that I have ever seen (and having grown up in Egypt, believe me I’ve seen my share of dust and sand). I knew that there was no way I would be changing lenses outdoors. The “playa dust” got absolutely everywhere, and I was already placing quite a bit of (well justified, it turns out) trust in my Canon 7D weather seals. What this meant was that I would usually choose a lens and use it all day. If I came across a shot that I felt required a different lens, I would take a mental note of it and hope that it was still there when I came back the next day. I did lose a few potentially good shots that way, but I was able to capture a great deal more and still have a functioning camera at the end of the trip to boot so I think it was a fair trade-off.

Shooting at night was another technical challenge. I love my 7D dearly but there were times when I was shooting at night that I would have sold an arm and a leg (preferably not my own) for a 5D mkII with better low-light performance. First to be sacrificed to the light sensitivity gods was the 60fps I had been shooting at. I needed every split second of shutter speed so it was down to 24fps. Next was going wide open when I could, and when I needed more than a few hairs’ width of depth of field I had to crank up the ISO all the way to 6400 on some shots. This obviously resulted in a lot of noise and a surprising amount of compression artifacting. I was able to use some of the most affected shots only after running them through Neat Video’s denoise plug-in for After Effects. I had never used an external denoise plug-in before but it was pretty phenomenal. Shots that I had completely given up on ended up becoming more than usable. One shot that was beyond salvage took place just before the Trojan horse burn and involved convincing the crew (all actual, real life fishermen) of a New England lobster boat turned mutant desert vehicle, to let me climb up the ship’s 60ft mast to film the scene from above. I’m afraid the violent swaying of the boat due to the all the revellers dancing on the decks below, coupled with the difficulty of filming with one hand while holding on for dear life with the other, meant that the resulting footage was a blurry, shaky, unsalvageable mess. I wonder if an IS lens along with generous cleaning up/stabilization in post could have saved the day? A question for another shoot I guess.
 

It turned out that the biggest challenges, however, were not technical at all but more a byproduct of the eclectic and unpredictable nature of the subject matter. This may seem elementary but context, exposition, pacing and framing the subject become even more critical when the subject matter is so surreal and disconnected from anything that we can easily associate with a cognitive benchmark. The temptation to try to match the exuberance of all the weird and wonderful structures, contraptions and costumes with “enthusiastic” camera motion and trick editing is a common pitfall that I recognized in a great deal of the videos I had seen of earlier Burns, and one that I made a conscious decision early on to avoid.

Both parts but “Day” in particular were very deliberately paced to allow the viewer to gradually settle into the atmosphere. Wide shots were used extensively to convey the sheer scale of the city within the desert before transitioning to tighter, more carefully composed compositions where careful layering of foreground and background along simple horizontal motion provided much of the visual interest. The ever-present cloud of dust at eye level also enabled a wonderful degree of separation between visual planes that added greatly to the sense of depth in many of the shots even when filmed with small aperture openings and a significant amount of depth of field.
 
I ended up with two very different videos for “Night” and “Day” and not just for the obvious reasons. “Day” was much more structured, controlled and restrained. In my view it has a more architectural quality to it that makes it the more successful of the two. Others have told me that they preferred “Night” and it is certainly the more vivid, warmer, and more familiarly “human”. Ultimately, I’m happy I had the chance to finally experience the event in person and come away with a short, personal document of my time there.
 
Ahmed Elhusseiny is a Brooklyn, New York based Designer, Architect, Photographer, and Filmmaker. You can find out more about his work on his website.

By Matt Allard

Litepanels has been one of the big players in LED lighting in recent years.  I have used their 1×1 LED lights for the past few years and have found them to very good.  I have used them in extreme locations and weather conditions and they have never failed me once.   Being able to run them off V-lock broadcast batteries makes them indispensable for the type of work I do.  I do tend to prefer the softer illumination that comes from a fluorescent Kino Flo light but they can’t be run off V-lock batteries and require mains power.   The Litepanels 1×1 are great for working in a news or documentary environment where ease of use, portability and reliability are key.

Litepanels Croma on top of a Sony F3

This brings me to the new Litepanels Croma which I’ve been testing.  It is the company’s latest offering for onboard camera lighting.  Designed for video cameras and DSLRs it is a similar size and shape to the popular MicroPro and can be run off 6 AA batteries (although it will not work with lithium rechargeable AAs) or mains power.  This is a mixed blessing as you can find AA’s just about anywhere but they only power the light for about 1.5 hours.  You can also run the Croma from a d-tap or power supply with the right cables or power distribution.   I would of liked to have seen a d-tap power adaptor on the actual Croma itself.

The Croma runs on AA batteries

Now the really interesting thing about the Croma is that it is fully color adjustable from 3200-5600k as well as being fully dim able from 100% to 0%.  A lot of cheaper LED top lights start to flicker when you dim them right down – not this one. There is no noticeable shifting of color temperature when dimming the light which is a big plus.

Being fully dimmable as well as color adjustable makes it ideal for people who need run and gun on camera lighting.  You can instantly adjust the light to the conditions that you require.  Being an LED it also runs cold so you won’t have that annoying heat distribution near your head while your filming hand held.  It is also flicker free at any shutter speed or angle.

It looks a bit like a children’s toy but it is built tough like all of Litepanels bigger stuff.  The buttons, controls and battery latch are all very solid and well made. You can mount it on a camera or a tripod  and it is very light in weight, just 0.34kg. This light is perfect to use as fill, soft light in compact places, run and gun applications and as a general camera top light.  

The croma comes with a ball and socket mount but one thing I would of liked to have seen included in the kit is an arm of some sort for mounting the Croma on a camera.  Top lights look traditionally bad mounted front on and it would of been perfect to be able to put the light out to side of the camera.

I would highly recommend this light as it does what it says it does extremely well. While there are plenty of LED top lights out there you really do pay for what you get. If you buy a $70 top light don’t expect it to be perfect – there is a reason it is only $70!  Buying quality equipment is an investment and if it is we’ll made it will last for years.

You can download the full Croma spec sheet here.

About Matthew Allard, Aljazeera Senior Field Cameraman, Kuala Lumpur:
Matt has been a Camera/Editor in TV news for more 20 years, previously working for both Channel 9 and Channel 10 in Australia. Twice Network Ten Australia’s cameraman of the year as well as being a Walkley Finalist for outstanding camerawork in 2006 (for coverage of the Cronulla Race Riots) and a Logie Finalist for outstanding news coverage 2006 (Bali 9). He is a multiple ACS (Australian Cinematographers Society) award winner. His Sword Maker story that was shot on a 7D won the prestigious Neil Davis International News Golden Tripod at the 2011 ACS Awards. He has covered news events in more than 35 countries, from major sporting events to terrorist bombings. Based out of the Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre in Malaysia he is an avid user and follower of new technology, shooting stories on HD broadcast cameras, the Sony F3 as well as new Canon DSLRs.

By Micha Hilliard

Last November I found myself hurtling along perilous roads, across flat and arid expanses and along azure rivers. I travelled up passes at the end of winding valleys surrounded by snow-capped mountains – all in a shabby old Maruti 800. From time to time, when nearing a solitary road or building construction, the Maruti would come to a screeching halt, and I would hop out of the car with camera in hand. I spent a month in the Himalayan district of Ladakh, North India, documenting an unreported, growing population of Nepalese migrant laborers. As I soon found out, they come to Ladakh because they are unwilling and often unable to bear the economic hardships back home in Nepal. However, once they arrive Ladakh they often end up in a worse condition, slaving away among the rocks and dust: poor, displaced, uneducated, and vulnerable to the harsh high altitude climate.

Before setting out from Delhi across the Himalayas, on the most stunning early morning flight of my life, I decided to break up my shooting schedule into three parts: I would tackle the working conditions first, then the living conditions, and lastly the future prospects. In terms of the equipment, I packed as lightly and unassumingly as possible. Since Ladakh borders both Pakistan and China, it is a heavily militarized zone and Indian authorities are not too keen on having camera-wielding reporters tramping around the place. Furthermore, I was warned that the locals think very poorly of the Nepali migrants. It was clear that I wouldn’t be able to film them openly. Thus, when filling my F-stop Loka bag, I was careful only to include the bare minimum: my Canon 60D, three lenses (Canon EF-S 17-55mm, Canon standard EF 50mm, and Canon EF 70-200mm), a Tascam DR-100 recorder with accompanying Rode NTG-2 microphone, and a Gitzo carbon monopod along with an old tripod. With this set-up, I would easily be mistaken for a tourist.

The Canon 60D kit

During the first couple of days, my Nepali friend and interpreter conveyed me in his old Maruti 800 from one construction site to the next, along the gentle Indus valley. (I was most fortunate to have him along, since I don’t speak a word of either Nepali or Hindi. As I learned this summer, while working on a project in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a good interpreter is worth his or her weight in gold.) Whenever we stopped, he would seek out the civilian foreman and the (more often than not scowling) military overseer to get their permission to film. In the meantime, I would furtively make my way to the laborers, who were busy mixing cement and carrying rocks, and begin to shoot. Normally, it’s an important part of my film-making process to get the consent of all subjects involved and even to show them what I’ve filmed afterward. When dealing with Indian foremen and military personnel, however, I learned quickly that I needed to act decisively or leave with empty hands. With the help of my Gitzo monopod and its smooth twist-locks, I managed to capture six construction sites all together.

I spent the following three weeks in the boys’ dormitory of a Nepali children’s home in Leh. Because of the volatility of their parents’ work, the children of migrant laborers often spend their days on sites, rather than in schools. The children’s home provides them with the opportunity to get proper schooling and, thereby, a way out. By getting to know the children and caretakers, I quickly gained access to a number of Nepali homes and a trove of stories. At this point, I abandoned my run-and-go tactics and adopted a slower and more deliberate approach. I finally had time to study and make the best use of the lighting conditions at hand. Since I packed lightly, I was wholly dependent on the sun to illuminate my subjects. The fact that immense snow-peaked mountains surround Leh on all sides proved to be both a challenge and a blessing. Fortunately, I had enough time to plan ahead, so I shot many scenes – including an action-packed cricket match – just as the sun skimmed the top of the mountains, transformed into a brilliant golden sphere. As a filmmaker, I am now much more aware of the natural light and its properties that vary so widely depending on place, time, and cloud cover.

Another lesson I was forced to learn early on at the children’s home was the value of repetition. Children are difficult to film, since they are always on the move – except when they notice that they are being filmed, at which point they commence to wave and grimace. Before I could get usable shots, I had to accustom the children to the camera. Fortunately, again, I had enough time to shoot the same scenes over and over, such as the caretakers combing the girls’ hair in the morning amidst high-pitched squeals and pained expressions, waiting all the while patiently for the images that I had in mind.

Before I knew it, I found myself on a plane again, Delhi-bound.

As I’ve discovered during this assignment, when documenting the lives of the poor, it is tempting to dwell on the sufferings alone, neglecting all other aspects. For this reason, my finished documentary is filled with beautiful vistas of the Indus valley and the bluest skies imaginable. Even when laborers are seen splitting rocks with hefty sledgehammers or carrying boulders on their heads, it is either in midst of sloping mountain ranges or among autumnal trees bending slightly in the wind. The film is much more hopeful and inspiring than its subject matter would seem to warrant. As a documentarian, however, I see it as my responsibility to lift my subjects up, rather than lowering them down even further; to show them compassion, bestow onto them dignity, and put their present sufferings in the light of future hope.

Home from Micha Hilliard on Vimeo.

Micha Hilliard is a freelance filmmaker based in Zurich, Switzerland. Visit his personal website here or follow his blog here.

By Johnnie Behiri

Recently I was lucky enough to have a Nikon D4 (pre production model) for 24 hours. My original plan was to shoot a short feature with it and by doing so check its strength and weaknesses, but the short notice left me no choice but run a very simple test (one that might not satisfy all…)

I’ve divided the test into night and day shots. Neither video is colour-corrected. I wanted to share exactly what I got out of the camera with the community. To my eyes, up to ISO 1000 the camera produces clean video images. Also, please take a look at “24h in25p”-night, 0:49min. Surprise – the “rolling shutter” effect is almost a thing of the past!

Obviously, having the camera for such a short time did not allow me to master it. I truly hope some of the shortcomings I discovered are due to my lack of Nikon experience and are not really shortcomings after all.

I chose to shoot mainly with 2 prime lenses, in part to see how useful and functional the crop function is. So everything you see (but the Capoeira shots) was done with the Nikon 20mm+85mm lenses.

24h in 25p-day Shot with Nikon D4 from Johnnie Behiri on Vimeo.

What’s to like about this camera?

I liked what I saw, though hoped I could get a slightly sharper image. I would love to experiment more and get even better results if possible.

- Audio quality: Very nice. I dare to say that the D4 is producing a cleaner sound than my Tascam DR-100 audio recorder.
- Needless to say, having a headphone socket is a real treat.
- Crop factor: I can’t say enough good things about this function. Simply put: AMAZING! Nikon representatives told me that the best video quality produced by the camera is at the 2.7 crop factor setting. You are able to toggle between full screen and 1.5 crop factor as a second option.

Things I would love Nikon to review and hopefully change in a firmware update if possible:

-It is unfortunate, but sound levels can not be adjusted after starting recording.
-When switching the camera on in video mode, there is ALWAYS a need to press the LV button BEFORE being able to actually shoot video.
-Clear HDMI output is great but when an external EVF is connected, there is a need to see some information there. I couldn’t find a way to “overlay” the info in my Cineroid EVF for comfortable shooting.
-Also, when shooting with an External EVF connected to the camera via HDMI, I could not find a way to turn the camera LCD off. At times I don’t want others to be able to see what I’m shooting, or would just like to save a bit more of the battery life.
-In some occasions, there is a delay after pressing the record button between the LCD screen and the external EVF. The EVF will go blank for a second or two before you see what you are recording.
-There is a way to assign two front buttons for a smooth aperture control [power aperture]. This is a nice feature. The problem is that the changes are so quick that I ended up pressing the button in steps so the end result was like using a “clicked” aperture ring on a manual lens. It is a welcome feature, but I wish it had a “slower response”.
- Crop factor changes: As amazing as this feature is, there is no way to operate it “on the fly”. There is always a need to fiddle within the menu to access and change the settings. This feature should definitely be more accessible.
-WB settings: There is no way to see the WB settings on the LCD screen, only down at the battery pack compartment window.

One more point: my Cineroid EVF showed 1080i signal before hitting the record button and 720p right after pressing it. So I guess clean 720p signal can be out put to an external device if you are interested in recording HD ready resolution while simultaneously filming into a memory card.

24h in 25p-night Shot with Nikon D4 from Johnnie Behiri on Vimeo.

All footage was shot in natural picture profile setting in1080/25p

Equipment used:
Nikon D4 pre production model with firmware 1.0
Lenses- Nikkor 20mm f/2.8, 85mm f1.8, 14-24mm f2.8, 70-200mm f2.8
Rig-O’Connor (apart from a Vocas handle)
EVF-Cineroid
Tripod-Sachtler DV8 SB
Camera bag- Kata DR-465i and FlyBy 76
Filter – Light Craft Workshop Fader ND

A special thanks to my trainee assistant Claudia for helping during this long day! Also, a big thank you to professor David and his team for performing a short Capoeira theme for us. Find out more about their school here www.suldabahia.at

Johnnie Behiri is a BBC freelance cameraman operating from Vienna, Austria.
When not working for the BBC, Johnnie films documentaries, commercials, music videos, and testimonial/marketing videos for other broadcasters and clients.