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One Camera, One Lens, One Patch, Handheld Goodness
  • GH2 
    14-140 Panny 
    FM - By LPowell
    Handheld in DIY waterproof housing
    Shot 720p50 1/100, rendered 720p25 @ 10mbps in Sony Vegas Pro for Vimeo
    

    Visual Event Coverage ArtForm - Watch and become immersed in the beauty of the sea and the people who ride it's motion. All the action starts 2:00, nice slowmo sequence at 7:25

  • 22 Replies sorted by
  • @Rambo You're part warlock with the water scenes Rambo, but could you share some of your settings? Film mode? I know you overcarnked the shutter but by how much? Were you shooting in autofocus....etc?

    You're the open water maestro, help us out some...

    BTW, Flow Motion and Sanity are the only two that don't lock up the camera on a regular basis around water.

    That is a great video!

  • peternap >but could you share some of your settings? Film mode? I know you overcarnked the shutter but by how much? Were you shooting in autofocus....etc?

    Standard -2all, shutter 1/100 as stated, Auto ISO, aim at subject press AF/AE lock (which snaps focus and locks exposure and focus) press record button. Repeat 250+ times for all clips. Camera does the work, I'm not looking for ultimate IQ. Steady-Eddy is the name of the game.

  • Thanks Rambo. I'm surprised at the 1/100 for the slow motion but then, I do very little of that. I may take another look at the 14-140. I've passed on it a couple of times because it's too slow for low light, but it sure looks good in your video.

  • 1/100 is recommended for perfect Slowmo in 720p 50fps, at 1/50 blur is very noticeable once you slow it down half speed. For slowmo you want reasonably sharp frames. 14 -140 is not slow outdoors, i have to run ND's to knock it down.

  • @Rambo

    One Camera, One Lens, One Patch, Handheld Goodness

    Way to go!

  • Yep, love the minimalistic way myself, get some funny looks off the ENG crowd at events when they see the gear, but then later when their producer asks for some RAW footage for their show, i have a giggle...haha

  • @Rambo , well done, great job.

  • @Rambo 14 -140 is not slow outdoors, i have to run ND's to knock it down.

    Well it is a tad slow when the sun goes down but I've long been an admirer of your work and it does fill a niche I don't have. That video is proof positive that it DOES work well. I think I'll give one a try tomorrow. Great video as always Rambo!

  • @Rambo great!!! Did you also use 60p at 1/125 and slow it down to 25p?

    Standard -2all, shutter 1/100 as stated, Auto ISO, aim at subject press AF/AE lock (which snaps focus and locks exposure and focus) press record button.

    It's also my impression that the best procedure for fast events is to use shutter priority mode, auto ISO and set AF/AE lock before start recording.

    The bad think is that if you want to change aperture you cannot lock it again while keep recording.

  • Great work, Rambo, epic as always, and thanks for providing downloads in full-size HD. In addition to admiring your consistently excellent shooting technique, I was gratified to see the churning water rendered without visible digitization artifacts, and the cloudy skies without noticeable macroblocking. Thumbs up!

  • @peternap, 14-140 is my most used lens, perfect for events. The OIS is nice to have.

    @tida, no all 720p 50@1/100, I sometimes will use 1/50 if the ocean is smoother as it reduces the strobie look of 1/100 shutter, but this is an event video shot in unstable seas so sharpness rules over blurry images. The 50p version of the video displays much smoother motion on a tv than this 25p web version.

    @LPowell, yes this type of shooting is hard on the codec for sure with so much motion and FM seemed to handle it quite well. Artifacts are not something you notice that much when there's a central moving subject in the frame demanding your attention, I'm sure there's some there as I pushed the grading pretty hard, especially the sky.( some magenta colored chroma noise blocks there). No blue skies so no gradient issues ...haha.

    Thanks all for watching, I know it's not the normal filmic stuff that most here are interested in but it's what I do and I enjoy it. Have learned lots from this forum.

    R

    As a comparison 1/100 vs 1/50 with 720p 50fps, this video below was shot with a 1/50 shutter, but it's also landbased and not subjected to the same camera movement as shot from the back of a Jetski.

  • @Rambo

    Generally it is very interesting on why to use 25p and 50p if you are shooting for online and for computers. Normally 30p and 60p must be preferable.

  • Yes, i have always wrestled with that. 30p motion on PC is better for events than 25p, 60p allows extra frames for slowdown, also generally computer screen refresh rates are 60hz even in PAL countries. However, i do need to supply 50i sometimes for broadcast and 50p is an easy conversion for this.

    The one other factor that determined my use of 50p, is the LPowell Peak Reliable 75Mbps 720p 50 patch for the GH1 was always much more robust than 720p 60, so that dictated it's use in that cam. I may investigate 60p on the GH2 and see if it is a better choice, that would then give me the conversion to 30p for the web.

  • I am all to make 1080p60 woldwide broadcast standard. I am really sick of all this 1080i. And our stations still struggle to move into digital PAL.

  • Of course my other reason for shooting 720p 50fps is rolling shutter related, half the jello (not that i notice it in 720p anyway). But it can be an issue in VERY rough conditions ( i can only play the role of "human gymbal" for so long with my ass on the back of a Jetski) :-)

  • @Rambo I am not sure whether or not someone asked this already (I didn't see it) but, I noticed that the camera looked as if it were getting wet. Did you have a water proof housing?

  • Read his first post for the answer. Nice job and thanks for sharing @Rambo

  • @leejb4 I don't know how Rambo did his but I've used a plastic bag with a rubber band around the bag and lens hood. I wouldn't want to dunk it but it's good for rain and spray.

    @Rambo I got a 14-140 and used it on a shoot Sunday. I was on a Schooner under full sail in heavy seas. I was using FM2.2 on that camera, in 720-60. Worked great except one lockup when I was hanging off the bowsprit videoing the wake. I didn't have an ND with me but it was cloudy enough that I could stay around 1/125.

  • Yes the DIY waterproof case ( above water) is documented here. http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1315/waterproof-housing-with-14-140-zoom#Item_2

    I've since built a new one that is a little prettier but basically the same concept.

  • I'm envious.

    Ever heard of George Greenough?

    rbd

  • Haha, yes, I have one of his early solid glass knee boards. I rate Crystal Voyager 2nd best surf video behind Morning of the Earth.. Ex Californian now living in OZ.

  • Your homemade housing reminded me of George.

    He was doing the same thing 40--is it 50?--years ago, only for film.

    A true innovator.

    He may have been the first to shoot great film inside a tube.

    You'd probably know better than I.

    Now anyone can do it with a GoPro.

    Anyway, I wrote a profile of George for "Santa Barbara Magazine".

    Also, Renny Yater and Tommy Curren,

    Tommy was pretty tight lipped--as suits a professional--and, well, Yater was Yater.

    Always wanted to interview Pat Curren, but editors make these choices.

    And Tommy was the champion.

    I never was a surfer.

    Not in the way the guys I grew up with were. And are.

    I didn't much like cold water.

    Although Bob McTavish shaped me one of the first short boards in California.

    It was that era.

    Went to Puerto Rico with a bunch of crazy Australians--four guys in a Ford van across the country--and sold my first professionally published images to "Surfer Magazine" when I was 19.

    '67? '68?

    I digress.

    My hat is off to you.

    You've taught yourself to do this, and mastered a complex technology.

    I'm just starting.

    Video.

    LOL.

    rbd