Frosty morning footage test

[basilisk]

I am a new part-owner of an EX1 that arrived a few days ago. Out of the box, this is my first lot of footage, mainly getting used to focus and exposure. Also trying out the new Miller Solo tripod. Still a lot to learn as I normally get someone else to handle the camera.
Frost was melting rapidly so I hurried things a bit.

There are a lot of full zoom shots, and full aperture to experiment with rack focussing - you certainly can get a nice shallow DOF under these conditions.

SD version (http://basilisk.co.uk/video/frosty.mov)

(FCP edit, a bit of 3 way colour correction, and vignette effect)
Any crits and comments, helpful or otherwise, welcome!

[submasonic]

Tried to veiw your footage, it wouldn't play. Either you, or I must of missed a step. I'll try again later.

[basilisk]

Quicktime Mov, probably needs QT7?
Anyone else able to see it?

[robfilms]

basilisk-

your url opening but screen stayed blank.

i'm looking forward to your efforts

be well

rob

[Simon Höfer]

Got no problem. Looks really nice. Loved the shot of the rabbit :)

[basilisk]

basilisk-
your url opening but screen stayed blank.
rob

It should play while downloading - maybe try right click and save?

[Kdawg]

right click and save works for me.

[Jeffrey Hamlin]

The footage looked really good.

Ya gotta love those frosty mornings!

[dandobi.com]

plays fine for me. for people who are having trouble, OPEN quicktime and FILE < OPEN URL then place in the address ...

I think the subtle vignetting you did worked well. some shots it looked like you were using 35mm lenses ... so that's a good thing for you and others to note. i know it's supposed to have a "frosty" vibe, but i think the color corrections hue is too blue/purple-ish and looks kinda weird (maybe it's just my monitor though).

I wish some of the shots racks were a little quicker, I noticed that some of shots had several seconds of blurry-nothingness. the last shot of the video is pretty rad though. it's like the pan that never ends! i like it : )

keep up the good work, and please keep posting your work!

[basilisk]

I think the subtle vignetting you did worked well. some shots it looked like you were using 35mm lenses ... so that's a good thing for you and others to note. i know it's supposed to have a "frosty" vibe, but i think the color corrections hue is too blue/purple-ish and looks kinda weird (maybe it's just my monitor though).
The FCP 3-way CC is a bit basic - I guess I need to get to grips with Color! My monitor isn't calibrated so I guess it might look different for you. Because some of the shots were very "frosty" and others were rather warmer, it was tricky getting a consistent look. We had some much colder weather the week before the camera arrived, which would have looked fantastic.


I wish some of the shots racks were a little quicker, I noticed that some of shots had several seconds of blurry-nothingness.
I am hoping that having a camera that I can really get used to the "feel" of is going to help (only ever used borrowed cams before). I aim to keep practising until the operation of the controls is second nature. I have to say that I was amazed at the shallow focus at f1.9 though, and considering that I am not going to have the budget for a 35mm adaptor anytime soon, I am glad that I can achieve reasonable separation of fore/background with that nice big slab of glass that is on the front of the camera already. Also very happy with the focus peaking feature, and the on camera monitor in general, even in bright light. There really is no excuse for poor focus...
I can see a bit of aberration on the edges of the full zoom shots at 1.9. I imagine that is because I am using the lens at its limits, and that can't be helped.
I am liking the Miller tripod - fantastic for quick setup in rough terrain, though again, doing slow tilt/pans at full zoom is asking a lot of it, and I need to play with the damping to try and get things completely smooth.


the last shot of the video is pretty rad though. it's like the pan that never ends! i like it : )keep up the good work, and please keep posting your work!

Thanks for the positive vibe - should be shooting some stuff with more purpose to it before long.

[David G. Smith]

I really liked the footage. You said that this was, "...Out of the box". Did you note what your camera settings were? What frame rate, bite rate, formate (1080 v. 720), ect.?
Not to nitpick, but I noted some "Giggle" at the tail end of your pans. With a six pound camera, you might want to add a little weight to the tripod. Other wise very good job. I liked your music selection also.

[basilisk]

I really liked the footage. You said that this was, "...Out of the box". Did you note what your camera settings were? What frame rate, bite rate, formate (1080 v. 720), ect.?
Not to nitpick, but I noted some "Giggle" at the tail end of your pans. With a six pound camera, you might want to add a little weight to the tripod. Other wise very good job. I liked your music selection also.

Thanks David -
I recorded on 720p25 (PAL), 35mbps, shutter turned off, and default matrix settings.
The tripod was rather speedily set up on rough ground (trying to get as many shots as possible before the frost melted!) so it probably could have been steadier. A weight is a good idea, and maybe an assistant to help carry it all around!
(music is Sibelius, Swan of Tuonela - which captures northern forests and lakes for me)