Rio Parismina, Costa Rica

Stephen Mick

Stephen Mick

Totally Usable
Thought I'd share some footage from a recent shoot in Costa Rica. This is from an upcoming project that I can't really say that much about, but with all the discussion about this camera and that, I figured I should post some of my work. Now, the stuff I shoot tends to be very different from many here. I don't do much narrative work, instead almost all of my shooting is outdoors, with available light, in sometimes unforgiving environments.

In many ways, this was really a test to see if the GH1 could not only survive in the kinds of conditions I usually shoot under, but also deliver the kinds of images I expect from all of my gear. Here are the results…


http://vimeo.com/6636855


Gear used…
- Panasonic GH1
- Kit Lens (14-140mm) @ f4.0, 1/125 Shutter and ISO 100
- Olympus 50mm Macro Lens @ f2.0, 1/125 Shutter and ISO 100
- Zacuto Tactical Shooter and Z-Finder
- Singh-Ray VariND Filter and B&W Circular Polarizer (in some shots)
- Sony EX1 and Convergent NanoFlash (for two shots only)

Notes…
- None of the footage has been color-corrected at all. Period. All these are raw clips. No effort has been made to match up any of the footage.
- Some shots do show vignetting, from the stacking of the VariND and C-Pol filters. I like this look on some shots, not everyone will.
- As I said above, two shots are from the EX1/NanoFlash combination. All other shots are with the GH1.
- All shot at 720/60p.
- NeoScene was used to transcode the raw AVCHD footage to the Cineform codec. Cinema Tools was used to conform the clips to 23.98fps for slow-motion.


--SM
 
Well, let me start by saying I have a 7D on pre-order, and it's going to have a lot to live up to after spending last week using the GH1 on this trip.

The things that really surprised me about the GH1 were how tough it is. I mean I didn't drop it in the saltwater or anything like that, but for it's size, it's really built solid. And the small size is also nice, because that makes it even more inconspicuous for candid shooting.

Two key things I found with the GH1, which I think would be true of any DSLR for video… First, you absolutely have to have some kind of rig if you're going to shoot handheld. I used the Zacuto rig, and it made a world of difference in the quality of my shots. Used with their Z-Finder, it makes for a camera system that feels solid and stable, while being light enough to shoot with all day on a boat. Second, if you need to control exposure on the fly, something like the VariND or Fader ND are an absolute must-have.

I'll be going to Brazil at the end of October, and I'll only be taking the GH1, the 7D (if I have it) and a portable audio recorder. No EX1. No HPX. Just the DSLRs. That should tell you how much I like the images they capture.
 
Well my knee-jerk reaction would be to say that for this kind of gig a camcorder would be a better option so I'm really happy you've proved me wrong in a beautiful way. Having a shorter DOF here than a camcorder can produce really makes the footage pop. And that you didn't need to do any colour correction to match the clips show that in the right hands GH1 is a really good tool for motion images. In short; great job!
 
And I would totally have agreed with you Martti, had I not tried this.

I've been shooting with DVX, HVX, HPX and EX1 cameras for years now, and really enjoyed them all, especially for the style of shooting I tend towards. And I had my doubts about the GH1 being up to the task. But it was, and it delivered images that none of those other cameras would deliver.

Now, would I use the GH1 if I were shooting something for NatGeo or Discovery? No. That's what my EX1 and Nano Flash is for. But for DVD, web or even as a smaller percentage of content for a broadcast production, I'd have no problems using the GH1 (or probably the 7D, when I get that next month).

Thanks for the kind words!
 
Martti Ekstrand said:
Well my knee-jerk reaction would be to say that for this kind of gig a camcorder would be a better option so I'm really happy you've proved me wrong in a beautiful way.
Click to expand...

The other thing to consider is that, as much as we all want to say that the final image is all that matters, convenience and portability are a HUGE factor when you're talking about traveling as a one man crew - especially to areas like Costa Rica.

I've been doing a lot of traveling this year shooting one man band type stuff - and Stephen's footage is what finally convinced me that this was an option I had to explore. The HPX is a workhourse, no doubt - but when you're talking about flying solo to a remote location, the idea of throwing a DSLR in a bag with a Zoom is really tempting - but I wasn't really sold until I was able to see some of Stephen's footage in person - raw and straight off the camera.

This stuff looks good on vimeo... but seeing it in its raw form just blew me away. Granted - that is only partly due to the camera... but mostly due to the cameraman.

Killer work, Stephen - and thanks for convincing me I need to spend more money on new gear.
:)
 
Really nice work, Stephen! Not only is your footage great-looking, it also "covers" this particular material/subject matter perhaps better than any other GH1 example I've seen yet. This makes it very useful information-wise, at least for me. (I especially appreciate the GH1 & operator's highlight handling on the intensely bright sun-lit skin.) Thanks very much for posting it.

In another thread, someone referred to this footage as "static". Made me laugh. Just about every single pixel changes from frame to frame in every scene in Stephen's video. Steady camerawork? Definitely. Static footage? Hardly. Above-average results? Absolutely.

Thanks again for sharing your work with us!
 
PDeC-

Thanks for the kind words!

I think the toughest thing about shooting stuff like this, whether it's with a DSLR or with an HPX500 is to understand just how to capture "usable" footage. Stabilization is key, as is staying wide-angle to minimize the motion of the waves. I can't say enough about the Zacuto handheld rig, though I'd say for the purposes of using the GH1, any really good stabilizer is a necessity. As is something like a Z-Finder. Keeping as many points of contact between your body and the camera is key.

Static? Yeah, that cracked me up also.
 
Those are great compositions. And your exposure settings seem to capture so much detail. Some of that may be the polarazer, but clearly it's a work of someone who's good at what they do. Out of curiosity, which film mode did you use on the GH1? Dynamic? Smooth?
 
Settings were as follows…

Smooth
Sharpness +2
Saturation +2
Contrast +2
Noise Reduction 0

Thanks for the kind words, and honestly, there are tons of shooters out there more talented than I am, Luis included. But the beauty of the GH1 is that with a few added tools (Vari-ND, stabilizer, Z-Finder), it really allows such easy control of the exposure that it frees me from having to deal with too much of the "technical details."

--SM
 
which Zacuto rig did you use?

>Smooth
Sharpness +2
Saturation +2
Contrast +2
Noise Reduction 0

These settings surprise me as they seem to be strong. But the results are great.
 
I used the Zacuto Tactical Shooter…

http://store.zacuto.com/DSLR-Tactical-Shooter.html

And the Zacuto Z-Finder…

http://store.zacuto.com/Z-Finder.html


In over half of the shots you see in the piece, I'm shooting with a modified version of the Tactical Shooter, where I remove the camera mounting plate and attach it directly to the "handgrip" rod of the rig. I did this primarily for easy stowing of the camera in a dry box on the boat.

I can't say enough about both of these products. If you're serious about getting the best handheld performance out of your DSLR, you need both of these (or whatever version/product fits your budget).

--SM
 
I've got the v2 version of the Z-Finder. It's pretty simple to attach, you just mount the mounting frame on the LCD screen and snap the Z-Finder on and off as needed. I sent Zacuto my GH1 a few weeks back, and they say they'll be coming out with a custom-sized mounting frame for the Z-Finder soon. But I didn't really have any problems with the current mounting frame, other than a little bit of light that came in at the bottom. The new mounting frame should eliminate this.

I would also recommend the Z-Bands, which would keep the LCD tight against the back of the camera. Every now and then, the LCD screen with the Z-Finder on it would swing away from the body. No big deal, but easily taken care of with the bands.

--SM
 
Thanks

>LCD screen and snap the Z-Finder on and off as needed

I guess then the LCD cannot be flipped back with the LCD facing the camera.
 
Need raw clip

Need raw clip

I have been wanting to get a raw sample clip from the GH-1 for a while, and cannot seem to get any from the internet. The samples shown are all flash, compressed, skippy, etc. Is there anywhere I can get a straight short clip shot on 720p 30fps. My main concern is the smoothness of playback as what I,ve seen so far is unacceptable, jerky motion.Also, I would like to see if I can import into my iMovie directly for editing, as I don't have FCP.Thanks
 
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