My thoughts on the new Canon EOS 60D & Canon L lenses
As most of you might have heard by now, Canon has announced the EOS 60D, the successor to – you guessed it – its 50D model.
Canon EOS 60D
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Beach Cycle: Timelaps...
I was in France this past July on vacation, and of course, my T2i/550D came with me. I recently...
CollabFeature –...
I was recently asked by two of my long-time filmmaking friends to take part in an amazing project:...
European HDSLR Master...
Join us on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Majorca for our European HDSLR Masterclass! I...
Beach Cycle: Timelapsing on the French Riviera
I was in France this past July on vacation, and of course, my T2i/550D came with me. I recently purchased my first intervalometer and thought it was a great chance to give timelapsing a first shot.
read moreCollabFeature – “The Lost Backpack” – an international feature film project
I was recently asked by two of my long-time filmmaking friends to take part in an amazing project: a so-called CollabFeature, titled “The Lost Backpack”.
read moreDigiFinder.pro Viewfinder for DSLRs – Review
Jump to UPDATE regarding viewfinder eyepiece attachment
I was overwhelmed with response to my “Epic DSLR Viewfinder Review” and it seemed to be of great use for many who are still uncertain about the ever-growing selection of DSLR loupes available. As I said before, it’s certainly the most essential piece of gear you need to be able to use your DSLR for video shooting, especially handheld.
European HDSLR Masterclass in Majorca in September
Book quick for huge discount!
Join us on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Majorca for our European HDSLR Masterclass! I will host a three-day intensive course on everything related to shooting movies with HDSLR cameras together with Sebastian Wiegärtner.
read more200.000 hits celebration!
Get a free DVD of “Every Step You Take”
It’s incredible. After only 5 months in operation, my blog counter (at the very bottom of every page) will hit 200.000 visits tomorrow.
It has become something much larger than I anticipated at the beginning. Writing a blog is a lot of work, but you – the readers – keep me motivated. It might sound like a cliché but it’s true: when you share your knowledge and experiences you get back so much more. I get asked a lot of questions via email, and I try to answer them all as good as I can. Some people write to me just to tell me how much the information on my blog has helped them in their filmmaking endeavors. That is the fuel that keeps me going.
read moreEpic DSLR Viewfinder Review
Part 5: Essential DSLR accessories
I have talked about many “essential accessories” for the T2i / 550D – and in fact, all the other DSLRs too – but there has been one glaring omission so far: viewfinders.
Viewfinders are easily the most important accessory for DSLR filmmaking, for two reasons: stabilization and focusing.
The epic DSLR Viewfinder Review!
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T2i / 550D knock-off battery grip review
Part 4: Essential DSLR accessories
A few days ago I finally received my knock-off battery grip for my Canon T2i/550D. I personally think that there are lots of parts where you should go with the original, but I have made good experiences with knock-off battery grips for other cameras in the past and I simply don’t accept paying three times as much for something as simple as this.
read morePodcast for 16×9 Cinema & interview for EOSHD
I have recently been asked to do a audio interview for the brilliant 16×9 Cinema Digital Convergence Podcast, done by Carl Olsen (find him on Twitter here). I’ve been listening to his podcast for quite some time now and I have grown to love it – it’s not as geeky as some of the other DSLR related podcasts and deals more with the person behind the camera than the gear itself.
It’s worth subscribing to on iTunes – Carl has done interviews with DSLR pioneers such as Gale Tattersall, Philip Bloom, Rodney Charters and many others.
It was fun talking to Carl together with Sebastian Wiegärtner. Both of us assisted Philip Bloom on set of the RED TAILS re-shoots in Prague in May. You can download the podcast directly from here or subscribe to it on iTunes.
I have also done an email interview with Andrew Reid from the brilliant new web resource called EOSHD.com. We talked about all sorts of stuff and where the technology is headed in general. Find the interview via the link below.
Tester13’s GH1 firmware hack – first user impressions plus before / after footage comparisons
As many of you already know, somebody by the name of “Tester13” has released an incredible firmware hack for Panasonic’s GH1 camera that enables this amazing camera to record at higher bitrates, which makes it a beast of a camera.
For the second blog post in a row, I will feature the content of someone else, this time fellow Viennese filmmaker Gunther Machu. While I do not own the camera, Gunther is an avid GH1 cinematographer who recently literally amazed me with his macro short film that he shot of animals in his garden (notably shot WITHOUT the firmware hack). I embedded it at the bottom of this blog post. You can find him on Twitter right here – Gunther, start posting more though 
Save terabytes of storage with your DSLR footage / tips for storage options
I usually don’t blog about other people’s blog posts, but this one struck me as so important to the DSLR workflow that I just couldn’t resist sharing it with you.
Twitter is an invaluable source of useful information. It is social media at its best, and good news travel fast (you can follow me on Twitter here). Mario Feil, a fellow filmmaker from Germany, is one of the people I am in frequent contact with via Twitter, and he had this incredible idea of how to reduce the immensity of data we have to wrangle when we shoot DSLR video.
Big thanks to Mario for this simple but efficient method!
On set of Lucasfilm’s RED TAILS & meeting Philip Bloom
Last week I returned from a week-long assistance job for Philip Bloom on the set of Lucasfilm’s new feature film production RED TAILS. Philip is 2nd Unit DSLR DP on the film. As he posted on his blog, we were shooting pick-ups for the entire week. I assisted him along with Sebastian Wiegärtner, a talented designer and DSLR filmmaker from Germany who I got to know over Twitter.
I can’t tell you much about the shoot yet (only what Philip already shared), but want to share some of my experiences with meeting some amazing people.
Me & Philip Bloom looking at one of the rigs I used for the BTS on the Lucasfilm RED TAILS reshoots.My 550D with Philip's Canon EF 70-200mm IS lens and his Zacuto Crossfire rig, with my LitePanel Micro on my superb new Sachtler Speedlock 75 with FSB-8 fluid head. (Photo by Sebastian Wiegärtner)
Part 2: Full HD ‘digital zoom’ using crop – a viable option?
HD video with DSLRs – The good, the bad and the ugly.
UPDATED at bottom!
DISCLAIMER:
Much in this post is speculation, especially the theories about how the Canon CMOS sensors record video and what is theoretically feasible to achieve with a firmware upgrade. These speculations are of course not unfounded and rely on information given by other users and technology experts. I am not a technology expert or engineer, and I speculate purely from my – maybe naïve – standpoint as a DoP and filmmaker that is keen on the things to come.
Thanks for checking back! Last time, in Part 1 of this two-part series, I looked at the disadvantages of shooting video with these shiny new DSLRs we adore so much. I focused mainly on the problems that are caused by the CMOS sensors that are optimized for still image shooting.
This time, I will focus on the good bits. To be more precise, I will focus on what THEORETICALLY would be possible with DSLRs if the manufacturers or some software crack like Trammell Hudson (with his Magic Lantern alternative firmware for the 5D Mark II) would come up with a new firmware. So let’s call it a little vision. It would be a way to put some of those still image pixels to good use for video shooting.
read moreHD video with DSLRs – The good, the bad and the ugly.
Part 1: the bad & the ugly
We all have come to love the video image delivered by our DSLRs. The shallow depth of field is something that was only attainable with so much effort up until only a couple of years ago.
The image is in fact so strikingly similar to 35mm film for exactly that shallow depth of field that ‘the big guys’ from Hollywood are taking notice and using them for an ever-increasing number of productions. DP Rodney Charters shot background footage for the non-discontinued hit show “24” on Canon 5Dmk2’s, Robert Rodriguez was spotted shooting a music video on 7D’s, and now even the final episode of this season of “House” was shot on the 5Dmk2, as confirmed by the director Greg Yaitanes (who, by the way, is answering questions about that on Twitter and did an extensive one-hour audio interview about this episode with Philip Bloom).
So ok, these cameras have been picked up by the big guys. Despite this we all know that they are far from perfect. To be perfectly honest, their size, the removable lenses and especially the size of their chips is the only thing really good about them. This leaves us with VERY imperfect video camcorders. They are missing everything we have come to expect from “real” camcorders and a whole industry has evolved around these imperfections, selling people everything from a basic shoulder rig to variable ND filters and devices for professional audio recording. It is cumbersome.
read moreCanon T2i / 550D battery showdown – original vs. fake – UPDATED: battery grip
Like certainly many of you Canon T2i / 550D owners I’ve been asking myself if I should invest in further original batteries for my new camera. As I’ve preached before, it is essential to have enough batteries on shoots. Nothing is more cumbersome than waiting for a battery to finally charge up. In fact, nothing is less acceptable than this. I had to do so when I was early-testing the T2i / 550D when I was out shooting “FEBRUARY”, because Canon only supplied me with one battery. I took an almost two-hour break at the Golden Arches while the charger was secretly plugged into one of their sockets … and seriously, there is no reason why anyone would ever spend that much time there!
T2i battery comparison
LOA – Showreel
Apart from my own company Nino Film, I am part of a design studio called LOA.
I thought our showreel might interest you.
We want to hear your thoughts, so please sound off below!!
Follow LOA on Twitter and “fan” us on Facebook!
read morePart 3:
A MYSTERY resolved: Depth of Field, Aperture & ND filters
On a budget? Pimp your new Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 550D with essential accessories!
OTHER PARTS OF THE SERIES SO FAR:
Essential kit for your Canon T2i/550D if you’re on a budget:
Part 1: Basic lenses
Part 2: Batteries, memory cards & bags
First of all: Sorry guys, I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been quite busy with some new projects I will be able to talk about soon.
So finally here is the third part in my series of essential T2i accessories if you’re on a budget. Today, I’m going to tell you all you need to know about shallow depth of field and how to achieve it, and that will lead us directly to aperture and ND filters.
read morePart 2:
UPDATED: BATTERIES, MEMORY CARDS & BAGS
On a budget? Pimp your new Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 550D with essential accessories!
OTHER PARTS OF THE SERIES SO FAR:
Essential kit for your Canon T2i/550D if you’re on a budget:
Part 1: Basic lenses
Part 3: Depth of Field, Aperture & ND filters
ADDED March 26, 2010:
Finally, several replacement batteries have popped up on eBay, all of them significantly cheaper than the original LP-E8. I can tell you out of experience that many of the replacement batteries are comparable with the original regarding their capacity. I just ordered four of those cheap ones because I consider my 550D my “budget setup” and therefore I rather invest in good glass than expensive batteries 
But hey, don’t blame me if they aren’t as good as the originals! Haven’t tested them yet … will post an update once I have them. I’m thinking: Even if they’re only half as good as the original, I paid one-fifth of the price!!
Here’s the more expensive original:
read moreMy new $30 Canon zoom lens (VIDEO)
Recently got my new Canon zoom lens for $30 on eBay. Check out the video.
read moreBeware of Sony XDCAM EX firmware update – EX3 bricked due to software malfunction, Sony “Prime”Support denies to repair damage, repair costs almost €2.000 …
ADDED April 01, 2010:
Got message from the repair center that – I’m not fooling you – as an alternative to the much more expensive repair, they can ship the camera off to the factory of Sony Japan (!), where it is somehow possible to flash the firmware (don’t ask me why there’s no way this can be done here). I won’t have the camera for ANOTHER 3-4 weeks 
but it costs ‘only’ around €350! So I went down that route. I think there is just no way at this point that Sony will do it at their own cost (including loaning me a cam). I’ll keep you posted.
Until I get it back, I will continue to rely on rented cameras and try to use my 550D more for professional productions. Sounds interesting, but in practice it’s hard to do I think, for many jobs …
ADDED March 29, 2010:
Just got word from the repair center that the repair will set me back exactly €1.752,50 / $2.362. WHAT. THE. F***. The entire DPR board needs to be replaced. Whatever that is.
Color graded version of FEBRUARY
Added 09 June 2010:
I just discovered that FEBRUARY has been watched an incredible 135.000 times over the past 3.5 months. THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!
Thank you all for that much interest in this first short film that was ever shot with the Canon T2i/550D before it came into the market.
The 135.000 are cumulative views from 4 different clips of the film:
- FEBRUARY ungraded on YouTube and Vimeo
- FEBRUARY graded on YouTube and Vimeo
On a budget? Pimp your new Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 550D with essential accessories!
Part 1: BASIC LENSES
OTHER PARTS OF THE SERIES SO FAR:
Essential kit for your Canon T2i/550D if you’re on a budget:
Part 2: Batteries, Memory Cards & Bags
Part 3: Depth of Field, Aperture & ND filters
After posting my early review of the new Canon EOS T2i / 550D and the test short “FEBRUARY“ and the overwhelming response (50.000 views of the clip so far on Vimeo and YouTube combined!) I keep getting asked for tips on all sorts of accessories for the camera: which lenses to use, which memory cards, which tripod …
To give all of you a central starting point on your quest to make your brand-new T2i / 550D a very usable movie machine, I put together this list of accessories aimed at an audience that is very price-conscious – that’s why you ordered that T2i / 550D after all, isn’t it!
read moreUPDATED with short film “FEBRUARY” – Canon EOS 550D / Rebel T2i review (pre-production model)
Check out my new short film, “FEBRUARY”, entirely shot on the Canon EOS 550D / Rebel T2i (pre-production model)!
I used NO GRADING, just the “flattened” picture preset, and shot mostly at ISO100 (day) & ISO1600 (night).
Stop-Motion Commercial for “Couchzone”
In cooperation with the agency MARINAS, I recently created a stop-motion commercial for a small, stylish furniture store in my hometown of Innsbruck to air on local TV.
I took the photos on a simple old Canon EOS 350D, the timelapse was shot with my “proper video camera”, the Sony PMW-EX3.
Check out the result as well as the making-of (shot as a timelapse)!
read moreFind your gear!
The MUST HAVE SOFTWARE for synchronizing sound with DSLRs!
Check out my documentary
"Every Step You Take":
