Zacuto USA Kit Turns Your D90 into Hollywood-style Steady Cam
It’s cool see a company that quickly brings out a mod kit for turning the Nikon D90 into a Hollywood-like movie making kit, and I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last accessories to enhance video-shooting on the D90 as more companies jump into this bandwagon. The Zacuto USA Kit looks promising with the counter weight, shoulder pad, adjustable barn doors and what looks like a custom lens/lens adaptor. If our experience with shooting video with the Nikon D90 is anything to go by, it’s difficult to get smooth focus pull (DSLR lens are not built with that in mind) and that hand-holding the camera will only give you clips worthy of a Blair Witch trilogy. This set up seems to address these shortcomings rather nicely, from the look of the photos. Definitely worth a look for all Spielberg and DePalma wannabes. No pricing as of yet. (via Gizmodo)
Macrocosmo
Nikon’s annual Small World Microphotography is on and what makes this contest interesting and different from the rest is that the micro theme, which opens up to some very cool and unique photo submissions I’ve seen and I think you’ll agree too. Hop on over and check out the microcosmo world captured by these awesome photomicrographers (there’s your photographer’s Word of the Day). Some shots are too amazing you almost forget they’re photos, if you can actually make out what they are in the first place. A definite inspiration for all macro photographers out there. Visit www.nikonsmallworld.com for more info and inspiration. Deadline for entries is April 30 2009 so fire up that microscope!
Sensor Cleaning and Care
There’s a short post over at TWIP on some tips to prevent dust gathering on the DSLR sensor. Good pointers on keeping those pesky specks from ruining a whole batch of shots if you’re not careful on checking your sensor cleanliness before shooting. The use of sensor swab is definitely not for the faint of heart, even if you can find one here locally, so it’s best to send your camera in to Nikon Malaysia for cleaning, (if it’s that bad), or wait for public events like the recent KLPF where Nikon Malaysia (usually) have technician on standby to give your camera a good cleaning, free of charge.
Here are a few more pointers on reducing the chance of dust getting into the camera:
- When changing lenses, be sure to point the camera body downwards during lens swapping
- Naturally, avoid changing lenses when you’re in a dusty (and windy) place. Changing lens by the beach is asking for serious trouble.
- Apart from not using canned air, do not blow into the sensor using your mouth (I’ve seen people done it), chances are you’ll introduce more dust/saliva/moisture into your sensor than anything.
D90 Video - Directorial Debut
It’s been hectic over the last few weeks, but starting next week hopefully my schedule will return to normal and post more news here. We did spend some time with the new D90 and took a Sunday off to take some videos. The photography features review of the D90 will be posted on Nikonian very soon, but we’re really amazed by the HD quality video that this baby produce. For a fraction of the cost of a movie making camera, the Nikon D90 puts the power of movie making into Hollywood auteur wannabe with its splendid depth of field control and crisp video quality. Some might find the lack of auto focus in video mode off-putting, but it’s precisely this reason that allows the user to manage focus and pull off cool focus tricks which otherwise is almost impossible with typical camcorders. The video was shot by Andrew, Braendan and myself, and edited by Bosco Chin.
Here’s a cut of the footage. Perhaps one day we’ll have a Director’s Cut with *gasp* audio commentary:
Jason Hawkes - Aerial Photography
Aerial photography is not something you get to see everyday and it’s especially awesome when you get to see such wonderfully shot scenes, night ones too. Jason Hawkes‘ night aerial shots of London (Bank, Mansion House) reminds me of the almost surreal cityscape lifted from sci-fi movies such as Ghost in the Shell and Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within. Flying over cities, he takes his shots using gyroscope setups to reduce vibration from the twin engine helicopter, which costs him £1100 per hour! Check out the full interview at Gizmodo and head on over his site and to view those amazing photos.
Jason Hawkes Aerial Photography
Nikon D90 Video Mode
Chase Jarvis was recently given a couple of D90 for early previews and he’d ask his assistance to use them to take production shots with photos and videos. One of the new D90 features is high-def video recording and the results seen here is pretty freaking amazing. I’ve had people asking me if they should wait for the D90 to arrive or get the D300 instead and my answer hitherto has been: get the D300 if you don’t need the superflous video mode, especially if you’re upgrading from older models as the D90 kit costs almost as much as the D300 body. Having looked at the cool things the D90 can do video-wise, especially the amazing depth of field control, I’m beginning to think I may have under-appreciated the D90 video function. Imagine hooking up various lenses and shoot Hollywood-style movies using a RM4000 gear. Sure, the audio option isn’t great, but could be easily solved by getting a dedicated mic setup if you’re serious about using it to shoot some kick ass short movies. For the Hollywood auteur wannabe, the Nikon D90 is definitely one sexy machine to consider.
Check out Chase’s video below:
10 neat camera hacks
If you’re a DIY photographer who love to hack things up for the sake of attempting some never-before-seen shots, you’ll love this list by Oobject on 10 neat camera hacks. Personal favourite is the modded kite camera. Check it out and be inspired.
DIY Ringflash
During the Ikano event when Andrew and I did a session on reverse engineering Jill Greenbarg’s work, I used 2 of my homemade ringflash. I’ve got request from attendees on how I built the thing, so I’ve posted some details on a Nikonian Academy forum thread. It’s not comprehensive, only listing basic materials needed and diagrams with photos of the end result. Over time, when I can afford to spend more time on this, I’ll build another ringlight and document the process. In the mean time, hope what I’ve posted there makes sense. I’ll be posting updates there intermittenly.
Aging your photos with a click of the mouse
Here’s an easy way to convert your photos to look like they’re taken a century back: use Bakumatsu Koshashin generator! Simply upload your photo and click convert, couldn’t be simpler enough. Converted photo can then be saved as JPG.
(via Lifehacker)
Stunning Beijing 2008 Opening Photos
For the 3 of you who missed the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony (including me), there are some great photos online of the event:
Gizmodo
Awesome firework shots
Updated with more links (via sub studio):
Boston.com
New York Times’ Olympic Opening Fashion Show
