This is a tutorial on how to increase the dynamic range of an SLR. SLRs and camcorders are pretty close in terms of dynamic ranges, so you might find it useful in your post-production of video as well. Keep in mind that “digital” has a significantly smaller range when compared to film, so every little bit helps.
How to increase the Canon 7D dynamic range (Tutorial) from Luka.
Adam Wilt at DV Magazine, is taking a first look at Sony V1.
In a typical SAT fashion: with V1 Sony has upgraded the Z1 “prosumer” camcorder the same way it upgraded the revolutionary Sony FX1 to Sony FX7. If you’re already familiar with the FX7 or you’ve already read the comparison between FX1 and FX7, you’ll find relatively few bits of new info.
At the same time, Sony V1 is significant because it confirms Sony’s dedication to putting CMOS sensors on its prosumer line of camcorders instead of CCDs. This is an important change of direction as it affects light sensitivity, vertical resolution, and more importantly the “full 1080 HD” of FX7 and V1.
Let’s go quickly through Adam’s points:
Again, it’s a “sideways upgrade” because you lose some, you gain some. Here’s Adam’s conclusion:
Sony squeezed out some features in the quest to put HDV into a PD170-sized package: analog-in recording, 50 Hz/60 Hz switchability, low-light capability, and standard video connectors on the camera body. But the result is a compact, lightweight Handycam that shoots sharp, clean HDV while offering the best laid-out controls found on a small Sony, and true progressive capture to boot. Rolling shutter will be an issue for some, but overall, the V1 looks like a worthy addition to the choices available to HDV shooters.
I’m considering switching from my web cam to this baby. Here’s a short guide on how to select a web cam.
Kaspar had this question to ask:
I’ve come across your webpage and have been reading your reviews on HD cameras. May I ask you a question concerning this? It seems you have quite some experience — and I seem to lack it!
I am working together with a small group of creatives and we would like to make a series of short movies: some movies about dancing/arts (for fun) and some ad movies for customers (to be shown on fares, public advertisement screens, and maybe one or two clips on television).
We have experimented a little bit with MiniDV (in combination with FinalCutPro, After Effects, and Shake) and found it disappointing. We frequently had to use keyers (to get rid of a white/green background) and the results were really bad, even though we started with a pretty good white background.
I am now hoping that HD changes this a little. But I see that many HD cams use heavy compression and therefore I fear that the resulting artefacts will make editing difficult, again. Is this so?
Or more concrete: Could you tell me maybe a camera that you could recommend (without responsibility, of course) for this type of
work? A low-budget one (say up to $2000), a semi-pro one (up to $4000) and an even better one?
I thought the answer could be helpful to others as well:
I’m afraid the quality of the video won’t change much from DV to HD. The resolution definitely will change but it seems to me you’re not after resolution. From the sound of it, you have a problem with removing the background.
First off, when doing blue/green screen work, you need a studio of some sort. You could probably do it yourself but the resulting video will suffer. The key problem with greenscreen is EVEN lighting. The way it’s done in studios is that you create a “rama” with lights spread out at precise intervals. It’s rather expensive if you want to create a similar setup at a stage (if you’re dancing on a stage that is).
In terms of cameras, any camera below $6000 is going to use HDV (25Mbps) to record the signal which means a lot of compression. So you’re right about that – HD will introduce more compression artefacts, not less. At about 6,000, you can get Panasonic HVX200 which supports 100Mbps recording ( i.e. much higher quality recording).
I certainly understand your frustration. When I bought my first camera (a SONY VX2000) I was pretty disappointed as well. Then, I bought a Lowel light kit (4 lights) and I loved the results. Your goal is a bit more ambitious but I think you’ll find out that once you solve the lighting, everything else will be easy.
Keep the questions coming 
I just found this video tutorial (?) about achieving filmlike video. It talks about screen ratios, interlaced vs progressive shooting, and more.
Right-click video, then select “Save Target As…”
For a 5 minute video, it packs plenty of info. It missed one very important point (that I frequently come back to): LIGHTING.
Lighting is one of the magic ingredients when going for filmlike video. Just look at the segment in question – the blue background light creates much needed separation between subject and background. (In video, this separation is often achieved by adding a certain color – usually blue; in film, you have many more options.)
I’m not 100% sure if this is a Panasonic HVX200 in the background. I was hoping to see someone putting the new Sony FX7 to good use!
Yahoo just bought Jumpcut – for an undisclosed sum. This makes Youtube one of the few big indies in this space. So what is poor Google to do but bid for Youtube.
TechCrunch posts that there are rumors that Google’s going to acquire Youtube.
The Wall Street Journal is now reporting this as well, saying “Google Inc. is in talks to acquire popular video-sharing site YouTube Inc. for roughly $1.6 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. The discussions are still at a sensitive stage and could well break off, this person says.”
I bet a few heads in Google Video should roll. They had a distinctive advantage with Google Video and they totally missed the boat.
Anne Walk at LoadedPun put a note on their blog about FilmDailies. Much appreciated.
I love this line:
So far, there are a good number of camera reviews for those looking to buy a high end camera. They are beautiful and so very beyond my scope.
No one called camera reviews beautiful before
The Mentos + Coke video phenomenon is like a wild fire burning through tons of bandwidth.
The story? I doubt it’s worth calling it a story: if you drop Mentos in Coke, you get a geyser. Naturally, both Coca Cola and Mentos refuse to comment.
The point is that a ton of Mentos + Coke videos have surfaced. Some guys have been doing synchronized performances – over 100 bottles of diet coke “blowing up” in a choreographed performance. I would even go so far as to call these guys independent filmmakers… I mean there was obviously no studio backing for these projects!