Thanks to Luke Neumann for this comprehensive how to on installing Magic Lantern on the Canon T2i.

Luke’s : YouTube
Luke’s : WEBSITE

Another super windy day on Maui’s north Shore : ) Soon I will do a  Tascam DR-100 vs Zoom H4n comparison, but it seems like a pretty nice recorder right out of the box.. I immediately noticed one thing that kinda bugged.. ( no charging cord with the device ), whaaa ? kinda silly to have to purchase it to charge the lithium ion battery it comes with.. Anyhow, no biggie..I will do a side by side with the H4n soon, I promise.. Thanks everyone !

Video Tech :
Camera : Canon 5D Mark II
Sound : Tascam DR-100
Windscreen : Redhead “Fire” & “Gunmetal”
Light : Eiko 85watt

I absolutely love the Eiko 85watt bulbs, they are beasts ! Wrote about them HERE.

Was actually out capturing photo elements for a 5DMKII still composite I’m putting together. The clouds were so hypnotic, I had to shoot some HD.

Cam : Canon 5DMKII
Lens: Old Vivitar with nikon mount, 35-85mm (not sure if I really like this lens yet ), and a fixed 200mm Tessar I think. It’s an M42 mount.

Converted to ProRes 422 (Huge Files), but less lag.
Edited in Final Cut Pro. CC done in Color, it was my second time using the program and I like it.

Music by : Enigma

All audio is from the Zoom H4n with RedHead windscreen on a pretty windy day on Maui.

canon 85mm

Holy windblast Batman !!!…, this is the windiest day I’ve seen on Maui in a long time, and Zoom H2 did great. I’m very impressed with the audio quality in this tiny little pocket rocket.

My set ups are usually very simple and this test was the same. The Zoom H2 was mounted to the middle priced Joby gorrilla pod ( love this thing ) and the RedHead windscreen was near by to cut this devistating wind noise down to nearly nothing. Some wind noise did get through to the sensitive mics but I suspect you will never be using your Zoom H2 in these types of extreme conditions. And if you do, you should still be fine.

My Canon 5D Mark II was just situated on the small backpack I use to carry all this wonderfully powerful technology and that’s about it. Simple

Syncing the Zoom H2 to the Canon 5D Mark II is a breeze as well. The most important thing is to clearly slate each shot. An example for me. ” Zoom H2 and Canon Mark II with 50mm lens at Kuau bay, take 1 ” followed by a loud clap of the hands in front of the Zoom H2 and Canon Mark II that are recording.

My Zoom H2 and Canon 5D Mark II audio sync workflow:

1. Once you bring the two clips into your computer, take a min and name all your files. Eg : Video file name : KuauBay50mmT1 Audio file name : KuauBay50mmT1 and so on.. This is THE most important habit to create for yourself as once you have tons of clips in there it’s increasingly difficult to find what you are looking for. “Where the heck is the audio for this clip !!, I know I have it somewhere !” You don’t want to be this guy…

2. I use Premiere CS 4 but this will be the same in Final cut, Sony Vegas, etc..
Load your video clip into the viewer and scrub to the point that you clapped. Once you are near it, use your keyboard arrows to scrub forwards or backward frame by frame until you hear the very first instance of the clap sound. Toggle left to right to make sure you aren’t 2 frames in. On the first frame mark your ‘in’ point usually by just hitting “I” and quickly go to the end of the clip, or wherever you want to end and hit “O” to mark your out point. Now you can drag your clip into the timeline and it’s ready for audio. Do the same with your audio clip and drag it into the timeline. When you drag it near the start point of the video clip, it should “snap” into place, if not, put the playhead at the beginning of the video and it should snap to that !

Done. Now you can delete the audio that the camera captured and you are left with the beautiful audio of the Zoom H2.

I first purchased the Zoom H4n and didn’t think much of the H2 but now that I have one my mind is expanding, I may have to get another one and here’s why :

Say I’m shooting my indy film and I’m just doing some guerrilla shooting on the streets or whatever. I’d probably be using my Zoom H4n to capture the actors performance but why not add a few more mics to the “mix” it will save me from doing it later.

I’d just slate and mark all the mics on the first take and run them off into the scene before “action”. Maybe hide one 100ft away capturing distant traffic. Maybe hide one in a tree, capturing the rustling leaves or anything else that helps add audio depth and dimension to the scene.
Sure I can “fix it later in post” or in this case add sounds. But for the price of two Zoom H2′s, why not just do it now ? I love it.

Details :
Camera : Canon 5D Mark II
Lens: 85mm Canon non “L” version
Sound: Zoom H2 handheld recorder
Windscreen: Redhead Windscreen “Gunmetal” color
Legs : Joby gorilla pod
Music: Buddah bar & The Cure

Edited and Color graded in Adobe Premiere CS4. I just play with the channel mixer to taste, add a little noise.

Just picked up this vintage 1976 Kawasaki KZ 900 and I think it’s safe to say that I am in love. This bike is one year younger than me.. There is something so nostalgic and emotional about getting on and riding it, I just can’t explain.

I just wanted to post this as it was in line with my other two loves.. Audio and Video ! The bike is going to go through some mild cosmetic changes so I figured I’d make a video journal entry each time something significant is changed.

Technical stuffs :
1. The Zoom H4n and RedHead windscreen were placed just out side of the frame to camera right sitting on a rock with a 70 setting for mic sensitivity at about 6 feet from the bike.
2. This 15 second clip is actually 12min and 40 sec of footage sped up to 5200 % As I knew I’d be speeding it up I only recorded 30 seconds from the Zoom.
3. Color Correction was done in Photoshop CS4 and “Editing” in Premiere CS4 LOVE THE ADOBE FAMILY !
4. An old 20mm Nikon Nikor lens was used wtih Lee 4X4 filter holders and a Schneider Optics Circular Polariser.
5. Eyeball crop job for fun.

Every day, more and more, I’m loving this new concept of powerful tools with ultra portable form factor. The Zoom H4n with it’s partner in crime, the Canon 5D Mark II are a force to be reckoned with.

I remember falling in love with video and film making as a kid and messing around with this gigantic VHS tape eating monster that delivered hollow pingy flat sound and a picture that was equally as blah.

Cut to : Today – ext – day and wow. Anything is possible. The 5D Mark II and Zoom H4n combo can certainly and quite easily pull of a very high production value production. It’s pretty exciting really. Anyways I hope you enjoy this small little demo. I wasn’t even going to take the camera on a short motorcycle ride but ended up driving on the twisty roads of Maui’s north shore on my way to Hana.

This shot was taken at the Ke’anae peninsula half way to Hana, Maui’s oldest and most undeveloped eastern shore.

The Details :
Camera : Canon 5D Mark II
Sound : Zoom H4n & RedHead Windscreen
Lens : Olympus Zuiko 50mm with ebay Nikon to Eos Adapter
Music : B-Tribe “Sensual Sensual” and “Mysterio Interlude”
Color corrected in Premiere CS4 ( I usually just play with the channel mixer to taste )

This is how my Saturdays are usually spent. Figured I might as well start a video diary for the little Mac. He freeking loves Melona bars ( green bars ) as do I. Enjoy !

In this clip I just wanted to see what I could do as far as eeeking out as much “perceived” dynamic range as possible. I think one of the things that makes video look like video sometimes is the punchy out-of-camera contrast.

This clip was shot at about 12 noon with just about the worst natural lighting that natural lighting will produce. I set the contrast to 0 and the saturation to 1. In Premiere I played with the channel mixer to taste. I also made some small adjustments to the Luma and Gamma. Finally, I added some noise.

So I’ve been watching a lot of Blu-ray DVD’s lately and one thing I noticed is NOISE and lots of it. I think in the still photo world everyone wants to get rid of it and it’s trickled into the video world. I prefer my 5D2 footage with noise as it definitely gives it some texture and filmyness..

This is Maui’s Front Street in Lahaina town. Filled with shops, galleries, and restaurants it’s probably one of the busiest places on Maui. On Halloween the entire street is shut down for the 40,000 + costumed bodies that fill the streets.. Anyways, hope you enjoy this little trek through a Maui hot spot.

Tech :
Cam : 5D Mark II @ F8
Lens : Old Nikon 20mm + eBay adapter
Filter : Schneider optics 4X4 circular polariser and 1/2 stop graduated neutral density filter.
Sound : an almost inaudible Zoom H4n recording at -30db
Cam on a tripod in the back of my Ford Expedition with the glass open. Tripod is lightly ratchet strapped down to create artificial weight, ( ghetto, i know ), effective ? very. I sat in the car recording for a min or two till I saw a subject that would at least be of some interest before taking off. My love for bikes had me pull out in front of these two. Keep an eye out for about 2/3′rds of the way through the song, 4 items pass by the frame in perfect sync with the music, it’s kinda funny and a complete coincidence.

Ok, it’s official, I’m in love with timelapse. It gives me the same feelings I get when I shoot real film and don’t get to see what I have until later which is like a micro Christmas with micro reindeer and tiny little cookies for a tiny little fictitious character named Santa.. love it.

The part of the story that I was not very fond of was the part that I leave my house at near sea level and think, “ahh, it won’t be that cold..” and proceed to put on a pair of Chuck Taylors, jeans, t-shirt and light jacket.. Holy freezer nuts frosty, it was DAMN cold.. Although the thermometer in my car could have been wrong when it swore it was 44deg.. I know, you guys are going to kill me for this ” 44 ?, that’s nothing ” but at 9000 ft the combination of thin air and Hawaiian blood caused me to spend most of the 2 hours it took to capture this in the fetal position, or with the car running every 10 mins..

Anyhow, I ordered the Milapse head, ( thanks guys ), and figured I might as well get a little better at regular stationary shots in the meantime..

I was thinking of trying a shot with a studio strobe that goes off with every shot.. Has anyone tried this yet ?