Seriously... people recommended this...? Purchased this and immediately asked for my money back. I am a professional videographer, recently adding a 7D to my lineup and expected a "Vortex-style" informative cover-to-cover training, as many people lead on this forum. This 7D video was a 45 minute commercial for Zacuto, Marshall, and countless add-ons. (Go to Philip Bloom's site...Zacuto banner ads..)

There is very little information on practical field usage of the 7D, if any at all. If you are looking to get up to speed on a new camera, this ain't it. I just thought I would post the opposite of all the raves people were posting on this video. Would love to know if there are other alternatives to this video out there.

I have to agree I feel like I was taken.

I went to Vortex first but they did not have a video.

Did you actually get your money back?

I recommend the "From Stills to Motion" book. While it is sold on the Zacuto website, I did not find it to be a "commercial" - it has been useful in a number of areas.

I haven't seen Phil's video and this is not a comment aimed at him, but along these lines I am a little distressed at how many training aids, workshops and seminars have sprung up that purportedly teach people how to shoot with DSLR', many of which I feel have been created by people who are not experienced shooters to begin with. I think a lot of people have been "taken" by these.

I received a phone call from a group that was hosting a DSLR cinematography seminar; they asked me if I wanted to participate. I had just done a webinar from Studio Daily and having worked alongside some of the more noted names in that arena, assumed they were contacting me to teach it. Turns out they wanted to know if I was interested in attending. I hadn't heard of the instructor so I asked what his background was; they told me that he was a director that their (small) production company had worked with in the past and he had made a feature on the 5 or 7D. Bizarre.

I have done my share of shooting with the 5D-- as I recall even before Phil Bloom saw the light and jumped into the DSLR revolution. In the early days, there was a lot of speculation on what these cameras can and can't do, and that has carried over to unwarranted concerns being raised constantly. Phil Bloom had been a champion of the depth of field adapters, and these cameras were a natural move from there. There is no doubt that Phil decided to become a "commercial" for DSLR film making and has taken advantage of his notoriety. He has to be admired for his efforts.

That being said, the chapters I saw of some of his video instruction material was very basic and also seemed to push equipment he was using. I passed on this DVD because of that.

On a side note, I went to one of these DSLR meet up groups that purported be a group of local innovative users. I was disappointed that most of the users were traditional video shooters and producers who merely repeated all the biases raised by the early speculations. It seemed like they were there to protect their equipment decisions, rather that push a new medium. They ignore the proofs found in "House" and other commercial uses of these cameras.

So I say go out and do your thing and develop you own style with this new tool and you be the innovator.

I have both the 5DmkII and 7D Bloom vids.

I enjoyed both of them. They are informative and at times funny. He has a great style, if you like his sense of humor (very British).

I think he covers the use of the camera very well. Frankly there is not that much to it, if you know your way around video and still cameras then this video will save you some time with demonstrations of how he uses the cameras. A little like being on a shoot with him.

He gives very good advice on why and how to set camera up including contrast sat etc.

Once you have these basics down, you are in good shape to go out and experiment. I think you could probably figure all this out on your own, by searching the internet and experimenting with the cams. But I found these videos a very enjoyable way to become familiar with the DSLR's.

I have been video shooting with DSLR's ever since the 5DmkII came out, and with experimentation come up with very similar settings and equipment. But I still enjoyed the videos and would recommend them to anyone who just picked up one of these cams. There is more info there than you realize because of his loose style everything seems logical and easy to understand.

Just because he pushes Z....o does not mean that you have to buy that brand, it is what he uses, and he is affiliated with them. But it gives you a shopping list of useful accessories.

Just a few thoughts as the first snow flakes of the season are slowly descending on what is left of my backyard foliage.

I haven't seen any of his or anyone else's DSLR "trainer" videos, mostly because these cameras are so easy to learn. And you should always do your own tests. Does he talk about useful stuff like, what ISO is the best mid point for highlights, and best for noise in the shadows? Or does he talk about buying something in order for the camera to work the way you want it to. Again, I don't know anything about Philip bloom. But I have met my share of "DSLR enthusiasts," so that's why I'm asking this question.

I actually found his video helpful. I don't think that video was meant to get too deep into any facet of DSLR video work. For me, it was like an introduction to what I would be getting myself into if I decided to step over to DSLR for video purposes. I watched it....The Ice was Broken.... and I purchased a Canon 7D.

PS: I am a fan of his work too.