New Music Video shot on Sony HDR-FX1E and 35mm adapter at DVinfo.net

Nicholas Bartleet · September 30th, 2005, 03:30 AM

Hi everyone, I have just completed a low budget music video, which I shot on my HDR-FX1e, please take a look, your feedback is welcome. As many of you who have seen my short film 'The Riddle' would know, the vignetting on the video was a desired effect and isn't a trait of the adapter.

I was incredibly impressed with how much better the HDV format is for color grading and correction, and how much more the images could take compared to DV, before they began to break up. This is a fantastic format to work with, and a real pleasure to grade.

I also didn't have the problem, many have mentioned with fast moving objects causing the image to fall apart, all of my frames looked very good with no compression artifacts, and only one dropout on the entire shoot.

I did have fairly low expectations from the camera, however I was incredibly impressed with the results, which are infinitely clearer and sharper than DV when down converted to SD. I definatly won't shoot DV again.

Anyway, here is the link to the video, I just wish everyone could see the quality of the original.

http://www.pixelloft.com/3lflex.htm

Nick

Steven White · September 30th, 2005, 10:15 AM

Oooo! Nice.

First-off - you've got a real snazzy web-space there. Beautifully photographed stuff, well arranged and composited.

As for the video...
I'm guessing those headlight flares were composited (they're too sharp!). In general the output from the configuration looks a little dreamy and soft - the vignetting continues that - I'm sure most of that has to do with the lens adaptor system and the glass... but MAN... your editing, the colours, the motion, the photography - it's all really well done... and the detail is there especially on what's focused... which is, of course, the whole point.

This is the kind of thing you have to look at when you think about "DV vs. HDV" - just look at all the extra detail on the high rez version. Lovely.

As for the music itself - not bad... I'm a bit of a jazz buff, so I'd be as happy, if not happier watching some ancient man delicately tickling the ivory... but semi-clad women work too.

-Steve

Nicholas Bartleet · September 30th, 2005, 10:31 AM

Thanks Steve, I'm glad you liked the video, I know what you mean about the lens flares, but on an SD sony finishing monitor, this isn't noticable.

Your absolutely right about the detail, the HDV camera really holds all of the exta detail so well, and i was really impressed with the noise, which was almost non-existant compared with DV.

Whenever in the past I have pushed the saturation on a particular color with DV, that color then becomes noisy and messy, with the HDV codec, this is not the case, the footage took a lot color correction and grading before any noise was noticable. This was the first time i totally enjoyed the post process, and wasn't disheartened with the fruits of my labour. I am of course looking foward to an SDI DTE solution for that lovely new Canon xl h1, or even getting my hands on a 100mbps DVCPRO HD Panny, but as cheap consumer camera go, I was amazed at what this baby could do + I bought this camera for the same price I sold my xl1s for so I'm very pleased with the upgrade.

David Stoneburner · September 30th, 2005, 11:17 AM

Very nice job. How much is the look that you got due to the 35mm adapter? I've been thinking of the FX1, but I do more event video type projects.

Cheers,

David

Nicholas Bartleet · September 30th, 2005, 11:34 AM

Thankyou very much for you complements.

This seems to be a regular question that i get asked via email quite often. It is almost like asking.

"how much is the nice taste that you got with that chocolate cake due to the baking powder".

Please don't take offence, I can understand why you have asked it, but it is just a difficult one to quantify.

By this i mean, there are many ingredients that go towards any production, and they all hold a value. I wouldn't say that the adapter was any more important than lighting or set design or colour correction or composition etc etc

I believe the adapter is an important tool, however I am pleased with the productions that i have done in the past without an adapter. The adapter is a great piece of kit, however as a director i am still far more concearned with lighting and composition. Could I have made the video look good without the adapter...yes. Could I have made the video good without a good understanding of cinematography....definatly not.

I would encourage anyone to either build or buy a 35mm adapter if they are interested in high production values, however as i'm sure you allready know it is no replacement for a well rounded understanding of production and post production techniques.

I hope this answers your question

+ I would definatly reccomend the FX1 to anyone... I thought I would hate it, but i really think its great.

Regards, Nick

Ron Evans · September 30th, 2005, 02:27 PM

Really nice. What did you use to edit?

Ron Evans

Nicholas Bartleet · September 30th, 2005, 03:44 PM

Thanks, I used Premiere Pro.

Jeff Nelson · September 30th, 2005, 10:15 PM

Very interesting 35mm adapter you put together. Is this from the redrock book that you figured that out? Is the image upside down in the eyepiece and you have to flip it in post?

What lenses do you use? 35 still or cinema glass?

How'd you make that dolly?

All very cool! Now, you just need something to do some curved shots around your subject, like the one they have here http://www.ready2roll.de/Skatertest/...d%20Moves.html

Nicholas Bartleet · October 1st, 2005, 04:51 AM

Hi there, the adapter is my own design, I would imagine it is a bit more robust than the redrock device, however it is also a bit more evpensive to build, so you would expect it to be. The image is flipped during the logging and capturing process. I use an LCD display, with a flip function for shooting.

I use all nikon f1.4 / f2 glass. I have a 24mm 35mm 50mm and 80mm

For the dolly, i used skateboard wheels and some long lengths of heavy duty aluminium angle. It is very heavy duty, and incredibly smooth. It has 16 wheels alltogether. The track is heavy duty aluminium and connects with custom machines nylon plugs. I will try to post some pics of the dolly if anyone is interested in knowing more about the design.

I have a seven valley jib arm, but the camera rig is a bit heavy to get smooth shots now, so I may have to sell it and buy something more substantial. I will need to get some curved track for the dolly, your right, but i don't think the P&S device would be much use for me, because it runs on the ground and the floors where i shoot are rarely smooth. It also seems a bit low, but a great idea for quick positioning of a low camera.

Hope this helps, thanks again!
Nick

David Stoneburner · October 1st, 2005, 10:58 AM

Thanks, I understand what you're talking about.

Steve Connor · October 1st, 2005, 12:32 PM

Very nice work!

Nicholas Bartleet · October 3rd, 2005, 08:49 AM

Thanks Steve

Anhar Miah · October 3rd, 2005, 09:07 AM

Oh gosh, I hate to do a "Simon Cowell" BUT the image did not look right to me at all, I've seen other FX1+35mm adaptor clips and they did "blow me away" in terms of the cleaness,super detail and total lack of vignetting.

Granted if that was the image you where aiming for due to artistic reasons thats fine (and in the long run, so long as your happy with it, thats the most important thing)

So I hate to be the one giving you negative comments, I hope you don't take offence (thats not my intention), I just wanted to express my view they way I saw it.

Anhar

Nicholas Bartleet · October 3rd, 2005, 09:15 AM

Anhar, the vignetting was intentional, as I have said in my original post. I did turn the sharpness on the camera down, because i am not keen on in camera sharpness filters which tend to make the image look cleaner but at the expense of having everthing shrouded by fine black lines to do so.

I appreciate your opinion, however this production was for SD broadcast, so this was really not a concearn.

Anhar, could you please provide me with some links to the work which you are making the comparrison so that i may take a look myself, as this would be very useful for me and the other members, i'm sure.

Thanks for your post, and of course i'm not offended by what you say, criticism just pushes us to do better hey!

Anhar Miah · October 3rd, 2005, 09:54 AM

Sure, take a look at "Slippery When Wet" done by McGregor at DVXuser. I think that was shot with a beta version of G35. I'm ot going to post the link as that may be breaking the rules.

Cool, glad to hear that your not offended, now if only more people could be like yourself :) . Thats the best thing about Dvinfo, we all learn from each other !

Anhar

September 30th, 2005, 03:30 AM	#1
Nicholas Bartleet Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: upton uk Posts: 104	New Music Video shot on Sony HDR-FX1E and 35mm adapter Hi everyone, I have just completed a low budget music video, which I shot on my HDR-FX1e, please take a look, your feedback is welcome. As many of you who have seen my short film 'The Riddle' would know, the vignetting on the video was a desired effect and isn't a trait of the adapter. I was incredibly impressed with how much better the HDV format is for color grading and correction, and how much more the images could take compared to DV, before they began to break up. This is a fantastic format to work with, and a real pleasure to grade. I also didn't have the problem, many have mentioned with fast moving objects causing the image to fall apart, all of my frames looked very good with no compression artifacts, and only one dropout on the entire shoot. I did have fairly low expectations from the camera, however I was incredibly impressed with the results, which are infinitely clearer and sharper than DV when down converted to SD. I definatly won't shoot DV again. Anyway, here is the link to the video, I just wish everyone could see the quality of the original. http://www.pixelloft.com/3lflex.htm Nick

September 30th, 2005, 10:15 PM	#8
Jeff Nelson Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 194	Nice! Very interesting 35mm adapter you put together. Is this from the redrock book that you figured that out? Is the image upside down in the eyepiece and you have to flip it in post? What lenses do you use? 35 still or cinema glass? How'd you make that dolly? All very cool! Now, you just need something to do some curved shots around your subject, like the one they have here http://www.ready2roll.de/Skatertest/...d%20Moves.html Last edited by Jeff Nelson; September 30th, 2005 at 11:18 PM.

October 3rd, 2005, 09:07 AM	#13
Anhar Miah Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: United Kindom, England Posts: 290	Hmm Oh gosh, I hate to do a "Simon Cowell" BUT the image did not look right to me at all, I've seen other FX1+35mm adaptor clips and they did "blow me away" in terms of the cleaness,super detail and total lack of vignetting. Granted if that was the image you where aiming for due to artistic reasons thats fine (and in the long run, so long as your happy with it, thats the most important thing) So I hate to be the one giving you negative comments, I hope you don't take offence (thats not my intention), I just wanted to express my view they way I saw it. Anhar

September 30th, 2005, 10:15 AM	#2
Steven White Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 547	Oooo! Nice. First-off - you've got a real snazzy web-space there. Beautifully photographed stuff, well arranged and composited. As for the video... I'm guessing those headlight flares were composited (they're too sharp!). In general the output from the configuration looks a little dreamy and soft - the vignetting continues that - I'm sure most of that has to do with the lens adaptor system and the glass... but MAN... your editing, the colours, the motion, the photography - it's all really well done... and the detail is there especially on what's focused... which is, of course, the whole point. This is the kind of thing you have to look at when you think about "DV vs. HDV" - just look at all the extra detail on the high rez version. Lovely. As for the music itself - not bad... I'm a bit of a jazz buff, so I'd be as happy, if not happier watching some ancient man delicately tickling the ivory... but semi-clad women work too. -Steve

September 30th, 2005, 10:31 AM	#3
Nicholas Bartleet Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: upton uk Posts: 104	Thanks Steve, I'm glad you liked the video, I know what you mean about the lens flares, but on an SD sony finishing monitor, this isn't noticable. Your absolutely right about the detail, the HDV camera really holds all of the exta detail so well, and i was really impressed with the noise, which was almost non-existant compared with DV. Whenever in the past I have pushed the saturation on a particular color with DV, that color then becomes noisy and messy, with the HDV codec, this is not the case, the footage took a lot color correction and grading before any noise was noticable. This was the first time i totally enjoyed the post process, and wasn't disheartened with the fruits of my labour. I am of course looking foward to an SDI DTE solution for that lovely new Canon xl h1, or even getting my hands on a 100mbps DVCPRO HD Panny, but as cheap consumer camera go, I was amazed at what this baby could do + I bought this camera for the same price I sold my xl1s for so I'm very pleased with the upgrade.

September 30th, 2005, 11:17 AM	#4
David Stoneburner Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 493	Very nice job. How much is the look that you got due to the 35mm adapter? I've been thinking of the FX1, but I do more event video type projects. Cheers, David

September 30th, 2005, 11:34 AM	#5
Nicholas Bartleet Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: upton uk Posts: 104	Thankyou very much for you complements. This seems to be a regular question that i get asked via email quite often. It is almost like asking. "how much is the nice taste that you got with that chocolate cake due to the baking powder". Please don't take offence, I can understand why you have asked it, but it is just a difficult one to quantify. By this i mean, there are many ingredients that go towards any production, and they all hold a value. I wouldn't say that the adapter was any more important than lighting or set design or colour correction or composition etc etc I believe the adapter is an important tool, however I am pleased with the productions that i have done in the past without an adapter. The adapter is a great piece of kit, however as a director i am still far more concearned with lighting and composition. Could I have made the video look good without the adapter...yes. Could I have made the video good without a good understanding of cinematography....definatly not. I would encourage anyone to either build or buy a 35mm adapter if they are interested in high production values, however as i'm sure you allready know it is no replacement for a well rounded understanding of production and post production techniques. I hope this answers your question + I would definatly reccomend the FX1 to anyone... I thought I would hate it, but i really think its great. Regards, Nick

September 30th, 2005, 02:27 PM	#6
Ron Evans Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,220	Really nice. What did you use to edit? Ron Evans

September 30th, 2005, 03:44 PM	#7
Nicholas Bartleet Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: upton uk Posts: 104	Thanks, I used Premiere Pro.

October 1st, 2005, 04:51 AM	#9
Nicholas Bartleet Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: upton uk Posts: 104	Hi there, the adapter is my own design, I would imagine it is a bit more robust than the redrock device, however it is also a bit more evpensive to build, so you would expect it to be. The image is flipped during the logging and capturing process. I use an LCD display, with a flip function for shooting. I use all nikon f1.4 / f2 glass. I have a 24mm 35mm 50mm and 80mm For the dolly, i used skateboard wheels and some long lengths of heavy duty aluminium angle. It is very heavy duty, and incredibly smooth. It has 16 wheels alltogether. The track is heavy duty aluminium and connects with custom machines nylon plugs. I will try to post some pics of the dolly if anyone is interested in knowing more about the design. I have a seven valley jib arm, but the camera rig is a bit heavy to get smooth shots now, so I may have to sell it and buy something more substantial. I will need to get some curved track for the dolly, your right, but i don't think the P&S device would be much use for me, because it runs on the ground and the floors where i shoot are rarely smooth. It also seems a bit low, but a great idea for quick positioning of a low camera. Hope this helps, thanks again! Nick

October 1st, 2005, 10:58 AM	#10
David Stoneburner Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 493	Thanks, I understand what you're talking about.

October 1st, 2005, 12:32 PM	#11
Steve Connor Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: UK Posts: 383	Very nice work!

October 3rd, 2005, 08:49 AM	#12
Nicholas Bartleet Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: upton uk Posts: 104	Thanks Steve

October 3rd, 2005, 09:15 AM	#14
Nicholas Bartleet Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: upton uk Posts: 104	Anhar, the vignetting was intentional, as I have said in my original post. I did turn the sharpness on the camera down, because i am not keen on in camera sharpness filters which tend to make the image look cleaner but at the expense of having everthing shrouded by fine black lines to do so. I appreciate your opinion, however this production was for SD broadcast, so this was really not a concearn. Anhar, could you please provide me with some links to the work which you are making the comparrison so that i may take a look myself, as this would be very useful for me and the other members, i'm sure. Thanks for your post, and of course i'm not offended by what you say, criticism just pushes us to do better hey!

October 3rd, 2005, 09:54 AM	#15
Anhar Miah Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: United Kindom, England Posts: 290	Sure, take a look at "Slippery When Wet" done by McGregor at DVXuser. I think that was shot with a beta version of G35. I'm ot going to post the link as that may be breaking the rules. Cool, glad to hear that your not offended, now if only more people could be like yourself :) . Thats the best thing about Dvinfo, we all learn from each other ! Anhar