So are you dreaming of shooting sports at 30 frames per second at 1/4000th shutter speeds? Well now you can with the Canon 5D Mark II and the updated firmware 1.1.0 which allows for manual exposure control in video mode. The tough part will be finding the balance between using a high enough shutter speed to freeze the action and trying to keep your video smooth which is accomplished at the slower shutter speeds. But what if you don’t care about the video and only want to frame grab? Might be good cases for that. Like maybe the backswing of a golfer? Tennis? Baseball (at the plate)?

What else might this be good for? You can’t count on the auto focus tracking a subject while shooting in video mode, so I wouldn’t expect football, soccer or basketball to work well.

Ah, but it’s cheating, you say? I say no. It’s using a tool. If a Mark III could shoot 30 frames per second, I’m betting no one would complain.

I shot a little test video of my pigeons being released in my backyard using two 5D Mark II’s shot at slow and fast shutter speeds. Hopefully you can see the difference in the video quality: The higher shutter speed producing jumpy, flickery video and the slower shutter speed providing a smoother look.

You can download the frame grabs to see the difference up close. They were captured in Final Cut Pro.

Frame grab from video shot at 1/2000th of a second. The resulting file size is 1920px by 1080px, about 6Mb.

Frame grab from video shot at 1/30th of a second. The resulting file size is 1920px by 1080px, about 6Mb.

Here is a test frame from Rob Carr of the AP. He says he plans to test it out more during a tournament in the coming weeks. That's a very publishable image there (remember what we used to get with the Nikon D1?).

In it you will find tips and do’s and don’ts based on my experience with the Canon 5D Mark II. It is current with the most recent firmware upgrade, 1.1.0.

Click the image to download the pdf

Included is:

Pros/Cons of the camera

Exposure control

Working with Audio

Focusing

Accessories

Shooting workflow

Final Cut Pro workflow and export settings

Click the image to download the pdf

I gave a presentation on photo blogging at the NPPA Convergence 09 in Las Vegas in June. I am posting a pdf of that keynote here, along with a list of links and resources that I mentioned in the talk.

An outline of the presentation includes:

A discussion of what a photo blog is or can be.

Questions to ask yourself if you are thinking about a photo blog

CMS – Content Management Systems

Wordpress.com vs. Wordpress.org: Whats the diff?

Installing Wordpress

Finding good themes for photo blogs or photo portfolio sites, both free and premium

How you won’t make money, and how you can make money

Wordpress plugins, themes, SEO

Download the PDF

I refer to the following in the presentation:

Blogs/Sites:

project dateline
Jonathan Palmer
bellcoveclub
Scott Strazzante
heraldleaderphoto
mophojo
ishootiphone
Strobist
Noah Devereaux
Daniel Houghton
Denverpost.com: Captured
Boston.com: Big Picture
msnbc Photo Blog
Steve McCurry
Zach Brake

Other resources and themes:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/29/ultimate-guide-to-using-wordpress-for-a-portfolio/
http://www.wordpress.com
http://www.wordpress.org
http://www.blogger.com
Multimediashooter.com video tutorial on installing Wordpress

Free themes
http://webrevolutionary.com/sharpfolio/
http://redworks.sk/wp-themes/linquist/
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/monotone
http://demo.wordspop.com/fotofolio/
http://labs.paulicio.us/viewport/

Premium themes
http://frozr.com/photopro/
http://graphpaperpress.com/
http://www.studiopress.com

I tested out the new controls and have found them to be easy to use and very functional. One interesting surprise is the increase in available shutter speeds. Previously, the camera limited shutter speeds from 1/30th to 1/125th. Now, shutter speeds up to 1/4000th can be used in manual exposure mode. It’s unclear where the shutter speeds will top out when in one of the automatic modes since you can’t see your exposure settings in those modes.

Shutter speed appears on the left, then aperture.

To use the manual exposure while recording video, you must have the camera set in Manual (hello Mr. Obvious). I use the top control dial to change the shutter speed and the rear control wheel to change my aperture. You can see your exposure changes on the LCD screen and you can see your shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings as well.

If you have your ISO set to AUTO, though, then the camera reverts back to a kind of automatic exposure setting even if you are in Manual exposure mode. What happens is this: if you are setting your aperture and shutter speed and you have ISO set to auto, then the camera automatically adjusts the ISO up and down to give you a correct exposure. This will not allow you to over- or under-expose your image until you max out the range of the ISO. And you won’t be able to use exposure compensation, either. So I would advise NOT using the ISO AUTO setting while in manual exposure mode – kind of defeats the purpose.

Here are some other tips I have found to be true with this firmware update:

• If you use the shutter or aperture priority modes, the camera will go into a modified auto exposure mode – you won’t really be giving priority to the shutter speed or aperture. It appears that it reverts to the old way of auto-exposing but it’s hard to verify that.
• If you set the ISO to “AUTO” and are in manual exposure mode, you can see the ISO numbers on the LCD by pressing the AE lock button (asterisk) or tapping the shutter button. By default, it appears that the display will show ISO AUTO until you press one of those buttons.
• When using manual exposure mode, AE lock and exposure compensation cannot be set (’cause, well, your manual settings are doing that for you).
• If you set the ISO to “AUTO” when shooting movies in manual exposure mode it is possible to set the aperture and shutter speed and the ISO will adjust for the exposure. So this amounts to having combo Aperture/Shutter Priority mode.
• When ISO is set to “AUTO” the range will be 100-6400 even if the ISO expansion is set.
• When manually setting the ISO and enabling ISO expansion range will include H1 (ISO 12800).
• Shutter speed range will be 1/30 – 1/4000 sec.  The faster the shutter speed the less smooth the subjects movement will appear to be.
• If “screen setting” is set to “stills display” or “exposure simulation” manual exposure for the movie mode will not be possible.

“I’m going to be photo editor at a small college newspaper in the fall and would like to develop a better multimedia presence on the Web. I’m looking at upgrading bodies this summer and the 5d Mark II is the front-runner at this point. Since I already have some experience as a videographer, the HD video feature intrigued me.” – Ethan

Q: Obviously there are the concerns about the lack of manual control, but have you found that to be a major hindrance?

A: I have found it to be a minor hindrance. I think that the attitude you bring to the table will determine how positively or negatively you react to the camera. If you are willing to adapt, learn, compensate and accept the camera for what it is, you’ll be fine. I have found that the disadvantages of the camera are outweighed by the advantages for my circumstances. While the camera will help you shoot video much like you shoot still photos, you absolutely have to work differently. You have to anticipate and plan more than ever and you have to get used to sometimes tricking the camera to get it to do what you want.

Q: What is your main audio set up? I saw that you use a Sennheiser MKE 400. Would you recommend that?

A: I really have come to appreciate the Sennheiser MKE 400 as a catch-all mic. If that’s all you can afford, I’d start with that. Some folks have reported some hissing, but I have not experienced that. I have heard white noise when the room is very quiet and the auto gain control in the camera has pumped up and is listening for something. I blame the AGC for that, not the mic. An alternative is the Rode video mic.

Next I would add some kind of wireless mic to your kit. While I use the Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 series, you might want to look into the Sony UWP v-series as it has an option for headphone monitoring. The Canon 5D Mark II does not allow for monitoring of the audio – one of the major complaints about the video side of the camera. Beachtek has just recently added to their line a box specifically for the Mark II. It compensates for all of the issues that the camera has regarding audio. It allows for xlr inputs, sound level control, and it disables the auto gain control built into the camera.

All of this costs money and adding all of these could easily cost more than $1000. But starting with the $200 MKE 400 is a good beginning. It will work well in most situations unless your audio source is far away. You will have to perform interviews relatively closely. All of the audio in the Road to Recovery video was recorded completely with the MKE 400. The audio in the Lessons in Life and Basketball video was all recorded on wireless.

Q: How does your post process work? I’m also looking at upgrading from my PC laptop to some sort of Mac editing system. What do you use? What seems to be the minimum setup for editing the 5d’s .MOV files?

A: I have a two-year old MacBook Pro 1.33 Ghz Intel Core Duo. Most of my video from the 5D Mark II has been edited on this machine. If you are buying new, just make sure you are buying the most current machine you can. I’m really not sure if a MacBook could handle it. Perhaps you could take a CF card to an Apple Store and try it out. I’d recommend buying a new MacBook Pro. I’ve listed my system and software versions here. Absolutely make sure your software is up to date (FCP, OS 10.5.x).

I don’t want to undervalue the process of transcoding your video before you begin editing it. While that’s not something I do regularly, it comes highly recommended if you have time.

Q: I shoot a lot of sports videos. I watched your piece on Coach Sallee and liked some of the game shots. Have you tested video much while shooting sports?

A: I would not recommend this camera for shooting sports action. You essentially have NO auto focus, and follow focus is not practical given the way the lenses focus. The LCD monitor is a bit awkward, too. I have shot a bit of horses and basketball, but I always had to pre-focus and/or shoot wide. It’s certainly possible to shoot some feature pieces on an athlete, but don’t count on it for game coverage.

Q: Any lens recommendations? Especially for wide angle and general use purposes. My current line up includes a 70-200 f4, 300 f4 and a 50 1.8, plus an EF-S wide angle for a Rebel that wouldn’t fit on the 5d. Did you get the 24-105 to go with it?

A: Those lenses will work great on that camera (minus the Rebel lens). I highly recommend the 24-105 f/4 IS. I use it all the time now and so far do not miss the f/2.8 of my 16-35 f/2.8. The IS on the 24-105 is a huge help when hand-holding the camera. The unbelievable quality at the high ISO range helps out the lack of the wide f/2.8 aperture. What you may miss with the f/4 lenses is the shallow depth of field which is one of the key factors in creating the cinematic look of the 5D Mark II.

Q: My tripod is on its last legs, so to speak, so would you recommend your Gitzo setup?

A: So far I love my Gitzo tripod. With one exception: It’s price. I bought a Gitzo GT2540LLVL carbon fiber leveling tripod and put a Gitzo 2180 fluid head on it. That’s a $1000 investment. I last bought a tripod 25 years ago. If this one lasts that long, then it will end up being a good buy. I highly recommend buying a tripod with some kind of leveling head. It’s great for quick setup.

A couple of other accessories I have added:

• A Glidecam 2000 HD steady cam.
• A camera and lens plate system from Really Right Stuff that allows me to quickly switch between the tripod and the steady cam.
• A set of Neutral density filters to help cut down the light (and open up the aperature) in bright light.

On another tip from Justin, I took another leap of faith and actually spent money again on an iPhone app. Now after the less-than-satisfying experience with NightCamera, I was a bit hesitant to try QuadCamera from the same company. But I only hesitated for about 2 seconds, ’cause the description and sample photos were so intriguing.

QuadCamera

I think it was long about THE FIRST IMAGE that I took with QuadCamera that I decided it was well work the $1.99. The app uses the iPhone camera and takes 4-8 photos in sequence and makes a grid-like single image out of all the images. It’s part of the ToyCamera line of iPhone apps from Takayuki Fukatsu You can customize how many images you take and the interval at which you take them. The app also applies a Holga-ish vignette and desaturation to each image.

The first few images I shot, I used the default interval between images, which is pretty fast. Moving subjects or moving the camera helps in this case.

Then, I tried slowing down the interval and shooting photos that when combined would appear like they were stitched together.

Ah, but wait! There’s more. Head to Fukatsu’s website and you can download the QuadAnimator. After loading an image taken with QuadCamera, it makes it into an animated gif.

This is going to be a fun app. Thanks Justin for the tip.

Happy Valentines Angie!

•

Made with the QuadAnimator. Original QuadShot above.

Our first-ever video tutorial! We dubbed this one a tuTORYal in honor of our beloved voicer.

In this video, you’ll learn how to take your hundreds of still images and make a .mov time lapse out of them using QuickTime and the Image Sequence function.

You can see the result of this particular set of images below:

Night Camera iPhone app

SteadyCam iPhone app

The concept is this: If you use the built-in iPhone camera, you’ll often notice that in low-light situations the camera shake will often blur your photos. These two apps use the camera’s accelerometer (the motion sensors that are normally used to detect the position of the camera) to determine when the camera is at it’s most motionless point – and then it takes the photo.

Before these apps came around, I always used a little-known trick of keeping the camera steady. When you push the camera icon to take the photo, the image is taken ON RELEASE of the button, not when you push it. In other words, push and hold the button until you are ready to take the picture, then let go – that’s when the photo is taken. It’s very effective and I found it comparable to these apps and sometimes a better option than Night Camera.

But while Night Camera is getting rave reviews and is quite popular (and hey, a buck ain’t gonna break the bank), I had much more trouble using it in the short 15 minute test around my house. SteadyCam was simpler and more consistent. While it lacked some bells and whistles of Night Camera, SteadyCam did have a nice motion indicator that gives you an idea of how steady you are. Some of the options on Night Camera were unclear as to what they were actually for, so maybe they are useful, maybe not.

My vote is for the free app, SteadyCam because it’s just as good as Night Camera and certainly no worse. Alas, I’ve lost my $$ to Night Camera – hey Justin, click on some ads for me so I can earn my 99 cents back!

iPhone camera

Night Camera

SteadyCam

iPhone Camera

Night Camera

SteadyCam

iPhone camera

Night Camera

SteadyCam

iPhone camera

Night Camera

Steady Cam

If you have low expectations for a cell phone camera like I do, then you’ll find the iPhone camera to be mostly serviceable, especially since it’s always there when you need it. But there are times when a photo just needs a little something extra.

CameraBag iPhone app

My favorite is the Helga for it’s saturation and vignetting. Least favorite so far is the infrared – I guess I’m a little spoiled with the real thing.

One of the great things about this app is that it is non-destructive. You can take a photo and apply the filter without ruining the original. That means you can experiment and apply different filters to the same image as many times as you want.

Price was $2.99 when I bought it and I consider it money well spent. It’s currently on a holiday sale, however, for 99 cents (don’t know how long that will last, though).

Original image

Helga filter

Original image

Helga filter

Original image

Helga filter

Original image

Instant filter

Original image

Ansel filter

Original image

Helga filter

Original image

Ansel filter

The 2002 VeJetta, also known as the VeJettable, can now be fueled with falafel fry oil.

I was in denial for the longest time, refusing to do the math because I needed, wanted my truck. I finally realized I was spending more than $4,000 a year in gas (20,000 miles/year at 17 mpg = 1176 gallons.) Gas prices were in the high $3 range and heading over $4 when I was doing this math. I realized that I wasn’t able to keep up with those fuel bills and my reimbursement rate from the Herald-Leader wasn’t paying my vehicle expenses anymore.

Under the hood, the only noticeable difference is the addition of a second fuel filter for the veggie oil.

Time to take action. I sold my 2005 Toyota Tacoma on craigslist and snapped up an under-priced high-mileage 2002 Volkswagon Jetta TDI I found online in Cincinnati (and yes, I see the irony here – I did indeed advertise in the Herald-Leader classifieds but didn’t get any calls).

Why the Jetta TDI? It is a diesel engine that gets 35 mpg in the city and well over 40 mpg on the highway. Can’t beat that, despite the higher price of diesel fuel. So now I’ve effectively cut my fuel consumption in half.

But wait – there is another way to beat the price at the pump. Who needs to buy diesel when you can run your car on a common restaurant by-product that you can get for free? It’s known as waste vegetable oil and most diesel engines can use it as a fuel source. Now we’re talking.

All of the sudden, the math turns in my favor. Now, instead of losing money by subsidizing the Herald-Leader with my personal vehicle (grrr), I can make money when I drive. And so far it’s working. My monthly fuel bills have plummeted (I recognize that fuel prices have dropped, but diesel not so much), and my reimbursement dollars from the company more than cover my expenses now.

Here’s the math from a recent trip to Knoxville for the Kentucky/Tennessee game:

300 miles round trip.

150 miles were driven on WVO (I didn’t have enough to take me all the way there and back) and 150 miles on diesel. I figured I spent about $10 on diesel at $2.50/gallon for the whole trip and will receive $112 in reimbursement. Back when my truck was getting 17 mpg on $4 gas, I would have spent $70 in fuel.

But what about the cheap gas we’re enjoying now? Regular unleaded gas can be found for under $1.40 here in Lexington, and I bought some diesel this week for $2.29. So did I move to quickly? My math was based on high fuel prices, right?

Perhaps my conversion was a bit of a gamble, but I have a couple of thoughts on that. For one thing, I can’t imagine that fuel prices will stay so low for very long. Secondly, while burning vegetable oil as a fuel makes economic sense, but it is also a very environmentally friendly thing to do. I know for a fact that I am less dependent on oil, foreign or domestic. I am polluting less. WVO as a fuel is carbon neutral. It reduces emissions and is far less harmful to the environment. So in the end, even if we manage to keep oil prices low, I think the conversion is still a gain.

How it works

My very crude filtering setup. The veggie oil in the cube is about one week into settling.

There is a bit of a process for converting a diesel car or truck to run on vegetable oil. You need a separate tank to hold the oil and new fuel lines to carry the oil to the engine. So there is some expense to buying the equipment and having it installed. I bought my kit for about $1300 from Greasecar.com and had the kit installed by the Good Oil Boys in Louisville for around $1000. Another good resource is Fryer-to-oil.

And to be clear, WVO is not the same as biodiesel. While biodiesel does use vegetable oils, there is still a refining process and chemicals are involved. What I put in the fuel tank in my trunk comes straight out of a deep fryer at a restaurant down the street. All I have to do is pick it up and run it through a filter in my garage.

Collecting restaurant grease isn’t for everyone. But I think there is a little bit of DIY and MacGyver in most photographers out there. For people who don’t want to collect and filter grease, you can often buy filtered WVO for around $2 a gallon.

The veggie oil fuel tank is in my trunk, but it replaces my spare tire and I have to take everything out of my trunk to refuel.

My setup consists of a gravity-fed filter bag inside a 16-gallon metal drum. I cut a hole in the top of the drum so I can pour the grease in. At the bottom of the drum I installed a spigot to drain out the filtered oil. I have a container at the back door of the restaurant where they dump their oil once a week when they clean their fryer (they use 100% soy oil to fry falafels). I put it in some 5-gallon plastic cubes that their new oil comes in. I let it settle for a week or two so as much junk as possible goes to the bottom. Then I pour the good stuff off the top and into the filter bag. The oil that comes out of the 5-micron filter can then go directly in the veggie fuel tank in my car or in clean storage containers for use later.

It can be a little messy and care has to be taken not to get oil all over the inside of the car. I also have to remove everything from my trunk whenever I need to refuel the veggie – that actually has a nice byproduct of keeping my trunk clean and organized.

My friends claim they can smell me coming (they can’t), and my wife continues to think I’m a little out there (maybe I am). But as long as I can claim that falafels give me gas without a scowl on my face, I’ll tolerate the grease jokes.

Click on a photo below to view it larger: