Shooting with the Canon 5d Mark II + Gear Wish List + 2010

So I thought it appropriate to take a moment out, and detail some of the gear I currently own, what I’d really like to snag (because I OBVIOUSLY don’t have enough… ), and what 2010 has been so far, and what it might have in store for me!  Onward!

The Gear:

First off, I’m now shooting on the Canon 5d Mark II, and wow is this camera a beast! (not in the heavy sense, but more in performance)

I’m continuously blown away by the image quality, and versatility, especially in low-light situations.

For those who aren’t aware, low-light was a definite necessity for me, as I tend to cover live events (music/spirits related) in natural lighting, as well as capturing bartenders in action.  Both of which tend to not allow flash / other auxiliary lighting.  For that, this camera is perfect, it seriously DIGS light out of the shadows.  Not to mention, in an absolute worst case scenario, the performance at >ISO 1600 is fantastic.  Obviously there is some grain & degradation, but not near that of my other setup, and in many cases, salvageable in post.  Take that performance, and couple it with some fast lenses (albeit not the fanciest): 50mm f/1.8 II (nifty fifty), 100mm f/2.8 Macro, and 16-35mm f/2.8L II; and the camera almost seems to create light where there is little to none.  To say the least, this camera has completely changed my life.

So looking beyond just the still, the video this camera creates is PHENOMENAL.  It shoots in Full HD – 1920 x 1080, and coupled with the aforementioned lenses produces some amazing film-esque DOF and image quality.  I originally purchased the camera more with the intention that Canon had initially designed it for, as a tool for journalists to be able to capture some “decent” video when out in the field.  However the results are so amazing, it’s now taken me on a completely new journey… or I suppose down the rabbit hole, so to speak.  I’ve suddenly found myself studying traditional cinematography techniques, along with trying to understand the science behind light/lighting (books I’m currently reading on these topics: Cinematography: Theory and Practice & Light: Science and Magic).  Thus far I’m still adjusting to “seeing” the light, and have only been shooting some video as I am out capturing other events… However I’ve got some ideas cooking, which I’ll get into later.

Seems this might be a great time to mention “The Story Beyond the Still“, a contest sponsored by Canon and Vimeo, and being judged by some of my new-found favorite 5d/HD-DSLR DPs: Shane Hurlbut, Philip Bloom and Vincent Laforet.  These guys are producing some seriously heavy-hitting material using the 5d Mark II, 7d, and now 1dMarkIV.  Along with the folks at Zacuto, Hurlbut Visuals and the forums at Cinema 5d, there are some great tests of the gear along with some intense accessories to making these cameras much more “cinema” functional.

G.A.S. = Gear Acquisition Syndrome (a.k.a. what I want. )

Of course… with new passion comes new G.A.S. = Gear Acquisition Syndrome.  Thus far I’ve spent a majority of my time & hard-earned moneys for gear more on the photo side of things: a base set of lenses (see above), A Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod & 804RC2 3-Way Basic Pan Tilt Head (for Photography), Canon Speedlite 580 EX II, a Stroboframe QuickFlip Flash Bracket, backup batteries, CF Cards, Battery Grip, IR Remote Control, UV Filters, Lighting Gels, Flash Sync Cord, and of course updating my hard drive capacity significantly (now~5TB).  Fortunately this gear has definitely proved its value for photography, and some has some great crossover value for video: Tripod obviously, although the Head isn’t ideal (non-fluid head), CF Cards & Batteries (duh), UV Filters, Hard Drive space, and the Stroboframe helped act as a makeshift handheld stabilizer for a run & gun live event shoot: Mark Lowrey vs Hip-Hop Live at Czar Bar in Kansas City, MO.  That being said… there’s a whole new list of gear that’s on my “wish list”…  but for now, here’s the “short” version:

• Zoom H4N Handy Recorder: One of the major problems shooting w/the 5d is the lack of on-board audio controls & quality range of audio.  Especially Automatic Gain Control… You can especially hear how the on-board mic tends to clip out in this quick/dirty video from a recent Russian Circles show at the Riot Room in KC (pardon the creative focusing, I was still totally geeked out about the video, this was one of the first I shot w/the cam).  I digress… The Zoom will allow for higher quality capture & more control over the audio.  Not to mention will allow me to utilize some of the Audio gear I’ve acquired from a previous chapter of my life.
• Zacuto Z-Finder (or other equivalent viewfinder): The Zacuto is my first preference, but unfortunately might be limited by limited funds…  The Z-Finder is considered by many to be a “must have” accessory for shooting w/the 5d/7d/1d.  Not only does it function as a necessary enhancement for achieving exact focus, but also acts as a stabilizer / “point-of-contact” with the camera.
• Zacuto DSLR Rapid Fire or DSLR Tactical Shooter (Both are “Gunstock Shooter Kits“): Speaking of stabilization… It’s definitely a necessity.  Fortunately these kits are so compact in form, not only will they enable you to shoot quick & dirty / run & gun (as I prefer), but also enable you to retain the mobility and small footprint of the DSLR format.
• Zacuto Follow Focus (or other equivalent): Man… talk about Zacuto Love going on here… I swear I’m not getting anything from them, but if they wanted to throw me a bone…   There are other options, but from what I’ve seen / heard around the web, the Zacuto stuff is some of the best gear for HD-DSLR shooters…  Not to mention they obviously “get” the value these cameras have created in the market.
• Kessler Crane’s Cineslider: This is my ideal solution… a beautiful dolly / slider system, and road tested by sir Philip Bloom.  It’s a little pricey, but has some fantastic features (my budget option would be to go with one of the Glidetrack systems…).  The crank / brake system would be a huge advantage as well…
• Of course my ideal solution would be to pick up one of the Hurlbut Visuals MovieMaker Kits…  as they would be all-inclusive, have a TON of other stuff I also want (on the full “list”), and I know have been EXTENSIVELY field tested.  However I’m guessing they would also probably be outside of my “budget”.  I will say though… Shane is definitely paving the way for HD-DSLR work in the area of feature production, and not to mention is one helluva guy & DP.  For those of you not familiar, his blog & newsletter are both must follow / subscribe options if you’re interested in this realm.

The Plan… (Really? There’s a plan?!?! AMAZING!)

So… obviously I’ve started compiling a bit of a “grocery list”… and you might be asking, “Well Gee…  How are you going to have time to play with all this stuff, and what are you going to do with it?”.  Well, I’m glad you asked.  Unfortunately I was informed a little over a week ago that my day job “contract” would be significantly cut back.  The reasons behind which were very much legitimate, and completely understandable.  However, I’m opting to look at this as a HUGE opportunity for what can come for me in 2010.  That said… I was very fortunate to form my LLC, get a bank account set up, and purchase the majority of my gear over the last quarter of 2009, while still having a nice steady flow of income.  It has at least got me to a point of “sustainability” with my work.  Of course the house mortgage, and other monthly expenses don’t go away…  They just force me to be more creative.

Some of my goals / intentions / hopes / ideas for 2010 are as follows:

• Start creating meaningful content on a regular basis: photo / video / audio / web / +  Hence the tagline for the LLC.
• Some topic areas I’d like to cover / learn more about: Homeless/ Jobless in America ; Academia & how it must change to survive (follow-up to Academia 2.0) ; and Timeshift Photography / Videography (timelapses / high-speed work) – this is an area of visual theater that has always greatly intrigued me, and would love to play with further.
• Shoot my first narrative piece, i.e. fully planned / story based w/the 5d Mark II.
• Work under some local photographers / cinematographers to start getting my feet wet in the professional realm, as well as learn the ropes.
• Take on freelance work to help supplement my expenses…
• Enter multiple contests for photo & video work i.e. “The Story Beyond the Still” & Canon’s Can-Do Film Fest/Competition
• Generate some “stock” photos & videos to hopefully test my skills, as well as generate some passive income.
• Build a sustainable / consistent following on “sip2drink.com“.  This site was created by me in mid-2009 with the intention of documenting and aggregating information from the current “cocktail” renaissance taking place across the U.S.  I was at one point working in the midst of it at a local “speakeasy” styled cocktail lounge, “Manifesto” here in KC.  I now want to take what I’ve learned, and continue working with the Kansas City community / Kansas City Bartenders’ Alliance to create some regularity of content – generated here in K.C.  I’ve got several ideas for webisodic video work, as well as plan to mobilize the locals as community bloggers.
• Go to more concerts, eat healthier, play music more, laugh more, love more, & most important, be awesome daily.

Lofty goals for 2010… but I’m extremely hopeful…   Again, I look at the changes that have come about in 2010 as being a big push to get my own endeavors up and running, and hopefully will be able to see them through to fruition.

Cheers, and here’s to 2010!

- Brandon

PS: Here’s my first test of “timelapse” work.  Shot over 20 minutes, and condensed to 5 secs.  Would’ve gone longer, but it was just too cold and I was not dressed for the occasion…

Canon 5d Mark II – Timelapse Test (5sec) from Brandon Cummins on Vimeo.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 3:58 pm and is filed under Blog, Concert Photography, FeatRoll and tagged with 2010, ambitions, audio, canon 5d mark ii, cinematography, goals, hurlbut visuals, learning, philip bloom, photography, plans, shane hurlbut, sip2drink, timelapse, vincent laforet, zacuto. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.