Magic Lantern for T2i Will Save You $60

When I got my Canon T2i/550D, I was really happy with it. Being my first DSLR, I really didn’t know there was anything I was missing. After several projects and a lot of time on the internet, I realized there were a few things that I wasn’t getting with the T2i. First, I wasn’t able to manually dial in the white balance (kinda a big deal). Second, I wasn’t able to select the camera sensor’s native ISO (which has it’s pros & cons).

About a year ago, I read about the Magic Lantern firmware for Canon’s DSLRs. Originally, it was to add functionality to the 5D that Canon left out, like controlling audio levels. Recently, they’ve ported Magic Lantern to the T2i/550D.

I decided to install it and now I can’t imagine not having Magic Lantern. It let’s me dial in my white balance & select whatever ISO I want; it gives me a histogram, false color, peaking, and gain controls in video mode. I LOVE IT! You need to download it and give it a try.

Another feature that I didn’t expect to see was an intervalometer (they let you setup the camera to take photos every X seconds). It’s perfect for doing creating timelapse videos. Anyway, I thought I would have to pay $60 for a remote control for the Canon T2i/550D to do this.

I tested the intervalometer yesterday and this is the product that I came up with.

Glidetrack Shooter HD: First Impressions

Yesterday, I received my Glidetrack Shooter HD. The Glidetrack is a simple, portable dolly that you use for camera movements when shooting video. There are quite a few options out there for these slide-type dollies, but I choose Glidetrack because of it’s price point, it’s size (perfect for DSLRs), and from what I had read, their customer service.

First: I ordered this on a Tuesday at 4:00 PM (PST) and the package arrived less than 48 hours later. From the UK. That’s stinking awesome!

Second: I now understand why a lot of people online were saying that you only really need about two feet of length. I ordered the 0.5 meter version and it’s more than long enough for nice, slow moves. Also, if you mount your Glidetrack to a tripod, the shorter version maintains it’s stability better as you go end to end.

Third: It’s going to take a bit of practice to learn how to best use this tool. Below is some test footage I shot last night with my Canon T2i/550D. You’ll have to forgive me for shooting at a higher ISO, but my house just isn’t lit well.

UPDATE: After using the Glidetrack for a bit, I’d recommend getting the plain Glidetrack HD instead of the shooter. I’ve never actually used it in the shooter configuration.

Working With Green Screen – Part 3

So, I never intended to write a third part on the lessons I learned working with green screen. But last week I was tasked with shooting some interviews and trying to create a couple products to be used on Sunday.

I had 5 days to pull it all together, which included one whole day of planning, writing, and setting up for the interviews. That left me 4 days to shoot and produce something that would look good (and hopefully have meaningful content). Since I had a couple week window the last time (a.k.a. my first time) working with green screen, I had to crank this out quick.

A quick diagram of my setup I worked with.

I shot this with my Canon T2i/550D using the Magic Lantern firmware hack. Magic Lantern is awesome. You’ve got to check it out if you’ve got a Canon DSLR (except the 7D). Since I lit both the screen and the subject better this time, I was able having a way easier time getting a decent key. This made it possible to key the project in Final Cut Pro—largely because I didn’t have as many lighting/shooting mistakes to fix—allowing me to save a ton of time. And since I learned last time that the order of my filters/effects make a difference, I used that to my advantage.

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Things I Learned: Green Screen – Part 1

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to shoot with a green screen. It was a first for me. Since sharing things that I learn is part of this blog, I thought it would be nice to share a few things I learned. I’ll be splitting up my thoughts into two parts: The Shoot & Post.

The Shoot

At work, I found an small conference room and started taping up the green screen with gaffers tape. I know it’s not the best way of doing things, but I had to get the job done.

LESSON #1: One thing that is important to shooting green screen is to make sure that the green screen is evenly lit. If it’s not evenly lit, you’re going to have a hard time pulling the key in post. I know. The first test shoot I didn’t have it lit well. It didn’t help that I was using a small light kit that didn’t have two good floods to evenly fill the green screen.

Here are two videos that give some tips on lighting the screen (neither of the videos are that good, but the tips might be helpful).

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Rebel T2i: Getting Steady Footage

When I decided to get a Canon T2i/550D for shooting video instead of a proper video camera, I knew there would be some significant challenges that I’d need to work around. One of those challenges is capturing audio (which I talked about here and here). Another big challenge is getting steady footage.

In the past, I’d been used to heavier cameras with stabilization built-in. When not using a tripod, I was able to get pretty darn steady footage. But now I’ve got to work at making sure my footage doesn’t look like I was shooting my kids soccer game with a FlipHD. Can you say EARTHQUAKE!?!

Okay, maybe it’s not quite that bad. But my point is this: you need to be intentional to get steady, professional looking footage.

Tools to Help

Lenses with Stabilization

When you are not shooting using a tripod or when you don’t really need your aperture super wide, a lens with built-in stabilization will help you out quite a bit. If you bought your T2i (or similar camera) with the kit lens, chances are you have a lens with Image Stabilization (Nikon & other third-party lens makers have other names for it). The kit lens is okay, but you’ll probably want a lens with a constant aperture so you can effectively zoom without cutting your light intake. Here are a couple recommendations.

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Why Shoot RAW: A Practical Example

This is my first post since becoming a dad! Yay! I have the most beautiful daughter, Sophia, who you will see showing up quite frequently. And today she will make her debut.

A couple days ago, my wife was sitting outside with our daughter—who was probably 5 days old at the time—and she folded her little hands and started smiling. It was the cutest thing ever. So, Rachelle quickly ran inside and grabbed the camera and snapped a shot just before Sophia’s little expression had changed. Her face was priceless.

Unfortunately, the photo was incredibly overexposed. The camera had been left on manual mode and set for our inside lighting. Luckily, we shoot RAW format instead of JPEG. This made it possible to save the photo and edit it into something decent.

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Rebel T2i: Audio Option Comparison

A couple months ago, I posted a quick audio test for shooting video on a Canon Rebel T2i/550D. Today, I decided to shoot another quick T2i audio comparison that includes using the onboard mic, a Røde NTG-2 shotgun microphone, and a Zoom H4n digital recorder.

I know it’s not super pretty, but I think you can assess the difference between the options. If’s it’s helpful to you, let me know and I’ll try to post more videos of this sort.

P.S. If you want a little more info, leave a comment or check out my audio setup post.