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.

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.

Read More»

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.

Sigma 30mm Awesomeness

A little while ago, I was looking for a good lens for my Canon Rebel T2i (side note: I wish they just called it the 550D in the US. It’s so much less gimmicky.). I wanted something that was fast for low light, but something that was really sharp. A sharp lens with good color can make all the difference in your photos.

I ended up settling on a Sigma 30mm f/1.4. The reason I decided on the 30mm was three fold. First, the 30mm equivalent focal length (efl) is almost 50mm. Simply, it gives the same field of view as a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera. This makes the lens quite versatile. Second, it was fast. Third, it was several hundred dollars cheaper than the Canon equivalent.

Now, I gotta say that people always suggest getting the Canon L lenses if you have the money. But seriously, how many people can blow a $1k+ on a lens for recreation? Not me.

To keep this short, I love the lens. It’s amazing. Quick to focus (at least for the T2i). Even at f/1.4 the lens is pretty sharp. If you are looking for a lens, I’d recommend it. However, read reviews on sites like Amazon and make an educated decision. That’s my advise.

Here are a few samples shot with the Sigma 30mm on the Rebel T2i:

Read More»

Rebel T2i: My Audio Setup

It’s been about a month and a half since I got my Canon T2i. About two weeks after getting it, I took off to Ethiopia to do some filming. In the short time between getting the camera and leaving for Ethiopia I had to scramble to put together an audio solution for the camera that I thought was acceptable (one of my initial tests).

It took quite a bit of time reading reviews, testing solutions, and looking at my budget before I decided what route to take. Take a look.

Microphone: Rode NTG-2

I mentioned this mic before in my audio tests, but the reason that I went with the Røde NTG-2 is because it was sub-$300 and battery or phantom powered. The battery part is important if you aren’t using a recording device that supports phantom power.

When there wasn’t critical dialogue or great sound, I would just plug the mic directly into the camera with an XLR to 1/8″ (with a line-in-transformer). This provided decent enough audio if I wasn’t being picky (and I wanted to try to pull some of the extra noise out in post).

Audio Capture: Zoom H4n

For capturing the audio, I decided to go with the Zoom H4n. You can find a ton of reviews online and quite a few endorsements from professionals (like Philip Bloom). I was impressed with the features that came with the $300 price tag. The unit provides phantom power, 96Khz 24-bit recording, SD card memory, and rather easy to use controls.

I found the unit really easy to use. For the most part, I’ve been using it as part of a one-man documentary-style setting. I have a little case that holds the recorder that I can attach to my belt and plug in the shotgun mic, which is mounted to the camera using the hotshoe shockmount. The audio that is recorded on the camera is used as reference material for syncing up the audio later. I found it to be an easy setup to use to get pretty darn good audio.

Samples

Okay, so I don’t have time to find samples right now, but I’ll include them later. I promise.