Canon 5D Mark 2 (mk II) Video Editing HDMI cables

Using the Canon 5D mark2 for video means you can produce movies at 1080p resolution. Normal DVD does not support this level of quality so unless you have a Blu-Ray player you will be unable to view your Canon 5D2 movies in their optimum resolution.

However there is a solution that doesn't involve the expense of getting a dedicated bluray player. You can use a Western Digital Media player (WD Player) connected to an external hard drive to play your movies on an HD TV at 1080p resolution. This does require an HDMI cable to get the best possible picture quality.

I have tested a cable purchased for £4.99 from Sainsburys and was amazed by the quality from such a cheap component when similar cables are available for up to £100 and more. Which magazine have today published a survey that shows exactly the same results for HDMI cables and recommend the cheaper cables as being the best option.

The quality from the Canon 5D2 video played at 1080p on a Sony HD TV is stunning and really shows the benefits of the large format sensor on the camera. Once Canon release the same control features as available on the Canon 7D then the camera will be an awesome piece of kit.

Wedding Photography Disasters

A story last year reminded me how important it is to choose your wedding photographer carefully and check their work. A couple sued their wedding photographer Gareth Bowers from Fresh Images over the poor quality of the photos of their wedding.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1218248/Newlyweds-win-court-battle-1-500-wedding-photographer-shoddy-pictures-include-missing-heads-car-close-ups.html

My comments appear on the Daily Mail website below the article but I've copied them here for reference

I was incredibly surprised that the main Professional organisations (SWPP, MPA, BIPP) have completely missed this huge opportunity for publicity - putting their chairman or spokesperson up for interview would have been a great PR excerise - yet there was NO mention anywhere about the benefits of qualifications. I think it shows how inwardly focussed they are rather than actually looking outside at what is going on.
The problem is he is (still) listed on the SWPP site although his web is down so virtually impossible for couples to know who is and who isn't qualified when it appears the SWPP are recommending him.

- Andy James, Maidstone UK, 07/10/2009 18:24

New Canon DSLR Camera with full HD video - Canon 550D

Canon have released another DSLR camera with HD video. The Canon 550D builds on the features of the previous Canon cameras with video but at a much lower price point.

The Canon 550D uses an 18 megapixel APS-C size sensor and includes many of the video features from the Canon 7D which will make it a very interesting camera to use. Being able to shoot 24/25fps and 50/60fps as well will be a great creative boost especially as these variations are yet to come to the Canon 5D mark2.

Some of the key advantages of the Canon 550D over the 500D for shooting video are:

• External microphone can be added (not on 500D)
• Full HD at all frame rates (Canon 500D was limited to 20fps)
• Full manual control of exposure
• 1080p at up to 30fps
• 720p at 50/60fps
• Digic 4 processor 

Canon say "The EOS 550D combines exceptional still shooting with the ability to shoot Full HD (1080p) video. To satisfy your creativity the EOS 550D features full manual control and selectable frame rates. You can also shoot high speed 50/60fps movies at 720P for when the action is really fast. An HDMI connection allows High Definition playback of footage and images on any HDTV. Also with compatible TVs playback can be controlled using the TV’s remote control."

Gear Query - What's in your bag?

I'm often asked which items of kit I use and thought it would be useful to list them along with why each piece of equipment is useful.

My main camera is the Canon 5D (Mark 1) which has 12 Megapixel resolution and a full frame sensor (same size as 35mm film unlike most digital sensors which are much smaller) I also use the Canon 5D Mark II camera but to a less extent as I don't need the 21Mp file size for most work. I do use the video capability on the Canon 5D Mark II which is excellent.

Canon 5D Mark I
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 24-105mm f4 lens
Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS lens
Canon 580EX flash
Canon ST-E2 remote flash trigger

I generally use the Canon 24-105 lens on the 5D Mark I and the 70-200 on the Canon 5D Mark II. I normally also take the Canon 50 f1.4, Canon 85 f1.8 and Canon 100 f2.8 macro lenses with me for specific shots. The Canon 430EX flashgun is normally kept for backup purposes.

The Canon 35 f1.4 and Canon 17-40 f4 are probably my least used lenses.

Christmas Photography Gift Vouchers : Photo Shoot Gift Tokens

If you are looking for a special last minute gift for Christmas then one of our photo shoot gift vouchers could be the perfect answer. You can buy vouchers for family portrait shoots or makeover photo shoots or for a modelling portfolio photo shoot. You can also buy vouchers as part payment for any other shoot we offer.

You can find out more information here. Gift vouchers can be bought and paid for online using Google Checkout. Vouchers can be for any of the photo shoots that we offer and are valid for 12 months.

Low cost photo and digital media backups on your PC

With most people now having several years worth of digital photos stored on their PC it is becoming more and more important to ensure that your valuable digital media is properly backed up. PC hard drives do not last forever and it is all too easy to forget to copy your photos to a secure location until it is too late.

We use a large server to store and backup all our digital media files (photos and video) plus important documents but affordable solutions are available for little outlay.

If you purchase a 1Tb (terabyte = 1000 Gb gigabyte) external USB hard drive you can connect this to your PC to enable backups to be made. There are various free software packages that will manage this backup process for you. If you configure this software it can automatically copy any new or changed files from your PC to the external USB drive making sure that copies are available in the event of a hard drive crash.

Some of the software you can use is SyncToy (free from Microsoft) or DeltaCopy (open source). The configuration of DeltaCopy is more complex but it is a powerful piece of software that we use.

SyncToy is free but can easily be setup and be scheduled to run every time your PC starts or you can run it when you want.

New Car Spy Shots - 2010 Kia Sportage?

I was out recently and spotted a new car being tested under disguise. The last time this happened I didn't have a camera with me and sadly missed shots of the Mercedes A Class being tested before launch.

This one still isn't identified as yet but it looks like it could be spy shots of a Hyundai i35, Kia or Honda CR-V based on the side panel of the body and wing mirror and wheels. The most likely contender seems to be the Hyundai i35.
Update - it now turns out to be spy shots of the the 2010 Kia Sportage undergoing road tests in UK