Panasonic GH5 Live Event

For the last 3 years, the Panasonic GH4 has been my workhorse video camera for my corporate, education, and YouTube videos. It is a great little camera that has served me well, producing a beautiful image with color quality that I like and doing so reliably. As a daily camera for three years, it is time for me to consider a replacement. Not because I don't like the GH4, but its got a lot of miles and while I plan to continue using it as a second camera, I need the insurance of a new camera to keep my business rolling.

Panasonic's new GH5 is the natural upgrade path for me. And as soon as the funds are available, I'll be getting one ordered. In the meantime, B&H has arranged for a live event with several prominent GH camera filmmakers to discuss the GH5. Looks like a worthwhile way to learn a little more than just the specs and get the impressions of the people that have already been using it in their work. You can add the live GH5 event to your calendar which is scheduled for 1PM EDT on Wednesday March 29th. You can also submit a question for a chance to win a free GH5. Not a bad deal.

Sound for Video Session: EQ Presets, Clothing Noise, 3rd Party Plugins

In this week's Sound for Video Session we run through several questions:

- Should I create an EQ preset for microphones which usually sound too bright (like the Sanken COS-11D when worn on the outside of clothing)?
- How can I manage clothing noise when using a boom mic?
- Are there benefits to using 3rd party audio processing plugins versus using the plugins that come with Adobe Audition?

Here's an example of using an EQ plugin to cut a hole in a music track for dialogue. You can use this same idea to create a preset which helps to reduce "presence boost" which sounds too harsh:

Gear mentioned/used in this episode:

Sanken COS-11D Lavalier Microphone

DPA 4017b Shotgun Microphone (This is the microphone I used to record this session)

Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro (my new camera which I used to film this session) Also available from DVeStore.

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd

Zhiyun SmoothQ: Smoother Video with Your Smartphone

Shooting video with your smartphone is convenient but often the results are pretty jarring with lots of shake and jitter. The Zhiyun SmoothQ is an affordable motorized gimbal which smooths out your video and is easy to use. In this episode, we have a closer look at the SmoothQ to see whether it might be a good option for you.

For the audio enthusiasts out there, can you identify the glaring audio issue with this episode?

Gear featured and used to record this episode:

Zhiyun SmoothQ Motorized Gimbal (Amazon USA, Amazon UK)

Manfrotto Monopod (for crane shots)

DPA 4017B Shotgun Microphone My new favorite shotgun microphone

Sound Devices 633 Audio Mixer/Recorder

Aputure Light Storm COB120t LED Light (Key Light)

Aputure Light Dome Soft Box (for COB120t key light)

Panasonic GH4 Camera

Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 Lens

The Music Maker

I am about ready to jump out of my skin because I'm so excited to finally show some of my work to all you who have been kind enough to watch my YouTube episodes!

My friend Levi Whitney asked me back in June last year if I would help him by doing the sound for a micro documentary piece on Joel Nowland, a guitar maker here in Utah. Joel makes amazing acoustic guitars which have been played by some big name musicians. But Joel is an incredibly humble guy who loves the craft of creating things for other people. And what's more is that he does it with a significant disability.

So here is what Levi and I made. I recorded all of the production audio for this piece with my trusty Audio Technica AT4053b hypercardioid microphone and my Sound Devices 633 audio recorder/mixer. I recorded a few foley clips with the Aputure Deity shotgun microphone, again with the Sound Devices here at my home.

Levi shot the piece with a Sony A7SII and graded and edited.

I hope you like it.

And I'd like to thank Levi for having the confidence in me to do the sound recording and mixing and Joel for opening his home, his workshop, and his story for the world to see and hear.

Levi will have a piece in the coming weeks over on his YouTube channel covering how we did the lighting. I've covered the sound from the film (both mixing and foley) in these previous Sound for Video Sessions:

Zhiyun Crane 3-axis Motorized Gimbal Setup and Tips

I’ve talked to several people who have been frustrated with various 3-axis motorized gimbals for their cameras. The gimbals promise smooth shots when you’re walking or hand-holding your mirrorless camera or DSLR but often people find them difficult to use. In this episode, we show you how to setup the Zhiyun Tech Crane, a gimbal which can support cameras up to 1800 grams in weight. Then we cover a few tips for getting the smoothest shots possible. Once you get this down with a little practice, you can avoid all that frustration and get the most out of your gimbal!

Aputure VS-2 FineHD: Now Takes 4K

Earlier this year when we reviewed the Aputure VS-2 FineHD HDMI monitor, one of the downsides we found was that the monitor could only accept up to an HD signal from your camera.

The trick with that is that some of the 4K cameras like the Sony A6300 and A6500 evidently could not down-sample to HD on their HDMI output port and record to 4k internally at the same time. So this monitor just was not a good fit for those cameras.

The Panasonic GH4 could down-sample to HD and record 4K internally but autofocus performance slows when doing this. Not a deal-breaker for everyone, but not ideal.

But now, with the new, free firmware available as of this week, the VS-2 FineHD can now take a UHD (3840x2160 up to 30p) signal. Of course it still only displays it as HD, but this solves a big problem for those shooting 4K cameras. Thanks Aputure!

We'd love to see the same thing for the new VS-5 monitor which I'm in the process of reviewing!

Zhiyun Tech Smooth II Gimbal for Smartphones

Today’s smartphones can shoot very impressive video with surprisingly good quality. Adding camera movement to your smartphone video can make your video look and feel much more professional. It can also add to the energy of the story. But even with the new generation of premium smartphones with optical image stabilization, most phone video will still look pretty jittery and shaky when you move the phone with your hand. That’s where a gimbal can make a huge difference. The Zhiyun Tech Smooth II is professional quality gimbal for smartphones which does a really nice job smoothing out your video footage, even when you’re walking. And it also works well with the larger phones like the iPhone 7+ or Samsung Note series.

Zhiyun Tech was kind enough to send us the Smooth II for review. Full disclosure: This gimbal was given to me for this review, I did not purchase it with my money. I was not paid to do this review. The link above is an affiliate link. If you use this link to purchase the Smooth II, it will not cost you anything additional and we will receive a small payment which we use to purchase and review additional gear to help you make better video.

Aurora Aperture Variable Neutral Density Filter: Blur the Background in Full Daylight

When shooting outdoors in the sunlight, you’ll often need to use a very small aperture/iris setting to get the right exposure. That is not necessarily an issue unless you want to blur the background to draw the attention of your audience to your main subject. This is where a neutral density filter can help. A neutral density filter is like high quality sunglasses for your camera’s lens. This allows you to use an aperture setting which will blur the background and still allow you to expose properly.

Aurora Aperture was kind enough to send us their Power XND 2000 variable neutral density filter for review.

GVB Gimbal and 3 Low Cost Action Cameras

There are a ton of inexpensive action cameras available on the market and it is hard to figure out which perform best. So let’s have a quick look at 3: GVB Action Cam, Yi HD Action Cam, and ThiEYE i60 Action Cam. Each come in at about $100 USD.

Also, action cameras, just like any other camera, produce jerky and shaky looking video when you hold them by hand. Gimbals can help to stabilize your camera so that the video footage is smoother and more enjoyable to watch. In this episode, we also look at the GVB Action Camera Gimbal, an affordable entry-level 3 axis gimbal for GoPro Hero 4 and other cameras of the same size and weight.

Sound for Video Session: Loudness vs Peaks and Cameras vs Audio Gear

This week we discuss a question from Kevin (AKA The Basic Filmmaker) on why the peaks are always at different levels after you loudness normalize an audio clip. Then I rant for a while on why upgrading your camera every time a cool looking new camera may not be the best use of your budget.