Yap's Blog

The Sony FS100 is truly an amazing camera. Even with the standard kit lens (18-200), it performs.  To make the Sony FS100 give more, it is time to stick some Nikon glass on it. Via a Nikon to E-mount adaptor, and my collection of Nikon primes, doors are opened.  Everything changes.  Stunning images, shallow DOF, extended low light capability. With the prime lens’s aperture set to F2.0 or bigger, the world is a creative playground.  It is a new year with new possibilities.

“Audio is the half the story”, I am reminded from time to time. Video is nothing without sound. Capturing audio is easy. Capturing good audio requires effort, experience and most of all, good equipment. 

The Zoom H4N comes highly recommended. Fellow videographers urged me to invest on the H4N. They say to me,” forget about the H1, just bite the bullet and buy the H4N, you will not regret it in the long run”.

I purchased it and after a few jobs, I know they are right. It is portable, but pack with professional features.  The H4N is loaded with a versatile array of inputs options to accommodate a variety of recording sources.  Now I just need to make sure I am equipped with an assortment of audio connectors to cater to the various “sound systems” in the field.

When I ventured into videography, I always wondered if my standard computer speakers were good enough. My question was answered when a recent client complain about the audio quality of her son’s wedding video. But it sounded “OK” while I was editing it.

Why? The reason is the TV set and sound system in her house was of good quality, and she can hear all the flaws, which I am unable to detect on my normal PC speakers.

I wasted no time and went on her a hunting spree, for a new pair of speakers. When I saw the Behringer MS40, my search was over.  The quality and price fits. For the price, the sound quality is amazingly good.

The MS40 is active powered.  The  40 watts RMS, 24bit 192khz speakers are magnetically shielded., and even has a fiber optic input.  

Now I hear things that I did not hear before.  I can hear Sarah Brightman take in breath while singing. I can hear extra instruments on songs.  The extra clarity is addictive.

And the Behringer MS40 looks really good too.

A fellow videographer(Jeremy Teo) whom I just got to know, introduced this nice item to me. He said currently, this monopod is his “main man”. It follows him to most of his shoots. I called a popular equipment supplier, and was  told there were 70 units, just in but stock finishing fast. It seems, some videographers are buying 2 at one go. I quickly got my hands on 1 unit, just in time for a 5 days job in China. After 5 days, I agree with Jeremy. If I can only bring 1 camera support, I will bring this. It is truly versatile. Pan, tilt, adjustable height, and a range of motion. My favourite being forward and backward movement. When I get stuck in crowded situation and need to get a high view, this monopod is a big help. With practice, and on wide angle, it can even mimic some “steadycam” shots. Highly recommended.

A year has since passed. It is almost this time of the year, when I decided to take the plunge into videography. Spent a fortune in equipment. A year ago if someone ask me to get a mini crane, I might say he is crazy. But here it is, I finally got the KC Lite 8.0. A proper tripod is needed to support the weight.  After checking out a few equipment suppliers, I decided to get the Manfrotto 561 fluid head with the 545 tripod, which the KC Lite 8 works nicely on. The KC Lite 8 looks small but it requires a person fulltime to handle it. It is just right for weddings, small events and functions. Not too big and cumbersome, but long enough to get some nice high angle shots.

Used it for a few jobs and loved the stuff I got from it. A good investment indeed.

I love this video camera. It is like merging the benefits of traditional video camera with the ability of the DSLR, adding the low light power of the Nikon D3S. This a dream camera, but now it is in my hands.

It is surprisingly easy to use. Just put all in auto mode and I can shoot immediately in a rush. Once I got used to the camera, it is almost addictive shooting with it. Even in Manual modes, there is Auto in demand, really clever.

Huge sensor producing superb image with super low light ability. Optical stabilization and auto focus. You can even walk and move the camera around to produce nice footages without external stabilization hardware. Crystal sharp LCD. Shoot for as long as 10 hours without overheats and 12 minutes per clip barriers.

Long battery life. Clean sound recording. Built in full HD Slow Motion and Quick Motion.

You will love it too.

When I first saw this car on the road, I remember I chased after it to get a better look. “What is this monster? What brand izzit? It is not an Alphard? What izzit?”. When I got a closer, it was revealed to be a Hyundai. A year later, I bought it. I have had 2  Hyundai(s) prior ( Atoz and Getz) , so I have no doubts of its quality, reliability and value for money.

The feedback and recommendations from few friends who has been driving this MPV were all positive, but it is the design, the lines, the look that got me. I was sold from the start.

Look at the car in detail and appreciate the artistic work of the Koreans.

The dash is simple and elegant. The controls are straight to the point. Nothing too fancy but functional.

Huge car big doors. The front doors slant slightly when opened, to allow easier access. The Koreans has put a lot of thought into designing this MPV.

Despite its size, it is sleek. It turns heads on the road, partly due to its size. The numbers on the road are increasing. With lots of seats, lots of storage space, loads of features, powerful 2.5 diesel engine with variable turbo, good handling, good looks, at about RM 150,000 , it should not be a surprise that it has a 2 -3 months waiting period.

How do make the VG10 sexy? How do you turn heads with the VG10? The answer I found was to put it on a “Rig”, with “follow focus”. Just the other day, someone asked me, “Is that the camera they use in James Cameron’s movie?”. Ha ha ha, I wish. If only, I wish.

Less is more. I have been trying out my Nikon 24-70mmF2.8 & 14-24mm F2.8 on the Vg10, while in theory it is great, but out in the field, on an actual assignment, it is a different story. It is heavy. When equipment is heavy, movement and flexibility is limited.

What I need is to keep the weight down. What I need is larger aperture so I can use ambient light as much as I can. What I need is shallow depth of field to create cinematic look.

With a 1.8 multiplier, a 28mm will give me close to 50mm on a VG10. This is where the Sigma 28mm F1.8 fits the profile. At 50mm, I can keep the shots relatively steady, hand held. In my opinion the quality is way better than the price tag of less than RM2000 suggests. On yeah, it does great photos too.

This is well worth my money. On the Sony VG10, with a steadycam, it opens up possibilites. Shots that were seemingly impossible are now easy. Best of all, it keeps the over all weight low, which I appreciate, out in the field.  The autofocus is slow but works most of the time. I love this lens.

 http://vimeo.com/20989545