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Shoot it in
The Key to Green Screen Backgrounds
page 41
Reviewed:
Audio-Technica
AT2022 X/Y mic
Adobe
Premiere/Photoshop Elements 10
HP
Elitebook 8760w
YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AND PUBLISHING GREAT VIDEO
FEBRUARY 2012®
+
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Reviews
JVC GY-HMZ1U 3D Camcorder by Dan Bruns Sony MHS-FS3 3D Bloggie HD camera by Mark Holder Adobe Premiere/Photoshop Elements 10 Editing Software by Doug Dixon Audio-Technica AT2022X/Y Stereo Microphone by Mark Holder HP Elitebook 8760w Mobile Workstation by Lance Olinger
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Next Month Backup Strategies Do you Really Need Releases? Interviewing Techniques On Sale February 28, 2012Contents
Volume 26 • Number 08FEBRUARY 2012
Viewfinder
Cinematography by Matthew YorkBasic Training
Storyboard Examples by Kyle CassidyEditing
Music Video Editing by Mark Montgomery
Lighting
Let There be Light…for Less by Mike Fitzer
Profit Making
Film and Video Insurance by Mark Jensen
Audio
Audio Levels by Hal Robertson
Online Documentaries
Documentary storytelling is found across a diverse swath of mediums including celluloid film, DVD, online video and even interactive scrapbooking.
by Andrew Burke
Green Screen Backgrounds
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the video arsenal, yet it’s still one of the most useful and effective.
by Peter Zunitch
Lighting Buyer’s Guide
Video lighting has many options from ultra-portable to semi-per-manent. Knowing what lighting technology to buy and what light kit is best is key to not being left in the dark.
by Earl Chessher
Bags and Cases Buyer’s Guide
When it comes to buying a camcorder case or bag it’s a matter of choice. Your camcorder is your baby, your toy, your pride and joy. You want to protect it so it will last you a very long time. by Teresa Echazabal
www.videomaker.com
Trainin
DVD
g
Take that first step toward making your first documentary
See page 55 for details
Departments
4
6
59
64
New Gear
Reader Profile
Ad Index
New Titles
22
37
46
54
8
On the Cover • JVC GY-HMZ1U • Sony MHS-F3 3D Bloggie• Adobe Premiere/Photoshop Elements 10 • Audio-Technica AT2022
• HP Elitebook 8760w
®
Shoot it in
The Key to Green Screen Backgrounds page 41
Reviewed:
Audio-Technica AT2022 X/Y mic Adobe
Premiere/Photoshop Elements 10 HP
Elitebook 8760w
YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AND PUBLISHING GREAT VIDEOFEBRUARY 2012
®
+
Save 30% on Step-By-Step Documentary Production!
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3
PRINTED IN USA Videomaker (ISSN 0889-4973) is published monthly by Videomaker, Inc., P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927. ©2012 Videomaker, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher is prohibited. The Videomaker name is a registered trademark, property of Videomaker, Inc. Editorial solici-tations welcomed; publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited material. Editorial-related photos and artwork received unsolicited become property of Video-maker. Single-copy price: $5.99; $7.99 in Canada. Subscription rates: one year (12 issues) $19.97; $29.97 in Canada (U.S. funds); $44.97 Foreign Delivery (prepayment required, U.S. funds). Send subscription correspondence to Videomaker, P.O. Box 3780, Chico, CA 95927. Back issues of Videomaker are available for order online at www.videomaker.com or by calling Customer Service at (800) 284-3226. Periodicals postage paid at Chico, CA 95927 and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Mail Sales Agreement #40051846. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Videomaker, P.O. Box 3780, Chico, CA 95927. CANADA POSTMASTER: Please send Canadian address changes to: IDS, P.O. Box 122, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 6S8.
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Videomaker empowers people to make video in a
way that inspires, encourages and equips for suc-cess. We do this by building a community of readers, web visitors, viewers, attendees and marketers.
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VIEWFINDER
by Matthew York
Cinematography
Cinematography is a term that may be intimidating to many of you. However, since you are reading this, you are probably a cinematographer. When making decisions about lighting and camera choices while shooting, you are practicing the art of cinematogra-phy. You might not be a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), you are still a cinematographer.
In the American Cinematographer Manual, 9th Edition, cinematography is defined as a creative and interpre-tive process that culminates in the authorship of an original work of art rather than the simple recording of a physical event. Cinematography is not a subcategory of photography. Pho-tography is but one craft that the cine-matographer uses in addition to other physical, organizational, interpretive and image-manipulating techniques to effect one coherent process.
Some of the basic equipment choices that you make are deciding which lens, filter or lighting equipment will be used for a given shot. Framing and camera movements are aesthetic choices that you make as you practice your technique. These decisions may seem minor, but each of them require complex considerations among thou-sands of options. Each decision has an impact on the next. For example, camera movement is complicated when combined with a zoom lens. When con-sidering all the possible combinations, there are literally millions of choices.
You should not be intimidated about this possibly dizzying reality of understanding the role of the cinema-tographer. You should be encouraged that your diligent efforts are absolute-ly necessary in order to make a great video. Your cinematography skills are what differentiate you from the mil-lions of people sharing their videos on websites like YouTube and Vimeo.
Shooting video can be a stressful experience especially when you are pressed for time. Your cinematography
skills will be abbreviated if you don’t take this role seriously enough to al-locate ample time to make these critical decisions. You should try to make as many decisions as possible before you begin to shoot. This is why a storyboard is so important to create well before you schedule the shooting. You can plan shot framing and lighting on a board. It is far easier to erase a story-board frame than it is to re-shoot the scene. You can save time by setting up the equipment to match the storyboard. This does not mean that you should avoid improvising while shooting.
While pre-production work is important, too much planning can be as harmful as excessive impromptu shooting might be. You need to strike a balance between the two extremes. Cinematography is a skill set that has perhaps the greatest potential to transform you into a highly skilled video producer. Learn all that you can about these choices by research, practice and watching great motion pictures, TV shows and videos. Every minute that you invest in perfecting these skills will pay off.
Matthew York is Videomaker's Publisher/Editor. For comments, email: [email protected], use article #15376 in the subject line. You can comment and rate this article by going online:
www.videomaker.com/article/15376
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by the Videomaker Editors
NEW GEAR
h o t o f f t h e p r e s s e s
Sanho’s
HyperDrive iFlashDrive
is the first USB flash drive that works with your iPad, iPhone
and iPod. The drive features a USB connector on one side and an Apple-approved 30-pin
dock connector on the opposite side, providing users with two-way data transfer between
their computer and Apple devices. The HyperDrive iFlashDrive is available in 8GB, 16GB and
32GB capacities to fit your storage/transfer needs. A free downloadable app is also available
to allow Apple devices to perform file management with the iFlashDrive.
www.hypershop.com | MSRP: $100 and up
Matthews’
Digital & Chromakey Blue/Green Screens
allows for versatility and
mobility. The two-sided chromakey fabric can quickly change from green
to blue chroma for key background options, and is made of polyester fabric
that is laminated to an opaque foam backing for reduced light bleed through.
Grommets located along the screen’s edge make attaching it to a frame easy,
while the stretchy material allows any wrinkles to be effortlessly pulled out. All
screens are available in standard sizes as well as custom sizes and shapes.
www.msegrip.com | MSRP: $281 and up
A tiny camera with a big lens, the Nikon
1 J1
has a 10fps autofocus CX-format
super high-speed AF CMOS sensor that promises you won't miss the action.
Nikon offers several Nikkor lens choices, including one designed for recording
movies and employing your choice of white, black, red, silver or pink colors, the
camera shoots full 1080p HD videos, giving you the freedom to simultaneously
shoot both stills and video with one small but powerful device.
www.nikonusa.com | MSRP: $650 and up
The Digital Juice
Flag Kit Pro
is a portable lighting accessory kit to quickly and
eas-ily control contrast, light ratio, diffuse light or block it entirely. The compact frames
unfold and lock into place in order to hold a variety of screens or scrims that attach
to C-Stands and other supports. The compact, lightweight size of the Flag Kit Pro
makes it ideal for on-location shoots, while remaining useful in studio settings. The
Flag Kit Pro contains five 24” x 36” frames, five fabrics, two dots and two fingers.
www.digitaljuice.com | MSRP: $300
Sanho Corporation
JVC Pro
Matthews Studio Equipment
Nikon
The JVC Pro
GY-HM150U
builds upon the features of its predecessor, the GY-HM100,
with a new encoder for improved HD recordings and support for standard definition.
In addition, the camcorder provides XLR inputs with phantom power and dual card
recording capability for creating instant backups of recorded footage or uninterrupted
recording in relay mode. The GY-HM150U shoots 1920 x 1080p at 24, 25 and 30
frames per second with the option to shoot 60 and 50 fps in 1280 x 720p.
www.pro.jvc.com | MSRP: $3,495
Digital Juice
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Don La Haye – From Still Photography to Video Producer.
I became interested in photography when I was a kid. I saw Man with a Camera, starring Charles Bronson, and I purchased my fi rst camera, a Kodak Brownie, in order to do what he did in the movie. I never did solve any crimes, but I developed an inter-est in photography that has lasted my lifetime.
In 1962, when I was in the Army in Germany, I took color slides and black and white photos using an Agfa Op-tima 35mm camera. When I returned stateside, I learned that my sister’s husband was taking 8mm movies of his family, and that got me interested in taking home movies of my own. I do have all the expected fi lms of my wife and daughter, and have since converted to digital and DVD.
In 1975, I joined the Army Re-serve and did public information photography for the service. I studied photographic education, and student-taught the darkroom with Professor Meade at Southeastern Massachusetts University. I quit one job to become a professional wed-ding photographer.
I wanted to be the Massachusetts State Wildlife Photographer, so I took the exam. I got the top mark, but the position was fi lled from within. Instead, I was offered and accepted a temporary position as a Natural Resource Offi cer (NRO). The position became permanent, and I had to
de-READER PROFILE
Behind the Lens -
Don La Haye
Video creation is sometimes a singular business, but video producers
are a social lot who work and play in many areas of video production
and love to share their stories. This column introduces you to your fellow
video producers.
personal use only, since I use some copyrighted music and I don’t want to violate any laws about that. I have made several DVDs of footage from old home movies that have been digi-tized. The other interesting project I did was to create a promotional video for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a non-profi t organization dedicated to promoting sports for everybody. It can be seen on YouTube at www. videomaker.com/r/522
I haven’t yet gotten into burning Blu-ray discs, but this would be the next logical progression.
My suggestion to anyone start-ing out is KISS - Keep it Short, Stupid. My comment relating to the January Viewfi nder 2009 edito-rial about whether the magazine should better serve the amateurs or professionals: most pros begin as amateurs; and as in my case, pros become amateurs, too. The magazine should use a balanced approach to serve both.
Name: Don La Haye
Cameras: Sony DCR-TRV20; Canon ZR600; Panasonic PV-GS320;
Canon Powershot A1100 IS
Editing Platform: Adobe Premiere Elements 7
Computers: HP; Intel E6300 processor; 64 bit; 8GB memory; 1TB hard drive;
PowerMac w/ G5 processor; Roxio Toast 10 for DVD copying and burning
Support Equipment: 2 tripods, 2 microphones, camera mounted lights
fer pursuing photography or videog-raphy until I’d have time to devote in retirement.
My fi rst camcorder was a rented, shoulder-mounted one in 1989. Un-less you were a professional, in the 1970s and 80s there simply wasn’t much editing an amateur could do. Computers were expensive and slow, and fi le sizes were a big limitation. It’s amazing to me to see how far the technology has come in recent years, and how fast things are changing now!
I was pretty much computer il-literate when I began video editing. I started out using Windows LiveMovie Maker, which gave me a pretty good result, considering I barely knew how to turn on the computer. I worked with lots of different programs to see the variation in functionality, and the ease of use. Some of them are Ulead, VideoWave, PhotoSuite, and Pinnacle. All of these were Windows based. Only recently did I decide to try the Mac platform. I got the G5 Apple computer and I tried iMovie, and Final Cut Express. For me the change was diffi cult, and I prefer to use Win-dows software for video editing. I use the Mac to go on the Web (to avoid viruses and worms, etc.) and to burn the DVDs using Toast 10 software, that I like.
I enjoy doing travel DVDs for fel-low travelers and friends. These are
297 C2 Reader Profile.indd 6 12/28/2011 7:45:02 AM
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reviews
by Dan Bruns
$2,000
EZ 3D
JVC
GY-HMZ1U
3D Camcorder
JvC
www.pro.jvc.com
strengths• Sturdy housing material
• Full HD recording from both lenses
using MVC codec
• Can record to internal or external
memory
• Powerful image stabilizing technology
• Has timelapse recording feature
weaknesses
• No 60p recording option
• 3D LCD display is dim, has low
resolution
• Front-heavy design
• Battery can only power camera for a
little over an hour
• No zebra bars in 3D mode
T
ypically, many professional 3D cameras are equipped with bulky converters that required either a stout operator or a sturdy tripod to manage, which made shooting more of a chore than it needed to be. So when cam-corders began to combine two lenses and sensors into one small package, they came as a welcome relief. One of those camcorders, JVC’s GY-HMZ1U, isaiming to not only keep a camera op-erator’s load easy to bear, but to make capturing great images easy as well.
Design
The camcorder body is made of a high-quality composite that feels more than ready for a tough life on the road. The body is actually fairly small weighing in at only 2.2 pounds and measuring a little more than five inches wide by six inches tall (with handle) and nine inches deep. This, along with its dual lens design, made the entire camcorder body shaped like one big rectangle. Speaking of the lens, JVC was thoughtful enough to include the abil-ity to open the aperture to an f-stop of 1.2. This means that the lens is able to allow enough light into the camcorder for even dark scenes to look good. The lens also includes a zoom ability for getting that extra bit of detail on run-and-gun style shots. The optical zoom can achieve 10X in 2D mode, but is only able to get up to 5X in 3D mode. However, this doesn't affect the usabil-ity of the camcorder much as zooming in 3D often lessens the effect of depth. Taking a look at the back of the cam-corder, JVC includes several buttons to make shooting in 3D a rather conve-nient experience. The most noticeable is the large 3D button for switching the camcorder from 3D mode to 2D mode.
JVC 3D Twin HD GT Lens
This button made it easy to quickly switch back and forth by being located in a place where our thumb naturally rested on the back of the camcorder. It also allowed us to see when the cam-era was in 3D mode by having an il-luminated LED ring around the button. In addition, the back has buttons for switching from automatic to manual mode, another button for switching between stills and video, an assignable user button, an info button, and a but-ton to adjust the level of depth in the scene using a small, yet convenient dial right next to it. The record button is also located on the back of the camera, however we found its position to be a bit too close to the edge. This made it tough for our thumb to press when using the handgrip along the side. The camera also includes HDMI (mini) output, 1/8-inch headphone jack, and a DC input on the back of the camera
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For comments, email: [email protected], use article #15479 in the subject line. You can comment and rate this article by going online: www.videomaker.com/article/15479
VIDEOMAKER >>> FEbRuARy 2012
9
JVC
GY-HMZ1U
reviews
sUMMArY
Though 3D is still in its infancy, the
JVC GY-HMZ1U gets a lot right. It’s
portable size, professional features,
and dual full HD recording makes this
camcorder worth thinking about for
anyone considering the switch to 3D.
Dan Bruns is an Associate Multimedia Editor for Videomaker.
since the handle connects via an 1/8-inch jack on the camcorder, the XLR in-puts were not phantom powered. None-theless, the handle proved to be very useful when shooting low shots and for connecting more than one microphone to the camera. The other interesting part about the handle was that it made the camcorder especially front-heavy. Though this became a strain after long periods of shooting, the lightness of the camcorder made this flaw tolerable.
With a distinct lack of 3D monitors on the market today, it’s more impor-tant than ever for a camcorder’s LCD panel to display a great picture. JVC went with a large 3.5-inch auto-stereo-scopic, touch panel display. We enjoyed not having to put on glasses to see in 3D, but we did find that there were only about four distinct areas where our eyes could actually view 3D play-back. This led to eye fatigue setting in earlier than usual with this camcorder. One nice part about the display is that it was sharp and bright in 2D mode. However, as soon as the camera was switched into 3D mode the display and resolution lessened considerably. It was actually possible to see black dots be-tween pixels. We also found it difficult to see the display when used outdoors due to its lack of brightness. We were a bit disappointed to find that the zebra stripes only worked in 2D mode, which made finding the right brightness level even more difficult to determine. You can shoot 3D footage and view the real time playback in 2D. Though there are some places where viewing your image in 3D will be appropriate, you’ll prob-ably find the 2D option works best.
Video Quality
Of course, the most important part of any video camera is the kind of images it produces. The camcorder can record images at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 in both 60i for fast mo-tion images and 24p for that coveted “cinematic” feel.
One of the best parts about this cam-era is that it houses two ¼-inch back-illuminated sensors, which can produce
TeCH sPeCs
as well as a 1/8-inch microphone input and composite output, USB output, and a slot for an SD card located on the inside of the camera’s LCD screen.
On the right side of the camcorder, JVC includes a switch to shutter the lens in order to eliminate dust and scratches, and a cover, which gives access to the camera’s battery. We were surprised at just how much room the battery takes up in the camera and how little space is left for the lens, sensors, and various other controls. Having the battery on the inside of the camcorder meant that the 2,190 mAh battery is not upgrade-able which is bad news for those look-ing to use this camera for live events.
One of the most useful parts of the GY-HMZ1U was the detachable handle that featured two XLR inputs for profes-sional microphone use. Unfortunately,
two separate 1920 x 1080 images. The back-illuminated sensors allow more light to be recorded to the camera’s sen-sor without producing grain, adding to an already great low light image. How-ever, this can only be recorded using the newly developed MPEG-4 MVC codec. If you choose to use AVCHD, the camera will record two squished images at 960 x 1080, which means you’ll be sacri-ficing quality in order to get smaller file sizes and a file that can be played directly on 3D capable TVs.
We were impressed by the amount of depth that the camcorder was able to produce in its 3D image. When played back, the 3D looked quite con-vincing and had a surprising amount of color and detail. We did notice that the contrast was a bit high in the im-age, but not to the degree where our footage was unusable. The sensor also held up well during quick panning. There was only the slightest hint of rolling shutter skew, which is all you can ask for when dealing with CMOS technology. Overall, we were pleased with the images we captured.
Storage Media: SD/SDHC/SDXC, 64GB
Built-In Memory
Sensor: Back-illuminated CMOS
Sensor Size: 1/4.1"
Effective Pixels (k): 3.32 million
HD Modes: 1080 60i/, 1080 24p
File Format: JPEG, MPO, MPEG-4
MVC/H.264, AVCHD
Focus: Auto/Manual
Iris: F1.2-2.8
Shutter Speed Range: 1/2 – 1/4,000
Zoom: 5X (3D), 10X (2D)
White Balance: Auto/Manual/Preset
LCD Monitor Dimensions: 3.5"
Video In: Yes
Video Out: HDMI, Composite (1/8")
Internal Microphone: no
Microphone In: (2) XLR, 1/8"
Headphone Jack: Yes
Speaker: Yes
Battery Type: Lithium-Ion (2,190 mAh)
Accessory Shoe: Yes
Dimensions: 5.28" x 6.02" x 9.21"
Weight: 2.2 lbs (with handle and battery)
Two XLR inputs
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by Mark Holder
$200
The Next Dimension in
Compact Video?
Sony
MHS-FS3
3D Bloggie HD
Camera
sony electronics inc.
http://store.sony.com
strengths
• Produces good quality 3D
• Impressive 3D display
• Easy to use
weaknesses
• No option for expanded memory
• No manual control over most features
• No external mic support
W
ith portable 3D capture still in its infancy, manufacturers are quickly vying for position as they race to place this exciting capability into the hands of consumers. Sony enters the fray with the MHS-FS3 3D Bloggie HD camera. As with all early entries there are some weaknesses, but there is no question that the 3D Bloggie HD is going to be a strong contender.Basics
Packaging is very minimal as the 3D Bloggie HD comes pretty much complete and ready to go. It is ac-companied by a wrist strap, USB connection support cable and some
basic instructions. The internal bat-tery is charged via the USB arm and the 16GB storage media is built-in, so there is no need for battery, charger or media card. One item we would like to see included is an HDMI cable. While 3D viewing is possible on the built-in display, one should view their footage on a 3D capable television to fully enjoy the 3D experience. The unit comes preloaded with the neces-sary software, so you won’t find a CD included either.
Tour
Similar in size and appearance to a cell phone, the most striking feature of the 3D Bloggie HD is the dual lens arrangement on the front of the cam-era with the letters, “3D” emblazoned proudly next to
them. The lenses are by Sony with a maximum aper-ture of f2.8. A vid-eo light is placed above one of the lenses to aid with shooting in those dark places. The front and sides are clothed in a rub-berized material that improves grip
and minimizes fingerprints.
The top edge has no ports or other features at all while the bottom is home to the tripod mount. Down the left side of the camera (facing the front) are the stereo microphone, speaker, power button, charge lamp and shutter button. Along the right side are the pop out USB arm and release switch, the HDMI Out port and mounting point for the wrist strap.
A goodly portion of the back of the device is home to the 2.4” LCD screen, which automatically ori-ents itself depending on how you’re holding the camera. Be prepared for a legitimate “Wow!” moment when you turn on the 3D Bloggie HD. When shooting in 3D mode your view through the display is in
LCD screen and function buttons
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For comments, email: [email protected], use article #15467 in the subject line. You can comment and rate this article by going online: www.videomaker.com/article/15467
VIDEOMAKER >>> FEbRuARy 2012
11
Sony
MHS-FS3
reviews
sUMMArY
If grab-it-and-go 3D appeals to you
then look no further than Sony’s 3D
Bloggie HD.
Contributing Editor Mark Holder is a video producer and trainer.
recording connect the unit to your computer via the built-in, flip out USB arm. Plug the arm in with the camera powered off and it recharges the battery. Plug it in and turn the camera on and it goes into mass storage mode. The computer’s oper-ating system recognizes the camera and fires up the Bloggie software (which you had previously installed, of course). Editing capabilities are limited at best, but here you can download your files from the cam-era, tag, trim and share them in a number of ways including upload to Facebook or YouTube.
It’s worth noting that in 3D mode, the camera’s design requires it to be held horizontally, in the landscape position. In fact, if you attempt to record 3D vertically, a reminder appears stating that the camera must be held sideways. For opti-mal recording of motion in 3D the camera itself should be stationary; it
TeCH sPeCs is unfortunate, then, that the tripod mount is located on the bottom of the camera, as that forces a vertical orientation. Videomaker has been an advocate for tripod use for 25 years and we think excluding the ability to use a stabilizer is not good for users.
Impressions
With a small 1/4-inch sensor and the inability to manually control things like white balance, one has to expect less than perfect results. That being said, however, the 3D Bloggie HD pro-duces very believable 3D HD footage whose depth is undeniable. It also shoots video in 2D with high qual-ity stills in both 2D and 3D formats. For all its lack of manual controls, the auto settings do a decent job of adapting quickly to scene changes and reproducing color fairly accu-rately, albeit a bit oversaturated. Han-dling of low light situations is impres-sive considering the small sensor and the on-board video light helps a great deal when shooting in dark places. Audio is typical compact camcorder fare with no options for controlling levels, wind cut or sensitivity.
If you want bells, whistles and lots of manual controls then you’ll definitely want to look elsewhere. On the other hand, the 3D Bloggie HD will have lots of appeal for those shooters who just want to quickly and easily capture great 3D footage without all the fuss and bulk that usually accom-panies prosumer and professional level cameras.
Imaging Sensor: 1/4" Exmor CMOS
Sensor
Effective Picture Resolution: 5.03MP
Color Filter System: RGB primary
color filters
Lens Type: Sony Lens
Aperture (Max.): F2.8
Digital Zoom: Yes
Minimum Focus Distance: 4" to infinity
Media Type: Approx. 8GB internal
memory
Video Format: MP4 / MPEG-4
AVC/H.264
Audio Format: MPEG-4 AAC
Video Modes: 1920x1080/30p;
1280x720/60p; 1280x720/30p; 3D –
1920 X 1080 / 30p
Still Image Mode: JPEG
ISO: Auto
White Balance Mode: Auto
Shutter Speeds: Auto (1/30 – 1/4000)
Self Timer: Off / 2sec. / 10sec.
Face Detection: 8 Faces (Auto) – 2D only
Image Stabilization: SteadyShot Image
stabilization
LCD Type: 2.4" TFT LCD (230,400 pixels)
Battery: Internal (NP-SP70 3.6V)
Media / Battery Indicator: Yes / Yes
USB Port: Hi-Speed USB arm (USB 2.0)
HD Output: HDMI (mini)
Supplied Software: Bloggie Software
v1.3 / Share-it-Later
Operating System Compatibility:
Windows XP SP3 (32bit only), Windows
Vista SP2, Windows 7, Mac
OSX(v10.3-v10.6)
Weight: Approx. 4.2oz
Dimensions: 2 1/4" x 4 3/8" x 11/16"
real-for-true, genuine 3D – with no glasses required! At the bottom of the screen, (when held vertically) are three buttons for playing your cre-ations, toggling between 3D and 2D recording and accessing the menu. Menu options are pretty sparse as most features we would like to have control over are set to automatic including ISO, white balance, shutter speed and focus. Below the func-tion buttons is a navigafunc-tional pad with the record button at its center. Depending on the particular function button selected, the left/right, up/ down arrows may be used to adjust or access the self timer, video light, volume and zoom; select clips for playback, deletion, protection and sharing; as well as to choose the desired recording mode.
Operation is simple and straight-forward. Turn the unit on, select 2D or 3D recording, frame it up and press record. When you’re finished
297_C5_Sony MHS-FS3.indd 11 12/27/2011 3:02:16 PM
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reviews
by Doug Dixon
Blurring the Lines
Adobe
Premiere/
Photoshop
Elements 10
Editing Software
Adobe
www.adobe.com
strengths• Fully integrated Elements Organizer for
managing and sharing photos and video
• Deep automated analysis of media for
Smart Tags
• Guided Edits and how-tos
• Extensive creative options for sharing
photo collections and video productions
• Extensive online integration for
backup, syncing, sharing
weAknesses
• Requires up-front investment in
organizing media to enjoy full benefits
of automation
• Requires serious “enthusiast” interest
in doing video editing; not for quick work
• Automated processing can require
significant processing horsepower and
time
• Sometimes unclear where to find
specific functions among the multiple
applications
T
en years — Think of the advances in personal computers and digital video in that time. And now Adobe has released the tenth annual versions of its best-selling consumer Adobe Elements product line, Premiere Ele-ments 10 and Photoshop EleEle-ments 10. This latest edition continues Adobe’s focus on providing deep technical power to create impressive results, but packaged behind a friendly interface and extensive automated assists.The Elements applications are not for the casual user. They are designed for photo and video enthusiasts inter-ested in investing effort to organize and manage their media. The promise with this investment is the pay off through the automated assists to help manage those files and over time as you learn to the depth of these applications.
Video and Photos Together
The key new focus in Elements 10 is the
end of the distinction between pho-tography and videography. Consumers don’t want to carry multiple separate devices -- or worry about lugging around both a still camera and a video camcorder. Instead, they shoot both photos and video with the same capture device, whether a digital camera with video mode, a camcorder with photo mode, or simply on their smartphone.
Similarly, today’s media produc-tions also blur these lines, as a photo editor needs to combine a collec-tion of photos into an animated photo montage or slide show, and a video editor needs to incorporate still photos for titles, backgrounds, and overlay elements. Conveniently, this leads to the conclusion that you really need both kinds of tools, such as a bundle with both Premiere and Photoshop Elements.
This integration of photos and video is also combined with Adobe’s
• Premiere or Photoshop Elements 10 (Individual app) - US
$100,
upgrade
$80
• Both bundled together
$150,
upgrade
$120
• Premiere or Photoshop Elements 10 Plus (Individual app)
$140
( Adobe.com, U.S. only)
• Both bundled together with Plus
$180
• Adobe Elements Plus (additional online services, one year annual membership)
$50
297_C5_Adobe Elements_Photoshop 10.indd 12 12/28/2011 3:13:09 PM
VIDEOMAKER >>> FEbRuARy 2012
13
Adobe
Premiere/Photoshop Elements 10
reviews
Organizing and Searching
In Elements 10, the Organizer is now fully integrated between Premiere and Photoshop Elements, and fully func-tional on both Windows and the Mac. You can also use it to immediately share clips online, on YouTube, Photo-shop.com, and now also on Facebook. When you import new media, the Organizer does extensive processing of both photos and video clips, so this is not a tool for quick in-and-out edit-ing. Instead, the Auto-Analyzer per-forms intelligent content analysis to find the most interesting and highest quality imagery, and uses that infor-mation to automatically set a variety of Smart Tags for each piece of media.
Elements also performs People Rec-ognition to automatically identify and tag people in photos, even across time from children to adults. If you’re shar-ing photos on Facebook, the People emphasis on dealing with a
collec-tion of media as a separate issue from editing. Both Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements include a sepa-rate common Organizer tool, used to import media files from various de-vices and then organize and tag them. You can also apply basic photo fixes and create photo albums, and share photos and videos directly online. Then you can launch the individual applications for more extensive photo or video editing.
The Organizer integrates with Adobe’s online services, offering automatic online backup, synchroniza-tion of your media collecsynchroniza-tion between multiple computers running the Ele-ments Organizer, and Web access from computers and iOS or Android mobile devices using the Photoshop Express companion app. The Elements Plus upgrade increases the online storage from 2 to 20GB, and provides access to additional libraries of how-tos, movie themes, and video effects.
Photoshop Elements 10
Beyond the new photo capabilities in the Organizer, other enhance-ments in Photoshop Eleenhance-ments 10 include curving test that flows along paths and around objects, 30 new smart brush effects including Snow, Pencil Sketch, and Oil Pastel, and additional Guided Edits to provide step-by-step assistance for sophis-ticated activities including highlight-ing the subject with simulated depth of field, adding a diffuse glow to create a dreamlike Orton effect, and breaking a photo up into a collage of snapshot pieces. There are also nice refinements including crop line grid lines using Rule of Thirds or Golden Ratio for better composition, and saving photo creations (such as photo books) as individual JPEG or PDF pages for more convenient printing and sharing.
Adobe Carousel
Adobe Elements does media syn-chronization and sharing between computers running the Elements applications, online, and mobile devices. But Adobe has recently announced a separate product, Adobe Carousel, focused solely on keeping your entire photo library con-sistent across computers and mobile devices.
Adobe Carousel client apps are available for Mac OS computers and on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch (with versions for Windows and Android expected in the first half of 2012). Your entire photo collection then is accessible on any supported device through the Internet cloud — When you import new photos on the desktop, or take photos on your mobile device, or make edits, dele-tions or addidele-tions, any changes on one device are automatically updated across all devices linked with the account.
®
w w w . a z d e n c o r p . c o m
All you want in a high performance wireless microphone, the Azden 105 Series includes:
• 92 User selectable UHF frequencies (566.25-589.75MHz)
• Compact receiver with shoe-mount • Pivoting high gain antenna • 3.5mm DSLR microphone cable • Headphone output with volume control Available system combinations include: 105LT, 105LH, 105LX, 105HT, 105XT Visit the Azden website for system details.
THE AZDEN
105 DSLR SERIES
COMPACT,
AFFORDABLE
PERFORMER
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For comments, email: [email protected], use article #15521 in the subject line. You can comment and rate this article by going online: www.videomaker.com/article/15521
SUMMARY
Adobe Premiere Elements 10 and
Photoshop Elements 10 tools
lever-age advanced technology and
auto-mated analysis to reward motivated
users with great creative flexibility.
Doug Dixon covers digital media at Manifest-Tech.com.
hanced technology from professional editing, including the auto tone & vibrance tool to enhance footage color by automatically boosting tone and vibrance without affecting skin tones, and the Three Way Color Corrector to subtlety adjust colors independently for highlights, shadows, and mid-tones.
It also adds a pan and zoom tool to create customized pan and zoom motions across photos, automatically moving to the faces found in the earlier tagging. And it includes additional movie themes and Online Album templates, and adds SmartSound on the Mac to add musical soundtracks that automatically adjust to match the movie length. Premiere Elements 10 now comes in both a 32-bit and 64-bit version for Windows, opening up more memory and better perfor-mance for more complex productions.
Top 10
Adobe Premiere Elements 10 and Pho-toshop Elements 10 are a welcome next step in the decade-long progres-sion of the Elements line. These tools walk a delicate line between leverag-ing powerful technology and still proving a consumer-friendly interface with how-to and Guided Edit support.
In particular, there’s a lot of index-ing and processindex-ing goindex-ing on, especially when you first import collections of media files, which can get in the way of trying to do some simple job quickly. But this investment then pays off as you (and the automated processing) can leverage the media information to a better job of finding your media and enhancing your productions.
TECH SPECS
Trial Version: Yes, free 30-day trial
Operating System: Windows and Mac
OS
Minimum CPU: Windows - 2GHz or
faster processor with SSE2 support;
dual-core processor required for HDV
or AVCHD editing and Blu-ray or AVCHD
export, Mac - Multicore Intel processor
Minimum RAM: 2GB of RAM
Minimum Hard Drive Space for
Installation: 7GB of available hard-disk
space to install applications; additional
5GB to install content
Capture Formats: (DV25, DV50, Analog
Capture Cards, MicroMV, DVD
Camcord-ers, HD Ready):
Supported import/export
for-mats include: AVCHD, Blu-ray Disc
(export only), DV-AVI (import/export
on Windows, import only on Mac OS),
DVD, Dolby Digital Stereo, H.264, HDV,
MPEG-1 (import only), MPEG-2, MPEG-4,
MP3, QuickTime, Windows Media
(Win-dows only)
Batch Capture: No
Automatic Scene Detection: Yes
Number of Video/Audio Tracks: 99
Nesting Tracks: No
Audio/Video Level Envelopes: Yes
Audio Scrub: Yes
Keyframe Animation: Yes
Number of Video Transitions: 100+
Number of Video Filters: 90
Background Rendering: No
Realtime Software Previews: Yes
Optimized for Dual Processor/
HyperThreading: Yes (separate 64-bit
version available)
Third-party Plug-in Support: Yes
Batch Render: No
DVD Authoring Software Included:
Yes, part of app
Premiere Video
Once your media files are imported and under control, you can launch into Premiere Elements to work on your video production with a tradi-tional-style storyboard or timeline-editing interface. Use the project tab to import and assemble the media files for your production, and the edit tab to enhance with effects, transi-tions, titles, and clip art, or to apply professionally-designed themes.
Then use the disc menu tab to cre-ate menus for Blu-ray and DVD discs, and the share tab to export to files, discs, DV tape, mobile devices, online, or as an online Web DVD. Premiere Elements 10 now supports export-ing in high-quality AVCHD format, as well as burning hi-def movies to standard DVDs as AVCHD discs with menus, that you can then play back on Blu-ray players.
Premiere Elements 10 picks up en-Recognition now can automatically
tag faces in photos based on the infor-mation from your Facebook Friends list. And photos shared on Facebook can be tagged based on the informa-tion in the Organizer.
This processing, augmented by your own tags, then helps you to better organize your photos and footage, as well as assisting the Ele-ments tools to provide automated editing assistance. To find interesting photos, Elements 10 adds new visual searching options beyond text and tags. Visual similarity search, now on the Mac, finds photos with a similar general look, balanced between color and shapes. The new Object Search then finds specific objects that you select from within a photo. And the new duplicate photo search finds du-plicate or similar photos that you can clean up or group, to better organize your collection.
Adobe
Premiere/Photoshop Elements 10
REviEwS
297_C5_Adobe Elements_Photoshop 10.indd 14 12/28/2011 3:13:25 PM
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The 330 Series is a high quality dual-channel UHF camera-mount wireless system that features 188 User-Selectable frequencies.
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NVIDIA Quadro 4000 by PNY
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All Matrox MXO2 products now available with Thunderbolt Adapter for MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Mini!!!
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Roland VR-5 Mixer
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00prod-vmkr.indd 1 12/27/2011 2:19:32 PM
FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 12/28/2011 9:48:46 AM
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$439
Sound Investment
Audio-Technica
AT2022 X/Y Stereo
Microphone
Audio-Technica U.s., inc.
www.audio-technica.com
sTrengThs
• Quality + Cost = Good Value
• Adjustable stereo pickup pattern
• Lo-cut filter
• Solid construction
• Windscreen, battery and cable included
• Standard AA batteries are convenient
power source
weAknesses
• Output unbalanced
• Shock mounts = weak point; possible
damage if rotated by the capsule(s)
A
udio-Technica combines reason-able price with solid quality in the AT2022. Equally at home, in the field or in the studio this little microphone produces big audio without busting the budget.Impressive
Right out of the box, one is struck by the AT2022’s weight and appearance. At 9.5 ounces, its metal construction feels very well built and solid – like you could drive nails with it, though we don’t recommend doing so. Its oth-er distinguishing feature is the head. Perched atop the seven-inch long cylindrical body is the approximately 2.5-inch wide head, which is home to two unidirectional condenser capsules
situated across from, and facing one another in an X/Y configuration.
The capsules may be pivoted between 90 degrees and 120 degrees to custom select a narrower or wider pickup pattern. The underside of the head is clearly marked at 90 degrees and 120 degrees to aid in the accurate positioning of each capsule. When not in use the capsules may be folded flat for storage or transporting. Each of the capsules is fixed in its own shock mount, which is a great feature,
TeCh sPeCs
Elements: Fixed-charge back plate,
per-manently polarized condenser
Polar Pattern: X/Y Stereo
Frequency Response: 20-20,000Hz
Low Frequency Roll-Off: 150Hz, 6dB/
octave
Open Circuit Sensitivity: -41dB (8.9mV)
re 1V at 1Pa
Channel Balance: <2.5dB
Impedance: 200 ohms
Maximum Input Sound Level: 122dB
SPL, 1kHz at 1% T.H.D.
Dynamic Range (Typical): 103dB, 1kHz
at Max SPL
Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 75dB, 1kHz at 1Pa
Switch: Off, on/flat, on/roll-off
Weight: 9.5oz
Output Connector: Integral 3-pin XLRM-type
but care must be taken not to dam-age them when pivoting. Grasp the metal base behind the shock mount to change the angle of the capsules – not the capsules themselves.
The body unscrews and slides open to reveal the battery compartment. A single AA battery is required (alkaline recommended) and one has thought-fully been included. It is important to know, and remember, that this micro-phone has been designed for battery power only and that damage could
Dimensions: 7.56 inches long, 2.56
inches maximum head diameter;
0.83-inch body diameter
Battery Type: 1.5V AA/UM3 (WARNING:
The AT2022 is designed for battery
opera-tion only. Do not attempt to use when
phantom power is present. Possible
dam-age to the microphone may result.)
Battery Current/Life: 1.2mA; 500 hours
typical (alkaline)
Cable: 1.6 feet long, three conductor,
shielded, vinyl-jacketed stereo cable with
3-pin XLRF-type connector at
micro-phone end and 1/8-inch TRS connector at
output end
Accessories Furnished: AT8405a stand
clamp for 5/8"-27 threaded stands; fuzzy
windscreen; battery; soft protective pouch
297_C5_Audio Technica AT2022.indd 16 12/28/2011 3:00:38 PM
For comments, email: [email protected], use article #15520 in the subject line. You can comment and rate this article by going online: www.videomaker.com/article/15520
VIDEOMAKER >>> FEbRuARy 2012
17
Audio-Technica
AT2022
reviews
sUMMArY
For stereo audio on a budget,
Audio-Technica’s AT2022 stereo microphone
may well be a sound investment for
producers at every level.
Mark Holder is a video producer and trainer.
the last one. At any rate, we discovered that while quiet sounds don’t pick up terribly well, sounds at moderate vol-umes and loud sounds pick up nicely. We also found that even a little bit of wind creates quite a bit of racket, so the windscreen is definitely needed when outdoors. Overall, sound repro-duction was very good with a frequen-cy response that delivered a nice, full bottom and a crisp upper end.
Regardless of venue or application the AT2022 provides very good quality at a reasonable price.
result if phantom power is used. Power is controlled using a three-po-sition switch located on the upper third of the body nearest the head. Available positions are Off, L-Cut and Flat. The L-Cut position switches the unit on, as well as the built-in low-cut filter, which initiates a roll-off of 6dB per octave at 150Hz. This feature is useful for reduc-ing the capture of low-frequency noise like air conditioners and cars driving by.
At the base of the microphone is a typical 3-pin XLR-type connector. There is a difference here, how-ever. While XLR connectors usually provide for a balanced audio signal, the AT2022 produces an unbalanced output. The unbalanced signal uses Pin 2 and Pin 3 for the left and right channels respectively, with each using Pin 1 as its ground. The audio signal travels from microphone to recorder via a 1.6-foot cable having a 3-pin fe-male XLR-type connector at one end and a 1/8-inch TRS connector at the
other. Having a standard 1/8-inch con-nector, and battery power, allows the AT2022 to be used with a wide variety of audio and video recording devices.
The microphone comes with the aforementioned battery and cable as well as a microphone stand clamp for 5/8"-27 threaded stands, a soft zip-pered pouch and a fuzzy windscreen. The windscreen has long “hairs” and is a must in windy conditions. The fi-bers do a good job of diffusing the ef-fects of the wind on the microphone’s capsules thereby reducing the amount of captured wind noise.
Sounding Off
The AT2022 performs as well as it sounds. While out and about, wander-ing through a busy park and tethered to an Olympus portable audio record-er, many great sounds were recorded. People talking, children laughing, dogs barking, cars driving by and a par-tridge in a pear tree. Well, maybe not
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