Thoughts

Kodak Zi8 Review – Kodak vs Flip vs GoPro vs iPhone 4S

Gear, Multimedia, Still photography, Tech stuff, Thoughts, Video

The Kodak Zi8 is a great little tool. Here is a quick Kodak Zi8 review to help you decide if you should buy it or not.

 

 

Pros:

The Kodak Zi8 shoots 1080p HD video.

Input for external microphone.

Uses SD memory cards, not built-in memory.

Great size. Small but not too small. Kodak Zi8 is about the size of an iPhone.

 

Cons:

Not all HD is the same. The Kodak Zi8 footage quality leaves something to be desired.

Battery life is short.

Still photographs are poor quality

 

The Kodak Zi8 makes for a decent secondary camera for b-roll, detail/secondary angles for interviews, and for time lapses. It’s also great for attaching to something like bicycle handlebars without having to worry about breaking an expensive camera. I wouldn’t write a Kodak Zi8 review without saying that the battery is crap and the still images it takes are pretty useless. But that’s fine – it’s still worth buying and it’s better than a Flip camera.

Why is it better than a Flip camera? What is better – Kodak Zi8 vs Flip? Well, the Flip doesn’t use SD cards so you are limited to what the Flip’s built-in memory can hold. Also, the Flip doesn’t work with external audio. And if you know anything about good multimedia and good film making, it’s that audio is everything. That said, the Flip shots slightly better footage than does the Kodak Zi8, but everything else about the Flip camera is worse. The Flip isn’t bad, it’s just worse in comparison to the Kodak Zi8. Review it differently if you disagree, and send me your review so I can read it!

So what about the Kodak Zi8 vs Flip vs GoPro? If you’re in the market for a pocket HD digital video camera, then you are probably looking at the Kodak Zi8, the Flip camera, and the GoPro. The benefit of the GoPro is that it’s rugged and the newest version of the GoPro shoots better quality footage than both the Flip camera and the Kodak Zi8. The GoPro is, however, more expensive. So it’s really in another category, but it is similar to the Flip camera and the Kodak Zi8. So in the context of a Kodak Zi8 review, I’ll have to say that the Zi8 is the best choice, and if you have extra money or want to send a list to Santa this year, then consider the GoPro as an upgrade. But keep in mind that the GoPro has the same audio drawbacks as the Flip camera, and in the audio arena the Kodak Zi8 is the winner.

I’ll finish this Kodak Zi8 review with a little endorsement for the iPhone 4S. If you don’t care about audio, then ditch the Kodak Zi8 and pickup an iPhone 4S. It will shoot as good as all three of the pocket digital video cameras mentioned above, but it’s the only one that makes calls and tells how to get home when you’re lost … ! Good luck shopping.

Final Cut Pro 10.0.1 Review – Sofware Update

Gear, Multimedia, Tech stuff, Thoughts, Video

I wrote a recent review that was a pretty harsh critique of Final Cut Pro X and I do have to say that Apple took care of a lot of issues with its recent Final Cut Pro 10.0.1 software update. FCP version 10.0.1 (some people think it is FCP 10.1 but it’s not … not quite yet) is a nice revision of FCP X, which smooths a few of the rough edges of the first release of FCP X.

What we get with Final Cut Pro 10.0.1 is XML capability finally, as well as improved cross dissolve (and other) transitions without having to create a second storyline. This was an overlook in the first version and seemed weird, so I’m glad they fixed that. We also get solutions to other annoying bugs like the lower thirds malfunction that I described in an earlier post. It also feels a bit quicker. I do have to say that I upgraded to a new iMac this week, and FCP X really works slick and quick on this new machine. That hardware upgrade made me a lot happier with FCP X, but I do think that in general Apple is going in the right direction with the software and we’ll see more professionals using it soon.

I’m still on the fence as to whether or not it is the best tool out there, but I am continuing to use it more and more because I don’t have to transcode my Canon 5D mark II footage and I don’t have to wait for Final Cut Pro to render all the time, as I did with FCP 7. It is also a dream to be able to sync my separate audio and video files with one click (without buying an expensive plugin). And all of this costs $300. As the software updates from Apple continue to come, I am going to use FCP X more and more as my primary editing package.

Google Maps Photojournalism | Seattle Photographer

Google Maps, Other people's work, Published work, Seattle, Still photography, Tech stuff, Thoughts

Is this the new face of photojournalism? Google Maps is certainly part of the future of photojournalism, like it or not. (Related: See my Google Maps photo essay.)

Below is a screen shot of SeattlePI.com and you can see how they have utilized a Google Maps Street View image for reporting purposes. It’s very sad that a woman was shot and in this case an actual human photographer I think would be able to cover this story quite well, but instead we have a Google Maps image taking the place of traditional photojournalism. Of course I’m sure the SeattlePI.com journalists would agree that using a human photojournalist would be ideal – and seeing Google Maps in this story probably comes down to a case of budget constraints.

I’m actually surprised that I have not seen more Google Maps images in the press, but I am wondering how the readers are responding to this. Right now there are four comments on the story but they all relate to the rather shocking content of the story, not the use of a Google Maps image. My guess is that viewers/readers do not care one bit. They probably do care that the image presented is pretty boring, but that is not necessarily because it is a Google Maps image. There are plenty of pretty and interesting Google Maps images out there, but just like traditional photojournalism it takes time, energy and expertise to find those images.

For me, I really am intrigued by the use of Google Maps images for photojournalism, reportage and photo essays, but the image below isn’t exactly a good supporting argument. Aren’t I afraid of losing my job? Not really. I actually think that the more that Google Maps images pop up, the more that media consumers will realize that their lives are constantly under surveillance. For this reason, and others, I think folks will begin to remember why they love images made by real, empathetic, human photojournalists. There is something great that people love about images made by other humans, and the screen shot below can help with understanding that. However, as a photojournalist myself I’ve found that using Google Maps can be rewarding. Part of my graduate school capstone work included a Google Maps Street View photo essay.

 

Final Cut Pro X Review | Seattle Photographer

Gear, Multimedia, Tech stuff, Thoughts, Video

Update 11/14/2011: Final Cut Pro 10.0.1 brought good updates and changed my outlook somewhat.

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After using the software for a few months now, I finally feel that I can write a well-informed Final Cut Pro X review. Let’s get right to it: don’t buy Final Cut Pro X. Not just yet.

This was a massive overhaul of the software and anyone should know that it’s risky to jump on the bandwagon with a 1.0 release. Don’t get me wrong – I like Final Cut Pro X and I think it has a lot of potential, but there are too many bugs right now. Extremely frustrating bugs. Bugs that make this software a huge waste of time and inappropriate for professional use.

The trailer you see below is one I made for With Nature in Mind using Final Cut Pro X, along with a full 7-minute video that is almost finished. It was fun to learn the new software while creating these videos, and there are a lot of great features in the software, but this is an honest Final Cut Pro X review so I have to tell both sides of the story.

The bugs are frustrating. The worst one happens when using the lower third templates (the little name and title animations for interviews). What happens is that I insert a lower third over someone talking, type in their name and information, and then move along with my editing. But after a while, the changes to the lower third get lost over and over again at different times in the editing process. Sometimes, I’ll have the video project completely finished in Final Cut Pro X and I’ll export it. Everything looks fine. Then I go back in to change something small – and completely unrelated to the lower thirds in the project – but what will happen is the lower thirds reset themselves and just say “Name” in place of the interviewees’ actual names! This has happened too many times. Often times the formatting that I have applied to the lower third is also lost. See pics below.

Another weird bug that happens that I haven’t read in other Final Cut Pro X reviews is that the audio becomes distorted upon export and upload to YouTube. When I export a video and watch it on my computer, it sounds fine, but when I upload to YouTube, often the audio gets very scratchy. I know this is a transcoding problem because I found a way to work around it. The problem disappears if, after export from Final Cut Pro X, I open the video in Quicktime and use that program’s “Save As” function and select “1080p.” This essentially re-transcodes the video file and somehow fixes whatever Final Cut Pro X is doing wrong. Very weird. And another time waster.

The funny thing is, I started using the software in order to save time, but this Final Cut Pro X review is sadly going to tell you that Final Cut Pro X wastes more of your time than it saves. Yes, it’s true that you can sync an audio track with a video track in one click (something huge for DSLR interview shooters like myself). Yes, you can edit h.264 footage without having to first transcode to something like Prores 422 via MPEG Streamclip. And yes, it’s true that you don’t have to wait for Final Cut Pro X to render (at all). But what they don’t tell you is that the program becomes quite slow during the “background rendering” that Final Cut Pro X uses, but this is probably not a big deal on newer machines. My Macbook Pro is from mid-2008, but still is generally quite fast and does great with the previous versions of Final Cut Pro. Also, in general, Final Cut Pro X is just slow overall compared to previous versions. Again, yes, my machine is older, but comparing Final Cut Pro 7 to Final Cut Pro X head to head … the older version is way faster.

So here is my advice – since you have invested your time in reading this Final Cut Pro X review, do you yourself another favor and save your time by avoiding Final Cut Pro X until 10.1 comes out. If you don’t like that, then switch to Adobe Premiere. Call me too patient, but I’ll wait to see if 10.1 works or not before I switch. Unlike many, many other photographers and video producers out there.

Canon 1D X camera announcement | Seattle Photographer

Gear, Still photography, Tech stuff, Thoughts

Exciting news – I just saw the announcement of the upcoming release of the Canon 1D X, which combines the 1Ds line of camera bodies and the 1D line. You can see the official press release here.

Before I can actually get my hands on it (can I borrow $6,800?) I’ll have to say that the Canon 1D X will be a useful update for photojournalists and filmmakers/videographers because of a few new things – first, it is now a full frame camera body, unlike the 1D series, which had a 1.3x crop factor. That meant that you didn’t see everything the lens gave the camera; everything was cropped/zoomed in by a factor of 1.3. Now, the 1D X matches the 5D mark II in full frame capability, so the image will be much nicer. Additionally, you can adjust the audio levels on the 1D X while recording video. Before – and with the Canon 5D mark II – you had to pick an audio level setting and leave it. On-the-go adjustments are crucial for filmmakers, especially when it comes to audio.

Another great thing is that the 1D X shoots 60p video, which means you get 60 frames per second so that you can get more out of your slow-mo shots, especially with the help of Final Cut Pro plugins like Twixtor. Again, the 5D mark II lags behind – with a max of 30p (though the 7D shoots 60p as does the 1D mark IV).

There is a whole host of other new features and crazy upgrades (14 frames per second for sports … or LOTS of pictures of your cat), but I just wanted to highlight a couple of my favorite things. We’ll see how the thing functions when it actually comes out and if there are any issues like with the last time Canon released such a heavily redesigned product. 1D mark III auto focus defection nightmares anyone?

 

Photojournalism & Famine: David Campbell’s Analysis

Other people's work, Thoughts

I was referred to the blog of David Campbell by the late Tim Hetherington and have a great deal of respect for Campbell as a scholar and a blogger. I cited some of his work in my capstone project for graduate school and I think he is asking a lot of good, tough questions. The problem is that many in the realm of photojournalism quickly become defensive when hearing Campbell’s thoughts.

Campbell stirred up quite a discussion this week with his critical analysis of famine coverage by photojournalists, a conversation Campbell has been part of for a while but a conversation that has new energy due to the current famine in East Africa. Campbell engaged with some the criticism of his original blog post in a second blog post. Have a look at these because it is an important conversation to be having. I’ve included a particularly important passage below, from his first blog post.

 

“We can easily lament the limitations of famine iconography, especially the way it homogenises, anthropomorphises, infantilises and impoverishes. But above all else we have to understand it is a visual sign of failure. The recourse to the stereotypes of famine is driven by the complex political circumstances photography has historically been unable to capture. This means that when we see the images of distressed people, feeding clinics and starving babies, we are seeing the end result of a collective inability to picture causes and context.” –David Campbell

Google Maps Street View Photography

Google Maps, My work, Still photography, Thoughts, UW Bothell

This image is part of a photo essay I created as part of my capstone project for the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies at UW Bothell, which I recently completed. My goal was to use the method of Google Maps “street photography,” by taking screen shots, to draw attention to the constant surveillance and organizational control that comes along with the Street View project. More images and more info to come …

 

Jason Eskenazi – “The Black Garden”

Multimedia, Other people's work, Still photography, Thoughts, Travel

I had the privilege of meeting Jason Eskenazi last summer and he continues to be one of the best photographers that you probably haven’t heard of. (Check out his website). This is his new project, The Black Garden, on Kickstarter, which is an awesome new website designed to help find funding for creative projects. If you haven’t been to Kickstarter yet, I strongly encourage you to visit the site and have a look around. And support Jason’s latest project if you can. Stay tuned and look for one of my projects on Kickstarter soon.

Sweet Crude

Multimedia, Other people's work, Thoughts, UW Bothell

I had to the opportunity to hear documentary filmmaker Sandy Cioffi speak last night in my graduate school class at UW Bothell and it was a great experience. We were hearing someone so passionate, smart and politically inclined – and it was a breath of fresh air to hear that someone like this has decided to run for Seattle City Council. We watched her film, Sweet Crude, and then had an hour to ask questions. Cioffi deserves your vote and your volunteer time on her campaign.

Most photographers and documentary filmmakers believe that the best way to effect change is via the camera, but Cioffi has decided to make an interesting new path through local politics and I’m very interested to see how she does.

I’ve embedded the trailer for the film below. The DVD comes out soon.
 

International District Timelapse

Gear, Multimedia, My work, Tech stuff, Thoughts

This is just a short time lapse I made for fun while having dinner with a view of the street and our bikes in the International District in Seattle recently. I can’t say enough good things about the iPhone’s Timelapse app. If you’re searching for it on the App Store, it’s the only one with the simple title “Timelapse.” Just that word, nothing else.

It’s super easy to use and allows you to create time lapse videos wherever you go. To create an instant video from the pictures it takes, choose “encode video.” For higher quality videos, don’t choose “encode video,” as this will allow you to simply have a large amount of images that you will use to create a video on your computer using Final Cut Pro or other editing software. You can set the app to take pictures for a set amount of time or to end at a certain time, and it can take pictures every second, every few seconds, every minute, etc. I like every two seconds for longer time lapses, which span over several hours.

Final Cut Pro X

Gear, Tech stuff, Thoughts

Apple just announced Final Cut Pro X will be available in June. It comes with a new look and features that will make editing a lot faster. I personally will upgrade because of two things: It will be able to render in the background while I edit and it supports native editing. What does that mean? Lots of time saved.

Rendering can take forever because you have to wait for Final Cut to process the changes that you have made to a video project. To preview the changes you have made, you have to render, but with the new version of Final Cut the you will be able to see your changes instantaneously. This will make me more efficient and allow me to pass the savings on to my clients.

What is native editing? This means you don’t have to transcode (convert) video files to an editing format like Apple’s Prores 422 anymore. My workhorse camera body, the Canon 5D mark II, shoots in H.264, which takes forever to edit in Final Cut and so I edit in Prores 422. Rendering that H.264 footage is such a time waster that no one does it and Prores is a kind of an industry standard. But again, this takes time and now we won’t have to wait the sometimes hours it takes for transcoding. Adobe Premiere allowed native editing of H.264 last year, and Apple finally caught up with this new version of Final Cut Pro X. I know some people (Philip Bloom is one) who switched to Premiere solely because of the native H.264 editing option, so you can see that this is a valuable feature.

The new look of Final Cut Pro X seems a bit lame to me personally, but I don’t care what it looks like as long as it performs well. I am definitely looking forward to the new $300 price tag, which was nice to hear since Final Cut only came in the Studio package in the past, bundled with several other programs with a depressingly high price tag.