Thanks to the youtube “Original” quality mode, you can now enjoy anamorphic videos like the one below in super high resolution, higher than any other online streaming site. While the quality is not as good as looking at the raw files, it certainly makes for a whole new online viewing experience.
This video was shot during the testing of our LA7200 adapter in preparation for a new anamorphic lens tutorial series.
Description: A short action scene originally made for the Sprint Epic Movie commercial contest 2010 (and rejected for unspecified reasons). This over-the-top kill is a walk in the park for this unquestionably precise, clever and creative mafia hitman known only as Rend. After cleaning his Colt .45 1911 he delivers death, not from above, but from the depths below.
Gear: Canon 5D2, SV Tungsten light, small 3200k ikea lamps for highlights. LED flashlights for lense flares and accents. Sound recorded with a Sennheiser me66 shotgun mic and Zoom H4n combo. Lens was an Iscorama 36 anamorphic + a cheap Digital Concepts diopter 4-piece set from ebay.
It is now late 2010. We’ve seen all the new HDDSLRs (vDslrs) for the year. As usual, we continue to see the same old problems come up in new models, and even other new problems arise as well. Here’s why the Hacked GH1 is still your best bet.
Hacked GH1 vs GH2
Admittedly we’ve seen very little sample footage from the new camera. But what we have seen hasn’t been encouraging. Even though the bit rate has been increased and the codec has been fixed, the samples that are available show the following:
1. Codec falling apart in pans
2. Crippled HDMI by blinking record icon
3. Serious amounts of edge enhancement
Sure, these may be fixed in the retail model come December, but at this point don’t count on it.
Hacked GH1 vs Canon 60D.
The 60D is a perfectly viable choice if you don’t have the cash for a 7D. The image quality is good, and is exactly the same video picture that is present in the t2i, 7D and 5D. That is to say, in 1080p mode your really only getting a little better than 720p resolution, and compared side-by-side in video mode, all of the Canon cameras look blurry compared to the Hacked GH1.
Hacked GH1 vs Nikon D7000
Again we’ve only seen a few samples from this camera, and 2 years after the D90, Nikon has finally caught up to Canon in resolution, and moire. The D7000 and the 7D are very similar looking in video mode, which is great for Nikon to catch up, but there is certainly no reason to upgrade to this camera for it’s video function over say a Canon t2i. (We are not talking photography specs here, video modes only)
Hacked GH1 drawbacks
The GH1 has no been around for over a year, and people know things can get pretty ugly.
– In the dark, FPN takes over the picture and makes it unusable outside of Neat Video.
– There is no hacked Live Video monitoring option as of yet (not holding my breath that it will ever happen)
– Audio input into the GH1 is a joke, but I think it’s insane that people would try to use the camera alone for EPK stuffs anyway
– No Digital Aperture control for whiny Canon EOS and Nikon G lens owners
Still, even with these drawbacks, I dare you to compare the 1080p and 720p modes of the hacked GH1 to any other still camera available today.
Oh and I expect the AF100 to walk on water and perform all sorts of miracles, but for that we still have to wait a few months, unless Panasonic sends one our way for testing.
Creative Info: To further development on the series, I began taking the series out of the “fake commercial” box I set initially and turned it into episodic content. For that, I thought it only natural to bring in other big names to the series. I felt the most opposite crossover for them was Snake from MGS. His tactical stealthiness would clash quite nicely compared to the loud, flashy combat of the Rangers. Plus, him seeing the ridiculous zord transformations for the first time would be fucking hilarious. I also had the chance to discover the talent of SpeedRacerFiber who is another YouTuber and voice actor that happens to have one of the most hilarious Snake impressions ever.
Braggarts Corner: I posted on GameTrailers as well and it was an instant smash with the community, going so far as to be chosen as Featured Movie of the Week.…
Creative Info: The third episode of our Power Rangers toy spoofs. This is where I start to cross over into gaming territory. Imagine the Green Ranger as a spoiled WoW jerk who hates being told he’s wrong, trying to operate his zord with PC video game controls while having the Red ranger school him like a little bitch over Vent or Teamspeak.
Technical Info: I shot this while experimenting with my vintage Iscorama 36 anamorphic lens, which is what causes the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, organic lens flares and unique oval bokeh.
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