The Hip Kodak Super 8MM Camera

KODAK SUPER 8MM CAMERA

Kodak CEO, Jeff Clark, talks with The Verge’s Sean O’Kane about Kodak’s new 8MM film camera, how it works, why J.J. Abrams loves it and why exactly the company is going retro.

“ANALOGUE RENAISSANCE”

Personally, I love the idea of this new camera. What’s not to love? It seems that Kodak is hoping to usher in a new “analogue renaissance” with this camera. I can honestly see that happening. Super 8 got it’s start as the official home movie media of the ’60s, and it’s still alive today.

That unmistakeable look and feel of film is now once again available. Kodak has built an entire echo system for the Super 8 camera. You shoot, they process, scan, and deliver. The camera itself hasn’t changed much since the first release, except for one major factor. The camera now has an LCD swivel viewfinder which will help with nailing exposure. There’s also a built in light meter. Currently, there are only two lenses available and I haven’t seen any others rumored yet. There’s a fixed 6mm and an 8-48mm zoom. Both of which should confortably provide you with everything you need to shoot your next film.

I’m excited about this camera. My mind is spinning with ideas for films, short and feature length, that I could possibly shoot. One extra little nugget of information is that this camera is not terribly priced, in my opinion. I believe the base price is $400 and will go up to around $750, but I’m not completely certain. The price of the film isn’t outlandish either when you consider that includes the processing, scanning, and delivery. Why wouldn’t you want to experiment with this medium?

Also, I think I read somewhere that there will be some fun competitions once the camera is released. The Super 8mm should be released some time this year. You can find more information on Kodak’s Super 8 hybrid camera and accessories here.

Cheers!

The Hip Kodak Super 8MM Camera

Understanding Depth of Field & Lens Equivalents

WHAT IS DEPTH OF FIELD?

Check out this fantastic 18-minute educational video from Filmmaker IQ on depth of field and its relationship to lenses  and sensor size.

FILMMAKER IQ

I recently discovered Filmmaker IQ a couple of months back while perusing the interwebs in search of some post-production tutorials. The guys over at Filmmaker IQ are great. The lessons are easy to understand and informative. They’ve got a set of other videos related to this one. The Science of Camera Sensors, The History and Science of Lenses, and The Features and Properties of Lenses will entertain your inner geek. Not to mention give you a helpful dose of “know-how”.

If you like Filmmaker IQ, check out their website for more mind tingling articles and videos here. It never hurts to have great source of reference material.

Understanding Depth of Field & Lens Equivalents

U Koala Bag Promo Shoot

This week I shot a promo for U Koala Bag. Mayan, the designer, is based out of Charlotte, NC, and she’s quite the character. Very bubbly, friendly, and always welcoming. We met at the AWA Convention in Atlanta this past September. Not only did Mandy and I have a blast at the convention, but I scored a gig from it too. Some times it pays to let your geek flag fly. For more info on her bags click here.

WHAT IS THE U KOALA BAG?

Mayan designs versitile utility bags. You might remember this style of drop waist bag from the ’80s. As they say, everything old is new again. There are multiple pouches of  different sizes. The bags come in different types of materials. Some, like mine, are water resistant. So for those outdoorsy types, you might just like that. When I saw these bags, I immediately could see how handy they could be for someone in the entertainment industry. Or rather, someone working behind the scenes. Both Mandy and I ended up getting a couple bags after we returned home.

The bags can be worn in a number of different ways. You can wear it as a sling, over the shoulder, or, my personal favorite, a drop waist bag. Pretty much all of the bags come with adjustable straps that will allow you to further secure the bag to your body.

MY THOUGHTS ON U KOALA BAG…

What I found was that they are actually pretty handy for daily use. Not totally sure I would use them every day, but I could see and have used my bag pretty often. I like having a small book in which I jot down ideas, but hated carrying it in one of my pockets. These U Koala Bags gave me the opportunity to carry a book, pens, my wallet, a charger for my phone and tablet, and anything else I might need. Pretty nifty. This really paid off on a recent shoot.

I helped a friend on a recent shoot by doing some BTS images for his short film. I saw this as an opportunity to try out the bag in a work atmostphere. I had my sling camera bag with the usual items in it, but then threw batteries, a speedlight, a Leatherman, notebook, pens, Sharpie, and a few other items into it. This proved to be a great option while running around outdoors at night snapping photos. Aside from that, I could see this bag being great for travel too.

THE SHOOT

We met a couple times on returning to Charlotte to discuss the plans for the shoot. We knew she needed some lifestyle images, product shots, and a portrait or two. Seems like all in a day’s work, right? We planned on doing a whole slew of different kinds of lifestyle images, but eventually decided on the biker/motorcycle theme.

I wrangled a friend and his custom motorcyle for the shoot and Mandy did some modeling as well. This was her first time on a motorcyle and you can tell from one of the images that she’s crazy excited.

Cheers!

U Koala Bag Promo Shoot

Contouring Makeup In Photoshop

Contouring Makeup in Photoshop from PHLEARN. Check out more from Aaron Nace at http://phlearn.com

Here’s a great helpful video for all you Photoshop addicts out there.

Contouring Makeup In Photoshop

Fuji X-PRO2 Is Here!

The Fuji X-Pro2 is finally here! Do I sound excited? I am, but not as excited as I will be when I get my hands on one. This is easily Fuji’s most anticipated camera release in years. There’s a new sensor as well as a new processor on this puppy. The sync speed has been increased. The body is weather proof. The list goes on. There’s a ton of techie geeky specs here for those interested.

I have been a fan of Fuji for a while now and it wasn’t until recently that I finally made the switch. This past year I dropped Nikon for Fuji. Sorry, Nikon. You and I had a wonderful relationship over the years, but something needed to change. I wanted to lessen my load while still getting amazing quality. The first session I shot with my X-T10, I was sold. These little cameras are amazing. They’re inspirational. They’re magical.

I realize the retro styling isn’t for everyone, and that’s totally cool. It is for me though. These cameras remind me of the kind I used as a wee one. The image quality is astonding, and when used with Fuji glass, well, it’s a match made in heaven. Fuji’s glass is, hands down, some of the best in the industry.

But I digress…I watched a few video reviews on the X-Pro2 this weekend. I really liked what the folks over at The Camera Store TV put out. Sure, it may sound like “fanboy” through most of it, but it’s overall a great review. I’ve included a link to their YouTube channel here. Here’s the full link as well:

www.youtube.com/channel/UCqpOf_Nl5F4tjwlxOVS6h8A

If anyone out there has had the chance to play with one of these bad boys, I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers!

Austin

Fuji X-PRO2 Is Here!