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How to Use Your Laptop as a Free External Monitor for a Canon DSLR

09.7.11 @ 4:25PM Tags : 5d, 60d, 7d, canon, dslr, monitor, t2i, t3i

I’ve been doing a number of interviews and filming self-shot videos as part of my attempt to make my first feature film. I’ve used a number of external monitors with my 5D Mark II in the past but I don’t actually own one myself, so I haven’t been able to see the rear LCD while I’m standing in front of the camera. But as I was shooting an interview with NextWaveDV’s Tony Reale today, he mentioned that I could use the free bundled EOS Utility software to monitor the camera’s output over USB with my laptop. As the author of The DSLR Cinematography Guide, it seems stupid that I didn’t know this, but I’d either forgotten (very possible, as my brain is quite frazzled these days running the campaign) or I’d never tried it in the first place. It’s the cheapest way to get an external monitor (since it costs nothing): More »

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Hacker Doubles Panasonic GH1 Bitrate to 86Mbit/sec

09.15.10 @ 9:40AM Tags : 5dmarkii, 7d, cinematography, dslr, gh1, panasonic

By disabling the “write speed detection” failsafe of the Panasonic GH1, hacker Chris has doubled the GH1‘s AVCHD bitrate from 44Mbit to 86Mbit — a drastic increase over the camera’s stock speed of 17Mbit/sec. The culprit in limiting the previous incarnation of the hack to 44Mbit was apparently Panasonic’s desire to make the camera compatible with cheaper SD cards, thus placing an artificial limit on the SD write speed, independent of the actual speed of the card used — since removed by Chris. From EOSHD: More »

1

The Canon 7D Studio Version Does Not Make Your 7D Obsolete

08.6.10 @ 2:53PM Tags : 7d, canon7d, dslr

Unbeknownst to many, Canon has been quietly shipping a new version of the Canon 7D. Does this mean your current 7D is obsolete? Not at all. The new package, referred as the Studio Version of the camera, consists of an internally-modified 7D body packaged with the WFT-E5A wireless file transmitter. For DSLR filmmakers, what does this mean? More »

1

How Good are DSLRs in Low Light, Really?

08.3.10 @ 3:28PM Tags : 5d, 7d, cameras, cinematography, dslr, ex1, hpx370

Are DSLRs really more sensitive than cameras that cost several times as much? Video guru Adam Wilt compares the Canon 5D and 7D with the Panasonic HPX370, Sony EX1, and RED ONE (including the new Mysterium-X sensor) at ProVideo Coalition. What did Adam find? More »

5

How to Save $700 on a DSLR

07.26.10 @ 11:03AM Tags : 1d, 5d, 7d, dslr, ebay, gh1, howto, savings, t2i

Yes, you can save $700 on a DSLR. Here’s how. More »