“Prague” shot on the Canon 1DMKIV

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You can order the 7D download video, which also covers the 5DmkII from this page and get 20% with the Christmas promotional code of “starwars”

I finally got my hands on a pre-production Canon 1Dmkiv this weekend. I could have had one about 3 weeks ago but it clashed when I was in the US unfortunately. So I scheduled it for this weekend and took up the offer of director Albert Hughes (of The Hughes Brothers) to come visit him in Prague. A great place to test out the new camera and it’s almost legendary low light capabilities.

Albert Hughes
Albert taken on the iphone using the Hipstamatic camera app

Albert wrote to me mid last year after seeing my work online and we have been in touch ever since, through his making of “The Book Of Eli” which he shot on RED. This gave him the taste for  digital filmmaking and he bought a 5DmkII and a 7D. I almost met him in person in LA but it didn’t happen due to crazy schedules. Albert lives in Prague and it’s only a 2 hour flight from London for me.

So I took the 1DmkIV with me, 2 spare batteries, lots of cards, my new Manfrotto tripod 055XPROB with 701 HDV head as i wanted something even more lightweight than my usual Miller DS20 and something that worked directly with the Glidetrack as it doesn’t have bowl. A pain for levelling but great for the glidetrack. This is the same Glidetrack Shooter SD that I used at Lucasfilm for my short film there. I also took a tonne of lenses. 16-35mm f2.8 L, 24m F1.4 L, 24mm f3.5 TS L, 35mm F1.4 L, 50mm F1.2 L, 85 F1.2 L, 70-200mm F2.8L. Some Singh-Ray and Fader ND Variable ND filters, my Zacuto rig and some warm clothes.

Prague was COLD. Last time I was this cold was probably when I filmed in Siberia!

I didn’t do any day filming. I just wanted to do everything at night.

I started off by meeting Daniel Bird, who cut my Greenpeace commercial, I hadn’t met him yet so it was a great to chance to thank him for the great job he did on it. He lives in Prague too.

We did some filming around the river (that’s Daniel on the bench in the film), around the Charles Bridge, which unfortunately had loads of scaffolding on it so was not looking at it’s best as you can see! Then Rick McCallum who I had just spent a week with at Skywalker Ranch, met us on the bridge after just flying in, jet lagged of course! Another Prague resident!

Rick and Daniel
Rick and Daniel on the Charles Bridge

Rick stayed with us for a bit before going back into the warm and to get some sleep, Daniel went off to do some work for Greenpeace, so I carried on and walked to the main square to do some more filming.

I was out until about 11pm, when my nuts officially fell off due to frostbite!

We went out again the next day, myself, Rick, Daniel and Albert. It was even colder. Rick had his 7D, Miller DS20 and some lenses. I had the same gear as before. We did some nice high shots and some timelapse from up there (which I didn’t use!). Oh and Rick….I need your footage for the edit! You forgot to give it to me!

Rick with my Panasonic GF1 and Zacuto Z-Finder

Should have covered my ear

1DmkiV on the Glidetrack and Manfrotto

Rick and I stuck with the cold the longest and we did some nice stuff in the main square, including the money shot…Rick eating a massive hot dog. Love that shot. I was about to pack up and go when Rick went home but I just didn’t feel like I had nailed it, there wasn’t enough. There was something missing…so I started doing some timelapse shots using the stills mode and the cheap ebay intervalometer from China that I had with me. I even did one with me static in the middle of frame for something different. Boy did I get some looks! Then the magic happened. It started snowing beautiful lush snow flakes. Into 720 50p mode I went and got some lovely shots of the snow coming down to slow mo in post using cinema tools (tutorial under er…tutorials!).

Thank god for legendary 1DmkiV weatherproofing!

So that was the filming….how did I like the 1DmkiV? This is based on the pre-production model…

Very much…first off, it’s a beast. Rugged, just how a camera should be, more and more cameras these days like the EX1 etc are just not that robust. This is the first camera I had used in years that I didn’t worry about. The 7D has great weatherproofing, the 5DmkII is not bad either. But the build of this camera is superb.

As I said, built like a tank. I like these batteries a lot more than the piddly little ones you get with the 5dmkii and 7D. These last a good 2-3 hours of shooting. I didn’t use the dual slot with the SDHC slot, but nice to have.

The light sensitivity is great. You can shoot pretty clean at 3200, but i did notice a fair bit of noise at 6400, especially with any lenses which were either stopped down to F2.8 or F2.8 max. You could really see the noise in the blacks…I had a pretty neutral picture profile and tried HTP, but didn’t make any difference. So really I was trying not to shoot over 3200. This is great as I find the 7D a bit noisy at 1600 at times and the 5DmkII too noisy at 3200. So a nice big step up. Noise is fine for actuality, but when you want something clean I want to avoid it.

There are no concessions to video users on the outside of this camera. Those lovely dedicated buttons for video on the 7D are not here. Although all the frame rates from the 7D are here, 24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p. The proper variants of these too! This is primarily a stills cameras, especially for sports and news snappers. The video is there and is great but it doesn’t wear it colours on the outside.

The crop is an odd one. I.3x.APS-H. I understand why but for video it’s a bit of a pain. With the L/ EF series glass with have nice full frame lenses and we can get some great wide angle shots with them. I love my 16-35mm lens. Gorgeous, trouble is on here it’s only 20.8mm at the wide end and there are no specific APS-H lenses out there so you are limited to full frame glass and that crop factor. APS-C lenses are a big no-no on this camera. You will get a massive vignette if you use them as they are designed for cameras with a smaller sensor.

For me that’s the biggest downer to the camera. The inability to use and REALLY wide glass. A full frame 1DSMKiV would be very welcome!

Get past the change in layout of the buttons (or lack of them), the extra weight and you will be rewarded with a very powerful filmmaking tool. Giving you the ability to shoot in places you wouldn’t have been able to before. Don’t forget though that most of what you are paying for is for incredible stills performance. If you aren’t interested in that you are paying a hefty premium for this camera as it’s twice the price of the 5DmkII.

Do I want one? Of course! For the low light sensitivity alone and of course the tank like build quality. Perfect for me. Shame I don’t have $5000 lying around!

I only had the camera 48 hours and my goal was to make a film. I didn’t get a chance to do low light comparison tests, rolling shutter tests, moire tests, aliasing test. Simply no time. Hopefully someone with the camera for longer than me can do this. All i managed to do was make one pretty Christmas film!

On a quick side not. My previous advice of rendering down your timelapses in Quicktime Pro 7 to full HD is a bad idea. Save as whole because if you render them down you can often end up with some nasty banding. You may end up with a huge 5K file but at least you don’t get banding!

The film is in black and white. It just fitted the best, also the lighting in Prague is a nightmare, horrendous orange lights mixed in with more normal lighting. Luckily the black and white just fitted. Please don’t ask to see the colour version. This is how I want my film to look.

Music is from one of my favourite films “the Hudsucker Proxy” by the Coen Brothers, underrated. The original music is called Spartatcus by Aram Khachaturian and was adapted by the great Carter Burwell. It took me most of the day to figure out the best music for this…went through about 6 tracks and edits until I came up with this.

Shot in 24p. Edited in FCP 7 in Pro Res LT. Graded with Magic Bullet Looks. 20% off at checkout with code Bloom20

[vimeo 8324034 747 420]

140 comments

  1. Looking foward to the footage Philip – might skip the 1D Mark IV as don’t like the cropped sensor for AU $ 6000 plus!
    Already have a Nikon D3s for low light stills so not sure I would use it so much for stills – and have a 5dII for video now… But I’ll wait until I see the footage – maybe it will inspire me to reconsider!

  2. well philip thx a lot … you are a great great resource to “learn” how to use a DSLR for Film-Production … i mean the practical side of doing that. you know it is great to read the pure facts and stuff … but the “see” this stuff in action and have the chance to look behind the curtain and have an opinion from a guy who used to do a lot of stuff in this “industry” is great !!! totally changed the way i’m thinking about the production-methods and tools we are going to use.

    well, enough adulation 😉 … now i’m looking forward to see the Prague film…

  3. Well, since i’m probably the first one to read this post at this time of the night I take the chance to say thank you Philip! I have admired your masterpieces since the 5D mkII came out and I’ve read and studied every single post of yours… I’ve learned so many things and today I bought my wonderful 5D… so happy about it!! I really hope to have a chance of meeting you in person somewhere and learn something more from THE number one! 🙂 (btw, i’m a professional sound engineer, if you need any help in that field on one of your projects, just give me a shout, i would be glad to work together!)

    Have a very Merry Christmas!

    An italian friend,
    Davide

  4. Recently been following your work via the site – mainly because of the heads up of the Skywalker shoot. Looking forward to seeing the Prague ‘footage’.

    Am seriously thinking of getting the Canon 500D.

    1. Well seeing the full ‘film’ was just great. I love that piece of music as well. You may also recall it was used as the main theme for the TV show ‘The Onedian Line’.

      Gret shot of Rick M eating or should I say devouring that hotdog. Great!

  5. Thanks, Philip! Great post with solid info. I keep refreshing vimeo to see when your video’s going to pop up, gives me a chance to rewatch some of your previous videos so I can’t complain.

    Sold my 5D and a bunch of stills gear and have been waiting for the 1D4 to come out.

    The lack of extreme wides is a legitimate concern. Means you’d have to have a 7D or 5D around as a second body. On a 5D, 24mm 1.4 is mighty wide for me and the f1.4 is fantastic.

    Hoping the rolling shutter improvements are significant, but recently saw a pretty bad example of 1D4 rolling shutter.

    Kaan

  7. Can’t wait to see the film Philip. As always…great work! Currently own a 5D Mark 2, I love the camera but at times frustrated with the “rolling shutter/Jello” effect. If Canon has improved this on the 1D, along with the low light capabilities, I will Trade up! Please let us know your opinions regarding these issues! Happy Holidays.

  8. Absolutely beautiful. In the space of 20 seconds, you have convinced me to buy tickets to Prague and buy a 5Dmkii! (I want full frame!)

    Some of the shots reminded me of work by a Czech photographer called Josef Sudek…Do you know his work?

    A really wonderful film.

  9. Phil – you’ve done it again – great work! Music works beautifully – was worth the effort finding it.

    I love the monochrome – did you set out to do it like this or was this just the way it panned out? It certainly works well – I was just wondering why you decided to go with it on a camera test like this?

    Beautiful result anyway – love the sausages!

    1. camera tests for me Glen are making something nice with the tool. Not charts or stuff like that. Black and white was also in the back of my mind, but the nightmare of the street lamps and the look of it sealed the deal for me.

      1. Don’t get me wrong – I really love the fact you went with monochrome and went for the best look to get the best result. The fact that you didn’t feel any pressure to cover all the obvious stuff and just concentrated on getting something interesting is what I love about this test – and in fact all the tests you do. I personally am looking to see what can really be achieved by the camera in the hands of someone who can get the best out of it – all the pixel peeping and worrying about charts etc is not so important….

        The reason I asked was I have recently shot some low light projects on a 5D2 and have found they often work better in monochrome – as it both suits certain subject matter better – and can control weird articial light mixes etc. In these situations removing the weird colours allows the story to get through more clearly to me. So I was just wondering if you were coming from a similar place with the monochrome.

        Doesn’t matter – I love the mono – and really got a lot out of the testing – just ordered a GlideTrack after the SW ranch film – not sure I’ll get a 1D Mark IV after ‘Prague’ but I’ve got a pretty good idea what the camera can do now if I decide to look into it!

        Love yr work – and not just the early stuff…

  10. Musical build-up for a big hot-dog ! sweet ! Gone a get my 7D in 8 hour 😀

    You truly inspire me and tons of other to became better filmmaker. Thanks !

    Greeting from Québec !

  11. Amazing Footage…I look forward to viewing your work and it always moves me! Beautiful! I know there was no time for testing but I think we’re all curious about your first impressions. What improvements do you see over the 5D and 7D? Were the low light capabilities everything we’ve read about? Reduced “Rolling shutter” better? Keep up the incredible work Philip.

  13. Probably my favorite edit of yours. That glidetrack and the high dynamics of the 1D make this really sexy. Come back to Chicago Philip! I need to film something with you.

  14. Hi Philip,

    Stunning… you have such a creative eye, seeing things most of us would completely miss.

    I admire your damned determination to roughing it until you get the shot you have in your minds eye… lesson for us all.

    Keep it up, your driving us all forward!

    Cheers

    David

  18. Thanks for prodding the memories with such a pleasant video of Prague. I was there on the 10th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution (1999) and it would have been AMAZING to have a DSLR or EX1/3 on that trip. I gotta dig out the miniDV tapes and take a peek now! Was everybody drinking gluvine or wolpertinger or something similar? Yum.

  20. No joke Philip, your work is seriously motivating. Got my 5D late last week. Did a job with it today. (Funny to use my EX3 as a B camera.) Thanks for keeping us posted and informed.

    I’ll be shooting with it in London in a few days, followed by South Africa and Liberia. Will look for you when you reach Chi-town. If you’re up for it let’s setup a “meetup” for the Chicago folks.

    DC

  22. Hey Mr. Bloom,

    I really love Black and White, and you did not disappoint with this piece. Really enjoyed this write up. You are starting to convince me that these DSLR’s are coming of age soon! A full Frame 1D would be incredible….

    Have a great Christmas!

    Thomas

  23. Hey Phil. I can’t afford your 7D DVD at the moment, but I do have an important question. I rented a 7D back in September and recently edited the footage using FCP 6. Whenever I dragged and edited the footage in the timeline it would skip playing over the first few frames/seconds of the upcoming clip in the timeline. Any reason why? I tried looking this issue up. I rendered the project and it was fine, but am curious as to why it doesn’t play properly in the timeline.

  25. Hey Phillip , just wondering if there was anything this camera offered the videographer over say a 7D? Was the colour footage a wash out ? any chance of a raw grabs I am interested in noise levels.
    Aside for all this tech talk this is a really nice piece mate , the camera is as it should be inconsequential.

  27. Brilliant. Nice to see some art in a camera test rather than charts and specs. Its enjoyable to watch your style evolve from one month to the next. Its inspiring. Every time I see a new film like this it makes me want to pick up my camera and shoot something. In fact I have a burning desire to do so every time I watch these test movies or Critics. Keep up the good work Philip and have a happy Christmas!!

  28. must have either shot the last shot later on (either tide is going in or out) or the shot is a reverse of the first 😛 haha… nice work mate 50p does it justice…

  33. Hi Phil,

    Gorgeous as usual…and it needed to be in BW! I’d really appreciate your “gut feel” about how it compares to the 5D – in terms of richness & dimensionality of image – is it closer to the 7D or 5D?

    Initially, I come from the Hi-End audio industry which has pioneered a vocabulary of describing audio in terms of dimensionality – depth, width, spatialization as well as tonality, and have been working on ways to develop recording equipment which captures music with a 3D realism.

    Since playing with my 5D, I’ve found it has traces of a visual 3D vividness – I see images from the RED, 7D and even what you’ve just posted of the 1D, having a “flatness”. I hope that “we” [the nutters who are interested in these things] can come up with a visual vocabulary to start better understanding what these new cameras are actually doing. So we have some sort or visual barometer – for years it’s been the look of Film. But what is this “look”? How can we put it into words?

    Finally, have a very merry Xmas and a very interesting 2010 – this is the “start” of a visual-capture revolution. I’m sure you could not have imagined how your first ramblings would have led you to here.

    Also, thank you very, very much for putting heart and passion back into the “black arts of simple filmmaking” – from the many followers who share your vision and humour.

  43. Hey Phillip!

    Nice shooting, good choice of music and great pictures…
    as always from you…

    But I´d really like to the the color version… The lights and colours on the “christmas market” (don´t know the english word for “Weihnachtsmarkt” might be looking very nice… and the fire to…

    Hope you´ll post this soon, too.

    Greetings form Germany, Thomas

  45. Philip – gorgeous video once again. I absolutely love the time lapses with the slight Glidetrack movement. Those are beautiful. I think black and white was the perfect way to go on this – looks awesome. Very inspiring.

  47. Hi Phil,

    Great shots – thanks for posting! Went to Prague about 5 years ago and I’ve only just thawed out. You captured the bollock-freezing weather perfectly!

    Still trying to decide on the best route to start my explorations into DSLR video. Currently have a complete Nikon system but seriously considering moving to Canon to get the 5DMk2 and some good glass. Or… could go GH1 / adaptor route and use my Nikon lenses. Decisions decisions..

    I’ve spent HOURS on your site and really, really appreciate the wealth of knowledge you share with us all. Thanks mate. It’s always great to have the opinions of a true pro to help with making a decision.

    I’ll let you know…

    Cheers,

    Andy

  48. Philip, it’s magical! Can’t get over how beautiful your work is. Makes me think I could do it then I realize you have years of video and make it all seem so easy, when it really isn’t. So thanks for telling us in detail how you are making the vids and giving us, me anyway, the incentive to keep at it.
    Peter

  49. Loved the video, really nice clam feeling. The lighting on the bloke cooking was lovely!

    Also that Glidetrack Shooter is quickly becoming one of my most wanted items.

  50. Beautiful piece, Philip. I agree the music fits the mood of Prague. I visited in 2003 and recommend it to all my friends. Your video brought back those memories and made me smile at least a few times.

    Thanks for sharing.

  53. Again, the shots are fantastic, the timing with the music not so good. If you were the composer would you prefer a beautiful wide angle shot of prague on the crescendo, or a shot of the floor? I am genuinely surprised that you spent more time on this than any other.

    But don’t get me wrong your work is Brilliant especially your Southend-on-sea piece – you captured the atmos perfectly with slight tongue in cheek!

  55. Gorgeous philip.

    Do you think you could have approached this quality with a 7D?

    I’m trying to make myself feel better about my purchase. ( not that i know how to use the thing yet anyways)

    merry christmas

  56. ok i watched it several times … it is still a great film 🙂 i think it is a great edit … just the timelapse with you static in the middle of frame could’ve been a bit longer … just saying 😉

    anyway i was wondering if it is just the low light capability that makes that cam worth to pay the higher price … do you think you can/could manage to get that sort of shots with the 7D or 5DII ?

    oh just one more question: there are sometimes some “blocky” artifacts in the blacks …that is just the “for- vimeo-codec-thing”, right ?

  58. Phil, another great film memories of Prague came flooding back. I like Davide Roveri have been tracking your films, blogs and techniques, i actually feel like I am stalking you… I would also like to meet you in person and have a beer to chew the fat or get to work with you sometime. My 5D mkII is doing me proud and I like you would like the firm ware update for Christmas please Canon?

    Have a great Christmas Phil and it sounds like you could do with a break.

    Glyn

  60. Hey Philip,

    First, loved the B&W. I think I’m going to make all hm 5DMII videos B&W now. 🙂

    Second, fwiw, this is my favorite of your “mood” pieces (as I like to call them). Maybe it’s the b&w. Maybe it’s the beginning and ending. Maybe because it’s just long enough for me.

    Looking forward to our follow up interview on 1/26. Will be much to talk about. A good friend of mine is a producer on Book of Eli. I’m hoping b/t the two of you I can get Albert on the show. 😉

    Thanks again for all you do.

    ~ Ron

    P.S. I love your “They trusted me” collage of logos at the bottom of your blog. Nice marketing touch. 🙂

  62. Wow. After the initial shots my first thought was, “Boy, I wish I could edit like that.” I realize everybody has different tastes, of course. So maybe Danny’s style is apart from what you’ve created here.

    But for what it’s worth, I thought it was great.

  63. That indeed was the work of a man who can take a great weekend and wrap it into 4 mere minutes. i really liked how you even expressed how cold it was through the creative shots, great DOF and little dolly moves. Just great.

    I have no idea why people have the nerve to say anything but BRILLIANT!

    i make short movies with very limited time–like 2 days! and i know what thats like and its not easy…. i am actually working on one now, and should be!

    p.s. i thought i wouldn’t like the b&w but it was a great and impeccable choice!

    peace

    t. maher

  67. I have been following your amazing work for a long time and am truly inspired by what you see and bring to the screen…

    I check your site every day for updates….you are no1 in my bookmarks….
    For people like me with strictly limited ability you are a great source of ideas and know-how.

    Keep em coming and this latest film has certainly been an early christmas present for an avid follower.

  68. stunning phil, loved 0:45 shot and the spit roast + Snow… music climax with the hot dog was great hah.

    Footage looks really pristine , did you play with the B+W levels/contrast much ? great looking stuff..

    thanks for such a cool and different piece.

    have a relaxing christmas !

  70. I hate you so much, Phillip! You always come out with the videos I have in mind and always wanted to shoot… And you stealed my dearest “Spartacus and Phrygia”!!!

    Now serious… Congratulations. Not only for your work but for your new “comrades”. I hope to see you kicking some Hollywood´s butts pretty soon… And I hope I´ll catch up with you sooner or later.

    Merry Xmas

    Manuel

    P.S. I agree “Hudsucker…” is under-rated as much as “Intolerable cruelty”, another pearl from the Coens)

  71. Hey Phil – is the original version still viewable somewhere? I really really liked the bit that has changed on this version – the cresendo and transition from the sausage eating to the snow cobblestones – brilliant! I couldn’t disagree more with comments above about it – i hope you didn’t feel you needed to change it because of those comments.

    Either way it still looks incredible each additional time you watch it… thanks for the magic in 2009!

  72. Thoroughly enjoyed the wrap-up text and the very impressive short film.

    The quality is very impressive and I find the music you picked was probably the best fit for such a piece, well done!

    You need to get some days off from all the craziness and travel, well only if you feel tired of course, I just say that cause we enjoy your work and adventures so much that if you get sick the fun would end for a while.

    I find this short to be outstanding in the beauty of it, wonder how cold it was at the low point.

    Tip: Get a copy of neat video and try getting rid of noise and blocking artifacts, I can get similar to ISO 400 on the 7D at ISO 2500 with very little quality loss!

  73. Very lovely work! As a fashion photographer living in Prague (and starting to do video as well with the 5D mII) i have to say you made Prague look truly Magical. `You were really lucky to be here last week as normally it doesn’t snow here anymore! Great job, looks absolutely fabulous! You should send it to the Prague 1 City Hall and tourism board. I am quite sure they would love to see it!

  74. Prague, brings back fond memories. Charles bridge 2 yrs ago was still under repair. Nice job. Like clever opening and closer, and signature self portrait. Back to your roots. Where are the beautiful Prague women, to cold?

  76. As ever, absolutely incredible. Your use of lighting is immaculate and i love the hint of zoom during the timelapse is a very nice touch. Done in the edit i take it. Prague looks especially wonderful this time of year.

  77. I really liked that. A journey, the window, the whole deal. Nice one.

    My 7D arrived today and the 35mm L series lens. I’m already realising how well you’re extracting the goods from these cameras. Its great your setting such a high bar – for DSLR results.

    Keep pushing.

  78. Wow!.

    I saw the opening shot and said “oh my fucking god!”….This is one of my favorites. Its was amazing.. I don’t normally comment I just watch and enjoy but this one was insane.

    IN 2010 you should just travel to every city in the world and make an insane Film for each one. New year’s resolution perhaps?

    Best wishes, enjoy the holidays.

    Joe

  79. I like the decision to go B&W. It’s appropriate for Prague not only because of the orange color of all the lights, but the city itself is very dark in terms of colors (and history!). Hence, you aren’t losing much detail since it’s so gray already.

    Also, is that salt all over the tram floor?

  80. Sublime…absolutely sublime. Can’t comment on the technical applications, equipment, and techniques, but from a viewers stand point, I felt the cold of that Prague evening here in Los Angeles! Stunning.
    Thank you for the inspiration.
    Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.

  82. Wow! As always, great stuff! I am a musical artist working to add movie making to my skills. After years of composing music for everyone from Wendy’s Hamburgers to orchestrating big records to being commissioned to compose all-electronic music scores for live dance I wish to add visual composition skills to the list. My goal is to create interesting visuals with original music.

    So, consider me a student of the Bloom way of movie-making.

    Thanks!!!

  84. I would have loved to have seen some low light colour shots from this camera. Do you think the low light performance justifies the price?

    I miss Praha!

  85. Hi, great video first off, absolutely amazing! I was wondering what was that you were using as a dolly? That steel track thing, if you could send me to a link or give me a little info it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and happy holidays!

    -Robert M.

  88. Hi, Philip! im sure i have written before, but im not sure my message was submitted correctly since i cant find it, so please bare with me 🙂

    Im really curious how you do your timelapses. Which software do you use? – And how do you connect your camera ? And how do you expose as the light changes?

    Further more, im doing a film with the 5dmark2 in january and this is my first time shooting (movies) with this camera – Im used to regular sony hdv/xdcam’s, so is there anything i should be aware of before starting off? It is mostly cover shots im going to shoot, so the sound is not an issue.

    Thanks for your time!!!!

    -Tim

  89. Hi Philip! Merry Christmas!

    I use the same tripod with the 501 HDV & a 338, great setup!

    Get yourself a Manfrotto 338 Levelling Base – really useful for the above setup (though costs about £80-90, though they are about used for £30-40), gives you +/- 5° of adjustment to help with the levelling issues!

    Regards,

    Mike

  90. Hi Philip,

    great, great shots! high contrast, sharpness, smooth movements … great done.

    I have a brief question:

    Do you ever have used a Nikon (F-Mount) lens on a Canon Eos Camera by using an adapter-ring?

    Would you recommend to do so, or would you recommend any adapter? I havent found something on your blog about this …

    I have a bunch of nice zeiss lenses with the nikon F mount and would like to use them on my 7D, but I am afraid of ruining the bayonet if I do so …

    Any suggestions for me?

    Tanks a lot,

    have a nice time,
    David

  91. Merry Christmas Philip.
    I have a question, what do you mean by
    “The video is there and is great but it doesn’t wear it colours on the outside”?
    Thanks!

  92. Well, if you’d like a nice full frame ultra wide angle zoom, you can try the Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8. WAIT! Don’t start bashing me right now. There is a good reason why I recommend this lens.

    First off, on a 7d, its one of the best and fastest ultra wide angle zoom for it. Here(in Singapore) it cost us around 950 SGD compared to 3500 SGD or so for the 14mm F/2.8L.

    It has low distortion, pretty nice flares and a T stop of 2.8! The best part is that if you zoom in to around 15-16mm, you got a full frame 16mm f/2.8 lens. I reckon for APS-H around 13 or 14mm would remove the vignette. So after the crop, you got a 16mm field of view.

    Even many Red One users are converting some of these lenses to PL mount and using them professionally.

    And wonderful job on the review of the 1D Mk IV and you seem to have enjoyed yourself in Prague immensely. Thank you for contributing so much to the rest of us who do not have extensive knowledge in film making.

    Cheers!

  94. Hey,
    wow, great video, this is art !!

    I have one question, you edit in 1080p or 720p ?
    Because, when people are using 720 50p mode for slow motions, but the rest of the footage is 1080 …. do you upscale the 720 50p in your 1080 project ?
    Or you simply don’t and edit everything in 720p ?

    thanks

    and good luck for the rest of your amazing projects

    cheers and happy NEW YEAR !!

  95. Very very nice Phil, are the slow tracks in on the time lapse actual tracks or small zooms in the edit?
    The music was recognisable as the theme tune from the Onedin Line for those who remember!
    Brian Barnes

  96. Philip,

    Did you have to do any glidetrack prep for the cold/ weather conditions? if so what.

    It seems to me that you were using a motordrive on the glidetrack for the dolly in shots. True? Or did you eliminate bumps in post. If not you have a rock steady hand/ breath/ twitch control that is near preternatural.

    For Canon to still not put a intervalometer in camera is near criminal at this point.

    Laurence

  97. Hello Phillip,

    I was born in Prague and lived here for 30 years, taking many photographs of this city before moving to the States /LA/ your Prague’s work is just a brand new angle and I love your “point of view” – to combine the ever improving digital technology with your talent brings great results – as I have seen and many others. Thank you for sharing this with me.

  99. I’ve just recently started looking into the DSLR Video so this might be an obvious question but does anyone know how Philip does the slow push-in on the timelapses? I was noticing it on both this and the Skywalker Ranch video. They look awesome with that added touch but I can only think of doing it in post. I’m sure that’s not the best way though. Any thoughts?

  100. Hi there,

    really nice work, I´ve seen it three times in a row.
    Since I live in prague (was born here) I love to see how other people see this city. Mostly I take all those buildings, houses, churches, bridges, lights, etc as granted and walk by them without actualy seeing the beauty in them. That´s why I like your film – showing me the potencial prague has to offer and how to use it in photos (and films) – as you certainly do know 🙂

    Jarda

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