Red Means Go; Photos to Audio

Getting closer to the Canon 7D

Posted by Ryan.McK Friday, May 28, 2010 at 11:49 PM 0 Comments

All I have to do now is put it on the right camera, it's on my Canon 40D right now as an example. The Rode VideoMic looks pretty sweet though, doesn't it?

Can't wait to start filming. Should start about late June, already working on creating a small project. More details to come.

"House" with the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D

Posted by Ryan.McK Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 6:42 PM 0 Comments

Big news in the world of HDDSLRs, the fine folks, including director Greg Yaitanes, over at "House". For the season finale they used only the Canon 5D Mark II for the entire episode, a first in television and HDDSLR history.

Sounds so epic.

I watched it and was blown away by the wonderful bokeh of the tight macro shots to the literal tight shots that made the 5D Mark II an obvious choice for the episode.

Courtesy: FOX Broadcasting Co. Youtube Channel

They used all L glass to bring out the best in what the 5D Mark II has to offer, including the 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.2, 85mm f/1.2, 100mm f/2.8 Macro.

Now word has it that next season will be filmed on all Canon 5D Mark IIs and 7Ds according to Canon Rumors. Instead of using Canon primes and zooms though, apparently they will be reconfigured to have PV and/or PL mounts, or look like this....

Courtesy: Cinema5D.com

Who will follow this trend now?

Does the 7D come with software for video...Hello Canon?

Posted by Ryan.McK Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 8:37 PM 0 Comments

So I've solidified my decision that the Canon 7D will be mine by the end of the summer. Yes, that is right, the practically priced, multimedia overload, sadly APS-C sensor Canon 7D is in my sights and as soon as my funds are sufficient, that sucker is mine.

There is only one problem.... After capturing video, what do I use edit it all together into a nice piece for someone's viewing pleasure?

My MacBook Pro has iMovie on it, but I don't know if that is even a reasonable consideration. Checking the Apple website for compatible devices, and the Canon 5D Mark II was on the list. I'm just going to go on with the assumption the list has either not been updated yet for the 7D and the other Canon HDDSLRs, or something awful will happen...and I will cry.

I would think that the 7D would come with some sort of software, but with the searches that I have done, nothing has come up saying EXACTLY what it comes with other than the fact that, yes, yes it does come with a pack of CDs that may or may not allow you to edit it video on your computer, but you certainly can import and edit photos! Not what I currently looking for. I am perfectly happy with Adobe Lightroom 3 beta 2.

Then there's Final Cut. The Philip Blooms and Vincent Laforets, as well as news organizations use this as there go to for multimedia output. Is it worth it though to shell out the 1000 bucks for it? Sure there is the simplified version, but then again that looks like a $200 version of iMovie with a few more bells and whistles. Not knowing Final Cut or Final Cut Express, it's hard to say. I hear it's pretty simple, but then again, that's from someone that has been using it for a while, go figure.

So I guess this isn't a huge problem until I am holding the 7D and shooting video, but it is always nice to know.

Don't put your recorder in your pocket

Posted by Ryan.McK Monday, March 29, 2010 at 2:27 AM 0 Comments

I finally took my Tascam DR-07 out for a test run at the men's lacrosse game Saturday versus Lasell College, thinking it would be cool to put together an audio slideshow, not just to keep my skill sharp, but also to prove my worth even more to work.

Well listening to the audio, it didn't work out as I planned.

I need to figure out a better system for one. Lacrosse isn't one of those sports that I can just put the recorder behind the goal and feel safe knowing that it won't get run over. No, lacrosse they get to run AROUND the goal. So there goes getting up close audio like that, of course nobody has the great black bottom to their goal like field hockey...makes for epic audio when there's a goal.

Anyways, back to the situation I have found myself in. I put my recorder on the sidelines, and stepped back a few feet behind it, so that it wouldn't pick up the shutter of my camera. Nope. I guess it is more a stereo recorder than directional. Oh well. There is one lesson learned. So some of my audio has the click, click, click, repeated when the action was close, just when I also could be getting hopefully prime field audio. Go figure.

So I made my way to the Keene State College sideline and tried to get some audio there. Did better, but not great. This time around, I had the recorder in my back pocket, so every time I moved, guess what it picked up. So as I listened to 15 seconds of decent audio, I all of a sudden hear 5 minutes of talking, yelling, and my ass rubbing against the microphone of my recorder. AWESOME!

The recorder is awesome. I love the fact that I can take out the SD card and put it right into my computer, not have to worry about a card reader or cables. If only Apple could put a CF slot on their Macbook Pro laptops, than I would be the happiest person. One less 2.0 USB port taking up space. I need a to have my mouse and 1 TB external hard drive in!

I guess I am stuck with this audio until the 10th when the next home game is. Hopefully I can have figured out something by then. Pay some random freshman or sophomore in beer or something to hold my recorder where I say to and not do anything for an entire game. I'm sure they would love that.

Just a thought.

Houston, we've got a problem

Posted by Ryan.McK Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 11:56 PM 0 Comments

Being down a camera sucks.

When you sell your back up camera to your Dad to get money for a new camera to realize your primary is all of a sudden out of commission, sucks.

That happened a few weeks ago to me during basketball season. I had to ship it off to Canon to have it fixed. I was getting the Error 99 message. One of the few banes of my existence when it comes to Canon cameras. I love them, but I hate getting that message. Turn it on, then off. Take the battery out, and then put it back in again. It's annoying.

Managed to work through the rest of the season though, and got the rig back fixed, just in time for spring sports...well sorta fixed.

You see, I treat my gear with the best care possible, I don't want it to look like it fell down a cliff face and still works, unless it fell down a cliff face and still works.

That is exactly how it was returned to me. Looked great when I sent it, looks like hell now. If only I had a photo before it got shipped off.

The worst thing about it all is when it came back. I don't really mind the exterior as much as whoever was the numb nuts that worked on my camera did to it. I can't shoot on high burst anymore like I used to. My images are all coming out soft. Too soft to do anything with sharpening. I can shoot on burst and get the results I was getting before to reasonable, but when I'm shooting high action sports, I can't shoot three frames per second, I need that 6.5 frames per second. At least everything else seems to be holding up well.

Lacrosse, softball, and baseball all are now starting up too, so I can't send it off again. Looks like I have to wait until after May 8th, that's the last baseball game I believe at home, but there may be some games still afterwards, so it is all a toss up.

Maybe I can afford a 7D by the end of the semester. HA! That will be the day.

The best camera is the one you got

Posted by Ryan.McK Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 6:51 PM 0 Comments

Nikon photographer Chase Jarvis has opened me up to a new way of looking at photography...using your camera phone as a legit way of creating art and capturing life as it happens.

Jarvis wrote a book called "The Best Camera: Is the One That's With You" and even though I haven't read it, or even had a chance to even look at it, browsing the website and the Apple iPhone application that he created with it is remarkable. It makes me jealous at one point, but then stop and realize that regardless of what is happening, there is always something to take a photo of.

LG Env3

I was sitting in my school's dining commons, bored, and so I pulled out my phone and started playing with it just as most college students would, but instead of texting someone, I decided to take photos. This isn't the greatest photo in the world, but the 3 megapixel camera on a cell phone isn't suppose to go up against a Canon 5D Mk II robust 21 megapixels.

SLRs are by far the most superior cameras that are on the market for there ability to let the photographer create the best possible image with the best possible accessories available; lenses, flashes, etc. Point and shoots are getting exceptional quality photos now though thanks to new technology, but nothing like SLRs. The camera phone on the other hand, is a fun addition to a tool we use for communication everyday, but has become much more than that.

Thanks to new smart phone applications and the ability to do edits on our cellphones and then upload them to our computers, the way photo creating and sharing has drastically jumped. Everywhere on Twitter and Facebook there are people with Mobile Uploads from the scene out of a car window to group of friends at a restaurant. They are the gateway to everyone getting into digital photography.

First Post of the New Year, Decade....

Posted by Ryan.McK Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 9:03 PM 0 Comments

Happy New Year two and a half weeks into the next decade. Expecting a lot to happen in the coming months, all of which is out of budget but is all really cool to read, form an unbiased opinion, and blog about anyways.

Ok, so I thought that I would have done a field test with the Tascam DR-07 audio recorder like I said I would in my pervious post. This thing called "work" sort of got in the way of it and I haven't been able to put together my story. I have the story all set, but getting to it has been back burner.

The idea was to go to the local skate park, which happens to be Rye Airfield in Rye, New Hampshire. It is a massive indoor skate park in what used to be an airplane hanger. The concept I have worked up is what do kids that go to skate parks when it's warm out do when the "season" changes? So this is briefly what I came up with. I want to take my camera and recorder and capture images of BMX bikers and skateboarders doing tricks and interacting, as well as capturing natural sound from the bikes and skateboards grinding on metal rails and ledges to landing on ramps and maybe a crash too.

Then come the interviews... My favorite part. Finding someone that will talk to me, but not just talk to me, go to a quiet part of the park and answer a few questions. I mean they aren't hard questions, it is just hard when there is music blaring or someone is speaking over the loud speaker. It may have its challenges, but I'm confident, once I can figure out work and school and getting back here.

It's an interesting project, and I can't wait to put into practice. I've used everything so far, except the biggie, the audio recorder. Then, I'll be able to put together a nice multimedia slideshow of the transition from summer to winter for BMX bikers and skateboarders.

Should be exciting.

X-mas, a time for new gizmos and gadgets

Posted by Ryan.McK Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 7:59 PM 0 Comments

The holiday season, well now post holiday season. What a wonderful time, snow on the ground for the fortunate, or unfortunate bunch that live where it falls all the time, freezing temps with sometimes blistering wind chills but got to go and get those awesome sales. NOPE. Not today. I stayed in and played with the new stuff I got to use in my quest for taking better photos, creating better photo essays, and just having a hell of a lot more fun taking photos.

I finally got a good recorder to use, the Tascam DR-07, and it records directly in .wav or mp3 files, none of this .voc file crap that my previous recorder did. It is so much better than anything I could ever have expected. I can't wait to use it in the field and come back and say, "This is an amazing audio recorder." I have played around with it capturing birds at a bird feeder close to a window, talking to family members, and just recording random crap around the house, and this recorder is amazing. It is much bigger than the previous one too, and it came with a wind screen...what a difference it makes!! If on a budget and want a quality audio recorder but want to be able to see levels, then check out this one.

RCA VR5220 vs Tascam DR-07

Next was a 1 terabyte external hard drive. I love external hard drives, and it's a bummer that this is a portable, but at least I can back up one of my Mac only externals. Got to mess around with the Windows only. That's what sucks about some companies, why can't they make these cross compatible? It makes more sense to me and would save me a hell of a lot of money and time. Well now with 1 TB of space, I basically don't have to for a very long time have to worry about space on my computer. The only worry I have is just I need another 1 TB external hard drive, as security for the first and for me. I don't want to accidentally delete something, and it be gone forever, but oh wait, there is a second copy! That is the best feeling in the world...when there is that second copy. Having that kind of space though is something that is awesome, and I highly suggest having an external hard drive. This makes four for me.

A 77mm circular polarizing filter. I have honestly really never used a polarizing filter. I bought one for the 18-55mm that came with my Canon XTi, and used it maybe twice, but never really got into the nitty gritty of understanding it, so now is my turn at it. All I have used is UV filters because I shoot mostly sports, live entertainment, and protest/community actions. Basically, as long as I have something on the front that will protect my front element, then I am all set. With this new filter, it is a new ball game, and I can't wait to use it.

Finally, a Sandisk Extreme III 4 GB compactflash card, the card of choice. The write fast, and at ISO 100 on the Canon 40D they hold 305 RAW images no problem, or 925 large fine JPEGs. They hold up under the worst weather conditions as well, so the Extreme compactflash cards are the cards to use. When shooting sports, a photographer needs something reliable and can write the images fast so they can continue shooting, but also hold a lot so they aren't always changing cards, especially at the key moments of the game. With a card like the Extreme III 4 GB, that isn't really an issue, shooting RAW or JPEG.

I'm sorry if I sounded like, "this is what I got for Christmas," but I like to think of it is as informational consumerism. I have them now, and I want to share what get out of it with you. I know some of them don't directly relate to photography and photojournalism, but think about it. They do, they do. Hopefully I will learn how to use a circular polarizing filter pretty well in the next couple of days and I'll be able post how they turn out.

Live view isn't just for point and shoots

Posted by Ryan.McK Friday, December 11, 2009 at 11:48 PM 0 Comments

Live view, it's nothing super new, but still something worth noting.

Introduced in 2007 in DSLRs like the Canon 40D and 1D Mark III or Nikon D300 and D3, and has been improved upon as technology has gotten better. The ability to zoom during live view alone has made the photo taking curve change so much. Now cameras have the ability to have auto focus, levels for an even horizon, and face detection which is popular in many point and shoots.

A good way to understand how it works and a video is one that dpreview.com put up for the Nikon D5000.

I had to shoot a dance the other night, it was lit only with orange and purple party lights, so I pulled out my flash and started taking photos. As I did, I continued to check my photos and wasn't impressed. Either they were soft or just out of focus. So I took the power of live view and it's ability to magnify to its full advantage. Granted I lost auto focus on my 40D, but my photos were coming out better than they were before. Even with it being poorly lit, I was able to set my camera to a medium ISO and with the flash create photos that were exactly what I was looking for when I was going in there to begin with.

I'm glad that DSLRs now have the P&S live view screen, except it doesn't have to be on all the time, thank god.

VDSLRs capturing the world

Posted by Ryan.McK at 5:10 PM 0 Comments

So, I've been reading about making the jump to a camera that shoots not just stills but video too. Yes, in an earlier post I went on about the Canon 1D Mark IV and the AMAZING things it does and how I want one SO bad, but I really was just talking talking talking about it. Never really going into what makes the ability to combine the two, and then capture the surrounding world so amazing. Well, I think a little redemption is in order.

I'm not one to brag or promote that much one single brand, but I sort of do because it is what I know the most about, so I stick to it, and would rather do that, then sound like a complete moron when I talk about Nikon or Pentax that also have HD video capture, so I like to stick to Canon. There is the disclaimer, even if I read all sides.

Canon has four DSLR cameras that have the all mighty power to shoot in HD video, and they are the Digital Rebel T1i, 7D, 5D Mark II, and 1D Mark IV. Though the microphone on them isn't that great, at all, as you progress from basically anything other than the T1i, there are mini sockets for hot shoe mounted shotgun mics. The mic of the cameras looks like this....

canonrumors.com

Or there is what a shotgun mic looks like that will pick up much better quality audio....

bhphotovideo.com

Ok, so now that that brief little bit is out of the way, what does this mean for real world applications? Where does it play a role in journalism?

Simple answers.

Photography is great as it captures a single frame (get it?) in time, but being able to switch over when something big is happening and needs to have that extra punch that video has with audio and capturing the whole scene, then the role of a journalist has changed. There will always be the ones that carry around the broadcast cameras or miniDV cameras, but DSLRs that shoot HD video, that is the way of photojournalism. It is all photojournalism, still or moving, but with the ability to hold a camera that does both, it is a whole new ball game.

Nobody wants to fumble around with with cameras either. Imagine being out there with a DSLR and also having a video camera, but going back and forth. I've done it before, and it sucks. With the introduction of cameras like the 7D, that has gone out the window and there isn't a need to mess around going one to the other. For some, it is literally a press of a dedicated button and video is being shot. It is that easy. And photos can still be taken while capturing video, with a slight lapse in the video, but this is still very impressive. This is something that can't be taken from any video camera, only as a screen shot.

Here is an example of a real world application.

At a protest and take some photos of different aspects of it. The police, the protestors, the environment it's in, and then some other bits that may add to the story. Then having the ability to switch over to video, capture what it is like to be there in with sound and being able to move with the protest, capturing the same things as were with the stills. Sometimes the most dramatic things have to be captured on video rather than as stills. Say the protest gets violent and the police and protestors clash, having the ability to do two in one gives the photographer great power on how to capture the situation.

Bringing me back to my original point, being able to do both and not have to fumble around with a still camera and video camera is just awesome.

War, what is it good for? Photojournalism

Posted by Ryan.McK Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 10:06 PM 0 Comments

War photography, photojournalism, whatever name it is given tells a gruesome but also human story of what is happening on the front lines of conflict, from the American Civil War when they were using the first forms of photography to now when digital images are sent via satellite phones straight from the front lines like during the push to Baghdad during the first part of the second Iraq War.

One of my heroes was a war photographer by the name of Robert Capa. He took iconic photographs during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, as well as in Indochina (Vietnam for those that don't know) with the French where he sadly stepped on a land mine and ended his life too early.

His most iconic image is probably this one called "Loyalist Militiaman at the Moment of Death" taken in 1936.

War photography is very beautiful in the sense that it captures all the emotions shown by people. Anger, fear, and every once and a while a glimpse of joy. That's what makes the personal story of each solider so amazing, and then that can be transcended as a whole to cover the entire situation, going from creating profiles and focusing on individuals and their experiences, bringing the whole situation into the picture can be just as powerful.

As a photojournalist covering war, it doesn't matter what the subject matter is, for instance, this photo titled "Kerch, Crimea (Grief)" taken in 1941 by Dmitri Baltermants shows the ultimate cost of war, death and the toll it takes on the living.

There is nothing that makes it an easy job. I can't say it is or isn't, it is only from what I have read or heard talking from photojournalists like Nathan Webster who has done three tours in Iraq.

Would I like to go to Iraq, Afghanistan, or some other war torn country in the name of war photojournalism? That is a question that I often ask myself when I go through books and images online, do I have what it takes to go on a tour of duty in a combat environment with the potential of bullets being shot at me?

I watched this documentary and the parts about the photojournalists really hit home to the possibilities of what could happen, but just being embedded in general would be an experience.

Mother Nature, she's a beast

Posted by Ryan.McK Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 12:20 AM 0 Comments

It's been a while since I've written anything, but I haven't found myself inspired to write about something, even about cameras and the advances that are coming out. Instead I've been finding myself dreaming about the sporting events that I was taking an average of 400 photos a game for bite your lip, palms are sweaty tournament action. Cloudy, sunny, total darkness (ok, there are the field lights), hell even down pour... I have my inspiration.

Digital SLR cameras have one thing that can make them really unreliable in bad weather, electronics. That is if they aren't environmentally sealed, or covered by a plastic bag and duct tape or a specially designed sleeve made to go over the camera and lens to keep the rain, snow, mud, etc. out and the camera dry and functioning.

Ryan McKernan

The big guns, and some of the smaller guys have really stepped up their game in seeing what photographers want and the conditions that they shoot in. Some of them are absolute crap, I mean literally. National Geographic and conservation photographer Stefano Unterthiner uses D2X series and D3s (not to be confused with the unreleased D3S) which are top of the line Nikons and weather sealed. He has gone to some of the most rugged places on Earth to capture amazing nature photography.

...Well those months of tournament time have past, but oh crap, there is now snow on the ground. That's right, snow. I was out walking around Keene and thinking to myself well, I guess this is going to cut down on MY shooting, but not with those that have the wonderful sealing. There was a recent post about another photographer that went to Antarctica and didn't cover his body, just to see what would happen, madness, I know. Only cover the lens not his Canon 7D, I can't believe it.

This is why I cover my camera.

If there is anything that can be gained from this, remember that when the weather turns even remotely bad, find something to cover your equipment, it is well worth it, as ridiculous as it may look, that "Thank you for shopping" bag could be the difference between a pricey fix and a dry day at the fields.

Canon, my stomach hurts

Posted by Ryan.McK Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 12:30 PM 0 Comments

Well it certainly has been a while since I've done this blogging thing, time to get back to it.

So a few days ago Canon FINALLY released the press release for the Canon 1D Mark IV. I have been waiting so long for this flow of information to scroll down my screen. I have read rumors from different blogs, but now, now I have the full details. Some were a little disappointing to what Nikon has done, especially with the ability to shoot either in full frame or 1.3x crop, but Canon finally has it out!! And I can't wait to get my greedy hands on it...

dpreview.com photo

Oh yeah, it's $5,000. I'll just put that on the combined birthday/Christmas list. As soon as I get out of college I just want be able to put down the camera and hear, "You're hired!" Wishful thinking, but what a great world it would be!

I mean this camera does everything that I would love in a camera, fast frames per second, up to 28 RAW files, AWESOME. Weather sealed for all those crappy weather days that seem to creep up in New England, especially when shooting sports. A bigger sensor than the camera I currently own now, a bonus already. An ISO rating that can be expanded from 50 to 102,400, totally unbelievable, absolutely insane. What are the the possible applications of an ISO that high? You'd have to be in a really dark place and that be the last option to get an image. SHOOTS 1080p HD VIDEO! As a photojournalist, video is becoming a huge part of our industry, and beginning able to do both rather than one or the other makes someone that much more marketable. Not having to carry around a video camera, but be able to use this, fire a frame if need be and continue recording, this is the way conventional photojournalism is heading. It isn't the first camera to have it, but it is the only of the two heavy hitters, Canon versus Nikon to have the 1o80p in a flagship body.

Finally, Pulitzer winning photographer Vincent Laforet shot a video with the Canon 1D Mark IV called Nocturne, which you can watch right here:

The 1D Mark IV, under crappy light and a highish ISO, it's crystal clear.

Then Canon, Inc (Canon Japan) comes out with this:

No where close to what Laforet was able to beautifully put together. When I saw it, I had to run to the top of my stairs, make a hard left, and pray that the toilet bowl was up because what I saw done with a camera changed my view on photography completely. So of course the Japanese got super jealous and asked him to take it down. He did, I guess I would too if I get to try and keep all the new stuff Canon is putting out. Still, I'd be pissed, especially because a lot of that was his budget.

How are they going to get every single person that has uploaded it to all the video hosting sites? The jokes on them now!

Well I think I need to take some more Pepto and lay down, watching Canon, Inc's video is making my nauseous.

Oh, read and weep Nikonians. The Canon 1D Mark IV press release.

Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club boogies for human rights

Posted by Ryan.McK Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 4:45 PM 1 Comment

The Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club at Keene State College does more than get together and write letters. These passionate individuals go all out with speakers, concerts, and even the occasional dance party. This Friday, the club is putting on a dance party for the Invisible Children.

The Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club was started three years ago as a way to create awareness on the KSC campus about the holocaust, but also global atrocities happening around the world, and it has been around ever since.

“We try and get our students more active in changing the things in the world that aren’t so great,” said club secretary junior Brittany Sousa.

Helping the unseen

They have put on a few events in the past ranging from helping with the annual Holocaust Memorial Series speakers to special concert events on the L.P. Young Student Center lawn or in the Mabel Brown Room in the L.P. Young Student Center.

This Friday the club was putting on a dance party for the Invisible Children, but is going to be rescheduled for a later date.

Sousa said, “(we) wanted a fun way to raise awareness about human rights violations, in particular the invisible children of Uganda.”

She is referring to the children that have to go out and travel at night for fear of being kidnapped by the militias and rebels and either being killed or turned into children soldiers, never to return home again.

Sousa, along with Sophomore Mackenzie Davison who helped put it together decided to sell baked goods as well as take donations to raise money for the organization to help the children fight against being taken against their will and be able to travel in safety.

“It’s called ‘Dance for Diplomacy.’” she added, “We thought we were pretty clever.”

It was suppose to be on the L.P. Young Student Center lawn but because of possible inclement weather, it has been moved to the Lantern Room inside.

They don't just 'Dance'

Other events though are in the works though with the proven success of the group over campus.

They are going to have a showing of ‘The Devil Came On Horseback’which is a documentary about now former U.S. Marine Brian Steidle sent to monitor a cease fire in Darfur with a Canon camera, paper, and a pen.

Speakers are also on their agenda of events this year including survivors from Rwanda Sousa said. They come from across the country telling their stories of how they managed to survive the horror of living through civil war.

The Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club meets at 8 p.m. Monday nights in the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies in the Mason Library.

For those that like to dance though, and those that want to support a good cause, the Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club’s unorthodox actions of getting student involvement have proved more than successful to getting a large turn out when it isn’t speakers, it’s dancing and music.

Look mom! No tripod! The beauty of image stabilization, part 1 v2

Posted by Ryan.McK Monday, October 5, 2009 at 12:34 PM 0 Comments

This is just how the gyro works inside a lens for image stabilization, and thanks to the power of Youtube, and the folks at Canon for cutting a 'L Series' lens in half (tear), we can see just how it will compensate for any sort of subject movement.

Pretty sweet.

Look mom! No tripod! The beauty of image stabilization, part 1

Posted by Ryan.McK Friday, October 2, 2009 at 3:09 PM 0 Comments

I think that I need to get off the topic of Free Staters, marijuana, Dems, Reps, all things politics and talk about cameras, after all that is the beauty of this blog right? I get to do a bit of both!

So, today I think that it I should talk about the beauty of image stabilization. It's nothing new, but it is for me. I just got a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM. BEAUTIFUL.

All the major camera companies have their own type of stabilization, it could be in the lens or in the camera body. Canon has it in select lenses. This goes with Nikon, as well as third party lens makers Sigma, ok they make cameras too but their lenses are better, and Tamron. The camera makers that have decided to put their stabilization in the camera body are Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, and Samsung. They all have their own their own names for their special systems, but the lens systems all really work in the same way, and this goes for the camera body stabilization too, for the most part, they all like to throw in there little tricks to make them a little different.

For this blog post, we'll just look at lenses. This is what I'm used to, so it will make more since to start off with anyways. Canon has IS (Image Stabilizer, how cliche), Nikon has VR (Vibration Reduction), Sigma OS (Optical Stabilization), and Tamron has VC (Vibration Compensation). Now that all the you know all the abbreviations, then it will be easier to know what I am talking about.

There are generally two types of image stabilization, not

to be confused with Canon's IS when I say this, compensation for vertical and horizontal movement.

This is image was taken from the Canon IS page.

So, say the subject is running down a soccer field, the lighting conditions are crap, and you don't have a monopod for support, using the lens image stabilization lets you capture the image sharper you may without it. There is always the chance of extra motion blur, increased ISO, and well you may just have missed that shot just because you knew without some type of support, or image stabilization, the shot wasn't going to come out the way you wanted it to.

Whenever IS, VR, OS, and VC is used is obviously to get that nice steady shot. BUT! When it gets dark, it also proves its worth as well, much more so than during the day. It is based all on a system og gyros in the lens. This is the Nikon VR gyro...

This image was taken from the Nikon VR page.

...and much like the others, it commentates for vertical and horizontal movement when shooting, and at night this can be really great because if you aren't using a monopod, you usually have to boost the ISO to get a decent shutter speed to get the photos to come out sharp, well with image stabilization on, this gives the photographer a greater advantage over a photographer that is in the same position without image stabilization.

The camera technology that has come out is remarkable, and it's amazing that image stabilization is only going to continue to get better.

Could of, should of, would of...G20

Posted by Ryan.McK Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 6:40 PM 3 Comments

Check out this link, it's amazing the extent that a lot of photojournalist will go to get the story or the image, especially in such a hostile political environment. Is that dumb though? Is it worth the risk? I want to know your thoughts on this issue. What do you think of photographers going to the point of risking so much more than their gear for an image? Let me know with your comments.

What happens when the media gets in the middle of the police and protestors.

To go with what I said before...

Posted by Ryan.McK at 4:34 PM 1 Comment

Why we should really listen to the intelligence that is Henry Rollins.

"The more and more we get closer to the (2004) election, the more bullshit you start to see on places like the Fox News channel which we all watch cause it is like poor man's Comedy Central. It's true! You don't watch a guy like Bill O'Reilly, you don't sit through Sean Hannity for information, you just reconfirm you're right about everything he says you're wrong about and you have to, it's like a mantra, you have to keep telling yourself it's entertainment, it's entertainment, don't take it seriously."

It's true though, who really does watch Fox News for news? I'll stick to the Associated Press, Rueters, and MSNBC.

Just let me shoot you tea bagger

Posted by Ryan.McK Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 2:08 PM 0 Comments

This has been bothering me for awhile, I as a photojournalist can't express my opinion with when asked by those I photograph and they keep pushing me and pushing me and pushing me for an answer. It was painful. I live by a code of ethics, as all journalists should, I know that they unfortunately don't, but I know that I live by the National Press Photographers Associations (NPPA) Code of Ethics when it comes to going and shooting an assignment.

I was getting asked about my views on the whole health care reform, on my views of religion and God, and the fact that I am basically destined to eternal damnation, and my views how this country is no longer a republic, but either a socialist, communist, fascist, or under the control of a czar state.

I have had trouble sleeping because of all this nonsense, it keeps me up at night, even when I go to bed. It's pointless to be concerned about these people holding signs that mean the wrong thing. Reagan is the one that started the whole "czar trend" anyways with the drug czar in the 1980s. It just so happens that the trend has grown with each administration, especially with the Obama. It pains me to that hyperlink from Glenn Beck, someone that is looked up to as a candidate hopeful for the 2012 election.

After watching this I feel like I have lost all hope for humanity for a good portion of America. It's from New Left Media. Watch it, and maybe you too, will realize that Americans really do have issues...if you didn't already.

I'm waiting for my nightmares to go away and the medication I take to really kick in and put a stop to all this nonsense. It's bad enough when the president that we'll pretty much do what we can about our pollution problem over China, OVER CHINA!!! If there is a God, when will he, or she, strike me down for all the sins I have done over the years.

I'm just letting my ethics and actions speak for themselves, and everything else will eventually fall into place. Too bad we still have to listen to all the nut cases on Fox News though....

Henry Rollins had a great quote about Fox News, but I will make add that in the next post as I can't find it in my spoken word CDs. It's great though.

Campus apathy, or my cynicism

Posted by Ryan.McK Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 6:21 PM 0 Comments

I don't want to say I'm apathetic, because I'm not, I'm far from it, I just have a hard time getting caught up in either side of the health care reform battle that is going on in Congress. If anything, I feel that the Keene State College student body is apathetic. There are pockets of politically minded people certainly, the Dems, Reps, and some of the clubs like Campus Ecology getting Power Vote. Power Vote was a green energy youth movement during the 2008 election to get the younger population to vote and push their legislators to pass green energy bills into law.

Amnesty International used to be here, but they are no longer because one reason or another. Some students a few years back were trying to start a Keene State lead Food Not Bombs, but all the restaurants and groceries stores either already donate their dated food to the food pantry or pour bleach on the day old bread in the dumpsters so that nobody will eat it when dumpster diving for a meal. Food Not Bombs is a movement based around serving free vegetarian food and protesting war, poverty, or any type of injustice in the world.

My point that I am trying to get to here is that there are a lot of good ideas, and a lot of things that people are doing, or trying but aren't getting the support they deserve.

There was a tea party in Keene this weekend, there wasn't a single Keene State College student that was actively participating in it. There were though students though that made the half hour drive from Franklin Pierce University. Junior Mike Barrasso went with two other FPU students because he felt this was an important event to attend. It was about preserving his rights as an American. Senior John Gordon, not pictured, openly invited anyone that knew of profound and provokative speakers to "come to FPU" because they have the facilities.

Keene State gets the same type of people on campus, and Keene State has the facilities to have these types of people to come here, but it's always more the community that is there or just empty chairs. Sometimes I just have to look in and see how many students are there for extra credit taking notes because they know their professor may ask them about the speaker during the next quiz or exam.

It's sad that the campus overall is in such a state, and that only pockets in the actual student body care. The election showed a wide variety of people coming out, but that doesn't reflect the persistent politically active students. Call it campus apathy, or just my cynicism in how motivated the campus is, but for whatever reason, in such an important time for my generation, I see those around me doing nothing as I stand waiting at a cross road...

Do I put down my camera and take the flag out of my closet, or wait for the the students to try and do something to promote political change in Washington, D.C.?

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