January 6, 2013

 

There was hardly any location scouting because we had a location in mind already (perhaps even as the script itself was taking shape). And that meant we had ample time to dedicate to getting some test shots, experimenting with equipment and more. All that is really immaterial when providing updates, but there are a few points to touch upon.

 

One of our many tests was with three cameras on hand: the 1 J1, the D5100 and the D600, all from Nikon. Initially, the expectation on set was that the J1 would provide better video that the D5100, considering it is newer and came at a time when Nikon finally got all into the video market. But the results were disappointing as far as filming were concerned, and Nikon can hardly be blamed. They wanted to make a good still camera with the 1 J1 and they have done that, but its regular video under full manual control (which took some time getting used to!) was not as great as expected. Granted, the J1 is what some might call a cute-looking camera, but it should have been more than that.

 

The other two large, bulky, devices we use to film our productions fared much better, actually. The D5100 had its pitfalls, but a dSLR being a dSLR, its quality easily stands up to its mirrorless sibling and more -- in spite of being older by several months. Ultimately, if we do need a B-cam on set, we will no doubt be going for the D5100 as it is more promising.

 

Our main camera, of course, will remain the HDSLR we have which gives far greater latitude in, well, everything in general. The fact that our previous production turned out so great is reason enough not to let go of the D600, and, although it would mean more work to get the D5100 to look like the D600, it seems to be worth the trouble as the D5100 is still a very promising camera.