I use iMovie because predictably it's "free" if you own or have access to a Mac. Arguably it's an easier to use video editing software and relatively stable. I used a bunch of Linux video editing software and they just crashed and burnt every few minutes.
Here is the biggest discovery ever for me.
I notice iMovie actually lags when editing, that's it stutters as I try to edit the footage or video clips. That prompted me to try out Final Cut Pro X and the problem went away, seemingly. After my FCPX expired after the one-month trial period, I was hard pressed to pay $300 to own a working copy. I mean if you make money out of it, it seems like a bargain. I am going to spare my thoughts on this.
After some Google searches, I think I found out why the stuttering. I think it has to do with the source file format.
In FCPX, I edit the MOV files directly from my Nikon D7000, as I can de-squeeze my anamorphic footage in FCPX without changing the file format first. I don't remember if I ever used HandBrake to un-squeeze and then edit in FCPX and if so did it show any lagging at all.
iMovie doesn't allow me to un-squeeze the footage while editing. So I used HandBrake to un-squeeze the footage to 2.35:1 and along the way I think I compressed the file quite a lot. And I think hence the difficulty of iMovie when editing. I am assuming iMovie has trouble editing "highly" ompressed mp4 files. The file was changed to mpeg4 in mp4.
I now de-squeeze files in H.264 (default mpeg4) in mp4 and retain a higher bit rate at 8000kb/s (default is 1000). When I edit them in iMovie, it doesn't lag anymore.
A word of caution: I really don't know for sure, just want to share my experience. When it becomes technical stuff which video editing is, I just test it out to see what works or works better without spending tons of money or time reading up.
Also, I use a Nikon hack to increase the recording bit rate at I think 65mbps in 1080p at 24fps. I am sure along the way when I use HandBrake to de-squeeze a lot of data are lost. Still when editing the stutter goes away.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
Flash Sync, Again
The thing with flash sync is you know about it and sometimes you just have to ignore it.
I was shooting the velodrome again this past Sunday and I would just like to shoot some back light fill flash using my Nikkor 16-35 f/4 to mix things up a bit.
exif tells me the above were shot at f/9, 1/500 and f/8, 1/640. I probably used 1/8 of the power of the Sunpak 120J. The max sync of the D700 is at 1/250s but since the ambient was so bright there were no noticeable black half frame to speak of. The riders were riding fast and close, 1/640 can barely stop the action. The subject was about 10 feet away so the motion blur was not too obvious unless viewed at 100%. Maybe I have to shoot at 1/800 of a second? I routinely shoot at 1/1000 of a second just so I am sure I got clean shots.
I was shooting the velodrome again this past Sunday and I would just like to shoot some back light fill flash using my Nikkor 16-35 f/4 to mix things up a bit.
exif tells me the above were shot at f/9, 1/500 and f/8, 1/640. I probably used 1/8 of the power of the Sunpak 120J. The max sync of the D700 is at 1/250s but since the ambient was so bright there were no noticeable black half frame to speak of. The riders were riding fast and close, 1/640 can barely stop the action. The subject was about 10 feet away so the motion blur was not too obvious unless viewed at 100%. Maybe I have to shoot at 1/800 of a second? I routinely shoot at 1/1000 of a second just so I am sure I got clean shots.
Friday, April 01, 2016
Flash Sync
Just when I thought I have it down like long time ago, I got confused again, none other than from Nikon USA, or in this case Dave Black or the editor or both of them. http://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/article/huceaq1c/using-auto-fp-high-speed-sync-to-illuminate-fast-sports-action.html
My understanding (mind you, I always got things wrong) is Auto FP doesn't stop fast action. Auto FP provides pulses of light continuously for the duration of the shutter staying open. Essentially FP sync is like sunlight or continuous lighting.
Apparently Dave Black's article kind of implies or states that FP high speed sync stops action or has to do with shooting actions. I know it says illuminate fast sports action. FP high speed, in my mind, has to do with using a bigger aperture, the fact that it uses a high speed is just incidental and not an end as to stop action. Because it can't. Of course, Dave Black proves otherwise or so it seems.
So once again, I am confused.
Since I am pretty much a desktop photographer, I can't be or won't be testing what I read.
Here is another article on the topic, the guy is apparently a genius.
Monday, February 29, 2016
The Mermaid (2016)
I am surprised and delighted that The Mermaid is played in theaters in New York City. I have been a Chow's fan since I discovered his brand of comedy many years ago. Back then as there was only video tape and I wasn't especially well off or well connected so I only saw his works haphazardly. On the occasions I saw his movies or some snippets or episodes of his TV series, I thoroughly enjoyed them. Chow always plays this beloved underdog who despite or because of his non sensical non sequitur acts and his utter disregard to the absurd and seemingly insurmountable reality, always overcomes.
Then one day Chow appeared on the cover of the Sunday New York Times magazine. If I remember correctly it was a fashion issue. He was doing a mid air split or something next to a lamp post, a silly pose, I think. That should be around the time of Shaolin Soccer or Kung Fu Hustle, two of my favorites that kind of established him somewhat in the consciousness of Hollywood. More importantly and reassuringly, Chow proves that he can make great dramatic comedy with Hong Kong production in his rear view mirror with much of his comedic integrity intact though I can see that Chow is shedding most of his witty nonsensical Cantonese dialogues that define and catapult his career early on, in favor of more action and better production which translate better in cinema worldwide.
The Mermaid or Mei Ren Yu (2016) is a Chow's film without Chow in front of the camera. Things certainly won't be the same without Chow being front and center on everything. With Mei, Chow has crossed the line of being stupendously silly to being incoherently stupid. It used to be that the audience does the laughing, may that be something Chow or his crew says or does while he and his crew appear totally oblivious to the plight and absurdity of their situation. Mei is just the opposite, often times, the comedy is heavy-handed and the only persons laughing are the self-aware actors themselves, it feels so forced. I can see Chow tries to add production value so as to appear Hollywood or something (there is indeed a 3D version) but both the production and special effects just fall flat. Nobody goes to see a Chow's movie for its special effects or production value so what if they are sub-par compared to Hollywood's? It wouldn't matter one iota if the comedy holds up. Alas, this isn't the case.
Perhaps the opening scene in which a group of tourists visit a museum best encapsulates the entire movie as envisioned by the director and experienced by me--the tourists, surrogate for the audience, visit a so-called museum only to discover that the exhibits are mere props and scams so the unscrupulous curator can turn a dime on the gullible and the unsuspected. Chow's tourists laugh and jeer at the exhibits with gusto as while me in the real audience find the material hardly amusing.
I heard the movie is doing well in China and in Asia in general. So what do I know?
Then one day Chow appeared on the cover of the Sunday New York Times magazine. If I remember correctly it was a fashion issue. He was doing a mid air split or something next to a lamp post, a silly pose, I think. That should be around the time of Shaolin Soccer or Kung Fu Hustle, two of my favorites that kind of established him somewhat in the consciousness of Hollywood. More importantly and reassuringly, Chow proves that he can make great dramatic comedy with Hong Kong production in his rear view mirror with much of his comedic integrity intact though I can see that Chow is shedding most of his witty nonsensical Cantonese dialogues that define and catapult his career early on, in favor of more action and better production which translate better in cinema worldwide.
The Mermaid or Mei Ren Yu (2016) is a Chow's film without Chow in front of the camera. Things certainly won't be the same without Chow being front and center on everything. With Mei, Chow has crossed the line of being stupendously silly to being incoherently stupid. It used to be that the audience does the laughing, may that be something Chow or his crew says or does while he and his crew appear totally oblivious to the plight and absurdity of their situation. Mei is just the opposite, often times, the comedy is heavy-handed and the only persons laughing are the self-aware actors themselves, it feels so forced. I can see Chow tries to add production value so as to appear Hollywood or something (there is indeed a 3D version) but both the production and special effects just fall flat. Nobody goes to see a Chow's movie for its special effects or production value so what if they are sub-par compared to Hollywood's? It wouldn't matter one iota if the comedy holds up. Alas, this isn't the case.
Perhaps the opening scene in which a group of tourists visit a museum best encapsulates the entire movie as envisioned by the director and experienced by me--the tourists, surrogate for the audience, visit a so-called museum only to discover that the exhibits are mere props and scams so the unscrupulous curator can turn a dime on the gullible and the unsuspected. Chow's tourists laugh and jeer at the exhibits with gusto as while me in the real audience find the material hardly amusing.
I heard the movie is doing well in China and in Asia in general. So what do I know?
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Bellman CX-25P
I haven't mastered this gadget, maybe I never will. It's just a fun contraption to make some strong coffee. I've seen video on YouTube somewhat detailing what's the correct way to brew coffee out of this thingy but so far I am not able to replicate the result. Perhaps it's my desire to do it my own way or my pure death instinct or my disability to follow any instructions. The end result is the same. The coffee doesn't come out right, too dark too bitter, too much sputtering. For everyday coffee consumption I still use the no frill IKEA espresso pot which turns out to be very quick, very reliable despite the fact that the lid kind of falling apart from day one. The milk frothing wand on the Bellman is a newer design with two nozzles but I could never get the milk frothed right. On the other hand, again my IKEA battery frothing wand works pretty well as long as you got yourself a straight one. I have another one that's ever slightly bended and it simply doesn't work all that well at all.
Regarding after sales, this Bellman is manufactured in Taiwan, I guess based on some old Italian make some time ago. It's distributed by some Ng company in America. I once wrote to them about the little pressure gauge and they never bother to write me back. So I say lousy or questionable after sales service.
Cleaning is a bit involved with the Bellman as there are simply more parts to dissemble. And because of the gauge, the handle, the top, the frothing wand, all the protruding parts, it's a bit hard to put on any dish rack to let it hang or sit dry, plus even if you were to flip the body upside down you won't be able to drip the water down because the design of the top opening. But this doesn't bother me too much as I never ever bother to thoroughly clean the contraption, I just rinse it and all its parts with warm water. Sometimes I don't get why people tend to clean everything with detergent, I mean is it oily or greasy? No. Any oil is coffee oil so I wouldn't bother to scrub or clean it with detergent at all.
Time to revisit YouTube again.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Ruby on Rails
Problem installing Rails. Well what else is new? Right?
Thankfully, there is no new problem under the sun. At least not the kind of problems I encounter, definitely not the cutting edge type.
This website saves me.
http://www.ericluwj.com/2015/10/29/installing-ruby-on-rails-on-osx.html
The El Capitan section is what resolves my issue:- Rails is not installing because some libxml2 issues. My problem solving skill is pretty much cook book recipe approach. I don't know why it works but it works.
Thankfully, there is no new problem under the sun. At least not the kind of problems I encounter, definitely not the cutting edge type.
This website saves me.
http://www.ericluwj.com/2015/10/29/installing-ruby-on-rails-on-osx.html
gem install nokogiri -- --with-xml2-include=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.11.sdk/usr/include/libxml2 --use-system-libraries
The El Capitan section is what resolves my issue:- Rails is not installing because some libxml2 issues. My problem solving skill is pretty much cook book recipe approach. I don't know why it works but it works.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Sunday, February 14, 2016
The Return of the Bomber Jacket
Sometimes, things just happen. Like the "return" of the bomber jacket. I think this can count as the most ubiquitous item of this season. (The jacket has never ever left us, it's just that it has become a fad by the fashionistas since I don't know when).
I discovered the bomber jacket when I was in college. I remember seeing plenty of them in Canal Jeans in downtown Manhattan. The jacket is always reasonably priced in the mid $40s. Not many people can afford the fur lined Gucci slippers to be on trend but a $45 jacket, you bet.
You can't go out without seeing a bomber jacket these days. People tend to wear it oversized instead of fitted.
This is more of a bomber parka than a jacket.
I discovered the bomber jacket when I was in college. I remember seeing plenty of them in Canal Jeans in downtown Manhattan. The jacket is always reasonably priced in the mid $40s. Not many people can afford the fur lined Gucci slippers to be on trend but a $45 jacket, you bet.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Macports, ImageMagick, GIMP
None of them is working. So I am screwed. The problem or my problem is I don't know half of what I am doing so it's extremely hard to fix any problems should they arise and arise they always do. I have a feeling that because of the Xcodes update, something is broken. It's going to be tough to fix them, at least for me.
In case there are some wizards out there, please let me know.
UPDATE:
I first discovered this problem when I tried to use Imagemagick to run watermark on my pictures. Alas, it didn't work, so I thought it was the PATH variable. And I guess it was. Then I found out GIMP wasn't working. Then I thought maybe it's the macports that wasn't working.
Finally, it was the macports. And once I fixed the macports, everything works again, so far. I don't know why but it's true the PATH was screwed up.
Anyway, once I put back the PATH both ImageMagick and GIMP start working again.
UPDATE:
I probably changed the ~/.bash_profile inadvertently. So I need to add and save this line back to the file so it sticks.
back to business.
In case there are some wizards out there, please let me know.
UPDATE:
I first discovered this problem when I tried to use Imagemagick to run watermark on my pictures. Alas, it didn't work, so I thought it was the PATH variable. And I guess it was. Then I found out GIMP wasn't working. Then I thought maybe it's the macports that wasn't working.
Finally, it was the macports. And once I fixed the macports, everything works again, so far. I don't know why but it's true the PATH was screwed up.
Anyway, once I put back the PATH both ImageMagick and GIMP start working again.
export PATH=/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:$PATH
UPDATE:
I probably changed the ~/.bash_profile inadvertently. So I need to add and save this line back to the file so it sticks.
back to business.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Big Camera
I should have written it last year. Or maybe I have already? Last year was actually worse with stronger wind and all.
When I am shooting in the cold, finger numbing, frost biting cold, close to 0 F cold. I want to have a big freaking camera with big freaking controls.
Last year I thought I was going to lose my fingers when I was out shooting in the cold for hours.
Today I put on two layers of gloves. And I wish my D700 was bigger. I can barely feel my shutter release button.
Today I had a change of shooting MO, instead of going for my 80-200 or 70-200, I opted for the 16-35, went wide and wild. It definitely is different. I want to travel light so I brought the SB-600 instead of the relatively massive Sunpak 120J and power pack. Of course everything is a trade-off. With the powerpack, the Sunpak can shoot fast without any major lag in recycle time especially all I need is 1/8 of the power. Not so with the SB-600. The battery powered SB-600 can't quite keep up with the continuous shooting. To be fair I don't think the Sunpak can either if it's powered by AA batteries. I am glad I brought my Nikkor 16-35 f/4 instead of the 20-35 f/2.8 as the aperture blades of the latter would most likely to stick given the Antarctica like temperature.
When I am shooting in the cold, finger numbing, frost biting cold, close to 0 F cold. I want to have a big freaking camera with big freaking controls.
Last year I thought I was going to lose my fingers when I was out shooting in the cold for hours.
Today I put on two layers of gloves. And I wish my D700 was bigger. I can barely feel my shutter release button.
Today I had a change of shooting MO, instead of going for my 80-200 or 70-200, I opted for the 16-35, went wide and wild. It definitely is different. I want to travel light so I brought the SB-600 instead of the relatively massive Sunpak 120J and power pack. Of course everything is a trade-off. With the powerpack, the Sunpak can shoot fast without any major lag in recycle time especially all I need is 1/8 of the power. Not so with the SB-600. The battery powered SB-600 can't quite keep up with the continuous shooting. To be fair I don't think the Sunpak can either if it's powered by AA batteries. I am glad I brought my Nikkor 16-35 f/4 instead of the 20-35 f/2.8 as the aperture blades of the latter would most likely to stick given the Antarctica like temperature.
Wednesday, February 03, 2016
Highlight of the Day
I got off work a bit later than usual.
When I got on the subway platform, I think I saw Alexa Chung in her golden slip-ons walking in my direction. I don't know how I think I know it's her. But I am pretty sure it was her. I don't get to see fancy slip-ons like that every day. The loafers practically light up the whole dreary subway platform and the subway car. It was a week or so after the blizzard and the streets are pretty slushy but her shoes look practically new unmolested by the black snow, urban gravy or the likes.
I was too much of a chicken or got too much misplaced pride or too much self control to say Hello.
Then the other day I bumped into the quite possibly the most prodigious rock climber ever, Ashima Shirashi. She was very petite and quite easily disappeared in the car. I tried to look at her fingers and feet to see if they are extraordinary in any way. I guess they aren't or they are. I am no expert. She was accompanied by her dad. I read her profile on the New York Times quite some time ago and then now "all of a sudden" she is every where. The New Yorker did a profile on her just a month or so ago.
When I got on the subway platform, I think I saw Alexa Chung in her golden slip-ons walking in my direction. I don't know how I think I know it's her. But I am pretty sure it was her. I don't get to see fancy slip-ons like that every day. The loafers practically light up the whole dreary subway platform and the subway car. It was a week or so after the blizzard and the streets are pretty slushy but her shoes look practically new unmolested by the black snow, urban gravy or the likes.
I was too much of a chicken or got too much misplaced pride or too much self control to say Hello.
Then the other day I bumped into the quite possibly the most prodigious rock climber ever, Ashima Shirashi. She was very petite and quite easily disappeared in the car. I tried to look at her fingers and feet to see if they are extraordinary in any way. I guess they aren't or they are. I am no expert. She was accompanied by her dad. I read her profile on the New York Times quite some time ago and then now "all of a sudden" she is every where. The New Yorker did a profile on her just a month or so ago.
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
Airdrop and random thoughts
This is really a random update.
After some incremental updates on both the MBP OS X and iPhone iOS. I think I am on their latest. I find the once iffy Airdrop works remarkably well now. It simply drops and receives. And I am happy to report that.
My iPhone5s is always out of space. I hate to do housekeeping like that. I think my next iPhone will have the biggest capacity available, currently at 64GB. I will probably use it as for phoneography to realize my childhood dream of shooting moving images. Probably want to get a beast grip and the moondog anamorphic adapter. The Optex anamorphic adapter is too dreamy (read fuzzy and soft and out of focus) for some application. Maybe comes March or early April. I don't need another DSLR, do I?
After some incremental updates on both the MBP OS X and iPhone iOS. I think I am on their latest. I find the once iffy Airdrop works remarkably well now. It simply drops and receives. And I am happy to report that.
My iPhone5s is always out of space. I hate to do housekeeping like that. I think my next iPhone will have the biggest capacity available, currently at 64GB. I will probably use it as for phoneography to realize my childhood dream of shooting moving images. Probably want to get a beast grip and the moondog anamorphic adapter. The Optex anamorphic adapter is too dreamy (read fuzzy and soft and out of focus) for some application. Maybe comes March or early April. I don't need another DSLR, do I?
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Flash Bracket
I own a CB mini flash bracket, the original edition. It's reasonable good. It's handy and works pretty much flawlessly. I wish it comes with some anti-twisting mechanism but it is like an add-on which is as expensive as it's rare for a tiny piece of aluminum. I believe they have a newer version that has some integrated anti twist built-in.
I have some success mounting my biggie Sunpak 120J on it. Though the mini ball head that I bought with it isn't liking the stress and weight that much and it's losing its grip ...
I think for the quality of the light, a top mounted flash should be better but I am just happy the flash is mounted on the side. The bracket only allows flash mounted on the right of the camera with lens pointing out to subject; plus I use a motor drive for the D700 so mounting on the right is really the only right way. But I think there is a time when mounting on the left makes a little bit more sense photographically speaking, that's when the subject is moving from right to left.
Well maybe it doesn't make a huge difference if the scene is not too dark. Sunpak 120J hot wired synced with D700. No it didn't fire the camera at all.
I have some success mounting my biggie Sunpak 120J on it. Though the mini ball head that I bought with it isn't liking the stress and weight that much and it's losing its grip ...
I think for the quality of the light, a top mounted flash should be better but I am just happy the flash is mounted on the side. The bracket only allows flash mounted on the right of the camera with lens pointing out to subject; plus I use a motor drive for the D700 so mounting on the right is really the only right way. But I think there is a time when mounting on the left makes a little bit more sense photographically speaking, that's when the subject is moving from right to left.
Well maybe it doesn't make a huge difference if the scene is not too dark. Sunpak 120J hot wired synced with D700. No it didn't fire the camera at all.
Deer Park Trip 2016
Shot at 1080p with the Optex 1.33X anamorphic adapter. De-squeezed using HandBrakeCLI, Edited using iMovie.
The camera is the Nikon D7000 and the lens is the Nikkor 28mm f/2 AIS. I attached the Optex to the Nikkor via a 52-58 step up ring. The Nikkor has a 52mm filter thread while the Optex has a 58mm. The 28mm seems to be the "sharpest" when used with the Optex. Sharp is a relative term here. I don't think I will ever get a sharp image from the Optex. The minimum focusing distance is life at least 10 feet away. The Optex does not come with any front filter thread so to attach a diopter is not a straight forward thing.
If you think sharpness is grossly overrated and value a wider format then Optex anamorphic maybe just for you.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Video Mystery
Every few years or so I will circle back and try to understand video. Then I give up.
I still use my D7000 for video capture. It can shoot at 1080p at 24fps or 720p at 30fps. Now your experience maybe different from mine. If I were to shoot static scenes then I guess it doesn't make any difference. But if I were to shoot cycling on the velodrome, I find the footage has too much shudder or stutter. The stutter is subtle and has nothing to do the playing machine or software being not optimized or being inferior to play video full HD. I think the shudder has to do with the capture the way it's recorded in the D7000. I think at 1080p and 24fps the shudder is pretty insufferable for action shots. At 720p and 30fps, it seems like it's better, the motion is a bit smoother.
I set shutter at 1/50s for 24fps and 1/60s for 30fps.
Again this whole write up is not scientific or anything.
I think about bit rate and I read the D7000 captures at 20mbps and I guess it's not very good if you want to grade your video in post or when the scene is dark or when you are shooting moving subjects, that's the frame is quite different from each other.
Lucky me, D7000 can be hacked to increase the bit rate to some ~64mbps, I proceeded to downgrade the firmware to 1.03 and patch it from the Nikon hackers. The thing is I don't know what I lose by downgrading the firmware--probably lost the lens data from jpeg correction and I don't know what I gain on my video--other than the file would be bigger and I can't even play back the high bit rate video on the camera.
So I am able to shoot at 1080p at 24fps and at higher bit rate like 64mbps.
I am able to play the footage on my MBP but I don't think I see any noticeable improvement on how smooth the action become, like when a cyclist goes by. Perhaps there is some but I really can't tell for sure.
When the video is shot with the the Optex 1.33 anamorphic adapter, then I use Handbrake to de-squeeze it so it can play at 2554 x 1080. Then I notice when after the desqueeze the bit rate goes to 1 or 2 mbps no matter what my footage bit rate was. I read somewhat about it but I could not fully understand it, well that's expected. I think if the scenes or frames have a lot of changes then the bit rate would rise to capture the changes otherwise there is really no need to increase the bit rate. Again I don't see any significant degrading in the video in particular motion scenes.
Now the raw footage is desqueezed then I proceed to use iMovie to whip up some project and use share to create a new high quality video like with titles and sound track.
And surprise, even with the above 1 or 2 mbps footage the final video can have a bit rate more than that. So I am perplexed. I thought you can't have what you don't have to begin with. If the footage is only 1.2mbps how could the final video has a bit rate in the 10.
D7000 file.MOV at 1080p 24fps 64mbps -->Handbrake --> file.mp4 1080p 24fps 1.5mbps ---> iMovie file.mp4 1080p 24fps 10mbps
What I want is just smooth action video. Why so hard with D7000?
Again video is a major mystery to me.
I still use my D7000 for video capture. It can shoot at 1080p at 24fps or 720p at 30fps. Now your experience maybe different from mine. If I were to shoot static scenes then I guess it doesn't make any difference. But if I were to shoot cycling on the velodrome, I find the footage has too much shudder or stutter. The stutter is subtle and has nothing to do the playing machine or software being not optimized or being inferior to play video full HD. I think the shudder has to do with the capture the way it's recorded in the D7000. I think at 1080p and 24fps the shudder is pretty insufferable for action shots. At 720p and 30fps, it seems like it's better, the motion is a bit smoother.
I set shutter at 1/50s for 24fps and 1/60s for 30fps.
Again this whole write up is not scientific or anything.
I think about bit rate and I read the D7000 captures at 20mbps and I guess it's not very good if you want to grade your video in post or when the scene is dark or when you are shooting moving subjects, that's the frame is quite different from each other.
Lucky me, D7000 can be hacked to increase the bit rate to some ~64mbps, I proceeded to downgrade the firmware to 1.03 and patch it from the Nikon hackers. The thing is I don't know what I lose by downgrading the firmware--probably lost the lens data from jpeg correction and I don't know what I gain on my video--other than the file would be bigger and I can't even play back the high bit rate video on the camera.
So I am able to shoot at 1080p at 24fps and at higher bit rate like 64mbps.
I am able to play the footage on my MBP but I don't think I see any noticeable improvement on how smooth the action become, like when a cyclist goes by. Perhaps there is some but I really can't tell for sure.
When the video is shot with the the Optex 1.33 anamorphic adapter, then I use Handbrake to de-squeeze it so it can play at 2554 x 1080. Then I notice when after the desqueeze the bit rate goes to 1 or 2 mbps no matter what my footage bit rate was. I read somewhat about it but I could not fully understand it, well that's expected. I think if the scenes or frames have a lot of changes then the bit rate would rise to capture the changes otherwise there is really no need to increase the bit rate. Again I don't see any significant degrading in the video in particular motion scenes.
Now the raw footage is desqueezed then I proceed to use iMovie to whip up some project and use share to create a new high quality video like with titles and sound track.
And surprise, even with the above 1 or 2 mbps footage the final video can have a bit rate more than that. So I am perplexed. I thought you can't have what you don't have to begin with. If the footage is only 1.2mbps how could the final video has a bit rate in the 10.
D7000 file.MOV at 1080p 24fps 64mbps -->Handbrake --> file.mp4 1080p 24fps 1.5mbps ---> iMovie file.mp4 1080p 24fps 10mbps
What I want is just smooth action video. Why so hard with D7000?
Again video is a major mystery to me.
Monday, December 28, 2015
The Hateful Eight 70mm, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The big news about The Hateful Eight is of course it was shot on 65mm film stock and transferred to 70mm print for projection. Just like The Sound of Music or the good old days. I believe the film was shot anamorphic meaning the image is actually squeezed vertically, and later un-squeezed (on to the 70mm print or during projection?) to make it even wider at 2.76:1 instead of the usual cinematic 2:39:1.
I went to see it in a movie theater by the Lincoln Square in Manhattan, which I think is one of the best. It also houses one of the best IMAX theaters in the nation, or so I experience, or read and led to believe.
The few things I notice is the film is really film and by that I mean it evokes my early memories of seeing film with warts and all. One thing I notice is that it isn't as wide or big as I thought it would be. It is supposed to be wider than what's out there but I don't feel it that way. The movie screen doesn't seem that gigantic or wide to begin with. The flicker is pretty obvious right in the Overture before the start of the actual movie; and when the audio is off or low I can hear the sound of the projection which I think is something buried deep in my childhood memory and suddenly resurrected. The outdoor blizzard scenes don't seem as sharp as it should be or I want it to be perhaps it's the nature of the medium or the scenes or a combination of them. But the indoor shots seem sharp or sharp enough just not digitally sharp. It has a rich quality to it. The audio is great and I never notice any out of sync with the picture even though I tried hard to look at the lips too see if the dialogues are out of sync or not, and they aren't. The film actually comes with intermission which I don't recall I ever experienced except for double features I saw eons ago.
So what is old is new again. Film seems to be the next frontier, to be discovered, tamed and enjoyed once again.
By the way, the film is typical Tarantino, that's just another way of saying it got plenty of dialogues and gores, actually not so much for the latter by my standard. Do I like it? I like it all right but off the top of my head I am still more blown away by Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill--I saw Reservoir Dog on VHS too long ago to remember anything.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Thank goodness I only paid 6.75 for the ticket. The movie is all right, very typical J.J.Abrams, very mediocre.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Year 2015
Books I actually finished reading, not in any particular order
* Dream of the Red Chamber, Cao Xueqin
The more things change, the more things stay the same. Why not read a classic? A Chinese classic. I bought this 2-book edition way back when I visited Taiwan many years ago. Then it took me still another few years to actually begin to read it from beginning to end. This epic of a novel is credited to Cao Xueqin, a Qing aristocrat who wrote it in the 18th century and is believed to be largely semi autobiographical with characters and events heavily drawn from his own family's decline. This edition comprises the usual 120 chapters. By some account, the last 40 chapters were written, allegedly by, someone other than Cao. Or some argue they were compiled and edited from lost and found Cao's manuscripts. I will leave the detective work to the Redologists to figure that out. This is an encyclopedia of sort of all things Chinese. You can find nuanced accounts on anything from feast to funeral, occult to opera, and everything in between. Not to mention the rich tapestry of characters, the achingly beautiful, the comically vulgar. the perennial scheming, and the incorrigibly licentious. Despite my shortcoming of the language, history and everything in general, I find the novel not as difficult as I imagined, at least on the surface. The writing, maybe except the poetry, is not too difficult to understand even for someone like myself. The premise of the story is laughably ridiculous and oddly fascinating as once upon a time there is a stone who got left out and left behind from mending the sky. The stone turns to some demigod and saves a withering plant in heaven by watering it. The plant survives, prospers and takes the form of a female body. To return the benevolent act of watering, the plant vows to pay back the stone with all her tears when they reincarnate as humans on earth. And reincarnate they do, and hence the beginning of the story of the stone. It's redundant and utterly under qualified--that's a truism and of itself being redundant, on my part to heap praise on the novel that is considered one of the the four best classics ever written yet it doesn't stop me from saying this: I found the novel emotionally engaging, utterly fascinating and ultimately a joy to read.
* Native Speaker, Chang-Rae Lee
*World War Z, Max Brooks
* Little Failure: A Memoir, Gary Shteyngart
The more things change, the more things stay the same. Why not read a classic? A Chinese classic. I bought this 2-book edition way back when I visited Taiwan many years ago. Then it took me still another few years to actually begin to read it from beginning to end. This epic of a novel is credited to Cao Xueqin, a Qing aristocrat who wrote it in the 18th century and is believed to be largely semi autobiographical with characters and events heavily drawn from his own family's decline. This edition comprises the usual 120 chapters. By some account, the last 40 chapters were written, allegedly by, someone other than Cao. Or some argue they were compiled and edited from lost and found Cao's manuscripts. I will leave the detective work to the Redologists to figure that out. This is an encyclopedia of sort of all things Chinese. You can find nuanced accounts on anything from feast to funeral, occult to opera, and everything in between. Not to mention the rich tapestry of characters, the achingly beautiful, the comically vulgar. the perennial scheming, and the incorrigibly licentious. Despite my shortcoming of the language, history and everything in general, I find the novel not as difficult as I imagined, at least on the surface. The writing, maybe except the poetry, is not too difficult to understand even for someone like myself. The premise of the story is laughably ridiculous and oddly fascinating as once upon a time there is a stone who got left out and left behind from mending the sky. The stone turns to some demigod and saves a withering plant in heaven by watering it. The plant survives, prospers and takes the form of a female body. To return the benevolent act of watering, the plant vows to pay back the stone with all her tears when they reincarnate as humans on earth. And reincarnate they do, and hence the beginning of the story of the stone. It's redundant and utterly under qualified--that's a truism and of itself being redundant, on my part to heap praise on the novel that is considered one of the the four best classics ever written yet it doesn't stop me from saying this: I found the novel emotionally engaging, utterly fascinating and ultimately a joy to read.
* Native Speaker, Chang-Rae Lee
*World War Z, Max Brooks
* Little Failure: A Memoir, Gary Shteyngart
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