We all know the important place that DSLRs now have in the world of video production. The versatility of these cameras, the ability to alternate between still photography and video at a shoot, the interchangeable lenses, large processors, and more, have all meant that DSLRs are an attractive option for shooting video. At Videomaker we’ve written about a large number of these cameras and we continue to be impressed. But there has also always been a number of significant and important distinctions between prosumer camcorders and DSLRs and at the top of that list is… audio. Without an XLR input for recording sound, DLSRs depend on add-on accessories and/or separate audio recorders which then can, of course, complicate the work in post.

That’s where companies like Azden step into the picture.

Azden has just announced their professional low noise audio mixer designed specifically for DSLR cameras, the FMX-DSLR. We at Videomaker are looking forward to taking a closer look at this audio mixer and pairing it with the DSLR cameras we shoot with here. For now we can report that this small device can be mounted directly between the tripod and camera and is powered by four “AA” batteries. The FMX-DSLR includes a switchable AGC circuit for noiseless operation, 2 XLR microphone inputs with individual level controls and switchable phantom power, stereo mini jack microphone input, mini jack line level input, stereo mini plug microphone output and headphone output with level control. LED peak level indicators, input return function (RTN) to monitor camera audio and a power switch with power on/low battery LED. Azden indicates that this device has an MSRP of $400.

As audio solutions like the FMX-DSLR continue to come along, they will certainly work to further blur the line between cameras best suited for still shooting and those able to straddle the line between the photographer and videographer.

Nikon introduces the D800 one exceptional piece of equipment for both photographers and videographers (available in late March, MSRP $3000.) It is evidence of Nikon continuing the campaign for further integrate video capabilities in their DSLRs. Specifics like full HD video resolution at 1080 and the ability to shoot in 30 and 24p as well as 720 at 60 and 30p combine with dedication to audio for solid video producing.

At the core of this 36MP monster is an FX-format CMOS sensor and a EXPEED 3 image processor. Then at the front of the D800 is your NIKKOR FX-lens with the option of zooming in with a DX-lens. Follow the image from the lens, to the 35mm image sensor and up to the viewfinder that has 100 percent frame coverage and you’ll be capturing images with 7360×4912 resolution.

With good audio, comes great video – a 20-step mic volume adjustment with a 30-step headphone adjustment for a dedicated headphone jack will help you monitor audio well.

When it comes to ISO range, the D800 is outstanding with 100-6400 expandable to 500-25,600 and all with low noise images. The EXPEED 3 image processor keeps color well, but having a white balance that recognizes artificial and natural light is even better.

The D800 allows for lots of manual control including live view aperture adjustment either on its 921,000-dot LCD or on an attached monitor. If you want this monitor to be streaming, the displays can be removed, but either way, the camera can provide an uncompressed HDMI output with 4:2:2. Sticking with the LCD is no problem either since it is 3.2-inches with auto brightness control and reinforced glass.

Recording on the D800 may be best with a direct capture device, but it will format video with the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec. Clips can be recorded up to 20 min. at the highest quality setting, but going from sleep to shoot takes .12 seconds. And the shutter can be set to activate audio recording. With a 51-point AF system, operators may get spoiled with such response time, because with any shoot you don’t want .12 seconds of prep time, but we know from experience that waiting on a camera is never fun.

Now for the matter of retrieving footage you’ve got options on the D800 to use USB 3.0, CF and SD cards. Start organizing early by recording stills to one card and video to another, and for the highest speed use UDMA-7 or SDXC/UHS-1 cards.

So for about $3,000 the D800 provides approximately 200,000 shutter cycles, all encased in a magnesium alloy that is dust, dirt and moisture resistant. If you are interested in even higher resolution stills you may forgo the low pass filter for $300 and wait another few weeks for the D800E (available mid April, MSRP $3,300.)

We live in an age were most every family in America owns a video camera and editing software, even if they never sought out either. Anyone with an internet connection can put their video online where it can be seen by everyone on the planet. The web has given anyone who wants it, access to far more information than any film school alone can provide. The world of video production has entered a golden age. There are no more excuses not to pursue whatever goals you hope to achieve with video.

In the late ’90s, when the average middle-class American could purchase video editing software to run on the home computer they already owned, it was clear that we were entering a new era of video production. Consumer camcorders were already common, but with non-linear editors entering people’s homes, so too, was a quality of production reserved only for professionals or those willing to spend thousands on uni-tasking equipment.

Consumer video production stayed at that point for about 10 years, as individuals shot SD footage on their home camcorders and edited on their PC or Mac.  In the last few years, however, we’ve seen a surge forward in the process of consumer level video production. It’s a result of computers and cameras getting cheaper, and moving into every electronic device in the home.

When The Blair Witch Project came out, people were amazed that someone could shoot an entire film that would be released world wide, on a simple consumer camcorder. Today, an iPhone 4S could easily take better quality video and cost significantly less. The only reason, I believe, that we haven’t seen a nationally released film shot entirely on a smartphone yet is simply because an upgrade in picture quality and functionality can be purchased for under a thousand dollars.

It’s not just the cost of quality cameras and accessibility of editing software that is bringing good looking video to the masses, it’s also the size. It turns out that a fluid-head tripod capable of supporting a 3lb camcorder doesn’t cost a lot of money. The same can be said about slider dollies, jibs, and even stabilizers.

Of course some equipment is as pricey as it’s ever been. Lights and microphones, for example, don’t seem to be getting any cheaper, but we live in the age of the internet. It’s much easier to learn from others about how to build your own lighting rig, or even record studio quality ADR straight into your laptop or iPad.

Cameras and editing systems are getting cheaper by the day, and the free flow of information on the internet is making it easier than ever to break into video production. As a result, Hollywood is losing its hold on the film industry, which is a good thing for both consumers and producers of great video.

So you want to make a documentary? We’ve all heard that before.  Just as we know that all the greatest writers are supposedly too busy hanging out in coffee shops and bemoaning the difficulties of writing to actually write, all the greatest documentarians are too busy worrying about where to start to actually, well, start.  When I was a kid, I used to love watching nature documentaries on PBS, all about the ocean floor or the rain forest or, especially, dinosaurs.  For years, though, I thought that a documentary HAD to be about some exotic faraway locale, that you had to travel to, say, the Gobi Desert or the Marianas trench, and that they always had to be about weird animals.  You might have the same problem, you’re too convinced that documentaries have to be sprawling, complicated affairs to realize that they’re actually pretty simple.  All you have to do it break it down!

Yup, it’s simple if you just break down the documentary process.  For example, take a look at Videomaker’s premium documentary series, now available to buy as one complete set at a $60 discount.  This DVD series divides up the daunting documentary process into four tidy little segments, so that you won’t get too overwhelmed.   All you need to worry about are four little things:

1) Documentary Storytelling: There’s good fodder for a stellar documentary anywhere.  Maybe you know a person with an unusual story to tell or maybe there’s a local landmark that you’ve always been curious about. Some of the most compelling documentaries come from personal stories or family histories, or dramas that, in the grand scheme of things, might not really be that dramatic. The incidents might be small or mundane, but if they communicate bigger, universal themes, they can touch people in ways that more polished but less intimate documentaries fail to do. For example, “The King of Kong” is a documentary about one man’s fight to become the world champion at the video game Donkey Kong. Most people would dismiss that as a silly goal, but the filmmakers were able to use his quest to tell a universal story about every man’s desire to leave his mark on the world.  This DVD shows you how to find the deeper meaning in even ordinary events and how to determine whether there’s enough meat in a story to be worth your time as a documentarian.

2) Documentary Funding: Yeah, so we’ve already established that you don’t have the budget to go down the Amazon. Unfortunately, even a modest documentary needs some budget and you don’t want to be stuck spinning your wheels because you can’t think of a way to get your hands on some cash.  Well, before you resort to robbing a bank, pulling off a daring international diamond heist, or something equally drastic (Pro tip: Don’t do that!), you should probably take a look at this DVD. Documentary Funding gives you helpful, practical and, above all, proven suggestions to get some cold hard cash to back up your documentary dreams. This feature looks at finding sources for funds, writing a thorough prospectus, knowing the details of an accurate budget sheet, organizing a successful fundraiser, editing a demo reel that impresses, and presenting the techniques of an effective pitch.

3) Documentary Equipment and Crew: Remember how we said you’d need money to shoot your documentary? Well, here’s where that comes into play. You may be able to cajole some friends into helping you out and you may be able to borrow your neighbor’s old camcorder for free… but let’s face it. You know you get what you pay for when you rely on the kindness of strangers (and friends).  If you’re going to make a documentary, make it good.  Cutting on necessary expenses always impacts the result and not in a good way. This DVD offers you tips on how to choose cameras, audio gear, lighting gear and accessories, and tips to finding and working with a professional crew. These tips will get you on your way to making a great documentary.

4) The Documentary  Shoot: And now that you’ve got all that preliminary planning and pre-planning and pre-pre-planning out of the way, it’s time to go out on the actual shoot.  This is where it all counts. The shoot is probably the most fun part of making the documentary, because this is where you really get to see your vision come together.  If you picked a good subject, you should feel re-newed excitement when you revisit the stories that originally sold you on it.  Conducting insightful interviews, setting up good lighting and audio, and getting location access are all part of the process here!

So there you go, the entire documentary process, all in four easy-to-digest chunks.  Now you better start filming, because, when you watch these DVDs,  you’ll no longer  have the excuse that you don’t know how to start.

Samsung has been impressing us lately at CES. While it seems like a lot of other companies are slowly doing less and less at CES, Samsung has been doing more and more. An example of this is Samsung’s newest Wi-Fi enabled cameras the WB850F, WB150F, and the ST200F. Unlike many other cameras that only allow you to share your video and photos on the cloud, Samsung’s SMART technology on these cameras allows you to back up to a hard drive as soon as shooting is done – all without hooking up cables to your computer. In conjunction with this, Samsung is also offering free storage space from Samsung’s AllShare Play and Microsoft’s Sky Drive so that you can get your photos from anywhere.

We’re not exactly sure why you’d need this (especially with smartphones so readily available) but Samsung has also added the ability to pull maps up on your camera and has a digital compass to tell them how far they are from certain locations. I’m not sure this is a selling point for me but you never know what people might need on a phone so why not?

As for getting close to a subject, Samsung included an impressive 21X optical zoom on the WB850F, a 18X zoom on the WB150F, and a 10X zoom on the ST200F. Better yet, the WB850F has a backside illuminated sensor , meaning it takes the image from the back of the chip instead of the front, which should reduce image noise and distortion. All of the cameras come with some proprietary software from Samsung that we won’t go into but be assured that whether you like it or not…it’s there.

The WB850F will have a 16 megapixel sensor, 1080p video, and simultaneous still and video capture all for $379. The WB150F will sport a 14 megapixel sensor and 1080p video recording all for $229. Lastly, the ST200F will shoot at 16 megapixels at 720p and will cost $199.

Slite is a concept that seems like a great combination of technology that is already available – mobile editing and digital imaging. The specific model only shows still image editing, but video editing can’t be too far behind. The tools available sure look professional, and add mid range audio editing capability and there is some serious work to be done with this one device!

Important to this design is a separate innovation, extendable displays. Increasing the edit space for mobile video editing is one of the first things people are skeptical about, and rightly so, there’s a reason most professionals go for dual screen monitoring. The Slite takes this  idea and gives it a great shot, by sliding the screen down, extending beyond the original height by an inch or two. The extra workspace should allow for you to view other clips and tools. The workspace can also shift when you turn the camera to a new orientation for a larger view, who knows, this may be necessary for a timeline.

This screen is really what will set it apart from other cameras, with the ability to display on the front as well as the back of the camera. Many phones included a convex mirror to aid the self portraits with cell phones, but this is almost too much. If nothing else, over the shoulder shots will be a breeze.

So many of the tools we’ve come to expect, white balance, exposure, zoom and crop should make an easy transition to the big time of editing video on a mobile device. Expect a lot of menus, since the external buttons are minimal. Even if only basic edits are available, it will mean a lot since you’ll be able to edit a good take immediately after it is shot. Then, when you reach your editing work station, instead of ingesting raw footage, you’ll be transferring your rough edit.