February 5, 2012
So I recently was sent to Aspen, Colorado for the 2012 Winter Xgames. I was sent as a team to represent Full Sail University as a sponsor for the Xgames. My job was to shoot and edit live in the booth, using the same equipment and software that the students of the Digital Cinematography Online Degree would get as a part of their tuition to the program. It was a great experience, even though a very COLD experience. Some days we were waking up and starting our day in 1 degree weather… and for this Florida Boy, that was something else.
SONY NEX FS-100
Working with the FS-100 is a fun experience. If your familiar with the GH2, HPX, HVX cameras and the like… then it wont feel too foreign. The form factor of the camera definitely does take some getting used to. With it coming bare, and needing to be assemble for the needs (audio mount, Monitor magnifier as an eyepiece, extremely wierd side handle that if your left handed kind of leaves you S.O.L) it made the initial set up a little annoying, as well as the fact of the monitor being on the top of the camera, leaving you to always having to being looking down or at eye level with it. The weight of the camera is less than other cameras in its class, so that made carrying, panning and tilting with the fluid Manfrotto tripod extremely easy. The kit lens of 18-200mm is extremely useful, just wide enough to get that nice angle distortion, and long enough to make most vantage points effective, of course the speed of the lens is to be desired… 3.5-5.6 really doesnt give you much room for light, but its a great lens for multipurpose. The SQ mode to quickly put you into 1080p 60 frames was extremely effective and what I feel is something that really puts this camera above others in its class. My purpose for this was fast paced action sports shooting, and having those options is a must, especially at 1080p… unlike 720p that most cameras drop to when doing 60 frames. As for the menus, adjustments and what not, there were all easily found and workable. This camera does definitely take some getting used to, but once you do, you see that it is a very effective camera, with great versatility. For a more in-depth review you can vist http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/26/sony-nex-fs100-review/ and learn more. Below are some still from the video
CONTOUR ROAM HD HELMET CAMERA
Another new piece of equipment I had the chance of working with was the Contour HD helmet camera, a fast delightful competition to the GOPRO series. MODEL – Shaun Moore
This camera is a great comparable device to the GOPRO. I would say the image quality is on par, but I would say GOPRO image stabilization is a tad bit more advanced. That access to the footage, and the one-touch record switch made it much easier to work with then a GOPRO, as well as a laser guide to make calibrate the angle and POV of the camera. All in all, I believe it is a cheaper alternative to the GOPRO for the person wanting to use it for surfing,biking, any sporting and not looking to fork out the extra 100-200 dollars. I know Shaun, who used it while snowboarding, said he would love to have one for his bike-riding, wake board riding purposes. More on this camera here http://contour.com/products/contour-roam
So these were just some of the fun new gadgets I got to work with while out in Aspen. Feel free to contact me on any questions for either. Hopefully soon I will be able to have something that shows the actual video footage from both.