In our first article on the subject, “Capturing Great Concert Videos“, we touched on the basics of how to shoot video at your favorite shows. Since that article was written, high definition (720/1080 HD) point-and-shoot (P&S) cameras have become commonplace and more and more people are recording their favorite artists and sharing them on YouTube. Now that the bar has been raised for the average quality video, if you want your videos to stand out you are going to need to take some steps to differentiate yourself. The first step is to start with the tips in our last article so you can learn about cameras, where you should stand in the venue, and what type of memory card to buy. Let’s move on to selecting the best camera currently available for shooting concert video.
Although our Canon camera has served us well since 2008, it’s time to upgrade to something with more than 3x zoom and 720p video. Finding a new camera is a daunting task amongst all of the various models out there – and if you recall from our first article, finding something with decent audio recording capability at a concert venue is not easy. We literally scoured the Internet for months looking at various camera review sites and forums for the right replacement. We thought we found it in the Panasonic DMC-GF3XK, a micro four-thirds (mini-DSLR) camera with a Lumix 14-42mm interchangeable lens and adjustable audio gain. We purchased one and took it out for some testing. The video quality was beautiful, but we were not impressed with its limited zoom. We quickly learned that the optical zoom capability of a standard lens is determined by dividing the larger number into the smaller number. In the case of this 14-42mm lens you divide 14 into 42 arriving at 3x optical zoom. So we returned it and were back to the drawing board.
After more research we narrowed our search to (more…)
One thing about moving into a 37 year old home is never having a shortage of things to fix or upgrade. Our garage certainly fell into this category, as it has become the main entry through which most people enter our home and subsequently is the first thing they see. Having a show worthy garage has never been on our list of essential home improvements but attention definately needed to be given to the large crack running through the garage floor, windows that wouldn’t open with glass falling out, water damage on the walls, paint peeling from the floor and the horrendous peg board.
Garage before: Paint peeling from the floor and peg board wall.
Initially we contacted a local company called Those Garage Guys for an estimate on leveling the floor and recoating it in an industrial grade epoxy. Looking only to receive a quote for the floor, I was shocked when I was given a $20,000 estimate to redo my entire garage with slat wall, cabinetry and epoxy flooring. I pressed for a price on just the floor and was told (more…)
After more than a decade I weigh less than 200lbs. Although I have been trying to lose weight on and off for years, I finally got serious this past July when I discovered an incredible application for the smartphone called, “MyNetDiary“. Most doctors and dieticians will tell you in order to lose weight you need to count calories and track what you eat. Writing down everything is headache enough, but having to look at each package and write down the caloric and nutrional information is cause for a migraine! I simply don’t have that kind of time or discipline. Enter MyNetdiary. This little gem contains a database with just about every conceivable food item including calories, nutritional information, sodium, protein, fiber, cholesterol and carbs. Eat a McDonald’s hamburger today? It’s in there. Slice of pizza from Pizza Hut? It’s got it. Make your own spaghetti? It’s got that too! MyNetDiary also keeps track of the foods you eat most often and populates them first as you begin to type. Too tired to type? You can even scan the barcode on the food and MyNetDiary will find the info for you!
MyNetDiary has literally changed my life. When I started back in July I weighed in at 239lbs, the heaviest I have weighed in my entire life. Years of outside sales and eating on the road coupled with a lack of exercise had taken its toll. Every New Year’s I made the same resolution: This year I’m going to lose the weight. I would try for a while by lowering my total consumption but not changing what I ate. Gradually I would fall back into my old habits and be back where I started. Through MyNetDiary, I learned (more…)
Since I began capturing concert videos a lot of people have asked how I take such incredible quality footage. Getting great live video breaks down to the type of camera you use, your location in the audience, and your ability to hold the camera steady. Here are my techniques for capturing great concert videos.
The type of camera you use is the single most important aspect of capturing great video. Most cameras available today record 720p or 1080i HD video, so getting great picture quality isn’t too hard – it’s the audio quality that’s difficult to obtain. Even the best current camera models that capture HD video and Dolby stereo sound deliver distorted audio when faced with extremly loud volume from a concert venue. Unfortunately there isn’t anywhere on the side of the camera box where it reads, “Works well at 140db concerts!”. Finding a camera which works well in this environment is mainly hit or miss, and the best solution is to look at videos shot by others and ask them which camera they use.
The camera I use is the (more…)
