I’ve already written here about the Rode Video Mic. But what if you already have a pro mic? Can you hook it up to the 5D MK II? Yes. If it’s a self-powered mic, meaning it has a battery inside (usually a 9V) then you can get away with nothing more than a Pearstone LMT100 – Low to High Impedance Matching Transformer. These are under $20 and have an XLR connector on one end and a mini-plug on the other.

If you don’t have a self-powered mic, you have what’s known as a phantom powered mic. Then you’ll need something like the Beachtek DXA-6HD Dual Hi-Definition Audio Adapter. These are pretty expensive at around $330. But they do include 48v phantom power for the mic.

There are other manufacturers that sell this gear. If you have a favorite, leave me a comment.

Most beginners have two challenges when they first learn to pan a video camera. The first problem is related to speed. Most people pan too fast. If you’re the poor viewer at home, and you see a fast pan across a scene, you might get whiplash!

When to pan too fast, it’s very disorienting to the audience. You also create problems for your camera and editing software. If you pan too fast, your camcorder doesn’t capture enough scene data to deliver enough keyframes for the MPEG encoder and the result is too many motion artifacts. (I’ll explain keyframes in a separate post.)

The other problem I want to mention is the dreaded jerky pan. In a perfect world, you will pan smoothly and evenly. One fluid motion from side-to-side is the goal. A herky/jerky approach full of fits and starts is very disturbing and jarring to the audience. Practice your pan before you hit the record button and time it so that it’s slow enough and smooth enough to properly capture the scene.

For smoother pans, try a fluid tripod head.

I put iMovie 09 through its paces playing around with some cinema-like footage from the Canon HV30. You can see the results on f64.com.

But this is more about my experience than the result.

I never could get my arms around iMovie 08 and abandoned it for the original iMovie HD. I thought then as I do now that a real timeline makes sense for editing. But in iLife 09 things have been changed enough that I can actually use the program. There is no timeline, but there is a precise editor that gives you a hint of a timeline when you need it. You also have more professional-style control over the finished product since iMovie 09 allows you to more substantively work with audio.

The right side of the UI contains different bins for transitions and effects, similar to the bins in Apple’s Logic Pro 8 audio app. Once you realize what these are – they are a joy to work with and make adding effects and transitions

Dynamic Themes (such as Bulletin Board and Comic Book) help add “polish,” but they were a bit limiting and there are only a few of them.

Stabilization works at about a 3-1 time ratio and doesn’t look good on longer clips. For short clips, it works very well.

I am trying to commit to using iMovie 09 on all of my projects. I am tempted to go back to iMovie HD because I miss the timeline and heck, there’s no learning curve involved. But I want to give iMovie 09 a chance. So I’ll report on my progress here from time-to-time as I become more experienced with the program.

Our first video is available on Vimeo.

Watch as I unbox and install the Canon 1.7 telextender lens on the Canon HV-30 camcorder.

If you’re one of the millions who received a new video-capable camera or camcorder this past holiday season, you might be wondering which accessories you really need.

Let’s start with the basics. You’ll need video tape (unless you’re tapeless – then you might need memory cards – unless you’re recording to hard disk or CD – in which case you need nothing.

Be sure to pick up an extension cable (or two) and a power strip.

You’ll also probably need an extra battery. Most camcorder batteries are good for about one hour’s worth of recording time.

Next up, make sure you have a good mic if you can record audio from an external source. Likewise, you’ll need a pair of headphones or earbuds if you want to monitor audio in the field.

In my opinion, you also need a sturdy tripod and fluid head. This is essential if you want to get “locked down” steady shots. And the fluid head makes panning and tilting flow smoothly.

Now that we’ve covered basics, the next group is desired accessories. Here you’ll want to think about things like extra optics – wide angle and telephoto add-on lenses give your camcorder additional focal length, meaning you can get more creative with your shooting and framing.

You want to also make sure you have plenty of cables. Not all camcorders come with a firewire cable, yet that’s the most popular way to connect your camcorder to programs like iMovie.

Be sure to pick up a small video light. This will be valuable when you’re in dark light.

Finally – you’ll want a case to carry all this stuff around in. Try out several in person to make sure you get one large enough to hold all of your accessories.

What else should be on this list?

I just spent a week shooting with The Canon HV30. It’s a small, but very powerful and affordable camcorder.

I selected this model for use on the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop based on the advice of none other than my pal, Alex Lindsay. Alex is the honcho at Pixelcorps and knows his stuff. He said the HV30 is THE camera to get, if you’re looking for a small handheld and you want to use tape. So I did – get it that is.

Now before I go on, let’s deal with the elephant in the room…

Yes, HD/DV tape is probably on its very last legs. I’d be surprised if in three years we see any new camcorders using tape – so I plan to buy up a nice supply when I see the end near.

But for now, tape is reliable, affordable and easy. Some videographers who’ve purchased HD, or DVD – based recording camcorders have had compatibility issues with video-editing software. You don’t need a special reader or even special software with tape-based cameras. Most computers (as in ALL Mac computers and most Windows computers) come with competent software such as iMovie with which you can pull down and edit the video from a tape-based camera. When I found the right cable (not included!), video transfer to iMovie was a breeze.

The HV30 has a ton of features but some of the highlights to me are:

1. It has external mics – a must-have feature in a camcorder.
2. It allows you to monitor the audio in real time. Another must.
3. It’s compact.
4. It offers 24p, 30fps and 60i frame modes.
5. It has a great LCD
6. It features a wonderful 10x OPTICAL zoom with a range of

f/1.8-f/3.0 offering the following focal lengths:

(Effective focal lengths – EFL)

-43.6mm – 436.0mm (16:9 Movie)
-53.0mm – 530mm (4:3 Movie)

7. There is a front mount 43mm filter diameter which allows for external lenses and filters
8. It has a plethora of connection options including USB, component, firewire and HDMI
9. If you’re a super video HD geek, you can grab UNCOMPRESSED HD video out of the back of the camera using the HDMI port. This feature made my buddy Alex VERY excited.
10. It offers amazing video capture performance in all sorts of conditions, including low-light
11. It has anti-shake that works
12. It has full manual controls available when you want them
13. It has a real viewfinder is included in addition to the swing out LCD
14. It uses a rear mounted joystick makes one-handed operation easy
15. It has a Zebra mode to monitor highlight exposure

The camera is pretty simple to operate. I didn’t even need the manual to figure out most of the features. I prefer the look of 24p and selected the “cinematic” preset. Right out of the box, the video was completely amazing. I was actually stunned that at the quality.

The menus are very intuitive and manual control, while ergonomically challenging to use at times, does work. The joystick is a bit too small for my fat thumb.

I will say that the ability to control audio manually, and to even have an on-screen, real-time audio meter is fantastic. WOW! This is a prosumer-level feature. Audio is SO very important to successful video production and with the HG30, you can achieve some amazing audio results. I’d say without a doubt, that when it comes to camcorders in this price range, nothing challenges the HG30′s audio capability.

I didn’t test the still capabilities of this camera. Why would I? I was carrying a Nikon D3 around my neck

But the reports I’ve heard from reliable sources are that like most camcorders, still images are not their bread and butter, but in a pinch, they’ll do.

Battery life was similar to other camcorders I’ve tested – which means you’ll want to buy at least one extra battery to carry around with you when you use this camcorder in the field.

I experimented with the autofocus and the variable zoom on this camcorder. The autofocus was very accurate, but slow in 24p mode. In 30 FPS mode it’s as fast as any other camcorder, which is to say, not as fast as I’d like, but fast enough. The variable zoom takes some getting used to, but works. The more pressure you put on the zoom switch, the faster it zooms. You can also set the zoom speed manually to slow, medium or fast. I prefer slow zooms so I set mine to the slowest speed. Most users will prefer the medium speed.

One of the features that I found helpful was what Canon calls “markers.” These are grid lines that go both horizontally and diagonally across the screen. This feature only works on the LCD. It helps you line up your shots using the rule of thirds aided by a nine-sector grid.

There are a couple of things I didn’t like.

a. There is a plastic cover that hides the hotshoe. It is tethered to the camera using a small piece of plastic. Unfortunately, when trying to mount a shotgun mic to the hotshoe, the cover gets in the way. I had to cut the plastic cord that held it to remove it. That means I’ll lose the cover, but I don’t think that’s too big a deal. In the field, there will always be a mic or a hot-light mounted there, so it won’t be exposed to the elements. It would have been better if they used a longer cord to allow complete removal of that cover so it could be set out of the way.

b. I think that Canon should include the firewire cable you’ll need to download video to most computers. It’s not THAT expensive to throw in a five-foot cable and the hassle of having to drive around to find one (that you didn’t know you’d need) is unnecessary.

c. Larger capacity batteries can get in the way of the viewfinder forcing use of the LCD.

d. No manual gain control – I know, at this price who expects that. But it would be nice.

Believe it or not, shooting several hours with this camcorder still didn’t give me a chance to test all of its features. There are many. But what I did use was great. I’m very happy with this camcorder and while newer models are on the way (aren’t they always?) I am planning on keeping this one for a while. I expect that it will provide me with all I need in the way of video capability until the tape runs out – literally. By then – well you know me…I’ll have upgraded

At just over $600, the HV30 is a real winner. If you’re in the market for a powerful hand-held, affordable camcorder, look no further.

I’ll have some test footage up over at the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop page in a few weeks.