Orestor f2.8 135mm - Meyer Optik Gorlitz

Orestor f2.8 135mm - Meyer Optik Gorlitz, a photo by dale.campbell on Flickr.

The M42 screw to Canon EF mount adaptor finally arrived!

Been testing it out and getting used to the 135mm focal range + the 1.6 crop the 550D is adding.
From what I have seen so far I think I am really going to enjoy this lens!
The focus ring does almost a complete turn to get to infinity, which given how shallow the Dof can be seems essential….
test shots and videos to follow soon

Meyer Optik Görlitz - Orestor 135mm f2.8

New old lens - the Bokeh Monster that is the Orestor 135mm!

I will be doing some reviews and info videos about this and other older lenses.
Just waiting for the M42 screw to Canon EOS adaptor....

Its in really good condition and wasn't too over priced, this lens has become very popular lately so the can go for a silly amount.

The 15 blade aperture is very smooth and has no hard stops, can't wait to test it!

Camera Roll-86, a photo by dale.campbell on Flickr.

Camera Roll-83, a photo by dale.campbell on Flickr.

App Review - Fire 2 Field Recorder

I use the FiRe field recorder application almost daily. So When I heard that they had a new improved version I had to check it out!

It will cost you to download the new version as it is not a free upgrade, this isn't a deal breaker for me but in general I know a lot of people get annoyed when app devs upgrade to a new version of the app that has to be payed for.

There are a few interface tweaks and in general everything is a little more polished. The app now has an effects section which will be handy for anyone needing to add some quick fine tuning to recordings.

They have also added 48KHz recording which is huge for anyone working with video as it means you can now use the iphone to capture audio and be able to sync it to the cameras audio.

You are also now able to upload to dropbox alongside soundcloud and ftp.

I use the soundcloud uploading a lot and probably won't use the dropbox feature but its nice to have.

All together a worthwhile upgrade and if you are new to the app I would go for this version, for the majority of casual users the updates in this version wouldn't really be worth the extra cost.

Camera Accessories Video No.1

FAQ NO. 6 - Colour Correction / Grading in my videos

I posted this video on my 'main' YouTube channel as part of the FAQ series, it seems relevant here though.

Colour correction was done with Magic Bullet Looks, it's a great plugin and is surprisingly easy to use.
The only downside would be that it is fairly expensive if you are misting editing videos for fun!

Filmic Pro App Review

This is a really nice app which allows you to control some essential aspects of your video.
Very easy to use, the exposure and focus points can be dragged around the screen making it easy to select thee area you want to take your locked settings from.
The fact this app also allows you to control the frame rate going down increments of 1 from 30fps is great if you are looking to match footage from several cameras to the iPhone.
Currently on the UK app store for £1-79 and worth every penny!

I will post some outdoor test footage soon....

My lenskirt has arrived from America

My lenskirt has arrived from the USA! Customs charged me £8 for handling that delayed it by 2 weeks... And then £5-97 VAT. They need to speed up their act, really not good enough.