Videos

First 3D video attempt now online

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I posted my first attempt at a short 3D video. I made numerous mistakes in both shooting and editing this but it was a huge learning experience. I will be gradually shooting a lot more 3D video over the months to come and will learn many new things with each one that I shoot and edit.

This video was shot using two Lumix GH-2 cameras on a home made interaxial rail. Required: Red/Cyan anaglyph glasses for the stereoscopic images. Recommended: Play in the 1080p mode.

This one was edited in Sony Vegas but I ran into numerous Vegas crashes and hangs. For example, any time I tried to add a title overlay, Vegas would crash on the MPEG4 export; delete the title and the export worked fine.

I started playing with Magix Movie Edit Pro (now known as Magix Movie Edit MX Pro) and it seemed to work much better, plus MEMX features true 3D titles. That is, titles that themselves are rendered in anaglyph and can move or rotate in 3D space. My next 3D video will be edited in MEMX instead.

Cameras, Technical, Techniques

A 3D Camera Rig

Español: Cámara de TV en 3D con las cámara ind...
Image via Wikipedia

Last night I built an aluminum 3D camera rig that holds two cameras for either still or video photography. My own interest is in shooting 3D video.

The rig is small, light weight, easy to transport and will hold any modest sized still or video camera. I stole the construction idea from someone else and will pass all that along “soon”.

I hope to “soon” start shooting 3D video with two cameras. With family events, business travel looming, starting to write my M.S. thesis in software engineering, and bad weather, having a chance to put it all to use and test it out may be a while yet!

But sometime in the future, I hope to share some cool 3D stereoscopic videos. Get your red-cyan glasses ready!

English: Strasser, Mike. Stanford University. ...
Image via Wikipedia
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Business, Cameras

Low end camera and camcorder sales dive, expensive cameras rise

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Study: Smartphones Putting Serious Hurt on Point-and-Shoot Camera Sales | News & Opinion | PCMag.com.

Smart phones are replacing the very low end still and video cameras.

2011 versus 2010:

  • Point and shoot camera unit sales down by -17%
  • “Pocket” camcorder unit sales down by -13%
  • Traditional camcorder unit sales down by -8%
  • High end point and shoot cameras (10x zoom are larger) up by 16%
  • High end detachable lens cameras sales up by 10+%
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Business, Cameras, Technical, Techniques

“Peter Jacksons Hobbit Wont Save 3D Movies”

Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

I think this writer is off his rocker: Peter Jacksons Hobbit Wont Save 3D Movies and Thats a Good Thing – Forbes.

He argues 2D movies are better and will be better still when shot and projected at 48 fps instead of 24 fps. Okay. He then says that 3D adds nothing to the viewing experience. Hmmm.

Except that real life is, you know, in 3D.  And the author’s argument seems to be that life would be better if it were only in 2D.

Actually, his long winded argument boils down to ticket prices for bad 3D movies are too high so 3D will just be a short lived fad. Like talking pictures were once said to be a short lived fad, and then color movies were a short lived fad. Or not. Each time people said the new technology did not add much to the movie experience.

What I think he means to say is that most 3D movies so far – with some exceptions – have been made to exploit 3D as a gimmick and then charge way too much to see them.  The added costs for 3D are apparently about +10%, but they have charged far, far more than that to watch them.

A great tale, with great acting, and a great director, shot in 3D, will be more interesting than a 2D version of the same movie. But it comes down to how much they charge to see it.  The movie distributors and theaters have not yet figured out that the price to value ratio needs to be appropriate – and they are not there yet.

I think The Hobbit will be another amazing film from Peter Jackson and will inspire more interest in high quality 3D.

Heck, I plan to start building my two camera 3D rig this weekend (really).

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Guide to 3D and Drones

Coldstreams 3D and Drones