Video Production Equipment – Info and Reviews

Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera

The 7D is a joy to shoot and never gets in the way. Images, as expected, look great. The 7D is the best camera ever made by Canon. The Canon 7D especially stands out because it has the best ergonomics ever in any Canon DSLR.  The 7D makes extraordinary images. Its ergonomics allow me to catch anything I see or imagine. Image has the same fantastic color rendition and adjustment ability as all the other current Professional-Series Canons, meaning that I get better-looking images straight out of the 7D than I can with most almost every other video recorder.

Canon 50mm f1.2 USM Prime Portrait Lens

This Canon 50mm f/1.2L is the sharpest 50mm lens I’ve ever used at apertures faster than f/1.4. There are a few staple lenses; pieces of glass that have been around forever, produce great results and pretty much every photographer has one in their kit. In the case of primes, I can’t think of a lens more ubiquitous than the 50mm prime f1.2.

For the professional shooter who may needs the best camera around and find himself with the choice as to how to make the main interview well positioned for the shot by way of contrast, saturation, and control of focus; the 50mm f/1.2 delivers. It is perfect for interviews and portraits, and immerses the subject in a dreamlike filmic shallow-depth of focus, and it delivers the deepest and richest colors I’ve ever seen, along with magical light flares that enliven any image.

Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USD Lens for Canon

The Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A007) was announced in February 2012. Its headline feature was the introduction of ‘VC’ in its name, which stands for ‘Vibration Control’; it’s the first and only optically-stabilized fast zoom for full frame cameras. The Tamron’s test results are very good indeed, making it a real competitor. I find myself easily able to explore and adapt to changing situations, and I find I’m able to gather a variety of shot’s efficiently with it’s flexible zoom range. It allows me to get usably-sharp images at shutter speeds up to four stops slower, which is up there with the best we’ve tested. The optics are excellent, the autofocus fast, zoom range is flexible for a variety of perspectives, and the image quality excellent.

Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X

This is the best ultrawide zoom available for Canon EOS cameras, better than even more expensive lenses. This Tokina 11-16mm is the world’s fastest and sharpest ultrawide lens for crop-sensor digital SLR video cameras (such as the Canon EOS 7d). This Tokina 11-16mm lens sets a new standard for wide-angle views with maximum sharpness, which allows me to gather exceptional interior and exterior establishing shots and consistently maintain accurate focus. It’s magic for conveying transitions between scenes / subject areas, making any kind of body movement very energized.  This is a handy way of stepping back into the vastness of any scene.

Lens Extensio Packages:

Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II
($100 per day)

This is a favorite lens of thousands of professional photographers because of its fabulous optics, instant autofocus and tough mechanics. This 70-200/2.8 II is for very serious photographers and full-time pros. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM is astonishing. It really is the sharpest zoom I’ve ever tested. For people, events, portraits, nature, landscape, and anything for which you need the best tele zoom you can get, this is the lens to use if you’re a full-time pro. The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II is optically and mechanically superb. It’s also big, heavy and expensive. If you’re a pro, you’ve already got one either in your bag, or on your wish list.

EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
($50 per day)

As the subject gets closer it becomes progressively more important to have a great lens to focus on fine details. This lens in principle offers maximum benefit for macro shooting. Alongside the latest and greatest IS technology it gains all the usual benefits associated with the premium ‘L’ badge, including robust, weathersealed build and the use of exotic glass for the correction of aberrations. As advertised it is THE BEST MACRO LENS FOR VIDEO: Auto focus is so smooth that you do not realize that it is on. Best lens I have bought in years. It produces great macro close up shots that open a world of detail, AND it can be used for portraits, even indoors. Portrait results blow me away.

Cinema 2.5k Ultra-HD Camera Package:

Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera EF ($275 per day)

Record pure and captivating video with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, an innovative, high-resolution video camera for cinema-quality color grading and grain. Building one of the finest cameras in the world requires attention to every detail. This contemporary camera incorporates a Canon EF and Zeiss ZE lens mount for combing the variety of optical options available from Canon EOS with the incredible rich colors of BlackMagic’s proprietary sensor. Blackmagic Cinema Camera’s premium quality design has mastered the balance of interchangeable optics, high resolution 2.5K sensor, and 13 stops of dynamic range with 12-bit RAW uncompressed file formats for the highest quality image available. Every aspect of this camera has been totally optimized for quality, so this means you always get the best outcome you need for any kind of video work. Elegant, sophisticated and packed with the absolute latest digital cinema technology, Blackmagic Cinema Camera gives your video that timeless feature-film look! Click here to see examples of the cinema color-grading available with this camera!