An amateur journey of digital recording
Product Reviews
Zeikos Canon 7D Battery Grip – First Look
May 22nd
The Zeikos ZE-CBG7D is a aftermarket battery grip for the Canon 7D. According to Zeikos, the ZE-CBG7D uses the same mold as the Canon battery grip. The most attractive aspect of the Zeikos is the price. At $80 before shipping costs, the ZE-CBG7D is about half what you would pay for the Canon version.
At first, I was skeptical how it would look and fit. I was pleasantly surprised. The fit and finish is good. There seems to be some gaps (as you can see from the pictures) but overall it feels like a connected piece of the camera. Like the Canon version, it also has a tray for six AA batteries. This is great if you are in an area where you cannot charge the stock camera battery. I have only been using the grip for a couple of days but I can say it works, feels reasonably good in my hands (I have big hands) and makes shooting in portrait mode much easier. People with very small hands may have some issue holding the Canon 7D portrait style.
If I was getting nitpicky, the texture on the grip is not as nice as the Canon 7D. Also, the gaps on the sides are a little to big to call it a “perfect fit”. However, for the price, this is a great deal. If you are interested in buying the product for your Canon 7D, check out the Amazon.com links for details.
My Current 7D Video Set-Up
May 6th
I thought now would be a good time to look at my current set-up for video. I plan to do individual reviews on some of the products seen in this setup.
Currently, I am have a Canon 7D with a Strobeframe bracket. ($39 on Amazon) I normally using this on a monopod, but I placed it on my tripod for this picture. I have found the Strobeframe bracket to be a godsend to stabilizing video and pictures. Combined with my tripod, I have been able to get the good video shots even while moving. While it is definitely not a steady cam, it is a huge improvement over holding the camera by itself.
Connected directly to the camera is my Zoom H4n. On of the shortcomings of the Canon 7D is internal audio recording. Whether you use the crappy internal mic or an external that plugs directly in, you still cannot control the recording level. With all the control over the video, it is a little disappointing that this feature is not included. No worries, the Zoom H4n is a great reasonably priced external recorder that has two on-board mics and the ability to power and connect two external phantom powered microphones. Click here to read my quick review of this great product.
I am using a small swivel mount that I got for another product not pictured here. On top of the Strobeframe bracket, I am using a Litepanels LP Micro Compact LED Camera Light. ($270 on Amazon) It does a great job when you just cant get enough light on a subject. I have found that I can use this in videos as well as for taking pictures. One of the nice features is the ability to control the amount of light it creates. I plan to do a review on this product in the future.
The lens I am using in this picture is the Canon 50mm f1.8. It is an inexpensive gem. It has great low-light sensitivity and at $100 is the best value lens you can buy for the Canon 7D. My only negative comments is that the focus ring is way to narrow and too close the the lens hood (that is an additional product) to be easily used in a “Follow Focus” mode. I will most likely need to upgrade to the Canon 50mm f1.4. (Although I may choose to get the a 16(17) – 50mm f2.8 from Tokina or Tamron first)
Next, I am looking for ways to better set the focus during video shooting. I would like to look at getting a follow focus or remove video viewer (not a computer) . We will have to see what the Brown truck brings us next!
Below are some links to the products mentioned about at Amazon. If you are interested in buying on of these products, please use these links. You get the same great price and I get a small kickback from Amazon.
First Look – Zoom H4n
Apr 21st
If you are like me, you realize that the video quality of the Canon 7D is amazing. Not so amazing is the sound. The Canon 7D has an integrated mono microphone. It also has a mini-jack stereo input. However, both are controlled by an auto gain feature that is not user adjustable. The internal microphone works OK, but is that good enough to match the video quality? Fortunately, there are solutions.
For the Canon 7D you have two basic choices. You can add an external microphone designed to plug in to the 7D, or you can go with an external audio recorder. I decided to go the external recorder solution and chose the Zoom H4n.
The Zoom H4n is a 4-track external audio recording device. It records on to SD cards with super high-end audio. It has two on-board microphones that can be user adjusted 90˚ or 120˚. It also has two phantom powered microphone inputs for 4-channel audio recording. You can pick up a Zoom H4n for about $300.
I have been playing with the H4n for a couple of weeks now and I must say that it is relatively easy to use. However, the hard part is syncing the audio back to the video in post production. I was able to do this in iMovie with great difficulty. (Maybe i missed the easy way to do this. ) I found it much easier to use Final Cut Express to sync the audio.
Last weekend, I recorded my daughters show choir group performing the National Anthem at a local baseball park. I created three videos with different levels of sound. The first video is using the internal microphone of the Canon 7D. The second is using the audio from the Zoom H4n. Both audio tracks were normalized before uploaded to YouTube.
In the final video, I played around with noise reduction using Audacity. Check out the videos.
Using the internal Canon 7D Microphone Audio Normalized
Using H4n Audio Normalized
There is a notable sound quality improvement using the Zoom H4n. I used the included foam cover to help reduce wind noise. I am sure that I could get better results with one of those furry sock things.
Using the H4n Audio with Noise reduction
I think I went too far with the noise reduction. I added about 10dB or noise reduction. I think if I play with the settings, I can get better results. There is always next time.
Conclusion
If you want your audio to match your video, the Zoom H4n is an excellent solution. It is a more expensive solution then an external microphone, but you have so much more control and ability to place the audio recording separate from the video recording on the Canon 7D.
