As of tomorrow

After having fun shooting the Casino Sound of Lights fireworks show with the Sony RX100 VI, I’ve decided to sell my Sony a7ii, the Sony f3.5-6.3 24-200MM lens, the Sony battery grip and my Canon Vixia HF G40.  Today at lunch I went to Henry’s, a local camera store and I ordered the Sony RX100 VII camera.  I will now be the proud owner of two Sony RX100 cameras at the same time.  I’ve used the Sony a7ii maybe a half a dozen times since I purchased it back in February or March of this year.  I’ve used the Canon Vixia HF G40 maybe once or twice in the past nine months or so.  They’ve basically been collecting dust while I go shooting primarily with the Sony RX100 Mark VI

My photography equipment will, as of tomorrow consist of the Sony RX100 Mark VI, the Sony RX100 Mark VII and the Canon Vixia RF800.  It will be the only photographic equipment that I will need.  I of course will still have the regular tripods, SD cards etc.  Editing will be done on the 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  I read an article today somewhere that Apple will be holding its event on September 10, 2019 and typically they release their new software about a week later.  So Apple iPadOS should be out on either the 17th or 18th of September.  Then I can fully ditch editing photos and footage on a Windows or MacBook laptop forever as the iPad Pro will be by only editing/multimedia consumption device.

I am really going to love this minimalist photographic experience.  Pretty much pro equipment in the pocket as far as photography equipment goes.  Editing is portable and inconspicuous.  The only thing I am waiting on now is the Apple iPadOS which should be here in about a month or so.  I am really, really happy.  

For Sale!!!!!!

Just got back from shooting another night of fireworks at the Casino Sound of Light, the Italy edition.  This time I only took my Sony RX100 Mark VI, Sony Remote and a little Joby tripod.  I didn’t want to carry around a big DSLR camera, lens and tripod.  I was a bit hesitant shooting fireworks with the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  I’ve not shot fireworks with this camera before.  To say the least, I am not disappointed whatsoever.  Focus was spot on in manual mode.  Colours look just awesome.  No noise whatsoever.  I shot at 2.5 seconds, f9 and ISO 100.  I am truly happy with this little camera that fits right into your jean pocket.  I have no need for a DSLR whatsoever.  I will be selling the Sony a7ii body with the lens and battery grip and I’ll be getting rid of the Canon Vixia HF G40 as well I think.  I just have to wait for the Sony RX100 Mark VII to come out at some point this month.  I’ll only be shooting with the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the VII and editing all my photos on the 2018 Apple iPad Pro 12.9” with the 512GB hard drive.  Once iPadOS comes out next month, I will no long need a desktop or laptop computer.  I’ll be able to do everything on the Apple iPad Pro.  I can’t wait.  I am so excited.  Photography makes feel happy to be alive.

I wanted to

I wanted to go to Parc Omega every Saturday till April.  But I've been sick since last week and I just had no energy or will power to get out of bed this weekend.  The cold definitely kicked my ass this weekend.  So just stayed in bed, watched some Youtube and football and relaxed.  Today I am feeling much better.  Although I think I'm at about 90% back to being normal.  I'm back at work for the week and this coming weekend I will definitely be going to Parc Omega with the girlfriend or alone.  Whichever it is.  

We're in our typical Canadian January deep freeze this week with lows in the minus thirties celsius during the night.  It's too damn cold to do any photography in that kind of weather.  Just looked at the weather forecast for the weekend.  High of minus thirteen celsius and 30% chance of snow.  So good enough weather to go to Parc Omega and use the Sony RX100 Mark VI.

It's been busy

I haven't been out with the cameras in weeks.  I miss it.  I really do miss doing photography and shooting footage.  I think it's time to make a few changes in my personal life.  I have to clean house as they say.  I think a few life changes are in order again.  Work has been busy as I'm training two new guys.  We've been going to the gym 3-5 times a week.  I've got two hernias that I have to take care of.  Went to a clinic to get some ultrasounds done today and actually get some pictures taken of the hernias.

Thankfully it's the weekend in one more day and I get to relax.  Girlfriend has a lunch date with some girlfriends so I get some time alone finally.  So I'll just take the camera out and do some photography on Saturday since I haven't done it in ages.

Shutterstock has sunk to a new low

When I say a new low, I mean a new low.  Today I sold a footage clip for a whopping $1.80.  You read that correctly.  A whole $1.80 for a video clip.  What resolution are you going to get.  Less than Standard definition?  A $1.80 for a video clip.  That's more than insulting.  It's amoral to sell a clip for less than $10.  Who in their right mind would buy a clip let alone sell one?  I did not agree to this.  Typically I sell my footage from $14 to $199.  My best sellers typically sell $96 and above.  And that's my profit.  I'm sure Shutterstock gets more than I do.  On Pond5 I sell my footage for $199 and I get $99.50 for each clip sold.  A $1.80 is insulting.  Does Shutterstock not realize they're ripping off the contributor and their client?  I mean really?  How insulting.  My camcorder cost me $1500 before tax.  My Apple iMac cost me $2000.  My editing software cost me $199.  All of course before tax.  So I spent a grand total of $3699 pre tax to sell a video for a $1.80.  It's insulting.  It's immoral.  It's a kick in the nuts.  Shutterstock beats you down and when you think they're done.  They come back and beat you some more.

I have 12,425 photos and 1487 clips currently being sold at Shutterstock as of October 3, 2018.  I've tripled my portfolio in that last 3 years.  Some day I sell absolutely nothing on Shutterstock.  I admit some of my stuff is uninteresting and should not really be up there.  Then again I have photos and footage that I though were crap and have been my best sellers.  But a $1.80 for a 1080p/60fps clip sells for $1.80?  This is the exact reason I've stopped uploading to iStock.  They sell my photography for 2 cents.  2 cents!!!!!  People are pissed with micro stock agencies like Adobe Stock, iStock and Shutterstock.  They are completely devaluing contributors.  They are devaluing photography and videography.  It's an insult to any hobbyist, amateur, semi pro and pro.

The clip I sold for a $1.80 was a 4k clip as well.  The lowest price I see it being sold for is $65 for a standard definition edition.  That's an even bigger kick in the nuts.

Like I stated above, I spent $1500 for a camcorder, $2000 for an Apple iMac, $199 for Final Cut Pro X.  I spent $32 to get into the park to take photos and videos.  I spent roughly $45 for gas.  I probably spent roughly $25-$30 on food during the day.  Plus my time.  In the end, all of that is worth $1.80 for a clip.  

I just have a simple question.  Where and when will the spiral to the bottom end?  Contributors like myself work hard.  We enjoy doing what we do.  You cannot recreate a photo.  Or a clip.  We create memories.  We capture a moment that will never, ever occur again.  The race to the bottom will eventually hit rock bottom.  The question is.  Who will start digging to continue the longer race to a deeper bottom?

Parc Omega

It's been a while since I've been to Parc Omega.  Last time the girlfriend and I went was probably in March of this year.  With the heat wave we've had this summer it's just not worth going.  The animals just hide in the forest to get away from the heat.  Today I did photography with maybe a dozen or so footage shots.  I did not take my camcorder with me.  Only shot 4k a few times today.  The next time I go, I will be going during the week and alone so I can concentrate more on composition of my nature shots.  We left the house around 10am and got back around 9pm after visiting the park and going for dinner after.  Let's just say it was a long and exhausting day.  But we had a lot of fun

I think this week I'll be going back to Parc Omega by myself with the Sony RX10 Mark II and the Canon Vixia G40 to do some more photography and more footage shots.  I shouldn't have taken any 4k footage yesterday.  It's just takes too much space and too much time to edit and upload.  That's why I like shooting with my Canon Vixia G40 camcorder.  It's great 1080p/60fps footage.  I also like the colours of all the Canon products.  Much better colour reproduction.  

The best camcorder ever!!!!!

Yes.  It's the best prosumer camcorder ever built.  It shoots 1080p/60fps.  No it does not shoot 4k.  I'm glad it doesn't.  Yes 4k televisions are falling in price.  In Canada, the major cable providers only have 1 or 2 4k channels.  With dwindling cable subscribers  I don't see the major providers upgrading their equipment to fully support 4k in the near future.  I have a 4k television at home with an Apple 4k TV set top box which we, being my girlfriend and I don't hardly watch.  We don't watch a whole lot of television rather looking at our phones or iPads or computers which only support 1080p or 1440p.  But on a phone, you cannot differentiate between 1080p and 1440p.  There are a few phones that have 4k displays but again, they're a small screen factor.  That is why I'm still shooting 1080p.

Lets get back to the Canon Vixia HF G40 camcorder available for purchase here.  Like I've written previously it does shoot at 1080p/60fps.  What Canon does right with this camcorder is colour reproduction.  It does come with 20x optical zoom and 300x digital zoom.  Thanks to the sensors enhanced sensitivity, the Vixia HF G40 provides vivid, accurate recording through an improved signal to noise ratio.  The camera shoots in both MP4 and AVCHD with MP4 being web ready.  The camera provides dual SD card slots for never ending storage.  I have 2 64GB cards in the camera and I can shoot the whole weekend and not fill up both cards.  You can record to both cards at the same time just in case one fails.  I did buy an extra battery for longer shooting.  I can shoot about 90 minutes with the battery that comes with the camera and with my larger battery I can shoot over 220 minutes on a single charge.

The OLD screen is big and bright even during sunny days.  The electronic viewfinder shifts to 45 degrees and is easy to use and see thru.  For a guy with glasses, it's a big help.  The optical image stabilization is great when you want to shoot that is far away from you.  The lens is great on this camera being a f1.8 to f2.8 which means it's great in low light and is extremely sharp.  

Here are some of the pros of the camera:

1. Great price
2. Great lens
3. Portable
4. 1080p/60fps
5. Focal lenght
6. Multiple hot shoes to attach accessories
7. OLED screen
8. Viewfinder
9. Comes with remote control and lens cap
10. Weight of 1.7 pounds
11. Reach of 26.7MM to 576MM (35MM equivalent)
12. Wide angle and zoom lenses available
13. Has Wifi and FTP 
14. Superb video
15. Superb colour reproduction

Here are some of the negatives:

1. Does not shoot 4k (is that a negative?)

You can buy two teleconvertors.  One wide and one a telephoto.  I currently have the wide lens and it's amazingly sharp.  The camera does have audio in which unfortunately doesn't provide phantom power.  I currently use the Rode Video Mic Pro+ available here.

When I was in Calgary last year for work I brought this camera with me.  I decided to buy a Sony 4k camcorder thinking 4k is the future.  Let's just say I sold the 4k camcorder and I kept the Canon.  With the Canon I don't need that many hard drives as the files are smaller and I don't need as much processing power.  If I wanted I could use my iPhone 8 Plus running iMovie to edit my Canon clips for my portfolios.  You can check my portfolio links on my blog to see what the camera is capable of.

Lac Leamy Casino Sound of Lights - Canon Vixia HF G40

So I wanted to do a review of the Canon Vixia HF G40 last week.  Life always gets in the way as a friend and fellow photographer lost her life to cancer at the young age of 28.  I hadn't gone shooting for a bit with the camcorder as my day job seems to get in the way.

But this past week, I got to shoot the Casino de Lac Leamy fireworks.  I had missed the previous show as I totally forgot about it.  And yesterdays event, let's just say, whoever went to it got soaked in the torrential downpour.

This was the first time I had used a camcorder at night.  Shooting video is a little bit different than shooting photos at night.  Especially fireworks.

I had set the camera at ISO 100, f1.8 and exposure of 1/8th of a second.  Let's just say that didn't work out as I thought.  The exposure was way too low so I increased it to 100th of a second and voila, problem fixed.  So setting with ISO 100, f1.8 and the exposure was 100/1000 of a second.  Problem fixed.  So I thought.  My external mic died about halfway thru the show.  Hence no sound on the video.  For this Wednesday's show, I have a fresh battery in the mic and I know what my settings have to be.  I also have a better idea of how to frame the shot as I framed it wit htoo much empty space to the left.  

Overall, I think the Canon Vixia HF G40 is an excellent daytime and night time camcorder.  You can control pretty much any setting on it as far as exposure, white balance, mic etc.  I am really happy with the camcorder.  

One of the reasons I bought the camcorder was to do a lot more video work at Parc Omega where I get pretty much all my wildlife shots.  I hardly go there in the summer as the animals hide in the shade of the forest because of the heat.  I'm planning to go a lot more starting in September as it's mating season and the fall colours start.  Also the fur on the animals thickens as they prepare for the colder temperatures of Canada's northern climate.