With Media

Testing out the Nikon D90

by KyleWith on 23. Aug, 2010 in Equipment

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When I bought a digital SLR 3 years ago, I bought the Nikon D80. I was stoked, I got it for a great deal all of eBay. It came with a couple of lenses, and all sorts of extra. It was awesome and I am extremely happy with that camera, but ever since I bought the D80, I have had this nagging thought in my head that always seemed to say you should have gotten the D90. At the time the D90 had just been released and was so new it was still very expensive, with the body itself being well over $1000.

Fast forward to today. I finally picked up the D90 body. I paid about the same for the body as I did my Sigma 18-250mm (affiliate) lens only a couple of months earlier. The big thing that draws me to the D90 is now I have the ability to play with video. Sure there are other cameras out there that will do video much better and some would say the D90 is actually due for a revamp. Actually, with my luck next month they’ll discontinue it. But all that aside, I’m not a big video production guru, I’m just one guy exploring the online content game. We all have to start somewhere, right?

Right off the bat I noticed a couple of things that the D90 lacks. The biggest feature it is lacking for me would be the lack of external mic input. I like good sounding audio. If you remember I just did a post on how I get my clip on mic to produce good audio for my video camera. Now the only way I can produce that same quality audio, will be to record it on the Zoom H4n (affiliate) and then sync the video and audio on the computer. This causes too much work. Another downside, is the inability to auto-focus while recording. It’s all manual from here on out, and when dealing with motion, is difficult. The last downside that I noticed right away was the inability to change any setting while recording. I don’t really know why you’d want to change the ISO/Aperture/Exposure while recording, but you can’t. Actually I can see why this might me nice, but you can’t do it.

Although those are some serious turn offs, it still does a fairly decent job at recording video. Remember this still is a still image camera were talking about. One more point I think worth mentioning, is this may not be the greatest one person video camera. If you are wanting to produce videos of yourself, chances are you may want to get help from someone else setting up the camera. It is hard to be in two places at once.

I look forward to exploring more into this camera. I have always enjoyed photography, but it is only one of my many hobbies and honestly I never seem to give it enough time to learn. Hopefully I will be able to learn and try more over the next month as I travel through the prairies, mountain and foot-hills of Alberta and BC.

What do you think of the Nikon D90 or SLR’s that shoot video in general?

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Leo’s Buzz Kill

by KyleWith on 22. Aug, 2010 in Social Media

Leo Laporte is considered the President of the Internet and is also the founder of the TWiT Network, so needless to say he has a fair amount of influence around the Internet. Well this morning he stirred up a bit of a commotion when he announced on his blog he was done Social Networking site.

What caused this sudden decision was the fact that none of his Buzz posts have been public since August 6, and more so, that no one even noticed, not even him. Those who follow Leo know he basically jumped off Twitter to join Buzz when Google first released it. He thought it was a robust platform for everything he needed.

Like most people who join Social Networks, Leo neglected his blog and only used these social platforms. He says in his blog post that, he was shouting into an echo chamber where no one could hear him, because everyone else was shouting at the same time. He goes on to say he should have been posting on his blog the whole time and he is glad to be back.

This is something I have always struggled with. Yes, it is great to connect, share, and socialize on these social platforms, but when it comes to getting out important thoughts, ideas, and information, those social platforms aren’t the best place. There are to many limits, other people, and no archive.

Think about it, when you say something on Twitter, how quickly does it go down your time-line, how many of your followers actually see it. With a blog you don’t get that, it is your time-line, the next post down is still yours. You can explore deeper into issues, ideas and opinions. You can share more and have a better conversation experience.

That’s not to say Twitter and the like are useless. Actually they are very useful for helping build a community around your blog. Everyday I realize how useful Twitter is, but I still think your blog should be you home on the Internet. A place where all those social networks connect back to, and place where all you ideas, thoughts and information leads back to.

Would you agree?

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A Sweet Twitter Client, With a Bad Name

by KyleWith on 21. Aug, 2010 in Reviews, Twitter

Yesterday I received my monthly copy of MacWorld Magazine. I flipped through it, but didn’t actually sit down and read it. Seems like it is becoming pointless to have the magazine even coming anymore, since by the time it gets to me it is all old news. But as I flipped through the pages I did notice one page. The page was featuring a couple different Social Apps, which is something I’m always interested in. As I looked a little closer I came across one app with a unpronounceable name, YoruFukurou, it is Japanese, but referred to as NighOwl in English. It was explained to me by one of my followers that it is pronounced, YoruFukurou: yoh-roo Foo-koo-roh-oo or just NighOwl

First Impression

I immediately downloaded the desktop client and fired it up. My first impression was that it had a very early edition Tweetie for Mac feel. One column with the ability to see replys, direct messages and a search. Although looking at the latest version of Tweetie I can see it is now very sleek-looking. I didn’t think I would come to like it, it looked to0 basic and plain.

Highly Customizable

I found out you really have to give YoruFukurou a chance and play around with it. Upon finding the Preferences panel, I discovered that this little app is highly customizable. One of it biggest features is the ability for tabs, by default it will have your timeline, mentions, and DMs. You can then add you favorite searches, with multiple keywords. You’ll also be able to create a filtered search or column.

Another feature I really like is how I am able to change the colour of certain types of updates. Normal updates from your followers can be one colour, while mentions can be another and your own updates another as well.

There are many more features and settings you can change to your liking. One more being what happens when you double-click an update. I have mine set to @reply that person as a way to quickly respond. The possibilities are almost endless.

Final Thoughts

I myself couldn’t always use this app, only because I manage multiple Twitter accounts and need to have an app that can support this. That being said, if you are a single account power user I think this app might be perfect for you. Don’t let the name put you off, go check out YoruFukurou.

Then once you have tried it, let me know what you think of it.

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MonoPod Self Video Rig

by KyleWith on 15. Aug, 2010 in Do It Yourself, Equipment

To continue to build off the rig I put together yesterday I made it into a self shooting rig/ camera stabilizer. In the video I use it to shot myself while on the go and hands free, but this could also easily be used at events or on location for a more stable shot.

Like I said it is the same rig from my earlier post, mounted on a MonoPod with an adjustable head. I then have the MonoPod latched to my belt, I need to work on a better system for that but it works for the time being. I then used a basic laptop/camera bag strap that hooked up to just underneath the camera and when around my back under my arms.

I the system work fairly well and it may not be the best for using all the time but it is great of the occasional use. I also found that when hold the MonoPod with just one hand increased its stability 10 fold.