[vimeo video_id=”16414140″ width=”700″ height=”525″ title=”Yes” byline=”Yes” portrait=”Yes” autoplay=”No” loop=”No” color=”00adef”]

Two of the most prominent effects being done with HDDSLR’s these days are time-lapse and high dynamic range imaging (HDR).  Almost anywhere you go in the photography/videography blogosphere you can find stunning examples of each.  Obviously timelapse is an effect for video only, and HDR is mostly used in still photography, but we have seen a few tests for HDR video pop up here and there.  In the video above (by Patrick Kizny) you can see a marriage of these two techniques – which really only makes sense given that time-lapse requires still photography and allows you the time to take multiple exposures.

While the effect in the video above is really interesting – I think it makes everything look a little bit too much like the graphics on my PS3.    I actually liked many of the initial shots that were not HDR (or at least if they were – they were done more to my liking.)   I guess the reason I have never been a particular fan of HDR – is that I think people push it too far.   If done well – you shouldn’t even notice it too much.  It should look like an Ansel Adams print – not surreal in my opinion.   That’s just me.  You should check out this site  Chromasia by David Nightingale to find what I consider HDR that works (to my tastes to be clear!)  Some definitely push it a little bit beyond my comfort point – but many are spot on.  It’s all subjective of course – and that’s what’s great about art in general.   That being said:  great work is all about finesse – and pushing the envelope – but with restraint or finesse IMO.

What do you  think?

Regardless of what I think – here’s a great behind the scenes video on how this was done.  It’s always awesome to see people sharing out there:

[vimeo video_id=”19107357″ width=”700″ height=”525″ title=”Yes” byline=”Yes” portrait=”Yes” autoplay=”No” loop=”No” color=”00adef”]

I’m making room for spring (albeit a little early) and selling some great gear – most of it in mint condition.

My career has changed quite a bit in the past 2-3 years to say the least – and I need to make some room in my office for future gadgets.   It turns out that I am no longer using a lot of the still gear (and some audio/video gear) that I’ve accumulated over the years – and a lot of it is in mint/excellent condition, sitting on shelves,  depreciating (and still being insured!)

I might better be served owning a set of PL mount primes  or even put some of this money towards an Alexa – who knows…

Towards the end of 2010 I became a member of the Director’s Guild of America and the year before that I became a DP in Local 600 – effectively this means that  more often than not I work on productions where all of the gear is being rented by the production company – and it no longer makes sense for me to own/maintain as much gear of my own.  When I do commercial still shoots – I almost always end up renting the cameras and lenses from the digital tech that I hire, or from a local rental house.

So below you’ll find a slew of things I love – that I’m sad to let go.   Depending on the number of bids and interest- you just might be lucky enough to get an incredible deal on a piece of gear that is in excellent or even mint condition…  I stand behind all of this gear and you can trust that is in great working condition.  And truth be told – if the bids aren’t high enough – I’ll be very happy to hold on to many of these.   I’ve put an asterisk (*) near the pieces I want to move/sell…

Check the end of this post to see how I would like to interact with interested buyers and how the process will work for those interested in making an offer.

1.SOLD

2.SOLD

3.SOLD

4. SOLD

5. SOLD

6.SOLD

7.SOLD

8.SOLD

9.SOLD

10. SOLD

11. SOLD

12.SOLD

13.SOLD

14. SOLD

15.SOLD

16.SOLD

17.  SOLD

18.  SOLD

19. SOLD

20.  SOLD

21.  SOLD

22.* X-Rite i1XTreme Profiler kit – (I own two of these) complete with with Xrite Beamer, Scanning Ruler etc – (Not the UV Cut version – this one is several years old but works flawlessly.)  I will also consider selling only the i1Xtreme unit – as I have two kits – the full one here and the simply i1Extreme kit for monitor calibration.

Current top bid $500

23.* I’m getting rid of my set of SIX Motorolla Radius CP200 walkie talkies (very good to excellent condition – work flawlessly)  – they come in a custom beige Pelican case custom made to ship them, and charge them all at the same time IN THE CASE.  Really neat kit and sorry to let these go.  But most productions I work on need more than 6 radios at once – this is perfect for small to mid-sized productions.   These are all on a custom frequency as well.   The only caveat – is that they are engraved “LAFORET VISUALS” in the front…  the kit comes with two Remote speaker mics, with 2 secret service type headsets.

24.* I’m selling a complete Hollywood Micro Dolly + Jib set.  It comes with the Basic Dolly Kit, Dolly Push Bar, Non-Skid Track Pads, Basic Jib Kit, Jib Accessory Kit, Riser Kit, Power Head Kit, Power Head Pan/Tilt Handle and a 100mm Cup – this is a PERFECT dolly + Jib + head kit for HDDSLRs and camcorders.   I demoed it at the Creative Live workshop and it’s been used on 2 shoots and several workshops – so it’s in excellent condition.   To make your life easier this entire kits sells for just shy of $13,000 new (I added this because it’s hard to price these pieces out on the site.)

25. Canon Realis WUX10 1080p projector 3200 Lumens – AWESOME projector.   I often bring this along for important presentations – it outperforms projects 2 – 3x it’s price… I might throw in a Lightware case w/ wheels that I use to ship this unit in.

Phew!  And that’s it.

So here’s how I’m going to deal with the sales:

In short:  I’m not a big fan of eBay – specifically the buyers that it tends to attract.   I assume that most of the people who read this blog generally know their stuff a lot better than the average eBay user, and will be making legitimate offers.   I’m going to keep this very simple and as fair as possible:

1. If you’re interested in any of the items below – send an e-mail to gear@vincentlaforet.com MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE ITEAM NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT field WITH the item name (short – looks like if you put JUST a number – my spam blocker goes a little overboard…)  i.e. if you’re interested in the Canon EOS 1DS MKIII – simply put  “4” in the subject field.

2. Simply make your best offer for the item.  Please add your name and phone number (and country if outside of the US) so that I can contact you.   Serious offers only please – but if you’re looking for a deal – this might be a great chance.  I’m looking to get rid of a few of these things (the ones marked with a * notably) – while others I’ll be waiting for good offers on because I still love them (i.e. the mint 85mm 1.2)  The ones that are marked with a * are items that I haven’t used for 6+ months or more and I am more motivated to sell those.

3. In 5-7 days time from today I will contact the top bidder for each item via e-mail.

4. At THAT point – I will supply images of the gear to the highest bidder if requested – and answer any questions they may have.  If they choose to pass  on the item for any reason – I will then go to the next highest bidder.   (SO PLEASE NOTE: I will not be providing any pictures or answer any general questions until we reach that point such as shutter count etc… this is a pretty relaxed process as I really don’t want to sell many of these things deep down – it’s just something I should be doing, because it doesn’t make sense to have gear depreciating on shelves.  If you are the top bidder and decide that you do not want the item at this point – no harm no foul.)

5.  I will ship to anyone in the US or Internationally.  Buyer pays shipping.  Gear MUST be shipped via FedEx and on your FedEx account or credit card (you can open a FedEx in a few minutes online with your credit card – it’s painless.)  I’ve had an excellent track record w/ shipping equipment via Fedex over the years.  The same cannot be said about UPS.   That’s why I’m insisting on Fedex.  I recommend you insure your item regardless.  If you choose not to insure it and it gets lost/damaged in transit – you are responsible for it – so I recommend you do so, unless you have an insurance policy / credit card that covers shipping mishaps.   If you are having these shipped internationally – any customs / brokerage charges that may be incurred will be billed to your FedEx account.

6. All payments must be received in full in advance of my shipping the item.  You may pay by credit card, Paypal, or Square.  These services protect both parties – as opposed to checks etc.  If you choose to return the item – again no sweat – you just have to cover the the round-trip shipping.

7. I reserve the right NOT to sell an item if I decide that the highest offer is too low (or I just can’t part with it.)  If it is a good/fair offer – I will sell it though.

8.  Kindly give me 7 days to contact you before e-mailing again.   There is a good chance I will contact you earlier than that.

9. The pictures above are the manufacturers’ stock photographs – not the actual photos of the items.  Just to be clear.  As I mentioned above – I can provide the top bidder w/ pix when we get to that point.

10. I may decide to add the highest current offer (just the amount – no personal details) in this post at some point.  Just so people get an idea of what the current bid is.  But don’t wait until the last moment – as I may decide to sell it at any point if I find that I’ve got a solid buyer on the other end.  My goal is to run this as a silent auction – not to drive the price up eBay-style.

Cool?

So send me an e-mail to gear@vincentlaforet.com if you’re interested in any one of these items – and don’t forget to put the item number and quick description in the subject line.

I have just made some updates to the Gear Page to include some new items that I have been using on my shoots recently.

First off, the Teradek Cube.  This little guy streams 1080p video over wifi or wired ethernet – which means you can turn your laptop or your iPad into a field monitor.  This is incredibly useful when you are attaching the camera to a moving fixture – such as a Dolly, Crane, Steadicam, Jib, etc. – and don’t want to deal with all that messy VTR cable.  Of course, given the capabilites this product offers – the price point is relatively low as well.  I highly recommend this one as other wireless transmitters are either a. unreliable or b. very expensive.   Check it out at the bottom of the Monitors page.

Secondly, I wanted to share with you a couple of new items in the bags section.   The first of these items is a backpack we’ve been using more and more – it’s the Petrol PD332 – part of the new DSLR line they have just put out.  The bag is is great – it maximizes the storage space within and lets you carry an entire camera kit with you.  I have used it on small photography shoots, international jobs, and even vacation with my family.  I always wanted to point out the LED Deca Lights from Petrol.  This strip of lights runs on two AA batteries and velcros to the inside of your case so you can see what your doing as you rummage through your cases at night trying to find that lens cover… If you have an assistant – they will thank you.  Also a small but awesome detail:  the Petrol bags we use have bright red interiors – not black/dark grey – so you can see all of those small black/grey cords/caps etc!    If you are out on your own – you’ll be even more grateful.  You can find these and more new items on the Bags page.