Special Request Canon Camera Classes

Can’t make it to our scheduled events? Call us and schedule a one-on-one Canon Boot Camp! We understand that with your busy schedule, it’s not always easy to plan a month in advance or to be in town when we have a workshop. For the past couple months, we’ve re-introduced private sessions at the request of our students. We’ve taught 5D Mark III one-on-one sessions, as well as C300 one-on-one sessions taught by DP Polly Morgan.

The private workshop takes about three to four hours at our office located in Burbank, CA. The Chief Instructor, Fletcher Murray, goes over the same coursework and data as he would at our Pro Level I Canon Boot Camp (the Saturday session). Thanks to our sponsors such as Zeiss Lenses, Alzo Video, Manfrotto, Marshall Electronics, etc, you will also have hands-on demonstrations of rigs and equipment.

At our private Canon Boot Camp, you will have the undivided attention of Fletch as you go through your camera menu settings, drills, lighting demonstrations, and more. You’ll have an opportunity to customize the training to your specific needs and leverage Fletch’s decades of filmmaking experience.

Interested? Email us or call 818-841-9660 for more information.

Nikon Introduces Camera With Android OS: Is It A Game Changer?

About two months ago I wrote a little article called, “What DSLR Cameras Can Learn From Smartphones,” and at the time it seemed like nothing more than wishful thinking. Then last week Nikon took a logical first step by introducing a new camera touting the full Android 2.3 operating system (Gingerbread). The Nikon Coolpix S800c may be the first of its kind, but I guarantee it won’t be the last.

Looking over the camera reveals a modest set of specifications including a 16MP CMOS sensor, a 3.5 inch OLED touchscreen, and 1080p 30fps video capabilities. To me though, the more interesting aspects of this camera are the built in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. While it may not seem like that big of a deal, especially those of us using a smartphone, this was a smart decision by Nikon. Also with the ability to run full applications such as Instagram and Photoshop Touch, it can be argued that Nikon has a possible hit on its hands. 

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. We still have a long way to go before I would consider this to be anything other than Nikon filling a growing niche. From a business standpoint it was an inevitability, but from the creative side, it’s quite a letdown. In my opinion, the best camera you can have is the one you have on you. In any normal case, this is my smartphone, and I can truthfully say that 99% of the time, I am more than content with this as my go to camera. I know I definitely don’t need another device so similar in my pocket.

Now I understand Nikon may not be catering this camera to me, but then who are they catering to? What this actually does now is further fragment the already crowed marketplace with just another point and shoot… now with Facebook. This is not going to be a popular camera for enthusiasts, and it certainly isn’t going to convince the average consumer to toss their smartphone, or for that matter, carry around two cameras with them. While the launch price is somewhat inciting ($349), it’s really nothing more than the Nikon Coolpix S6300 with Android tacked on.

I know I might be coming off as a little harsh, but why tease us with something as pointless as this? The compact camera market has seen market share drop over the years and is now stuck playing catch up to more innovative products. Stop beating around the bush and give us something we want, or even better, something we didn’t know we wanted. Unfortunately I can’t see this being any more than a typical Wal-Mart or Amazon impulse buy for uninformed customers. Yes, you can play Angry Birds on it. Awesome.

It’s not all bad though. I have to give Nikon props for a least trying something new, even if it is a baby step. The camera does contain two of the three things I suggested in my original article for a successful transition into the future of cameras, but I wouldn’t have thought they would waste their time going after an already crowded and dying market. 

What we really need is at least a prosumer / mid-level DSLR style camera with those features and support for faster transfer speeds out of the camera. That’s not to say that Nikon doesn’t have a prototype sitting around in an R&D lab somewhere, but it’s getting exceedingly frustrating to see all these companies continue to squander innovation at our expense. It’s the independent filmmakers, the aspiring photographers, and the technologically savvy that they should be catering to. They are the most dedicated, the most informed, and generally the most loyal. However, if camera companies continue to ignore their most avid practitioners and decide that hitting a quota is going to advance their brand they are dead wrong.

With Photokina right around the corner, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of these Android based compact cameras. It will be interesting to see what other companies can bring to the table. (I’m looking at you, Sony and Panasonic.)

What are a few of your favorite Android Camera Applications? Would you be interested in the Nikon Coolpix S800c?

Thanks to Planet5D for the original announcement. You can view their original post here.

Enter to Win a Canon Boot Camp!

Winning a free Canon Boot Camp is as easy as going to our Facebook Page and clicking on the “Win a Canon Boot Camp” tab.

Although, technically, you also have to sign up for our newsletter. If you win we have to have a way to tell you!

The rules are simple. The number of chances to win are equal to the number of Boot Camp Events we have listed on the right side of this blog. Look over the dates, figure out which date you’d like to attend the Boot Camp.

Go to the Facebook Tab mentioned above, and follow the instructions. You’ll enter your data and automatically be entered into the contest. On the 15th of each month, we’ll pick the winner for that month, and announce it on our Filmmaker’s Notebook email newsletter. You may sign up once for each month, but not multiple times for ONE month.

The prize is attending one Canon Boot Camp event at no charge. It does not include airfare, hotel or any other expenses associated with attending our Canon Boot Camp. There’s no charge to enter, and as we continue to add event dates to the schedule, you may continue to enter until you win.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming Canon Boot Camp!

Anyway, Mitch actually has an on the spot comparison in the video (3:29) above where he switches from DSLR to his Logitech webcam and there's quite a difference in that the webcam portion is very washed out. Not that it couldn't be fixed by covering his window where a lot of light is coming in, but it's an interesting comparison. Whenever I use my webcam I have to fiddle around with the lighting, and a little bit of light can make a big difference.

There's some great tips in the comments/conversation after this article and video on Mitch's blog as well.

Have you tried using your DSLR as a webcam? We'd love to hear your experience, tips or warnings. Comment below and tell us about it.

Thanks so much for sending in your story. We're excited to hear about your progress and projects in the DSLR world. Your success is important to us and we'd like to help promote your film projects on our blog.

So please keep in touch. Stories and comments are generally reviewed and approved within 72 hours of submission. Once your story has been approved, you'll receive an email encouraging you to share your published story on Facebook. Every story you share on Facebook will enter you into that month's drawing for gear and other prizes from our sponsors.

We have decided to expand our services beyond just training you in the Canon HDSLR. We’d like to elevate your importance (and ranking) on the internet. To accomplish this we want to publish stories about each of our boot camp grads on our site, which is one of the top sites in the world for Canon DSLR training. All we need is your story.

Could you take a moment and just write a couple of paragraphs about how your filmmaking has been going since you took the Canon Boot Camp? We will publish it and let you know it’s out there. You can also send links to your videos and we’ll include that too to be placed in our graduate’s gallery. Lastly, we started the Canon Boot Camp because we saw our fellow filmmakers in the business going out business when the economy crashed a few years ago. So this initiative is simply an extension to get you work now that you’ve completed the training. We look forward to your story.

All the best -

Fletch and the Canon Boot Camp team.

P.S. Make sure to check the box below that allows our system to notify you when your story is published on our blog. Once your story is approved we’ll send you information on how to win free gear or other prizes from our monthly contests.

When you’re training filmmakers on 5D, you need a lot of the most recent data to pass along. Mitch Aunger’s Planet5D site is one of the top three spots I visit to stay current on the gear coming out for the Canon HDSLR.  Mitch seems to be able to give you the straight scoop instead of the corporate BS marketing hype.  While he does have ads down the side of his Planet5D blog, I find most of those links are actually interesting new products and not just everything on earth that’s for sale.  Where else would I have found out there is a steadicam for the iPhone? But seriously, we not only are interested in providing all the data our filmmakers need to achieve Canon Certification, we want them to know their options.

We met Mitch back in the frontier days, when the Canon HDSLR was just taking off.  He was doing his interviews and trying out the gear on display in person, not phoning it in.

When the Alaska gold rush was in full force, there were lots of supply stores at the bottom of the mountain happy to sell the miners everything they could.  Most of it was overpriced and a lot of it was not even needed.  I feel the Canon HDSLR also set off a gold rush and there are lots of people ready to make a quick buck off it.  The hand-held rigs are the most amusing.  There must be over a hundred rigs that “do it all.”  But inevitably, when you finally get your hands on them something weird occurs or you find you don’t need most of the features because they don’t make any sense when you actually get into production.

Mitch’s videos show you what happens when the rubber meets the road.  This is the data we like to pass along in our DSLR Filmmaker Bootcamp, which is officially called the Canon Boot Camp.  This features training in the Canon DSLR 5D, 7D and 60D.  We don’t talk about anything we haven’t tested and proved for ourselves.  There are only three exceptions, Shane Hurlbut, Gayle Tattersall and Mitch Aunger.  If they give something the thumbs up, we pass it on and attribute it to the source of the data.

A lot of Canon information is hard to pry loose prior to the release of their new products. Mitch is one of the guys Canon lets peek behind the curtain.

We compile a reference manual of HDSLR issues and gear.  If you’d like your own free copy, here is the link to the download page on Facebook.

More and more business people are realizing the value of social networking.  But often they don’t know where to start, what to do, or what to expect as a result.  That’s where Trevor Eisenman comes in.

Since not all companies are the same, the first step we take is a free review of their current social media presence and their overall marketing strategy.  Trevor then helps them develop a custom strategy and trains them in it’s implementation.  New Social Media clients were added to The Association family this month!

Locally we had Priscilla’s Gourmet Coffee and Tea  (best caffeine in Burbank); Meehna Goldsmith, Timepiece Specialist from Los Angeles; and Dr. Joseph Kametz, D.C, from Glendale.  All of them are receiving one-on-one training and strategy implementation from Trevor.

No time to figure out Social Media?  Email Trevor today a trevor@theassociation.tv and find out how simple Social Media can be to implement for your business.

Future Canon Boot Camps

Still Photographers, Film Industry Professionals and filmmaking amateurs alike are attending our Canon camera classes every month to reduce their DSLR video learning curve. Some of our students arrive wondering where the “On” button is on their camera. Others are intimately familiar with Canon DSLR cameras EXCEPT when it comes to video.

Some are celebrities or established filmmakers, directors and/or producers but need to catch up with all that DSLR filmmaking has to offer. We are there for all of them with our  “Active Learning” hands-on approach to training. No boring lectures. No being left behind with show-off techno-speak you can’t use anyway. No seminar you just sit through. Our DSLR filmmaker workshops are practical knowledge passed on by Pros with plenty of action. Many feature DSLR Filmmakers as guest speakers.

Not prepared to take a class this month? All of our future classes are listed on the right side of this page. Find a date that works for your schedule and click on the link to sign up. If this is your first visit to our site, click here for more information about the Canon Boot Camp and what we cover during our weekend hands-on intensive training course.

Don’t see a date that works for you? How about a one-on-one class just for you based on your schedule? Yes, you don’t have to be a rock star to get the Chief Instructor all to yourself. It helps, but it’s not totally necessary. Email Trevor Eisenman to make a request or call him at 818-841-9660.

Digital Filmmaking Workshops

There’s more to digital filmmaking than a camera. So from time to time we provide training on a variety of related subjects:

• Digital Editing
• DSLR Post Production Workflow
• Lighting Techniques

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Influence the future by requesting a workshop or boot camp on topics related to filmmaking by sending us an email.

Even if you already are intimately familiar with DSLR cameras like the Canon DSLR 5D, 7D or 60D, learning how to shoot DSLR video can be a challenge. For example, many still photographers already know Canon cameras very well, but have never dealt with video production. Aside from the many aspects of video production that don’t even involve direct use of the camera (script writing, for example), there are aspect of learning video that might be hard to find in a seminar.

DSLR Video Capture

Karl Morgan is the Video Production Manager at APU Azusa here in California. Karl came from Azusa Pacific University’s video department to learn more about DSLR at our Canon camera classes. He was surprised to discover that a portion of our training covers DSLR video capture and post workflow. There are some important best practices (that we learned from experience!) to avoid incorrect capture as well as plain loosing footage due to accidents or even just misplacing storage devices.

DSLR Audio Recording

But it’s not just about the looks! Even if you have lighting and video capture down like pro, it’s got to sound good so audio recording has to be understood. The Canon DSLR 5D and similar cameras weren’t originally designed for audio with a genealogy more attuned to still photographers. So anyone dabbling in DSLR Video capture needs to get educated on proper DSLR audio recording to save themselves a lot of headaches after the shoot.

The Canon Boot Camp is designed to teach anyone how to shoot DSLR and covers lighting, video capture and audio recording. You can come as a beginner, and leave a Pro in just two days.  A small taste of the workshops can be gleaned by downloading the Canon Boot Camp Reference Manual, Part I from our Facebook Page. Or you can just come to the next class.