Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: BernardLanguillier on March 31, 2014, 09:17:36 pm
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Team,
I am looking for a way to completely silence my D800 + a variety of lenses.
I have found references to the Aquatech blimp. I was wondering:
- whether someone had experience with this product?
- whether there are some superior alternatives.
Effectiveness and ease of use are more important than price.
Thank you.
Cheers,
Bernard
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I'll be the guy who says "underwater housings" for about $2000. At least that gives you something over which you can wrap blankets if you need more isolation.
And I see Aquatech has some sound blimps, although it looks to me like the underwater version give you better access to controls.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=996762&gclid=CNugn7mivr0CFVKFfgodFGkApQ&Q=&is=REG&A=details
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I use the aquatech blimp on a D4 and it is silent enough to use in a small chamber concert hall with patrons sitting right next to you. I have a lens barrel for to 70-200 and the 24-70. It is not possible to change lenses during a concert. You'll need to make sure your controls are set before you start shooting. Once you're locked in you won't be able to change anything until the end of the concert. I do use fabric mufflers in larger halls and they are only good during loud segments, but I can use longer lenses and change lenses and settings as often as I want.
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I use the aquatech blimp on a D4 and it is silent enough to use in a small chamber concert hall with patrons sitting right next to you. I have a lens barrel for to 70-200 and the 24-70. It is not possible to change lenses during a concert. You'll need to make sure your controls are set before you start shooting. Once you're locked in you won't be able to change anything until the end of the concert. I do use fabric mufflers in larger halls and they are only good during loud segments, but I can use longer lenses and change lenses and settings as often as I want.
Thanks, would you have links to the fabric mufflers you are using? I would probably need to use a 300mm f2.8 for some parts of my project, where I'll obviously be farther away from the subject, and mufflers may be enough.
Thank you in advance.
Cheers,
Bernard
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I'll be the guy who says "underwater housings" for about $2000. At least that gives you something over which you can wrap blankets if you need more isolation.
And I see Aquatech has some sound blimps, although it looks to me like the underwater version give you better access to controls.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=996762&gclid=CNugn7mivr0CFVKFfgodFGkApQ&Q=&is=REG&A=details
Yep, control seems to be better with the under water housings, but do we know to what extend they reduce sound as effectively?
Cheers,
Bernard
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I have a variety of soft blimps that slip over the camera. The only one that is still on the market is the camera muzzle
http://www.adorama.com/CZM.html
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I have a variety of soft blimps that slip over the camera. The only one that is still on the market is the camera muzzle
http://www.adorama.com/CZM.html
Thanks a lot!
Cheers,
Bernard
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How quiet do you have to be? And what will you shoot? Have seen a lot of point & shoots on set in the last few years, paint that flash port black!
This'll make you look like F-stop Fitzgerald in the 80's: http://www.dantabar.com/diy-sound-blimp-assembly/
Just turn that dial to "Auto" and cross you fingers.
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How quiet do you have to be? And what will you shoot? Have seen a lot of point & shoots on set in the last few years, paint that flash port black!
It is a mix of Japanese disciplines where very quiet is mandatory. But for some images, I would be pretty far, so a muzzle may be fine.
This'll make you look like F-stop Fitzgerald in the 80's: http://www.dantabar.com/diy-sound-blimp-assembly/
Just turn that dial to "Auto" and cross you fingers.
Hum... yes I have seen that... find it a tiny bit bulky! ;)
Cheers,
Bernard
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There are two main movie set sound blimp cases to my knowledge, the Aquatech and the original Jacobson Blimp
http://www.soundblimp.com/
I have an older model... I would show you but it won't let me share links or upload images from tapatalk (how I access the forum) :(
They both essentially function the same and cost the same.
Jacobson has been at it for like 50 years and Aquatech only started coming into the market a few years ago. I hear mixed reviews and I've seen a lot of people go back to Jacobson because the Aquatech had some issues where buttons wouldn't line up.
It's essentially a box and some foam and a cable release...
You can do it yourself for a few bucks with some foam, cardboard tubes, and a pelican case.... And lots of time and testing... Or you can spend the money.
Hope that was helpful to some degree.
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I have shot in concerts with my D4/D800e simply wrapped in a heavy, black Mountain Hardwear fleece jacket. Not the fluffy kind, but sheepskin bomber jacket heavy sort.
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I have shot in concerts with my D4/D800e simply wrapped in a heavy, black Mountain Hardwear fleece jacket. Not the fluffy kind, but sheepskin bomber jacket heavy sort.
Concerts are very different from meditation rooms...
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How about Fujifilm X100s then...
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How about Fujifilm X100s then...
Even the rangefinder click could be heard if it's the kind of place like where monks are meditating or something. The sound blimp can be heard SLIGHTLY, but is very very toned down and the sound doesn't travel far.
You really need a dedicated blimp for some set work.
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Even the rangefinder click could be heard if it's the kind of place like where monks are meditating or something.
Leaf shutter in X100s is so quiet that even the photographer has trouble hearing it. It actually has an artificial shutter click (which can be turned off).
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Leaf shutter in X100s is so quiet that even the photographer has trouble hearing it. It actually has an artificial shutter click (which can be turned off).
I had to look it up, are there other lenses available for it?
It's a very nice prosumer camera but I wouldn't use it for any professional shoots personally. Especially if it only has that one focal length it would be hard to satisfy the demands of a serious shoot.
But yes I can see it being very quiet.
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Thanks for all the inputs.
I already have a Nikon V2 that is 100% silent like in zero noise whatsoever, but the image quality is not at the right level for the application I am considering.
Cheers,
Bernard
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I had to look it up, are there other lenses available for it?
It's a very nice prosumer camera but I wouldn't use it for any professional shoots personally. Especially if it only has that one focal length it would be hard to satisfy the demands of a serious shoot.
But yes I can see it being very quiet.
Fixed lens, only attachments. So it is quite limited, right. But when a mid-wide WA is needed for reportage style stuff it is quite perfect.
Prosumer or not, picture quality is stellar. On par with Canon EOS-5D mk2, but more DR and better high ISO.
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"I have a variety of soft blimps that slip over the camera. The only one that is still on the market is the camera muzzle"
I used to have a camera muzzle: even with rags stuff in it it did a lousy job of muffling camera noise and was unsuitable for photographing in situations ( movie sets, concert halls, courtrooms, etc.) where the still camera needed to actually be silent. I ended up throwing it away. For situations where a still camera needs to be made as quiet as possible use the Jacobson Sound Blimp instead: http://www.soundblimp.com/
I have also seen people build their own camera blimps out of a small Pelican case and make their own lens tubes. A surprising amount of an SLR type camera's mirror and shutter noise is transmitted through the front of the lens.
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Yep, control seems to be better with the under water housings, but do we know to what [extent] they reduce sound as effectively?
I have successfully used Aquatica aluminum housings for concert photography. These are heavy housings -- at least they're heavy when they're not submerged -- which is why they are pretty good at dampening the sound of the camera's shutter. They're not 100% effective; with a Nikon D3, you hear a low-frequency clunk when you release the shutter, and you can feel the housing tremble in your hands. Substantially all of the high-frequency -- say, above 1 KHz -- acoustic energy is absorbed.
With the right selection of lens ports, you can use lenses up to the 200mm Nikon Macro, but you can't use the 200mm f/2. Although you want to use dome ports for wide-angle lenses underwater, you want flat ports for all lenses on the surface. Manual focus is available with the right focusing ring and gear extender, but the fitting gets fiddly with the 200mm lens since the gear extender has to be so long. Some ports that are perfectly usable underwater are not good enough for use on the surface; small pits and scrapes on the outside of the port are filled in with water and don't cause problems when you're down, but do when you're up.
Because you want to use flat ports all the time and the people who build the housings think that you'll be using dome ports for wide lenses, you'll find that wide lenses are vignetted by the port. There's no much you can do about that without machining a new port. The wider the port, the better; the Aquatica housings that I used had four-inch ports.
A camera housed this way is too heavy to handhold for any length of time; you'll need a monopod at a minimum.
You will be able to access most controls with a housing designed for your particular camera. If you try to use one that was designed for another model, some things probably won't work. You can get housings that let you access both the focusing and zoom rings.
Good luck!
Jim
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+1 for Jacobson Blimps. I use them on film sets regularly. Even in a small room with dialog from the actors the blimp / camera goes un-detected from the Audio Engineers I work with. Trust me, they would let me know if they heard it. I use mine with canon DSLRs and Contax 645's and the cable for Autofocus works great as well. I shoot with aqua tech water housings for other projects and can tell you easily that I prefer the ergonomics of the sound blimp. BTW, I can get sharp photos at 1/30 second without monopod in most cases.
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camera goes un-detected from the Audio Engineers I work with. Trust me, they would let me know if they heard it.
True, but they're using directional mics and are only interested in the sound of the actors/action and they know what ambient noises will be lost when the project is dubbed. Set photographers are always a fair distance from the mic beside or behind the shooting camera, on the wrong side of the mic's sensitivity.
If you just want a camera no one will hear, even those standing right beside you, the Jacobson one might still allow too much sound out by default.
The quietest system I've worked beside is 5Diii in quiet mode inside a Jacobson, a D800 inside is still audible.
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Here's a trick that I've used successfully where the camera can be on a tripod, and the field of view doesn't need to change often. Start with a SLR that has a leaf shutter. I use the H2D-39. Line up the shot and focus. When the mirror noise doesn't matter, like during applause at a concert, release the mirror. Then take as many pictures as you want with the mirror raised. The leaf shutter is pretty darned quiet if the mirror's not moving. When you want to reframe or refocus, wait for a moment when noise doesn't matter, and lower the mirror.
Lather, rinse, repeat as necessary.
Jim
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I've been toying with the idea of suggesting this for fun...
Buy a Mamiya 7 II and start shooting film ;)
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I already have a Nikon V2 that is 100% silent like in zero noise whatsoever, but the image quality is not at the right level for the application I am considering.
V2 + stitch. :)
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V2 + stitch. :)
Yep, I've done that with the 32mm f1.2, it works well but doesn't apply to this particular project.
Cheers,
Bernard
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I have made a pretty good blimp from a Peli case and some 100mm drainpipe for the lens barrels covering a 70-200 and a 24-70 for the D3/4 and D700/800. I have some pics which I will get to you as soon as I'm back in the office. I can shoot using a standard Nikon cable release with the main drawbacks being auto exposure and the focus method you set when you snap it shut. The drainpipes are a good solution as you can get specific joints that make it quite modular, slotting the different tubes on is easy. I bought some cheapish 110mm ND filters to put on the tops of the tubes and some perspex at the back for the eyepiece and screen. I had to do a job in a very quiet theatre when a show was in progress, and made enquiries about aqua tech and jacobsen with my local suppliers. It was looking like it would have been over a month before they got the aqua tech in and the cost was getting steep with all of the bits you need. I made the peli case version in an afternoon and have shot in the middle of an orchestra recording as well as various live shows since. I did get a bit frustrated at the amount of shots that didn't work out the last time I used it (need to shade those cheap ND filters) so tried the XE2. You can hear the shutter but for some jobs it is a good compromise between lens quality (sensor is great) and freedom of movement. Have you looked at Fatboy (I think) sound blimps? They look really nice.
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I would put the $2500 into a mirrorless camera and a couple of lenses instead of a blimp housing and a couple of lens tubes unless you are going to be doing this full time. Even the 4/3 mirrorless cameras provide very good IQ at ISO 6400 and they are dead quiet without a housing.