A great video production done with a Leica M 240 by Edmond Terakopian
See, a Leica M 240 can create good-looking video 🙂 It may not be the best solution but if you own an M 240 and some of the beautiful Leica glass you can create some damn nice looking video with them as we can see below. This one, “Electric Coffee Company” was created by Edmond Terakopian with the 28 cron, 35 lux and 50 Noctilux. The Leica M 240 seems to still be on forever backorder. Many have received their cameras and are enjoying what it offers and others are still waiting and waiting and waiting. 🙂 I am expecting and hoping that this situation will open up soon, by October or November. Maybe in September after the new Sony announcement 🙂 Enjoy the video and thanks to Edward for sending it in! You can see more of his work at the links below:
Edmond Terakopian
www.pix.org.uk
www.commercial.pix.org.uk
http://photothisandthat.co.uk BLOG
http://www.teravision.eu VIDEO
I forgot about camera stuff and was taken in by the story. Very well done sir.
WOW I can’t believe all the negative comments. I think this video looks amazing. I am usually critical of overly shallow DOF with DSLR video but this one looks very natural. Not sure how much has to do with the color grading and how much the camera/lens is doing but I think it all looks very cinematic, filmic and natural. Also the focus is very natural. I assume having a rangefinder AND a screen combined with a nice heavy manual lens like would be really fun and easy to use for video.
As a long time Leica shooter I was very excited when I found out M240 would have video as it seemed like it could work very well in that function. Glad to see someone is taking it’s video capability seriously and making good work with it.
The quality is okay, but not great. Definitely a “throw in” feature and not something Leica put a lot into. The cinematography is not very strong either, so that’s not helping it much.
Edmond,
Just a couple of questions. What color grading program (if any) did you use on the footage? Did you use external sound capture hardware or the built-in system ( I see what appears to be a lapel mike on the main character )? Color seems a bit “off” (on my both my Eizo and Qato screens) inconsistent and the sound is quite “dirty” and the mix seems one dimensional. Can you please supply us with some detailed technical info?
Thanking you in advance
Jorge
The video is OK but it is not even close to the ones produced by cameras like the Panasonic GH3 in terms of sharpness and other elements. I love Leica but it is sad that their top notch glass doesn’t shine in videos, as it does in pictures. Leica, please fix the video on your cameras, it will make you even more popular and hybrid is the way of the future anyway…
I liked it and I wish I could come and taste their coffee now. Great job with the shop!
Dynamic range – with blown-out highlights – is pretty terrible, detail in wide shots not great either. (The video works around the latter limitation with a lot of close-ups and shallow DoF shots.) Not great from a videographer’s point of view, a $600 Panasonic G6 will do much better…
Carefull Florian,
You know in your heart that not using an M240 with a Noctilux 50 and still calling yourself a photographer or a videographer is complete and utter nonsence, as you can see here:
The film:
http://vimeo.com/46762697
The making off:
http://vimeo.com/71180315
Greets, Ed……
So using a G6 is fine but it all has to be seen against the new standard of photography: A Leica M + a Noctilux at 0.95, using anything else just doesn’t make sence.
Speaking as a video professional, I definitely have to agree. And this is not to offend Edmond or any of the readers in any way. There are many photographers making forays into video nowadays. This is the result, when a video is made from a photographers mindset. This not entirely bad, content wise I like it. It is informative and the pacing is pretty good. The audio was not good and shows another limitation making the lack of proper audio equipment obvious. I also think the video could have been improved with proper color grading as the colors look rather dull. Lastly, be careful about carrying the “shallow DOF” too much into video. This is a different visual medium. But all in all a good project and definitely viewable for web purposes.
I agree, Florian. The DR, color and resolution makes me want to keep using my 5DMk3 or even the 5DMk2 for these types of corporate videos. I am a long time Leica lover/owner, but I will pass on using this video function of the new M (when/if I get one).
The intrigue for the shallow DOF of the Nocti and other fast lenses is getting tiring and overdone IMHO ( I am also a Nocti 0.95 owner, so no jealousy). Sadly, as you say, the shallow DOF in the CU’s is probably the best part of this example, but gain overused and not in itself a compelling factor to use this system for any moving image project.
I suppose its a handy thing to have for those spur of the moment and the “do or die” occasions, but for any paid and pre-planned work, It is just not up to scratch at all – stick to 5DM3/M2 or ,better, Alexa/Red for the better budget jobs.
It’s great to see it and discuss it. Thank you Steve and Edmond for putting up this example.
Sincerely
Jorge
That’s a super video. It looks very cinematic, full of atmosphere.
Many photographers discount at best, ridicule at worst, the addition of video capture to cameras. This short film shows what adding a third dimension (time) allows us to do as photographers.
Terrific work Edmond.
Many Thanks 🙂
Wow! That looks beautiful. The DOF is crazy shallow in one or two shots, but it works wonderfully!
Nope, it’s definitely overdone IMO. At least get both eye in proper focus! Can’t wait until most of us get over the look-at-me-shooting-35mm-with-a-large-aperture-prime fetish.
I totally agree Oilymouse, it is absolutely crazy to spend 8k on a camera body plus anywhere from 2 to 10k on a lens and then get results that a $1,500 set up easily beats.
NZ accent at 0:49!
LOL I couldn’t make out a single thing he said and I am from NZ