Tag: video

cam, canada, DIY, film, GO, grip, LED, LEDGO, lighting, lights, rig, steady, steadycam, stedicam, video

Make your own steadycam rig

Posted on December 20, 2016January 18, 2017 by Big City

This video from Miguel Vicente show you how to make your own steadycam from standard hardware parts. looks fairly simple for those who are mechanically inclined.

For the rest of us who aren’t you can always rent a glidecam 1000 HERE

Detail of home steady cam

Don’t want to make your own? You can also RENT our dolly track system.
Big City Lights offers affordable lights and lighting for parties party events stage dolly track system Projector rent custom RGB LED DMX par fresnel laser rental film, video, tv, and photography. RGBA as well. We carry LED and Flo lighting including ring lights and light banks and light panels. We sell in Canada and the USA, with locations in Calgary and Toronto, but we ship to Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa, Hamilton, Edmonton, St. Johns, Regina, Victoria, Winnipeg and more.

Behind the Scenes of a Big City Music Video Shoot!

Posted on December 20, 2016January 18, 2017 by Big City

Shot from the video

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to help out and go behind the scenes with Big City on a music video shoot. We were working with local Toronto talent, Scenario and KiKi SB. Let me tell you it wasn’t easy but it was a whole lot of fun and a great learning experience. For the video we were trying to get a Mental Institute feel, something like shutter island, and the large spaces, long hallways and old-fashioned freight elevators at Big City Studios provided that dark grimy atmosphere. Now the problem here, as any good photographer/videographer will tell you, was that “dark and grimy” isn’t quite the best place to be shooting in. And that’s where Big City’s wide variety of lights came in. We had various set-ups that illuminated all scenes brilliantly. For starters, during the elevator shots, we used two Big City 1200 LED’s on either side of our actors to bring the scene to life and one Big City 220 full frontal to add that significant glow found in many great music videos. It was a fairly simple set-up but the results were much better than you would get from most highly complex and expensive lighting sets.

Scenario

The next scene was in the loooooong and dark hallway. Here, we shot the ladies dance sequences as well as a running/walking shot. Now things were getting a little trickier, the only available lighting was the overhead lamps that were each at least 5 ft apart. This was definitely not the best place to be shooting a trio dance group, especially when you’re going for that glamorous/flashy music video aesthetic. To make things worse there were no outlet sources all along the hallway, the only outlets to be found were at the beginning and very end of the hall, but we worked with what we had and our video came out looking stronger than ever. How did we solve the faulty lighting problems? Once again, Big City to the rescue! Two Big City 1200 LED’s were set at the front end of the hall, this time, with a Big City Ringlight to help our ladies really pop out at the audience. This set up was sufficient but there was something missing, the finishing touch, the cherry on top. We walked and walked and walked straight down to the end of the hall where there was a second outlet, we set up our largest light bank, the Big City 330 and, boy did that baby shine! Everyone was blown away by the effect of using the 330 at the very end of the hall, it resembled a window of beaming cool blue light.

comedy, day, film, short, valentines, Clint Adam Smyth

The True Story of Valentines day

Posted on December 20, 2016January 20, 2017 by Big City

This is a short comedy film produced by our sister company Big City Players. Big City Players are a comedy troupe based in Toronto, Canada. In this short film we see how Valentines Day came to be. Hope you enjoy!

drone, film, photo, photographic, technology, video

Parrot Flies Sky High With New Bebop Drone

Posted on December 20, 2016January 18, 2017 by Big City

Technological company Parrot has been setting new standards in the world of personal drones, and they just hit one out of the park with their new Bebop Drone. Parrot announced recently that the new drone will be planned to be released next month for $500 US. The drone comes with a 14 mega pixel “fish eye” camera, a sky controller to control the drone from the safety of your tablet, and a first person view of the action with Oculus Rift glasses or Ziess Cinemizer glasses.

Features/ Specs

14 megapixel camera
Fish eye 180 degree lens
WiFi/iOS/Android compatible
4 brush less outer motors
Glass Fiber reinforced
emergency mode (emergency landing)
Sky Controller ( tablet holder w/ 2 analog stick control)
3800×3188 photo resolution
2 km distance from Sky Controller
1080p HD video

The Sky Controller gives users a first person view of what the camera is recording

The Bebop comes with a very unique and extremely cool Sky Controller to maneuver and control the drone. As you can see it comes with a tablet holder, 2 analog sticks, record and picture buttons etc. The Controller helps boost the WiFi range for the drone, making the camera go further then just using your tablet.

The drone can also be flown indoors, as the drone has protective glass fiber frames around the 4 motors. Overall, the drone and accessories look like an incredible piece of technology, and considering the price of an Oculus Rift Glasses ($350) and the Sky Controller, the price of the drone will be not much more expensive then the base price ($500). I will definitely check out this drone when it is released in December 2014!

LED Superbank Bi colour Film Video Photography Toronto Canada Edmonton Calgary Montreal USA

Long LED Superbanks Now Available!

Posted on December 20, 2016January 20, 2017 by Big City

Big City Lights has done it again, we now offer a long LED superbank. This unit only uses 121W of power but puts out the tungsten equivalent of 2000W of light! It runs on standard AC, and with it’s low power consumption can even be run off of large battery packs. This light is great if you need to light a large area, or a full body of a person. It is daylight balanced, but also included is a diffusion and a 3200K (Tungsten filter). You can purchase them HERE

The LED Superbank from Big City

Basic specs

calgary, canada, film, fresnel, LED, LEDGO, lighting, lights, photo, photographic, photography, toronto, USA, vancouver, video

LED Fresnel Lights Now Available!

Posted on December 20, 2016January 18, 2017 by Big City

Big City is proud to announce 3 models of high power LED fresnel lights. Finally a high power focusable directional light that uses a fraction of the power, and generates almost no heat! The problem with most fresnel lights in the past has been the enormous amount of power needed to run them, so often film productions would have to rent noisy and expensive generators. Well no more, the Big City F-100, F200 and 100M Fresnel Lights use only 100W or 200W of power but they put out a amazing 750W or 1.5K worth of light respectively. To top this all off they also generate almost no heat unlike their incandescent predecessors that would get so hot that you couldn’t handle them without protective clothing. The F-100 and the F200 also come with a wireless remote so you can turn them on or off and adjust the brightness, while the DMX 100M can be controlled via DMX board. Selling at a reasonable $750 and $950 CDN what professional film production company not can afford to pick one up! You can PURCHASE THEM HERE.

BIG CITY LED FRESNEL 100 LIGHT SPECIFICATIONS

Casing: Metal
weight: 8KG
Size: 8 x 12 x 8 inches
Control either manual or with wireless remote (included)
Input: 110AC – 100W
Colour Temperature: 5500K
Luminous Flux (LM): 10000

BIG CITY LED FRESNEL 200 LIGHT SPECIFICATIONS

Casing: Metal
weight: 10KG
Size: 8 x 12 x 10 inches
Control either manual or with wireless remote (included)
Input: 110AC – 200W
Colour Temperature: 5500K
Luminous Flux (LM): 20000

BIG CITY DMX CONTROLLED LED FRESNEL 100M LIGHT SPECIFICATIONS

Casing: Plastic
Weight: 5KG
Size: 8 x 10 x 8 inches
Control either manual or DMX
Input: 110AC – 100W
Colour Temperature: 5500K
Luminous Flux (LM): 10000

4K, 52 megapixel, camera, canada, film, light, lighting, lights, photo, photographic, photography, smartphone, technology, toronto, video

52 Megapixel, 4K Video, 16 Lens Camera That Fits In Your Pocket

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Big City

L16 Camera from Light

Tired of lugging a bag full of camera gear around every time you want to take great pictures? Not satisfied with the images or video you get from your smartphone? Well Rajiv Laroia, co-founder and CTO of Light, may have a solution to this problem.

He stated that “I developed the underlying technology for the Light L16 Camera because I was

And I’m still not satisfied with the “good enough” pictures I get from my mobile phone.”

This camera is the first multi-aperture computational camera. With 16 individual camera modules, Light’s technology fuses 10 images into one super high-quality, 52-megapixel image. These images have fantastic depth of field control and incredibly low noise. And the camera offers true optical zoom from 35-150mm while being slim enough to fit in a pocket.

Close up of the multiple lenses of the L16

Looks like this camera is still in pre-production, and is expected to be released in summer of 2016, but they already are taking pre-orders. Introductory price is $1299 USD until Nov 6th, 2015, then will go up to $1699 USD after that date.

Google and Levi’s work together to create ‘smart jeans’

Posted on December 19, 2016January 24, 2017 by Big City

Google and Levi’s have collaborated on a fascinating idea to turn jeans into a touch-based controller. Google has developed a thread made of conductive thread that contains no metals, isn’t rigid and seamlessly fits so that it is not noticed when worn. Google and Levi’s are teaming up to create jeans to make life easier by installing control systems into the fabrics in our jeans that we can access immediately that correspond with our personal electronics.

The question asked about this product is how it will make its way to fit our every day lives. It would be easy to vaguely imagine where we would find purpose for this – scrolling through lists on a pant leg, adjusting volumes and answering calls from inside our pocket but how is this really going to make an impact on a larger scale? Ivan Poupyrev, a technical program leader in Google research group has tested the product numerous times on a small scale – but still effective. The intent of the touch panels is to provide a quick and subtle way to interact with our technology we own Poupyrev used the scrolling gesture to adjust the hour on a clock – using the same motion, he lifted his hand higher and was able to adjust the minutes. Levi and Google are working together to further improve and advance the idea but no details were given about when the clothes will be available to buy.

canada, photography, privacy, public, rights, us, USA, video

Public vs Privacy Rights in Public Photography

Posted on December 19, 2016June 19, 2017 by Paola Pasqualini

Back in March 2015, Arkansas Senate was working to pass bill SB-79. Bill SB-79 is named the Personal Protection Act, which claims to protect the privacy of citizens when in public. Meaning it would stop photographers from the freedom of their photos. If the law was instated, it would have implied that if a photographer took a photo of any recognizable person and was posted to the internet without consent it would leave you with an open lawsuit if somebody in Arkansas saw it online. This being said, the bill was revised and denied on March 31st 2015. When the bill originally got passed, photographers were outraged, stating it would destroy the momentum from all photography if you had to get written permission from every individual beforehand.

Luckily this wasn’t this case but Arkansas Legislature will review the right of publicity bill again in 2 years, so Arkansas can only hope to get lucky again.

Aside from recent news, the right of privacy with the public and photographers has become a major issue amongst the photography world. The rights we have these days are generally flexible. We have the freedom to take photos in public but consent is required (with some exceptions). It is illegal to film on private property, although it is not illegal to film private property from public property. But since iphones have came into the picture the ability to stop people from taking photographs has become increasingly difficult – especially at events like concerts. In the past, taking a photo at a show was absolutely not allowed. Now a days, we are able to photograph and videotape the whole show if we chose to – the only rule instated now is that the use of any camera that has interchangeable lenses is prohibited.

There has been numerous incidents recently that people have run into problems with the taking of public photos and videos. People will often assume the photographer is going to use photos for other reasons than our actual intent – a good photo. Photographer, Karl Baden receives constant hatred and suspicion from the public for simply pointing his camera into the world. An incident occurred where he was taking a photo from his car of the sunset in a grocery store parking lot. A father and his son walked by as he was taking the photo and was immediately verbally assaulted and accused of taking photos of his child. Another instance occurred a few years ago when FBI agents appeared at Karl’s door shortly after he was observed photographing American flags that were planted everywhere in the days following 9/11. The photographer has a handful of stories and photos of people angrily reacting to his camera and hopes to one day publish a book on it which only shows how much it happens – and this being only one of the thousands of street photographers out there.

Luckily for Canada we have the freedom to aim out cameras wherever we please, but with a possibility that somebody’s going to give us a hard time about it.

– Paola Pasqualini

camera, Canon, lens, Nikon, photo, photographic, photography, toronto, video

7 Best, Inexpensive Lenses

Posted on December 19, 2016June 19, 2017 by Paola Pasqualini

If you own a camera you have a slight idea of the high prices in film and photo equipment. Photography can be an expensive hobby and is often hard not to spend less than a couple hundred dollars on a certain gadget upgrade. The lenses these days are becoming increasingly expensive with newer features and cleaner designs. Finding a lens that is good quality and affordable can be challenging, but we can rest assured that there are a few out there that wont break our wallets.

1. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 – $125

This is an excellent prime lens that is affordable and delivers good quality photos. Because the length is a little longer than a lens you would used daily use, it is a handy lens for something like portrait photography. Another plus to this lens is how far the aperture opens up – a maximum aperture of 1.8/f allows the photographer to catch lots of light as well as if desired, create great bokeh effects.

2. Lensbaby Spark – $90

Now this is an interesting lens because of the manual freedom the user gets with it. The lensbaby spark allows the photographer to pull the lens in and out to adjust the focus of the photo as well as an option to skew the photo . The effect of the lens may not be for everyone, but for those who enjoy experimenting with photography, these lenses create original and classic low-fi photos.

3. Canon EF 40mm – $199

This is a great portable prime lens to guarantee clarity in your photos. The lens allows you to open up to an aperture as low as 2.8/f, giving you a relative amount of light for any given scenario. This lens is highly recommended in the photo world as the perfect normal’ lens on full frame, providing an extremely natural perspective to images.

4. Nikon AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D Lens – $130

This is a great lens for users using Nikon cameras. It is an incredibly light, offering a f/1.8 maximum aperture for effective low light shooting and shallow depth of field control. Be sure to check your camera’s lens-compatibility information before selecting this lens as it can only be used with manual focus.

5.Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G – $196

The Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 is the perfect answer for owners of Nikon DX-format cameras. Because most S-SLRS use APS-C size sensors, their 55mm lenses are actually equivalent to 75mm, making them too long. It is equivalent to 52.5mm/f 2.8 so the focal length is correct for the standard lens. A perfect prime lens that is perfect for low-light shooting and creating softly blurred backgrounds; its classic “normal” angle of view makes it a great all-around lens – meaning it is the closest image to what we see with our eyes

6. Nikon AF-S Micro-Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G – $277

Although the price is ranging a little higher for this specific lens, it is still no doubt very popular for its ability to get up and close to objects with great quality. The DX Micro is a great little all-purpose normal lens that can also focus super close. Although, if you desire any serious macro work, a 40mm lens is a bad idea because you have to get too close to your subject to get close-ups and you will end up blocking your life. That is why this 40mm lens is mostly for use as a general-purpose normal lens, with the ability to focus very close for occasional use.

7. Diana lens DIY bundle – $49

The great thing about these lenses is that there is an adapter available for Canon and Nikon for only $14. Lomo photography has gotten popular in the last couple of years. With that being said, these lenses help give a soft and dreamy look to your photos. Their are many lenses available for purchase such as: 20mm fisheye lens, 38mm, 55mm wideangle/close-up combo, 75mm or 110mm telephoto lens. And again, for no more than $49! Something to keep in mind when not wanting to spend over a $100.

– Paola Pasqualini

HD Camcorder and iPhone Sent to Outer Space.

Posted on December 20, 2015March 13, 2021 by Big City

Today we found quite a fascinating video in the webs whirlpool of viral content. This particular video focuses on a experimental spacecraft that was built by a man with the help of his young kids using simple objects found around the home such as, foam, hand warmers (to keep the camera and iPhone warm), strings, weights and so on. To get the contraption up there, they used a weather balloon and, the iPhone was used as a GPS tracking device while the HD camcorder was obviously used to record the journey. The video shows beautiful imagery of earth as seen from space. Although the chances of an accident are minimal, in order to release the balloon to that altitude special approval and notification was needed by FAA. What’s amazing is that the balloon landed only 30 miles from the original launch spot, this video inspired me and I’m sure it will do the same for you.

Click below to view the video (I recommend watching in HD) :

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

film, focus, photo, photographic, photography, shutter, video, zoom

Lytro camera, the “focus later” camera!

Posted on December 20, 2015January 20, 2017 by Big City

Last week, Lytro introduced a new and most interesting camera! A camera that can take pictures of any thing and have it in focus, no matter your distance to the subject. Here is how it works, it’s is a still camera with no auto-focus motor and no stutter delay, it allows you to focus after taking the picture, on your computer using the software that comes with it, and you can get a number of stories from one photograph, fascinating! It’s a fairly small camera with two buttons (the power and the shutter buttons), a touch screen, a slide to control the zooming, and an 8X optical zoom lens with a constant aperture of f/2.

It’s built for Mac OS and requires a minimum of OS x 10.6 or higher. They’re still developing a windows application.

So, the question now, is how to get one of these cool cameras! You can pre-order it from the lytro official website starting at $399 for the 8GB camera, and $499 for the 16 GB, and you can get it early 2012.

The science behind Lytro camera:

15 years ago, Stanford University captured the most advanced light field, which required a roomful of cameras all connected to a supercomputer. The supercomputer has been replaced by a combination of hardware and software called the 1.0 light field engine, which is able to process the light ray data captured by the sensor using a series if complex algorithms . The light field sensor captures up to 11 million light rays, which allows you to re-focus the pictures later on.

paulquevedo

Helped us pick out a lighting setup for a school dance that fit within our budget. Really easy to work with, great rental pricing and equipment was in excellent condition. we will definitely be coming here again!

DeDon Tv

I have been renting lights and backdrop from big city lights since 2022, Mr Clint will take his time to show you how the equipment work, and times I had issues with the equipment on site due to my ignorance, when I call he always help me resolve the issues with ease. I recommend this place anytime

Joseph Gaudreault

We've been working with Big City Lights the last few years and they are amazing. They always have what we need, quick and easy communication, and really friendly customer service in person. Would highly recommend for all your lighting / event needs.

EPizzle

Rented a disco ball for my wife’s birthday and people loved it! Had an amazing experience at Big City Lights. Friendly, knowledgeable, and hassle free. Will definitely come back!

Az Mo

Great place, rented an outdoor party light on Thursday for a neighbors wedding on the weekend, i was down there on Thursday, the owner gave me an incredible deal since was only needed for one night and i lived far away, very much appreciated thanks again!!