Colder+Arab Strap+Cim+Tim Tetlow
Posted by Jakub
Here are some older tracks that I’m pretty surprised I hadn’t posted before. All 4 tracks are a few years old at least, tomorrow i’ll put up some newer releases like TV on the Radio.
ISO50
RSSCanon 5D MKII: Mindblowing HD Video
Posted by Scott
"Mindblowing Full HD" was how Gizmodo yesterday described the newly announced Canon 5D Mark II’s video capabilities. Vincent Laforet, who calls the 5D "the best camera ever", was one of the first to take the new camera for a spin and the results are undeniably striking. The stills you see above are from video he shot using the $2700 body and $25,000 in lenses (a list of the lenses he used are at the Gizmodo post). The video, while still not official available, has leaked onto YouTube giving us at least a glimpse of the quality we can expect from the final (view video below).
Gizmodo had this to say about Laforet’s experience creating the video:
"That and a $2700 DSLR body. A testament to its ease of use is that Laforet is a photographer; he has no professional film experience and had never used the 5D Mark II before, yet was able to storyboard, cast, shoot and edit the clip in just two days, with less than 12 hours notice. In particular he noted that dumping the MPEG-4 video takes way less time than it would with an actual HD camera. The only issue that would stop a person from shooting a TV pilot solely with this camera is sound matching, he says. If that’s covered, you’re gold."
I think that’s the most compelling aspect of the 5D: it’s accessibility. Such a powerful tool which yields such amazing results will empower scores of artists looking to break into motion work. I realize that at $2700 the 5D sits at a price threshold a little beyond the grasp of a lot of us, but high-end video of this caliber has never come this cheap and when you take into account the fact that the 5D also more than covers your DSLR needs the whole package starts to look like a sound investment for photographer and videographer alike.
I don’t know about you guys, but the argument for 5D supremacy is becoming more and more convincing as Canon slowly reveals what it’s capable of. I am still holding out for a head-to-head versus the D700 which, although lacking in video capability, is apparently a low light performer. Whatever the case may be, such a versatile tool as the 5D would make a welcome addition to any graphic designer’s kit.
How about you guys, have you started saving up?
74 Soundsystem
Posted by Scott
Found this gem by Halftone Def Studios on Gigposters. I’m pretty much over the whole "skulls craze of ’06/07", I think there was a law in L.A. for a while that stated all shirts produced within city limits had to include a skull on it. Jakub and I went to the Pool clothing show in Vegas and my actual skull exploded due to the amount of skulls on everything. Skulls.
Doesn’t matter, this poster is still badass. I guess that’s the paradox of ubiquitous design trends: Do it right and you’re a genius; do it wrong and you’re a lowly imitator. Or just use ITC Avant Garde; you can’t go wrong with that one.
Now that the skull-rush of ought seven is over, can anyone guess what the next big trend in design is going to be? I vote for rainbows and deer antlers. Oh woops, that already happened.
Casio EX-F1: Slow Motion For Under $1K
Posted by Scott
These videos were all taken with the amazing Casio Exilim EX-F1 camera which features a variable high speed shooting mode for some serious slow-mo action at up to 1200 FPS. While the name Casio doesn’t exactly bring to mind quality output, you can’t argue with that kind of power for under $1000. Being able to get footage like this would open doors to a whole world of possibilities for aspiring film makers.
There are some more user generated video examples here and here. Casio has some official video examples at their page for the EX-F1, but some of the links are broken. This reminds me of the Canon HV20, a dedicated HD video camera which also has a high speed shooting mode but outputs much higher quality video.
Thanks Kirk for the heads up on this one.
Mac vs PC: PC using iPhone?
Posted by Jakub
I was on the train to Coney Island this weekend and next to me is the actor that plays PC in the Apple commercials. I really didn’t pay much attention to or bother him since he was probably just enjoying his weekend with his daughter but half way through the ride i noticed that he pulled out his phone, and there it was an Apple iPhone being held by the PC guy. I couldn’t pass up the chance take a quick photo.
As many of you noted, PC is actually John Hodgman of The Daily Show fame who is also an author.
Eton / Porsche P’9110
Posted by Scott
I posted a while back about the Porsche-designed Etón P’9120 clock radio but today we’ve got the 9120’s more utilitarian little brother, the P’9110. This hand-cranked emergency radio sports the usual fare: flashlight, siren, etc. but that’s where the similarities between this and that plastic Coleman you got at Target end. Once again Porsche has succeeded with a classic, functional design; clad in cast aluminum, the 9’9110 sports clean lines and color scheme to match. I am loving the tuning gear design, and the tuning wheel/chart design is wonderful.
Once again though, I could do without the cheap looking and poorly placed Etón logo. The top image is from the Porsche Design site who have wisely left out the logo in their press shots, so much cleaner. They have a shot of the 9120 sans-Etón logo up there as well which makes me wonder if you can buy these direct from Porsche instead of going through Etón and getting stuck with the extra branding? At $200 it’s more than a stretch for functionality that can easily be had for under $50, but can you really put a price on maintaining your design standards even during a disaster scenario?
Pubblicita’ In Italia: 1969/1970
Posted by Scott
I usually stick to the rule of only posting images that are at least 450px wide, but this was such an amazing cover I thought I’d break that rule. I searched all over for it but couldn’t find a full size, perhaps someone has a scan? Dave from Grain Edit had the 71/72 edition, it was amazing. I’ve never seen this one in person though.
Michna+Milosh+MMJ+Marumari
Posted by Jakub
This week iTunes is featuring 2 great records, one from Michna who is currently based in Brooklyn NY, Adrian Michna (aka DJ Egg Foo Young) has become a staple in the NYC club scene, known for his chameleon like abilities. Outside of the club, he has been able to pursue a few hobbies such as building furniture, bicycles, photography, skeeball, and gloss lustre collages. While working on his solo album, he also found time to remix the mysterious Jandek (the only artist ever to do so) and produce on Brazilian group Bonde Do Role’s debut LP for Domino/Mad Decent.
Milosh just released a follow up LP last week, its getting alot of love everywhere, its a great step forward from his previous work, the production has added tons of depth and his voice just works so well with everything he does.
When i DJ out this Michna track i usually play this My Morning Jacket song after, it reminds me of Radiohead or Midlake i think its the rim hits and the way the song swells and fills up then releases.
As for this Marumari track, i wanna share more old melodic IDM that has a lot of crossover potential, IDM can be such a focused genre of music that takes forward thinking steps on composition, i just don’t want it to ever die off and Marumari was a classic example of of focus track, the song revolves around a repetitive hook that keeps morphing and all this detail gets unveiled thru out the song.