A wedding filmmaker’s review of the DJI Mavic Pro

It’s no secret that I love drones. Ever since I flew my friend Taylor’s Phantom 2 back in early 2014 (back when DJI had no app and video was recorded with a GoPro), I knew that I would be buying a lot of these flying cameras in the years to come.

What started with a Phantom 2 of my own, recently expanded to a Mavic Pro, and now a Phantom 4 Pro. My wife says I may have a problem. I say I may have a fleet. Can I call it a fleet? I like how that sounds: Matt’s fleet of drones.

With the advent of the FAA releasing their Part 107 certification for commercial drone pilots last year, there are thousands of new licensed drone pilots taking the knowledge test and wondering which drone they should invest in. There are also thousands of reviews of the new DJI Mavic Pro out there, but none of them have answered the two primary questions I feel that professional filmmakers are asking: Is the Mavic Pro good enough for commercial filmmaking? And: If I already own a drone such as a Phantom or Inspire, should I invest in a Mavic Pro as well? 

I love this drone. 🙂

In this review video, I will answer those two questions! As well as tell you:

  • The very best places to buy your Mavic Pro! and how to avoid having to use DJI’s sketchy repair service.
  • How the Mavic drone being tiny is actually an incredibly useful feature for filmmakers.
  • If the image quality of the Mavic Pro is good enough for commercial use (spoiler: yes, it definitely is).
  • 5 ways to maximize the image quality of the Mavic Pro!

Incidentally, I took the FAA’s Part 107 test, passed, and made a video about how I studied, so if you are considering taking the test as well, I hope my video helps you.

Here’s my gear list with all the places to buy the Mavic + Accessories.

I am also now offering one-on-one personal filmmaker consulting! Wanna talk about cameras, lighting, or booking clients? Let’s do it!

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this review, please feel free to leave one below, or get in touch.

A filmmaker’s review of the Vizelex ND Throttle lens adapter

Way back in December of 2015 when I posted my review of the Sony A7Sii (and subsequently started vlogging about reviews, gear, etc.), I mentioned that I had ordered a revolutionary new lens adapter: the Vizelex ND Throttle. Many of you began asking for a my thoughts on this adapter, and I promised in my replies that I would post one “soon.” Well, soon ended up being over one year later, but I’m pleased to announce that my video review of the Vizelex ND Throttle Lens Adapter is finally here!

Over the past 9 years of creating videos, I have amassed quite a collection of lens adapters for my cameras. Since switching to Sony E-mount in 2012, this number has grown considerably. Because of the shallow flange distance of the Sony E-Mount camera system, it is incredibly exciting to see just how many lenses can be paired with my Sony camera bodies. Of my adapters, I have Nikon lenses to Canon cameras, Canon to Sony, Nikon to Sony, electronic adapters, manual adapters, Speed Boosters, and now: adapters with variable ND filters built right into the adapter itself. I love that we are continuously seeing the miniaturization of technology, and I hope to soon see even more nifty features crammed into lens adapters in the future.

SO MANY lens adapters…

In the video, I specifically review the Nikon lens to Sony E-Mount version of the ND Throttle, and give my thoughts on the construction, ND visual quality, color cast, sharpness, and vignetting. I also give all my reasons for why I prefer to use an ND filter when filming, as well as some recommendations for how to get the best performance from this adapter. I hope you enjoy me rambling for 20-ish minutes about the finer points of ND filtration. 🙂

Look how pretty it looks!

Note: Back in the Summer of 2016, Fotodiox released a Canon lens to E-Mount version of the adapter, but I haven’t had the chance to test it yet, so I have kept my review focused on the Nikon mount version. The build quality appears to be similar, so if you are considering purchasing one of the other lens mount adapter versions, this review should still be very helpful to you.

You can checkout the Vizelex ND Throttle Adapter at Amazon and B&H.

Ethics Statement: This is an entirely independent review. SKB did not pay me to create this video, I didn’t receive this case for free, or receive any other compensation. I’m a fan of this case and after six months of use I really wanted to make a review about it.

If you have any questions about the ND Throttle, or filmmaking questions in general, feel free to leave a comment below or get in touch. I’m now also offering one-on-one filmmaker consulting!

A wedding filmmaker’s review of the SKB Tripod Case (1SKB-R4209W)

Up until around six months ago, when I wanted to transport my video support gear such as tripods, monopods, slider, etc. to weddings and other shoots, I did it all by hand. This typically resulted in multiple trips to and from my car whenever I changed locations on a wedding day, as well as horrible back pain. I will say though, that there was something macho about treating my gear transport in the same way I handled bringing in grocery bags inside from a trip to the store – all in one trip.

After six years of living like this, I realized that it was time for a change and began researching cases that would enable me to transport my support gear, ideally in one trip. My only requirements were that it be sturdy and hold a lot of gear. After much reading and requesting recommendations from friends, I chose the SKB R4209 RotoMold Tripod Case. I’m pleased to say that after taking it to three states, thirteen shoots, and subjecting it to a diversity of terrain, it has held up in a spectacular fashion. In the review video above, I cover the hardware, storage capacity, and a few of the issues I have with the case.

Look it’s a tripod case that holds tripods!

Overall, if you are living your life like I was and transporting a lot of gear inefficiently, take hope! A good tripod case can go a long ways to improving your speed, and this one is a winner.

If you watch my review video and decide to invest in one of these cases for yourself, I would recommend checking out the “Used and New” section Amazon for their Warehouse Deals. The case retails at time of this video for $199, but the Warehouse Deals may have them for as low at $170.

Ethics Statement: This is an entirely independent review. SKB did not pay me to create this video, I didn’t receive this case for free, or receive any other compensation. I’m a fan of this case and after six months of use I really wanted to make a review about it.

If you have any questions about the case, or wedding filmmaking questions in general, feel free to leave a comment below or get in touch.

A wedding cinematographer’s review of the DJI Ronin-M

In case you haven't been paying attention, there is a total revolution going on in the world of camera stabilization. For five of the past six years, I have used, loved, and traveled with the Glidecam HD-4000 to every wedding I have filmed. Now, with the advent electronic gimbal stabilizers such as the Movi and Ronin, it is looking more and more like the Steadicams and Glidecams of the world are becoming obsolete. Weights, muscles, and basic physics are being replaced by motors, algorithms, and computers. Okay, maybe not the muscles, electronic gimbals are plenty heavy too.

With the release of the DJI Ronin-M, I decided to jump onto the electronic gimbal train and buy one for myself. For the past few months I've been putting it through the paces, filming weddings and testing it in a variety of scenarios. I'm sure you're wondering, does it live up to the hype? Is my Glidecam now gathering dust in the corner? Do I now wish my tripod and monopod were electronic in some way too?

The face I make when using the Ronin-M
The face I make while using my Ronin-M

Like most things in life, the answer to these questions isn't a simple yes or no. In terms of simplicity and ease of use, the Ronin beats my Glidecam handily. But when it comes to setup time and my style of filming, I still prefer the Glidecam. In the review video above, I break down these pros and cons, as well as fully compare the Ronin-M to my Glidecam HD-4000. And like my previous reviews, I keep everything in the context of my experience using it to film weddings.

So if you are a wedding videographer, cinematographer, uncle Bob with a camera in the back of the church, or basically anyone else that wants to learn more about the Ronin-M, I hope this video is helpful to you.

Thanks for watching! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about the review video or the camera. If I don’t know the answer, I will do my best to find it out for you.

A Wedding Cinematographer’s Review of the Sony A7S II

The first camera I ever owned was a little Sony point and shoot that could record up to 12 minutes of video to a 512mb memory card. I’ve come a long way since then, and up until October I was shooting with the Sony FS100. It has been a real workhorse that was capable of handling weddings, corporate promos, and short films (not to mention, this review vide0). But lately I have been feeling the limitations of not being able to record in higher resolutions than 1080p and with Sony’s newest color profiles such as S-Log3.

When the Sony A7S2 (or ii, or mark 2, or whatever else you wanna call it) was released by surprise in September, I was one of the first to pre-order from B&H. Thanks to B&H’s excellent shipping, mine arrived on the same day the camera was released. Over the past month and a half, I have used it to film multiple weddings in a variety of conditions, both indoor and outdoor.

Sony A7s2 4k

The same week that the A7S2 arrived, I was having a conversation with my friend Chris about cinematography, and he suggested that I start creating reviews, tips, and training videos aimed at wedding cinematographers. I realized this was a pretty good idea, and that when I was starting to film weddings I had wished I could have free training that would help me get better. Fast forward two months, and this is my first vlog, of what will hopefully be many, aimed at helping wedding cinematographers. So if you are a wedding cinematographer/videographer/friend that was randomly asked to film a wedding/uncle bob in the back of the church with a camera/whatever, and you want to get better at filming and editing weddings, I hope this series will be helpful to you.

With that in mind, I wanted my first video to be useful and specific. Too often I find myself watching a review video of a camera where the reviewer is filming a wall, plant, or test chart and talking about settings for 15 minutes. I want real world examples! Show me what the image looks like on a real shoot! I have tried to do this for you with this review of the Sony A7S2.

Thanks for watching! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about the review video or the camera. If I don’t know the answer, I will do my best to find it out for you.