Real World Workflow

Hey all, just a quick tip I just figured out that I thought I would share. I am sitting here this evening trying to update all my software and I realized that I don’t have the installation disk for the EOS Utility. You know…the one that Canon requires you install BEFORE you update the software. Well it turns out that if you copy the installer file to your desktop, the ctrl+click on the app, then show package content, you can browse to the resources folder and find update.plist. Delete it and then you are good to install from the updater. Works without a hitch.

Eventually you will stumble upon someone who wants to use the Canon 1DS Mark III. If you are not a regular canon software user or don’t like its limitations, you can always use Lightroom to edit. Of course, no one really wants to use the Canon software to edit, however you have to use it if you intend on using Adobe Lightroom to edit and that is where the speed slows way down. Here is a step-by-step tutorial on connecting and successfully setting up a cohesive file structure for your digital capture session. If you don’t have a 1DS Mark III you can probably test this with other tether-able cameras.

File Structure

First you have to think about file structure for the images. I prefer to setup my sessions much in the same way that Capture One does. Here is what my structure looks like:

Session Folder (In a date format, followed by name of job) “080911_CanonTest”
  RAW
     TEMP (for incoming canon captures – only a temporary folder)
     Shot Folder (Description of shot) “Shot01″
     Shot02
     Shot03
  Processed
     Shot01
     Shot02
     Shot03

Setup EOS Utility

Second you must setup the Canon EOS Utility to capture, including the capture folder and file naming. You should have the USB cable connected to the computer and camera:

1.) Start the EOS Utility.

2.) Click preferences in the box on the lower right side.

3.) Go to the Destination Folder Drop Down Box.

4.) Click on the Browse… button under Destination folder.

5.) Now you will choose your temporary destination folder. This is where images that are shot will come into. Then you’ll use Lightroom to move them into their final destination. You should have already thought about your file structure at this point, but to give you an example I’ll use my example from above. Browse to Session Folder > RAW > TEMP

6.) In the next section choose “Remote Shooting” and choose “Shooting Date” in the drop down. This chooses the folder that the images come into. It will be created upon the first capture that is taken.

7.) Next go to the File Name Drop Down Box. Enter the name of the first shot (i.e “Shot01″).

8.) Enter the number of digits for file naming (I usually go with three b/c most shooters don’t capture more than a few hundred per shot.

9.) Enter the start number (should usually be “1″).

10.) Next go to Linked Software and choose “none” to insure that no other program opens when you capture.

11.) Click OK

12.) Next Click “Camera Settings/Remote Shooting”. If it is grayed out, check your camera connections, turn your camera off and then on or tap the button to wake it up.

You are now ready to shoot. You’ll notice that you now have full control of the camera including aperture and shutter speed settings.

13.) Fire a capture to make sure that they are coming in. Errors will appear in red and if you cannot initially fire, check that your auto focus is on or off.

14.) Browse to the location in finder to ensure that images are coming in. Once you’ve verified that your CR2 (Raw)or jpg (not recommended) image is coming delete it and then open Lightroom. (note: in the next steps you’ll be setting up lightroom to look at this TEMP folder. In order for it to work, it needs to be empty, so make sure that you have deleted all items in this folder before you continue.)

Setup LightRoom:

1.) Go to File -> Auto Import -> Enable Auto Import

2.) The Auto Import will now be checked, go back to File -> Auto Import -> Auto Import Settings

3.) The dialog box for Auto Import settings first displays an option to choose your Watched folder. Choose the location that you chose in the Canon Software as your capture folder.

4.) Under destination choose a location that you want to move the files for lightroom (yes, evidently you have to move them to another location for lightroom to use them). We choose the RAW folder for this. In the next step you’ll choose a subfolder as a final resting spot for your images.

5.) You also have to choose a subfolder name. So I think that the best option is to use the “Copy To” section as the Captures folder within the session folder for the shoot and then the subfolder as the shot folder for each shot within the session. The Watched folder will empty and only be a location for canon to capture.

So it would look like this, hierarchically for lightroom in the end:

Session Folder (Job Folder)
RAW
   Shot01
      Shot01_001.cr2
      Shot01_002.cr2
  Shot02
  Shot03
  TEMP (should always be empty if Lightroom is doing its job properly)

6.) The information section can just remain empty, except for the checkbox that says “Render Standard-Size Previews” – this should speed up generation a tiny bit.

7.) Click OK. Now when capturing images should come in about 7 seconds – 7 very long seconds.

8.) Under The Library Tab, go to Folders and choose the folder that the images are being moved to. If you don’t see this folder it is probably because you haven’t captured an image yet. Capture an image and the folder will generate.

And that’s all there is to it.

Deke McClelland is the Photoshop know-it-all and he isn’t afraid to admit it. In this video he recites 101 photoshop shortcuts that every tech should know. In all fairness and honesty, I probably only knew about 90 of them. So I learned something too!!!

Check out the music video here and watch him prove he’s a god while simultaneously making a big ass of himself. I love it.

Here is a photograph of Annie Leibovitz holding what appears to be a Canon 1DS Mark II. As you can see there is an insane amount of tape holding the cable in. Recently, I’ve been a lot neater about the tape, but I can remember using gobs of tape to hold it in, especially when it would be a near disaster if it fell out while shooting a celeb. Obviously someone’s life depends on that cable staying in.

The first thing we do is put the “boot” in. The “boot” is a small plastic device intended to be used to hold the cable in more sturdy. The reality is, the boot doesn’t fit so well and occasionally falls out, so we have to tape it down to the body. Canon developed the boot, after they realized that their shoddy 4-pin cable connection wasn’t secure and caused the firewire ports to go out over time. I’ve heard that the repair costs about $120 – fairly steep for an obvious design flaw.

Now that we have the boot secured with SMALL, NEAT (and BLACK) strips of gaffers tape on each side, we can put the cable in the socket. The photo above shows that Leibovitz is using a Granite Digital firewire cable, probably a 15 ft cable with an extender or a 30ft, although I would stay away from 30ft cables as they are prone to more problems and just go with an extender. Also note that sometimes third party cables don’t always fit perfectly into the socket of the boot. I usually put one piece of tape around the cable where it meets the boot. That is usually enough to hold it into place. From there you can place the cable inside of the tether-lock and viola, you are ready to shoot.

As Digital Techs we are responsible for and always dealing with all the major troubleshooting issues. When you are in the thick of it all (top talent on set, photographer getting impatient) the easiest solution may not come to you all so immediately – The FireWire cable. With Phase One backs it’s a quick fix as the back connects in a few seconds. With Leaf it’s a little riskier. It could take up to 45 seconds to reconnect the back – if the FW cable was the culprit to begin with. So with this in mind, it’s best to understand the details and specs when making an informed decision on the purchase and use of FW cables.

First we need to understand transfer rates for the different cables. Currently we have FW400 & FW800 cables with FW400 being the most prevalent until the new Leaf DB’s come out. The Leaf 75s, 65s and 54s will all utilize a FW800 connection. Most misinterpret the FW400 to mean 400 megabytes(mb) per second when in fact its 400 megabits per second (Mbps), which translates to about 49 mb/s transfer at max. Whereas the FW800 is about double that speed. The new Leaf backs boast that they will utilize the ENTIRE capability of the FW800 and judging by previous performance speeds (Aptus 75 = 90MB file = 1.8 seconds a frame), I don’t doubt it for one second. The P45’s have been slower regardless that the manufacturer uses a lossless compression that reduces the file before transfer. That compression may account for the slowness in speed but we don’t really know for sure. All we know is that there is a bottle neck. Though, to Phase One’s credit, the P+ series achieves faster speeds without the FW800, just not as good as Leaf. FW800, as I am sure many of you have witnessed isn’t the most stable connection in that it slides out a lot easier whereas the FW400 connection seemed to lock and hold into place a little better. However the tradeoff may be acceptable for one reason.

FW800 supports lengths up to 100 meters. FW400 is rated at no longer than 4.5 meters – that’s 15 feet. But almost everyone I know has 30ft cables. And almost every one of those people has problems. All digital backs and DSLR cameras ship with cables no longer than 15 feet, yet photographers go out of their way to buy longer cables. What they don’t know is that once you go beyond 15 feet you start dealing with attenuation – a breakdown and general loss of quality of the signal which can result in noticeable file corruption, connection errors, longer capture rates and worst of all, added noise.This will cause the file to start looking overly contrasty and muddy in the shadows but may not be apparent in preview on-set. (Just to note: this doesn’t always happen). A somewhat bulky solution is to use a powered repeater after every 15 feet of cable. Phase One sells a repeater + battery system that I find to be completely flawless. The repeater regenerates and amplifies the signal so that it can get down the rest of the line and ultimately reduces the likelihood of errors on the computer end. . The cost is a little higher for this solution but the tradeoff may well be worth it.

There are also many misconceptions about FW cable brands and what should be used. I’ve seen cheap cables work and I’ve also seen them fail miserable and I see them fail more often than not. The cables that both Phase One and Leaf supply are of very good quality although very expensive. The thing you have to understand about all FW cables is that they are somewhat brittle. All cables have specs for how much tension you can put on them and how much you can bend them. Therefore it is not a good idea to pull them too swiftly or wind them too tight. Obviously its best to avoid stepping and tripping over them and its also a good idea to take time in between shots to disconnect the cable and unravel it. It tends to get a bit kinked up and kinks are not good. Proper maintenance of the cable will ensure a longer life. You’ll see the errors on your side. Both Phase and Leaf will have a delay on the captures coming in, more intermittent disconnections and corruption of files.

The general idea here is that you should invest in a quality cables understanding first where the quality lies and then take time to maintain the cables so that you will have less problems with them. The rule of thumb is to always have two cables on hand and no, the cable that didn’t work on the last shoot is not a backup cable anymore. It’s time to invest in a new one. I don’t suggest buying a new cable from your manufacturer. Those are costly. Instead look into Granite cables. They are less expensive and of really great quality that you can depend on. They make 30ft FW400 cables, but again, I’d avoid them. Eventually they die or start causing problems so in the end they are just a waste. Often times you are on shoots where the photographer or someone else is providing equipment. In this case it might be a good idea to have a backup cable in your kit. If you have to use it, then YOU save the day and YOU will be the first person that photographer calls the next time because he knows he can count on you to save his ass. The most important thing is now you know that whenever you are having problems check the FIREWIRE CABLE FIRST!