JSD Labs: DJI Mavic Air, iPhone 7 Plus, and Cherry Blossoms in Japan

2018 Apr 01 By answer 0 comment

A few weeks ago I finally got my own drone. The Mavic Air came out at the right time and had the right specs for my needs, so I picked one up. I have flown drones plenty of times in Japan, either rentals or client’s drones, but this is the first one I have owned. It’s a different experience flying something that you personally have something invested in. One wrong move and it could be gone. So I haven’t done anything crazy with it. Drones are banned in Tokyo, which is a shame. I have been working in Tokyo…

JERHELL – KINGDOM HEARTS Music Video, Directed by JSD

2017 Dec 19 By answer 0 comment

My first real music video in awhile, and my first music video as JSD. Pretty excited to get it out there and the reception has been great! Jerell wanted something quick and gritty, and he was thrilled with the result. After he told me what he wanted, I knew the perfect setting: Minato Mirai in Yokohama. We filmed half the video in Shinjuku and half at Minato Mirai. I had planned to try and film more in the Cosmo World amusement park, but they closed on days we needed to film and closed early the day we were there….

Working with skater/Youtuber Luis Mora, ERASED

2017 Nov 21 By answer 0 comment

I use to watch a lot of Youtube. Use to, as in I have been so busy lately that I am really far behind and had to unsub form a few channels just to keep the backlog down. I found Luis from one of the many skate channels I watch and noticed he was coming to Japan. Checked out his videos, really liked them, and hit him up on instagram to see if he needed any help filming here. He responded and we hit it off well. We started planning some shoots and I met him at his first big…

Filming the Eupholks Live at the Basement Bar in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo

2017 Oct 24 By answer 0 comment

I have know the singer of the band Eupholks, Koike, for a few years now. He asked me to film some of his live shows, so I decided to give it a shot. The first time I tried to do a 2 camera shoot by myself… and it didn’t go well. More people showed up than expected and my b-camera was blocked partially or fully for most of the show. So, I acquired some help for the next one and figured… why not do it in anamorphic? At first I was going to try some kind of 2x/1.33 hybrid,…

JSD Labs: Panasonic GH5, Möller 32/2x Anamorphic, and the Beholder DS2A testing

2017 Oct 04 By answer 0 comment

Full stats: Camera: Panasonic GH5, 60fps 4K, ISO 1600 mostly, SS 100 always. V-LOG, Firmware 2.0 with Anamorphic IS and IS lock. Lens: Pentax Super Takumar 50mm 1.4, used at f/1.4 and f/2.0 Anamorphic: Möller 32/2x 0.5+ and 3.0+ diopters. Filmed near Yokohama Station, Japan. This ended up being a pretty epic combination. I’ve had the Beholder DS2A for a few weeks now, but I’ve been dealing with weather, flaky people, and health issues that have kept me from making this video. I hope to have a full review of the DS2A soon, but I have to focus on…

JSD Labs: Zhiyun Smooth II, iPhone 7 Plus, and Mavis in Yoyogi Park

2017 Feb 05 By answer 0 comment

A few weeks ago I got a deal on a new Zhiyun Smooth II, the updated version. I had read, though I forget where, that it has really strong motors that let you use clip-on lenses on big phones. While the DJI phone gimbal seems to have good features, I had also heard that people had issues adding extras on their phone. I jumped on this one while I had the chance. That said, the Smooth II does not lack in features at all. In fact, in this video I only used a small fraction of them, the main…

JSD LABS: IPHONE 7 PLUS NIGHT ANAMORPHIC VIDEO TEST

2016 Dec 26 By answer 0 comment

(vimeo) It’s been awhile since Mavis updated their app to take use of both of the iPhone 7 Plus’s cameras. I had a bit of time, so I went out to try filming some night shots with the iPhone anamorphic rig. Some key differences and changes now are better PID settings on the Beholder for this rig, the ability to shut off the OIS, and the ability to lock things like shutter speed and ISO. I wasn’t trying for perfection for this shoot, as I wanted to see what ISOs worked on the iPhone. It’s not really known for…

JSD Labs: iPhone 7 Plus Anamorphic Video Test

2016 Sep 26 By answer 1 comment

(vimeo) After a week of waiting, I finally received my iPhone 7 Plus from docomo on Saturday. With little time for tests and setting up, I ventured out to Hakkeijima in Kanagawa the next day to shoot some video with a rig that I wasn’t even sure was going to work. Because none of the manual camera control apps worked with the dual lens setup yet, I decided to do this first test with just the Camera app. Keep it basic, no color correction just to see what the rig can do. I had tested the setup with my…