Backblaze – Unlimited Offsite Storage

Posted on Aug 17, 2010 in Featured, Reviews, Tech | 12 comments

I just signed up for the cloud based offsite data storage service Backblaze.  If it works the way they  say, the service is actually pretty unbelievable since you get unlimited offsite storage for only $5 a month (less if you prepay for 1-2 years).

Their application works much the same way Apple’s Time Machine works, just over the internet.  Your initial backup will send all your files to the Backblaze server.  Backups after the initial backup will be incremental, only sending files that have changed since your last backup.  All files are encrypted for security.  Like Time Machine there are a number of settings to determine what is and isn’t backed up.

Restoring files that have been lost is as simple as going to the Backblaze website and selecting the files you want restored and downloading them.  If you’ve had a total catastrophie and lost all your data you can have Backblaze send you a DVD or external hard drive will your data.  There are additional charges for this: $99 for a DVD that holds 4.2 gigabytes and  $189 for a USB drive that holds 400 gigabytes.

Gearing Up Part 2 | Camera Gear & Lenses

Posted on Aug 6, 2010 in Cameras, Canon 5D mark II, Canon EF, Featured, Gear, Lenses, Tech, Zeiss ZE | 1 comment

Yesterday I posted about the costs to upgrading my computer for shooting and editing video.  Today I’m going to go over the initial expenses I’ve had on the camera gear side.  And what photographer out there doesn’t love the opportunity to buy new photo gear.

First of course is the camera it self.  I had a Canon 1DS mark II that in all honesty I didn’t use very much.  I primarily shoot a medium format system with a Contax 645 and Phase One digital back.  My 1DS mark II was mostly a backup camera so moving to a Canon 5D Mark II was a no brainer.  I also really don’t like cropped sensors, so a 7D was never a question.  For some photographers this may not even be an extra expense because they’re already shooting a 35mm digital camera that shoots video.

Gearing Up Part 1 | Computer & Storage

Posted on Aug 5, 2010 in Featured, Final Cut Pro, Software, Tech | 3 comments

One of the big commitments to properly shoot video is a financial one. So one thing I’m going to try to do on this site is provide as much detail as possible on the costs I’m incurring.

One of the things I wanted to do before I even received my Canon 5D Mark II was get my computer system in order. I would assume most photographers will already have a computer system in place as I did. I’m sure any decent system that can handle a photographers workflow would be adequate for video work as well. But since I’m a bit of a tech geek I’ll use even the most flimsy of excuses to make my system faster and the demands of shooting and editing video was the perfect opportunity to do just that. My system was pretty good to begin with so I didn’t need to do too much. Mainly I just upgraded the memory and storage . My system prior to the upgrades was:

Video Killed The Radio Star

Posted on Aug 4, 2010 in Cameras, Canon 5D mark II, Featured, Gear, Reviews, Tech, Videos | 3 comments

I’m a commercial and editorial photographer and to date I’ve been apprehensive about jumping on the video bandwagon.  My thought was always, why should I start shooting motion just because a stills camera now shoots high def video. If I wanted to do motion I could have been doing it all along with traditional motion cameras.

Well, I’ve finally decided that I do want to start playing around with video so I went ahead and purchased my first motion camera, the Canon 5D MarkII. What will I do with it… I have no idea just yet. That’s what I’m trying to figure out now that I have this video capable camera starting me in the face. For now, as I think about what I want to do with video, I’m laying the educational and technological ground work. Because, as anyone who’s shot video can tell you, just because you have the camera doesn’t mean you’re ready to get out there and do something with it. Video is a bit more complicated that stills. With stills I could walk out and shoot great pictures with a $20 plastic camera and a roll of film. Video is a little more tricky… you can still go out with just the camera and get good footage but there is a lot more to it if you want to do something that doesn’t look like your dad shooting home movies in the back yard.