Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Welcome to the CSI Rentals Blog

Hi and welcome all to the CSI Rentals new blog , Where professional photographers , Photo assistants ,Digital Techs and all are welcome to share your Photography experience, Equipment reviews and updates. your opinions , comments and suggestions are much appreciated

Just in a couple of words about CSI Rentals

The CSI Rental staff is backed by a positive reputation of over 20 years of rental experience with Pro Digital Cameras, Digital Backs, Lenses, Apple Computers, Strobe, HMI, Tungsten, Kino Flo, LED, Grip And Video Equipment geared towards a user freindly atmosphere and understands your needs and will help you choose the right equipment for a successful photo shoot. Rent Photo and Digital equipment in New York City With Confidence!

11 comments:

  1. Exciting news from CSI RENTALS
    CSI Rentals has prepared some very unique location van and truck packages which is outfitted with Lighting,Grip,Camera and Complete Digital Capture equipment,plus expendables , flat rates start at $500.p/d all you need to do is pick up the key to the van or truck , CSI Rentals also offers Operators , Drivers , Digital Techs and Photo Assistants book now online www.csirentals.com or call 212-243-RENT (7368)

    ReplyDelete
  2. CSI Rentals is a reliable rental house with great equipment. I use their cameras on a regular basis and I'm happy with the outcome every time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TECH, EQ & FLOW: Digital Tool Chest
    By Ryan Morris
    The following article outlines many of the possible programs and additional hardware that can help you to obtain maximum proficiency out of your computer in order to assist your digital capture needs. Although more RAM and a more powerful processor will help you in the long run, choosing the right tools will optimize your time and workflow by allowing you to multitask faster and avoid loading lag and other system shortcomings.
    Software to complete your Digital Kit
    smcFanControl 2.2.2
    This fan control allows you to monitor the temperature of your processor and the RPM (rounds per minute) that the internal fan is functioning at. It also allows you to regulate said speed to cool down the equipment and help it work at its maximum efficiency. A necessity when working with a Laptop!
    ChronoSync
    ChronoSync is the ideal backup program that allows you to set multiple destinations and frequency for your image archive without going over ground you have already covered. One of the most essential and time consuming practices is now done with ease during setup! Syncronization is a similar option with a push button backup that is as easy as going from point A to point B. What it lacks in service it makes up for in simplicity.
    Eye-One Match 3.1 / Eizo ColorNavigator
    When working with your color-calibration devices, these two programs for use with your color calibration devices allow you to take full advantage of your CRT, LCD, and now LCD Displays. The Color Navigator gives you more options when using an Eizo on the custom mode, taking full advantage of the contrast and RGB levels in the Display. When working with numbers and in various ambient lighting environments it might not be all that practical (due to flatness in image gamut), but if you are managing contact sheets and doing test prints it is mandatory for obvious reasons of medium parallels.
    Capture One 3.7.9 + 4.6.3
    This is the preferred program used by most Techs. Capture One offers ease of processing and the ability to batch exposure and color-correction without loading images in their entire proportion, but rather as a sample and preview of the original used as a base before processing.
    Adobe Photoshop / Lightroom

    ReplyDelete
  4. continued
    If you are not familiar with Photoshop by this point maybe you should get a job at a Digital Firm or go back to school. Photoshop is the only program for all working
    professionals that allows you to tweak a photo in as many ways as you can imagine possible, letting you take advantage of RAW capabilities in color, contrast, and saturation. Filters, Convergence, Sharpness, Quality, Size, and Depth are just some of the advantages of this amazing program; you are able to work on an image like a painter, and a technical science turns into an art. On most jobs you will not have the time to work with this, and Photoshop will be more adept for use with your personal proofing and post-production needs. Hence, Light Room is the ideal tool for any Tech since, like CaptureOne, it gives you the ability to batch-process multiple images without the detriment of large file loading time!
    Genuine Fractals Plug-In
    Used with Photoshop, this is a vector-based program that lets the user to sharpen an image and upsize it to a desired proportion, with less grain or distortion, by giving you the use of two additional controls. This little tool is a must for anyone working in reproduction or fine art.
    Roxio Toast Titanium v.9-10
    Keeping up with the trend, Toast is now not just for ripping your music, files, and movies to your disc media of choice. It now also handles all of your file format and online publishing needs. Perfect for when the assistant on set needs to put that movie on his iPhone or the Art Director wants a DVD of the selects with a soundtrack of his choice.
    Automator: Batch Rename Workflow
    Many programs have a batch rename built into them. The only problem is that when the rename takes place, the original meta-data is lost in the process and is often rendered useless if the number of characters exceeds a certain limit when importing into another program. With the Automator, one can keep the sequence congruent while only changing the suffix, date, or name.
    Fetch
    Before YouSendIt, one the only option for large file transfers was to ftp the file on an intermediary server using Fetch. This program will still help you out when your client is trying to send back proofs to home base for approval. All you need now is an Internet connection.
    Aladdin Systems Stuffit

    ReplyDelete
  5. Continued 2
    Now almost obsolete due to the latest OS systems offerings of a CTRL Archive command. This program, once the prince of the Web, allows files to be compressed into a more portable and manageable system, removing size and quantity issues and allowing easy transfer and storage. Zips, Bins, and Dmgs are all extensions of this form of compression software.
    Hardware to complete your Digital Kit
    X-Rite Eye-One Display / Spyder
    Hook one of these little devices up to your computer using the USB, dim the light and get ready for the magic! The ColorNavigator and iMatch programs will allow your computer to output a wide range of its color spectrum, which is then retrieved by the device and transferred into an ICC profile. This profile represents a neutral base that you can build upon, providing seamless accurate color across all of your devices.
    GreTag Macbeth ColorChecker Chart / QP Card
    The base of any photograph is its color and contrast, which can be assigned with a simple test shoot and the help of this guide. After setting your whites with detail and your blacks with detail from the card via curve, you can be assured that the image and base of the shot are neutral.
    Belkin USB / FireWire Hub Repeater
    Often when working tethered, power can be lacking and cause communication problems between the camera and computer. This can easily be elevated with the use of a shorter cable or this handy repeater, which boosts the signal strength and allows you to extend the length of the USB / FW cable.
    Tether Lock
    Most of the latest generation of camera bodies already has this little feature built-in, but it’s always good to have a tripod bracket for snags that occur along the way. Pins and ports can be bent and files can be lost in transit. It’s always good to have a secure base that doesn’t involve Gaffer’s Tape.
    Giotto Dust Bomb
    Most dust that is visible dust can easily be cleared of a sensor with the use of a dust bomb. This is a quick fix whenever cleanliness becomes a problem due to zoom lens vacuums and changing. As for smoke film, streaks, and watermarks, a swab and solution is recommended.
    Battery Geek Portable Power Station / APC Back-Up
    When working on location, power is a major concern and you can never have too much. The latest models of the Battery Geeks have life of up to 9+ hours with few heating issues and a compact size. APC’s Back-UPS are a huge save on any shoot as well. With so many plugs for lighting, it’s only a second glance before you’re in a heap of trouble that could threaten to shut a shoot down.
    Wacom Tablet
    The preferred utensil of all Retouchers, the Wacom Tablet lets you to use a stylus as opposed to the mouse when doing the small precise maneuvers that are expected of you. Newer models include built-in LCD panels that allow you to work directly on an image.
    Canon / Epson Printers
    Being able to proof a physical document for your client is vital and important to the flow of many shoots. This lets you work on layout while shooting, and gives t your clients something concrete to work from. Canon and Epson are the only options when working on location and with little time. The Die-Subs are my preference, being small and producing with speed and quality. CMYKs are the alternative, having better color-reproduction and options in use.
    Glyph / LaCie / G-Tech / WeibeTech / Hard Drives
    Of these four I prefer Glyphs the best; they keep cool and have the best options for space and compatibility. Many of the manufactures use plastic, which insulates the drive and makes it run hot. This is not good for the drive and can cause it to burn out. A good drive will be small, metal, breathe well, and have a variety of sizes in storage, speed, and ports. Space is always limited and you should always have at least one backup and one available for the client if he hasn’t already procured one.
    Ryan Morris is a Digital Tech at CSI Rentals - www.csirentals.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. On June 1st Canon announced a firmware upgrade for the 5D Mark II

    View CSI Rentals step by step Video Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aqwPNMftTI

    Firmware Version 1.1.0 incorporates the following improvements and fixes.
    1. Includes a function to enable the manual exposure setting when shooting movies.
    2. Disables the function of the depth-of-field preview button when images are played
    back or when the menu screen is displayed on the LCD panel.
    3. Fixes a phenomenon where the peripheral illumination of images cannot be
    properly corrected, even if the images were captured with the lens peripheral
    illumination correction function set to Enable. *Digital Photo Professional
    software version 3.6.1 or later (for Windows and Macintosh) can be used to
    automatically correct the peripheral illumination of RAW and JPEG images
    that were captured in the Peripheral illumination correction setting with cameras
    that have Firmware Version 1.0.7 or earlier.
    4. Fixes the algorithms of the Auto Lighting Optimizer function when Custom
    Function C.Fn II-3 Highlight tone priority is enabled.
    5. Fixes incorrect indications on the Arabic, Romanian, Spanish, and
    Ukrainian menu screens.
    6. Changes the battery information displayed on the camera when using the
    optional Battery Grip BG-E6.

    Firmware Version 1.1.0 is for EOS 5D Mark II cameras with firmware up to version 1.0.7. If the camera's firmware is already version 1.1.0, it is not necessary to update the firmware.

    Download it here

    ReplyDelete
  7. Shooting HD Video on the 5D Mark II A Reality

    Zacuto’s DSLR Gunstock Shooters are locked, loaded, and ready to fire! After six months of using DSLR’s, Zacuto has made the next evolutionary leap by changing the way DSLR cameras will be used from this point forward. These Shooters are universal, quick-releasable, extremely lightweight and great for run’n gun type shooting, as well as indie filmmaking. They also create the correct form factor for filmmaking by utilizing Zacuto’s Optical Viewfinder (Z-Finder) for precision focus.

    All kits are light and easy to handle, which is critical for smooth movement and less user fatigue in both tripod and handheld use. The Gunstock Shooters come equipped with a shoulder strap for all day carrying, allowing users to go from ready position to shooting position within seconds. This also enables users to effortlessly move from tripod to handheld without a cut or interruption. The Shooters can be used with any 15mm lightweight accessories, follow focuses & matte boxes. They can also be used with or without counterbalance.

    Our Sniper is the exact same design as the Marksmen with one addition, the Zacuto Z-Focus and lens gears, enabling users to pull focus. The Sniper weighs 7.5 Ibs and offers five points of physical contact.

    CSI Rentals is proud to be the first rental house in NYC offering this new product to the Canon 5D Mark II HD Video shooters

    More details and Video Demos on www.csirentals.com , reserve it today

    ReplyDelete
  8. Free Photo Digital and Video Equipment!

    Now Frequent Renters get rewarded even more , Rent 9 times any items combined and your 10th Rental is absolutely FREE , No membership no gimmicks , its that simple , Total free value based on average totals

    the more you rent , the more you save

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mostly 15 passenger van include entertainment equipments like DVD players, Television with cable connection and more. Selecting a right service provider can be little bit tough if you don’t have any right resource.Airportvanrental.com leads van rental industry for 15 passenger van rental. If you want to go ahead with it you can rely on them for van rental. They have range of alternatives for you which you can accommodate in your budget.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Build Your Own Dsicounted Packages Date added: 02/02/2010Honoring the suggestions of many great Photographers , Photo Assistants and Digital Techs to ease the work of equipment and budget planning and not to forced to pre packaged kit savings www.csirentals.com designed this new system which will allow you to customize your own package that best fits your need and budget by benefitting from bundle savings of 25$ off listed rates , www.csirentals.com is working closely with Photographers , Photo Assistants and Digital Techs much thought and effort was invested to customize "build your own packages" in 4 categories 1) HD Video Dslr kits 2) Digital Capture 3) Lighting + Grip 4) Video please share your suggestions with us on how we may add or edit services to our current options. www.csirentals.com keeps adding daily new accessories for the HD DSLR rigs www.csirentals.com now offers to rent the Zacuto HD DSLR rigs as well as the Redrock rigs with a large veriety of HD accesories as Monitors , Dolly tracks , Matt Box and more

    ReplyDelete
  11. EOS 5D Mark II: Firmware Update v. 2.0.3 - All CSI Rentals will be updated with new firmware !
    All Our Canon 5D Mark II cameras are upgraded to 2.0.3 Firmware

    ReplyDelete