Posts tagged ‘food’

NAB 2011: Great Noodles in Vegas and New LED Lights from Dedolight

I'm back from this year's NAB show in Las Vegas, where it seems the year (if not the decade) of the DSLR continues. Once again, the video production part of the show was filled with cameras (Canon), accessories (Red Rock Micro and Zacuto), and a whole host of established companies anxious to show their track-mounted dollies, jibs, lenses, portable lighting, monitors, tripods and heads, etc. all supporting the EOS 5D and its kin.

We'll get to equipment in a bit… but first, a word on other diversions. I flew out a couple of days early to meet my son, Tim (a lawyer in San Francisco) for a weekend devoted to food and amusements that are not part of what most people go to Vegas for. Tim is a big fan of Yelp.com when it comes to finding great restaurants, and his research did not disappoint. Since he arrived a few hours before me, Tim had already found (and had lunch at) a Japanese noodle restaurant, Monta, that is an absolute knockout. It has fewer than 30 seats, a short menu revolving around ramen that is the equal of any place in New York or L.A., and prices that are extremely reasonable. It's located, as so many great places are in Las Vegas, in one of dozens of drab little strip malls that it would be just as easy to drive past.  Another reason to have a portable GPS with you.

Ramen at Monta Las Vegas

Back to NAB, there are more and more companies each year who are showing and selling LED lighting for studio and location use. But this year, I was very happy to see Dedolight's new entry into the field, which Dedo himself has named Felloni.

Initially, production will be of the 1×1 size (12"x12") in a very wide range of output levels and color temperatures, as well as multiple beam angles. There are daylight, tungsten, and bicolor units (variable from daylight to tungsten) — all dimmable, with the ability to be powered by battery as well as line voltage. Great specs on output and power consumption, and some very clever built-in docking of popular battery modules.

Dedolight Felloni

We'll have all the key information on the site shortly, along with PDFs you can download. And if you're wondering about price, it will be very pleasant surprise. Of course, Dedolight's current tungsten and HMI lighting range also continues to expand. All the new products are about making sure that film, video, and still shooters have all the lighting tools they need whatever the assignment.

Finally, there is an infrared version of LEDZilla, the very successful on-board LED light introduced a couple of years ago. This one is called iREDZILLA. Primary applications will be for infrared (night) photography and surveillance. Specs indicate it can be used at a range of up to 130' (based on tests with Sony's Nightshot camcorder). Considering the popularity of recent online feeds of nesting eagles and other nature videos, I predict strong demand from nature and scientific shooters.

Dedolight iREDZILLA

Check back next week for more impressions from this year's NAB show!

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Food Photography at Dawn, Using LitePad

When your assignment calls for a subject to be photographed at dawn or sunset — possibly in a remote location — LitePad is an excellent way to fill your lighting needs without using a ton of gear (or bringing along assistants to carry it all!) LitePad can be powered by AC power, or run for hours on AA batteries or your car's cigarette lighter. It's dimmable, generates no heat, and can be gelled to any color temperature you need.

In this video, Allen explains how to photograph food (or any other small subject your assignment requires) at first light with a minimal amount of gear and fuss; a situation made possible by our friends at Rosco Labs. Interested? Click find a dealer if you'd like to try one!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7R4VCG8TXE

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NAB 2010 Report: Eating in Las Vegas

Some of the food (and the Dedolight crew) at the New Shanghai in Las Vegas

And now, a few words about eating in Las Vegas…

When we're there, it's three long days to set up the Dedolight booth, the four days of the show itself, and finally, the days to take everything down. Every year, every day we're there, begins with breakfast at Harrie's Bagelmania (in a strip mall at 55 E.Twain Ave, not far from the Strip), at a table set in advance for 10. After being away for a year, and within two minutes of sitting down without saying a word, there's my morning tea, just as I like it, with lemon and honey. They have an uncanny memory for what everybody usually orders. It is absolutely the 'real deal,' filled with locals, cops, great service and as good a breakfast as you'll find anywhere; and yes, the bagels are fresh and fine. I have no doubt that a year from now, or any time I show up in Las Vegas, the story will be the same – warm welcome, excellent food.

We're usually so tired by the time the show wraps up at 6 PM that we head straight from the Convention Center to dinner. For the past few years, thanks to a suggestion from my Taiwanese-born daughter-in-law and her parents, we've had more meals at the New Shanghai (4215 Spring Mountain Road, in the heart of Las Vegas' Chinatown) than anywhere else. You can check it out on a number of sites, and the posted reviews are all over the map, but we really like it, even down to the very casual service. Shanghai-style cooking isn't something you find in every city. Dumplings are fine, and Russ always insists on the salt-and-pepper pork chops. If you get there, I'd like to hear what you think. Dedo Weigert could probably exist on a diet consisting solely of the Mongolian beef.

A few words about eating in Las Vegas …..

When we're there, it's three long days to set up the Dedolight booth, the four days of the show itself, and the days to take everything down. Every year, every day we're there, begins with breakfast at Bagelmania (in a strip mall on Twain, not far from the Strip), at a table set in advance for 10. After being away for a year, within two minutes of sitting down, and without saying a word, there's my morning tea with lemon and honey. They have an uncanny memory for what everybody usually orders. It is absolutely the 'real deal,' filled with locals, cops, great service and as good a breakfast as you'll find anywhere; and yes, the bagels are fresh and fine. I have no doubt that a year from now, or any time I show up in Las Vegas, the story will be the same – warm welcome, excellent food.

We're usually so tired by the time the show wraps up at 6 PM that we head straight from the Convention Center to dinner. For the past few years, thanks to a suggestion from my Taiwanese-born daughter-in-law and her parents, we've had more meals at the New Shanghai (on Spring Mountain Road, in the heart of Las Vegas' Chinatown) than anywhere else. You can check it out on a number of sites, and the posted reviews are all over the +/- map, but we really like it, even the very casual service. Shanghai-style cooking isn't something you find in every city. Dumplings are fine, and Russ always insists on the salt-and-pepper pork chops. If you get there, I'd like to hear what you think. Dedo Weigert could probably exist on a diet of just the Mongolian beef.

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