Connecting to multiple screens / projectors
This can be done using external devices such as the Matrox Triple Head to Go card, which will divide for example – a very wide video sent from a single computer such as 2400×600 – onto 3 separate screens of 800×600. The more expensive Datapath X4 will send video to 4 separate screens, and includes a range of cropping and alignment features. Beyond these devices, higher end media servers can also split video into multiple screens / outputs / projectors.
Cameras
An Introduction to DSLR cameras…
Understanding the ‘exposure triangle‘ of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.
ISO – think of it as a ‘gain’ – higher numbers means more sensitivity to light ( but increased potential for visual noise)
Aperture – controlling the amount of light passing through lens opening, measured as an f-number ( eg f1.8 / f2.8 / f5.6 etc ). Aperture also has an effect on depth of field and diffraction – the higher the f-number, the smaller the opening, the less light, the greater the depth of field, and the more the diffraction blur.
Shutter speed – the amount of time, the recording is exposed to light
Camera sensors? Learn how different camera sensor sizes affect the captured image.
White balance and colour temperature. Most cameras have white balance to compensate for different qualities of light while recording eg daylight vs artificial flourescent light. Mostly this is about matching color temperatures: “over 5,000K are called cool colours (blueish white), while lower color temperatures (2,700–3,000 K) are calledwarm colors (yellowish white through red)”.
Camera Lenses?
A major benefit of a DSLR is the ability to add a customised lense. Having different lenses to choose means being able to extend the range of framing and perspective possibilities.
50mm – The classic lense. A lense this size renders perspective similar to how it is perceived by the human eye.
Wide Angle Lenses ( Below 35mm ) – allow you to fit more in frame from closer range ( think fish eye), but exaggerate distance between objects and can distort.
Telephoto Zoom Lenses (Above 70mm ) – allow magnification of distant objects / skateboarders / small furry animals etc ( though tends to compress distance between objects ).
( See also Cambridge in Colour about lense focal lengths, zooms vs primes etc )
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