Yes, I do have a TikTok now, let’s rip that bandaid right off.
I also have a new lens, which is a Samyang 16mm f/2, wide-angle fast lens. Very sharp, very wide, very heavy. It is perfect for some light video work, which prompted me to try some new stuff (the first 4 videos below). I fastened my Nikon D3300 with the new lens to some gardening tools and tried to get some creepy close-ups (I was watching Breaking Bad and was inspired by some shots). While they didn’t exactly turned out creepy, I was very pleased with the result, so much so, that I decided to put these up on TikTok. They performed very well, and I quickly got fond of the application itself overall.
As you may know already, TikTok is an infinitely scrolling, video-first social media application that very quickly adapts to your current interest and provides you with relevant content. You can spend hours on it in one sitting and not necessarily get bored. Some videos out there are pure garbage and misinformation, but in a few minutes, the experience gets tailored to your specific mood and interest.
About the technicals, I’m almost entirely sure that TikTok provides the best video quality currently. It seems to utilize HEVC at very high bandwidths (upwards of 10MBits) for ~1080p resolutions, leaving no room for blockiness or choppiness. You can compare these from the videos below. I included the outputs of the video editing software I use and the version TikTok serves over the internet, they are basically the same.
I also figured out some ways to combine photography with videography with some success, at least according to the current metrics. Taking a video from the back of the camera or even with the camera itself, showing the raw capture and the final edit gives the viewer some sense of what went into the finished result, or at the very least, gives a bit of backstory to the image. Seriously, if you’re in a rut, try it out, it kind of lets you see things differently. I know this is a cliché, but really. The video reflects reality, the picture reflects what you see. With your mind’s eye, if you will.
For editing these videos I use CapCut, which is their free video editing suite ported for every platform. It’s available on mobile, desktops, tablets and even web browsers. I like its simplicity and ease of use while providing good enough results for 99% of the people. Is Adobe Premiere better? No doubt. But it’s also a lot more complicated and clunky, especially on a phone.
P.S.: I removed the Mastodon thing from the header, I didn’t use it as much as I hoped.
P.P.S: I’m not selling the Sony camera, the new lens works way too well with it.
