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Summer is around the corner, so is anyone considering taking their Canon 5D Mark III for a swim? It’s probably one of the best small cameras out there when dealing with low light (it can get a bit dark underwater), but I don’t think i’ll ever take that plunge (pun intended). I’ll stick to my [...]

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The common problem with basic Tripod plates (quick release plates) is that you only have one main screw that attaches to the camera. So obviously with a little force, the camera seems to twist around, and sometimes come loose from the QR plate. This is especially more annoying when using a follow focus system and [...]

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If you’re looking to do some remote focus pulling, the wireless systems can be a bit ‘finicky’. A Wired electronic remote follow focus system works with a long cable so the camera operator can move about, and the puller can control focus with a remote video screen. This particular one (above) uses a basic [...]

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This is probably going over everyone’s head, but I just saw this on the eBay deals page. A rechargeable USB battery pack that has ports for both 1A and 2.1A outputs. I don’t know how consistent the output is, but it peaked my interest because my Asus WiCast (streaming HD video) requires 5V 2A minimum [...]

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Caleb over at DSLRVideoShooter.com posts up a short review on a dual LP-E6 battery charger (actually it can charge other batteries too with optional plates). Besides being able to visually tell you the status of your batteries, there’s also a USB out to power or charge your USB devices. While a standard Canon LP-E6 charger [...]

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There’s practically an adapter to mount any lens to any camera these days, and here YouTube member videotestground talks about the Pentax M42 Super Takumar 50mm F/1.4 [Thanks Vedran]. These M42 lenses are older manual lenses for Pentax film cameras that can be mounted to your Canon DSLR through a cheap adapter. A Canon 50mm [...]

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Each Sony NPF style camcorder battery runs at 7.4V. By running them in series, it works at 14.8V which is the minimum power required for the 600 and 900 LED light panels at full brightness. I took two basic Sony NPF battery chargers, gutted them, and then wired them in Series to provide 14.8V DC.

Remove [...]

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Varizoom Stingray with Support Rod / Belt and Shape Telescoping Support Arm
There’s only a handful of companies that offer DSLR Video Rigs with a Support Rod that helps carry the front heavy load of a Video Rig. Instead of having to add heavier counterweights to the rear of the rig, the rod and belt combination [...]

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If you pop into the menu of the Canon 5D Mark III (or 1DX when available), you can change the shutter button to Start and Stop video recording. This feature wasn’t available for previous Canon DSLRs (unless you have Magic Lantern). To start and stop video on previous Canon cameras, you were required to use [...]

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Great little video from Vimeo member Stavros Koulis showing the build process of a Time Lapse Skater Dolly using an arduino controller. You may not require the need for a skater, but the parts list and instructions might be a good start for adding motion control to even a slider. For a complete parts list [...]

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Tony Carretti shares a find on a very inexpensive EM-320E shotgun condenser microphone for less than $20 dollars and claims he’s getting better results than from his other Rode VideoMic on longer cable runs with XLR. [Thanks Tony]. Getting your microphone as close to the subject is key. In most cases any microphone is [...]

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When these 508 LED video lights were announced, available in daylight only and bi-color temp, it was nice to see they worked from the same 312 LED light chassis which could run off of very cheap Sony NPF style camcorder batteries. Unfortunately the initial $499-$550 price announcement of these 508 lights killed off much interest. [...]

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Just received all of the Cinematics Lens Gears that I ordered a few weeks back. Definitely just as nice as some of the other high end and more expensive lens gears that have this similar style.

If you want to keep your lens gears on all the time, I suggest going with the Zip Gears [...]

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A honeycomb grid on your flash helps direct and concentrate light, and depending on the design of the honeycomb you can even achieve a very tight spotlight. YouTube member CAMPHOTOPIX shares his DIY grid build that is based on a bunch of cut straws. I’m not sure where this first started from, but it’s an [...]

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Anyone excited about the GoPro Wi-Fi BacPac? If you haven’t heard about what the new Wi-Fi BacPac can do, there’s an interview with GoPro in Oliviatech’s NAB coverage video (below) that talks about how it can control up to 50 GoPro cameras remotely from your iPhone and stream wireless video.

Apparently some retail stores have already [...]

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Here’s a look at a prototype motorized trailer sent to me today and it’s attached to a PNC Pico Dolly. Still a prototype, it’s supposed be universal and have some mounting options to attach to several different dollies or maybe even sliders? The idea is to have a motorized push cart to have consistent movement [...]