Monthly Archives: July 2010

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lcdvf-3-2-sold-out
click image to buy from BHPHOTOVIDEO.com

As with my fears for the new Zoom H1 selling out quickly, the LCDVF 3:2 for the Canon 550D / T2i is already listing as sold out. Luckily I grabbed mine a bit early, even though I haven't even mounted it yet. Obviously the Canon T2i was trending in sales much more than the 7D and the 5D Mark II, so I doubt a smaller company like LCDVF could have met those demands. Hopefully they'll have more inventory in short time, but it's interesting to see that nobody has tried to capitalize on grabbing a large inventory and then reselling it at higher prices on eBay. Double the price, much like people are already doing with Apple iPhones and iPads.

It does show that there's a huge demand for these things, so I'm wondering why another player in the LCDVF 3:2 aspect isn't already on the market.

Update: Now in stock and shipping from NYC Grab yourself the LCDVF 3/2 at BHPHOTOVIDEO

Or check out the 'Replica' of the LCDVF here: http://cheesycam.com/lcdvf-nope-lcd-viewfinder-replica/

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zoom-h1
click image for pre-order

Ok, before posting up this blog article I made sure to place my pre-order for the new Zoom H1 portable audio recorder expected to ship on July 30th. It appears from several blogs they are very confident in this release date. If you're at all interested in this super portable audio recorder, you can jump over to BHPhotoVideo.com and get on that waiting list to get notified.

Well personally, I'm not taking any chances being the last to pick one up in case they go quickly, so i've already pre-ordered my item(s) from an eBay seller accepting pre-order payments. I'm not suggesting that any of you follow in my footsteps, since this is a pre-order item still 23 days away from shipping, but just in case you might be as bold as I am, here's more information.

The eBay seller is actually a huge retail store, and feedback shows they ship several hundred items daily. Yeah, that's alot of shipping. Feedback is great for the amount of volume they pump out, so i'm not too worried. At only $99 dollars + Free Shipping, it's not much of a risk and I always say, Paypal's got my back! There's already been 4 other purchases before mine, hopefully they don't have a limited amount they are accepting.

Features:

* Stereo X/Y mic configuration captures perfect stereo images
* Same frequency and SPL handling as popular Zoom H2
* Records Broadcast WAV (BWF) at 96kHz/48kHz/44.1kHz at 16-bit or 24-bit
* Records MP3 from 48 to 320kbps for maximum recording time
* Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port
* Built-in reference speaker
* Includes 2GB microSD card and one AA battery
* One AA size battery allows 10 hours operation
* Accommodates up to 32GB microSDHC memory cards
* Track marker function
* Low cut filter
* Built-in tripod mount
* 1/8" external mic input <<<< Yes it does have a Mic input people.... * Stereo 1/8" line output * Auto record level * Optional accessory package (APH-1) includes windscreen, AC adapter (USB type), USB cable, adjustable tripod stand, padded-shell case and mic clip adapter So just in case any of you out there might be as brave as I am, i've sorta jumped the gun here. I expect these things to sell out early much like the Canon T2i, and be fairly hard to obtain in the first few weeks of it's release. Here's the pre-order link for the Zoom H1 portable audio recorder.

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sony-nex-canon-ef-adapter
click image

It's no secret that the Sony NEX has an adapter to mount the large Alpha lenses. I guess it was just a matter of (very short) time before other adapters were available to support other lenses. The Sony NEX is very new, and it's great to see manufacturers adapting for it. Actually after a bit of research, this seems to be a one off custom job. The seller is responding to questions stating they can make an adapter for any type of lens to Sony NEX. I'm also not finding any other manufacturers of such adapters to the Sony NEX. Very cool! This Canon EF lens adapter for the Sony NEX changes alot of things for people like me who are well invested into Canon Lenses.

Just a note that someone pointed out. With adapters, they can't control the aperture on EF lenses. Your lens will default to a certain aperture and you can't easily adjust this. This seller also has a Canon FD lens adapter available too, which will give you the ability to use the FD manual lens to adjust to any aperture. The best bet is to just stick with the FD adapter and grab some FD lenses for full manual AV control.

canon-fd-lens-adapter-sony-nex
click image for Canon FD adapter to Sony NEX

Traveling with a lightweight camera that does both photos and videos (and awesome panoramics) that can accept some very decent lenses that I already own makes this camera much more affordable for the long run. The adapter also has a built in tripod mount, since we can't rely on that Sony NEX body to carry the weight of the big lenses. Now that's thinking smart... Check out the Canon EF Lens to Sony NEX adapter.



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Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Firmware updates for the Canon 550D / T2i fixes aperture movement with some lenses.

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
They also have a firmware update for the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV for the same fix.

This appears to be the problem I first experienced with my Canon 5D Mark II and they are getting around to updating the other cameras. Not a huge deal, I've mainly experienced this with my original 100mm Macro USM F/2.8 lens and i'm assuming it's the same. If you're using the new Hybrid 100mm Macro 2.8 with IS, you'd probably never know. Doesn't seem to be a 'must have' firmware fix unless you're doing lots of Macro work with the older Macro lenses.

Here's the link to the T2i Firmware update

Here's the link to the Canon 1D Mark IV update.

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unusual-grip-t2i

Thanks to a tip, I was pointed out to these NEW weird looking grips. Appears to have infrared built into the grip, for what? This unit does come with a remote for just $29.95 + Free Shipping (no batteries), my only guess is that the Remote is using that Infrared area on the grip. If that were the case, they should have just designed the infrared to the 'Rear' of the grip allowing users to shoot from front or back with a standard infrared remote. Thanks for 'NOT' thinking that one through people.

You can find these grips starting as low as $29.95 + Remote + Free shipping, or at $49.95 + Remote + 4 Batteries + Free shipping. I'll try to find more information on these, because they do sound too good to be true at those prices, but the seller has incredible feedback on eBay, so all can't be bad. Check out the new T2i / 550D Battery Grip surfacing on eBay, click here.

They also have other grips for Nikon, Sony, and other Canons found here.

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When I saw these 1650 watt total photo video lights in a friends studio, I fell in love. Actually when I heard about the price + seeing the quality of light, is what made me fall in love. As you can see i've been investing in some new lighting for an upcoming project. For stationary lights, these are great for both photos and videos. Again, these are not recommended for traveling around, go with the smaller LED panels (fit into Carry-On luggage). These Flourescent Video lights are quite large, a bit heavy (about 6 lbs. each), and fragile due to the bulbs. Since I was all set on my travel lights, I decided for some larger stationary lighting, and this proved to be the best bang for the buck. There are (6) 55w bulbs in each unit totaling 1650 watts. With 2 units you have 3300 watts total of clean bright light. It's such a large source, the lighting comes off very soft and well diffused.

Florescent lights they say have twice the output of LED, twice the distance, better diffusion (LED's are more direct), and these things run almost half the price. Sounds good, but remember they are probably about 10 times more fragile though. It's what you have to deal with I guess for large soft evenly diffused lighting. Sorry about the terrible review, it's getting late (was about midnight when I was unboxing), and I just wanted to throw something online for now. I might be using these on a shoot this Sunday, i'll post up some BTS of it in use if I can.


6-bank-light
find-price-button 1650 Watt 6 Bank Fluorescent Photo Video Light Panels

Product Information:
Perfect lights for both studio and on location applications. Because of their compact and light weight design (aluminum chassis), these lights are extremely easy to set up. Simply attach to your stand, adjust the barndoors, and turn them on. No soft boxes to hassle which will minimize the space required to operate the system and create an obstacle to work around. Additionally, feature an innovative system that quick tran sform the light in a very soft source.

Key Features:
compact and light weight gives it the quality of a versatile unit.
die cast aluminum chassis.
high illumination output comparative with regular fluorescent and tungsten fixtures. Power consumption of only 330 watts and has the same output as a 1500 watts regular tungsten bulb.
power saving.
professional fluorescent tubes with high CRI level ( >90RA ), with no green or blu e light sparkle specific to consumer fluorescent light.
build in professional ballast: long life, flicker free, high output, stable Kelvin color temperature, and no noise.
the optional shoemount spigot adapter offers the flexibility of mounting the FB watts either horizontally or vertically giving you a choice of beam spreads.
select the color temperature by using 3000K (warm) tubes or 5400K (daylight) tubes.
remarkable for their low level of heat output.
protection against electrical shocks using integrated fuse into the AC jack (spare fuse included)

Available on Amazon:

two-6-bank-flo-lighting
find-price-button 1650 Watt 6 Bank Fluorescent Photo Video Light Panels

Oh and I was shooting the video with the the Sony NEX-3 that came in today too, so the Auto Exposure built into the camera didn't do justice when showing off the amount of light. (Just testing out the Sony while I have it).

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First of all the audio really sucks in this video (not the Sony NEX). I could have easily done a voice over dub, but you know, this is more my style. This review is straight raw, right to the point, no fancy video editing cover ups. The video was shot with my Canon SX210 IS point and shoot mounted to the back of this Sony NEX-3 to show how I navigate through the menus and click on the buttons. I wanted to show how fast the autofocus was and also how great the Panoramic feature on the Sony NEX is.

Thanks for everyone who's sending in links to reviews on this camera, but I personally don't find them relevant. This is not Sony's big camera. In fact, the big Alpha will be getting 1080 video soon enough. Look, I know this camera isn't up to par with a Canon 5D, 7D, or even a T2i, but that's not the point here. I really don't think Sony every wanted it to be. It's the smallest interchangeable lens camera available and that's where it shines. It's a lightweight (but feels solid), tiny, interchangeable lens camera. It's easy for anyone with no experience to shoot great images and video right out of the box.

I think Sony has a great market here. This camera really has some neat tricks i've never seen on any other camera before, especially one with an Interchangeable lens option. I really like the fact that Sony took on the SDHC format too. Sony is well known for being proprietary in all their equipment, but this time around, the SDHC card is the media format.

The con about this camera right now is the lack of accessories. There are only 2 lenses available to fit perfectly. You can get a special adapter to mount normal Alpha Lenses, but I think that defeats the purpose of the 'tiny / portable' feature we're looking for. I'll have more information on this camera when I get to sit down and mess with it a bit more, but I like what I see so far. Prices for the Sony NEX available here.

For this with an iPhone, check out the Panoramic App 'Video Panorama' which allows you to swing your iPhone sideways in Video mode, and stitches one long Panoramic image. It's pretty cool. https://www.outmantech.com/Home/Video_Panorama.html

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What is the ikan Fly Pack II? I seriously didn't even know there was a Fly Pack 1! In any case, the video looks pretty cool, and it's not too badly priced either. It's a kit with a cage, handle type stabilizer, cheese plates (mounting accessories), rods, tripod mount, and a cool backpack to hold even your DSLR. I like the assembly of items, it makes total sense. My question though is why didn't they space the handles further apart? We all know spacing your hands further apart makes for better stabilization. Well maybe they'll think about that in ikan Fly Pack 3. You can find pricing for the ikan Fly Pack II kit here.

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Well the results are in, and i'm super impressed. As you know the GoPro HD camera doesn't focus well underwater due to a curved lens cover on the waterproof housing. Eye Of Mine provides modified 'Flat Lens' housings to correct this. I was able to get my hands on one of his Flat Lens housings, but I couldn't find the time in my busy schedule, so Waylon was kind enough to shoot some samples for me to use on this blog.

Wow, it's a big difference. So much of a difference, you wonder why you would ever go back to the old housing. The quality on YouTube has compressed the original video, but it's way sharper than stock. Waylon says he rates it at 50% better, but I personally feel it's at least 90%. I'm that impressed. Check out this diver video below using the Flat Lens modification (make sure to select the highest resolution on the YouTube player).

Sure it's no secret how it's done, grab a flat lens and hack your housing. But for something like this, and something at this price, you might be better off just having Eye Of Mine do it for you. More information about the GoPro HD Underwater Focus Fix can be found here. Thanks Eye Of Mine!