Monthly Archives: August 2010

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audio-technica-atr3350
click image to purchase Audio-Technica ATR3350

As soon as the Zoom H1 was released, I began my search for the perfect 'low budget' lavalier microphone. I'm not saying the Audio-Technica ATR3350 Lavalier can outperform other $100.00+ microphones, but from the tests i've seen and the comments i've received, this is the microphone for me. This little Lav comes in at under $24.00 dollars! This microphone is also battery powered. Just 'generally' speaking, powered microphones tend to perform better than non-powered microphones. Whether you'll find use for this with your Zoom H1 to possibly replace some wireless situations, at under $24.00 dollars it's a nice thing to just have in the bag. Even without the Zoom H1, this microphone connected directly to your DSLR is already an improvement over the built in camera microphone. So after researching a few Vimeo videos, YouTube videos, and checking out some comments from some of the readers i'm skipping the KFC combo dinner tonight and throwin' it down on the Audio-Technica ATR3350 Lavalier.

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bencollins
click image for larger size

Benton from BentonCollins.com commented on this article I posted http://cheesycam.com/latest-led-video-lights-for-dslr-video/, stating that he is currently using these very same 500 LED light panels outdoors for 10 new Head & Shoulder commercial shoots. I was really interested in his setup, so he sent in a link to the image above. If you took a peek at Benton's website you'll see some real credibility that this guy really knows his lighting. Wow, that's a really cool lightweight setup there for a location shoot both in lighting and audio. If you look closely, the 500 LED panel is mounted to the same Tripod as the camera, and then some clever arm is holding the shotgun microphone. You can see how far the 500 LED panel is from where the subject would stand proving to still be effective at that range, and there's an added reflector for some additional fill. The 500 LED panel looks like it's powered by a Paul Buff Vagabond power pack. Very cool setup, and glad someone can help 'shed some light' (no pun intended) on how 'cool' (as in temperature and as in trend like) these LED light panels are for both indoor and outdoor use. Thanks Benton can't wait to see more BTS and the final video when it's released.

Might be of interest, not sure if it's any good.

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Well I wanted to do a cool little Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorder video review, but looks like bhphotovideo.com beat me to it. I'll just post theirs instead since they touched on a lot of what I wanted to talk about. One of the things they point out is the use of the LAV microphone. Everyone's been talking about using this method since this unit is so small and portable, you can save some big bucks from buying a wireless mic kit. They even found a way to jamb this thing into a Microphone Shock Mount.

zoom-h1-kit
click image for Zoom H1 kit

I'll still do my own little video review, but i'll talk about some things I don't like about it. My intent was not to use the built in microphones on the Zoom H1, but if you're planning to, get the foam windscreen which is part of a separate Zoom Kit (above). It's nice that the Zoom H1 leaves everything out to control many functions like WAV or MP3 settings, but these buttons are completely exposed. Using it as a body pack, I fear these buttons will be easily pressed. They should have placed these switches under a cover like the Rode VideoMic. There is a 'Hold' feature, but that only works to disable the playback buttons, not the other feature buttons.

The unit is also mainly plastic. It's nice because it shaves some weight, but feels real fragile. Not something I'd throw in my bag without a hard case, or at least the case shown in the Zoom H1 kit above. Even the microphone covers are chrome plated plastic. DSLR's as of now have terrible audio compared to the Samson recorders. For the audio quality of the Samson Zoom H1, the features this little gadget has, and the low low price point of $99 bucks + Free Shipping, it's a must have item for any DSLR shooter. The only thing we need to narrow down now is what's the best 'bang for the buck' LAV mic to use. My search continues for the cheapest and best LAV mic to use.....

zoom-h1-recorder
click image

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ultimate-diy-dslr-rig
ultimate-diy-dslr-rig-wiring

Mathieu Bujold from DSLRExperiment.com wrote to me wanting to share his cleverly named 'Ultimate DIY DSLR Rig'. The three pipe design is very simple to assemble, low cost using PVC, but looks quite professional. This is one of the easiest DIY's you can already start diving into. If you feel you can take it a step further, he's got wiring setup for push buttons to control focus and shutter. Check out at his website DSLRExperiment.com. Thanks Mathieu.

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Sample Wide and Zoom shots with Sigma 50-500mm, click any image for a slighter larger view.

Wide shot of Hotel and then zoomed in to the moon.

Wide shot of bay and then zoomed in on some visitors

Wide shot of the bay and then zoomed in on the feeding bird

Stupid me, didn't have a tripod with me in the car to test the massive Sigma 50-500mm Lens. I can shoot handheld since this lens has optical stabilization, but forget trying to do video at 500mm. Sorry no video samples yet, but here's a look at the range this bad boy can pull off on a Canon 5D Mark II. This is a watch spot around Burlingame close to the San Francisco Airport. There wasn't parking so I jumped out, took a few snaps, and then drove off. These are unedited quick jpegs resized for the web, nothing fancy, just images to show the range you get to play with.

sigma-50-500mm
Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO Autofocus Lens

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zoom-h1

Two new items came in today. One you can see has a crap load of stamps, so you know that's an overseas item. It's a neat thing that i'll show later on. The other brown box might look familiar to many of you, for anyone that's placed an order from bhphotovideo.com and guess what's peeking out....reviews to follow soon.

Relative size next to iPhone 4
photo 2

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Jarrod over at JustBasl Productions has shown us some of his previous DIY's and now recently threw together a full dslr cage. It probably looks overkill with just the camera, but you have to imagine the use with other accessories including a monitor. With 5 handles, holding the cage can be done in various ways providing more stabilization for different shots.

His original video (below) shown used the framework of the DSLR Cage Fig Rig with the popular Strut Channels. These strut channels proved to be too robust and heavy for handheld use, so the video above shows his new redesign with aluminum channels shaving off quite a bit of weight. More description and information can be found at his video link: https://vimeo.com/14380333

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Check out this new DIY spin on an old DIY trick from Nate Gallagher. Inspired from the crazy popular Wooden Shoulder rig in which the handle is rotated as a follow focus system, Nate Gallagher takes a simple gear box and some type of U-Joint and transforms it into his own clever Follow Focus whip. The main advantage this design has over the wooden rig is that the FF can be rotated 360 degrees. The whole shoulder rig is a bit raw in aesthetics right now, but mapped out well for functionality, and for me is the most clever 'DIY follow focus' since the Wooden Shoulder rig from Jonathan Clifford Bergqvist. Apparently these parts may have come from a previous salvaged item, and I'm hoping to get a bit more information on the parts used. Just by looking at it though, there's no reason you can't use the famous Traxxas Universal Joint (From RC Cars) made famous by WSCLATER for this type of Follow Focus whip.

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redrock-micro-nano-dslr-rig

Redrock Micro is releasing a new line of configurations on it's website called 'nano DSLR Rigs', targeted for lightweight support DSLR rigs. Still a bit too expensive for something as simple as a handle or two, but these parts are designed to be compatible with more Redrock gear as you grow. Information from their website is posted below, you can find their storefront for the Redrock Micro nano DSLR rigs here.

Product Description:
nano DSLR rigs are compact, economical rigs designed for maximum value and discreet shooting. These rigs are a great value for photojournalism, travel, and documentary style HDSLR shooting, or as a great entry level rig, easily upgradeable to additional features found in our DSLR handheld, shouldermount, and studio configurations.