Monthly Archives: April 2011

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Looks like a fun little DIY Arduino based motion controlled slider project is unfolding. Starting the platform out with IGUS Drylin W rails and carrier (wider version), and adding in a custom fitted pulley system. My guess is that the programmable controller will eventually be used for Timelapse movements and intervalometer trigger. Part 1 & Part 2 videos show some of the DIY process, but more information can be found from Vimeo member Stefan Kohler. Oh and if you're hoping something like this will hit the market, apparently it's not planned for it.

DIY Camera slider - Making of - Part 1 - Mechanics

DIY Camera slider - Making of part II

Of course, if you're looking to get into Motion Controlled sliders, you can't go wrong with Dynamic Perception.

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find-price-button Dynamic Perception Motion Controlled Sliders

Also designed with Arduino in mind, these time lapse sliders are the best on a budget. Highly recommended for anyone who wants the 'now' and not mess with the DIY process. Check out one of the latest videos shot with DynamicPerception.com sliders.


Description:
This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide. Spain´s highest mountain @(3718m) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories. More......

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JuicedLink is definitely down with DIY and looking out for the budget minded. We were actually setup on one of the JuicedLink DIY brackets for NAB2011 on the main camera, but it's great to hear pricing is even lower with volume pricing now that they've become popular. First starting out with DSLR Cage like brackets to easily mount accessories, now Robert is looking into making cost effective roller bearing sliders.

Interesting how you could be surrounded by millions of dollars worth of professional equipment, yet one of the coolest things on the floor is an unpolished DIY slider. The prototype slider looked a little rough on the edges, but I was pretty impressed with how well the fit was on the rails. Using standard cheap roller bearings and angled mounts to lock in between the rails, the movement was very effective with just about zero lash. [Thanks Olivia]

The idea behind the new DIY Slider is to sell only what needs precision manufacturing which can be shipped in a fairly small package. You can pick up your own rails in any type or length desired (so long as it fits the minimum OD - outside diameter) which not only brings down cost of overall unit, but also shipping. This modular design will allow you to have a 4ft. slider today, and a 6ft. one tomorrow. Great idea so far. I'm interested in seeing what the final version would look like. More information always at the JL blog here: JuicedLink sliders (click here).

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find-price-button JuicedLink DIY Slider Kit

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Calumet-Tilt-Head

With the new Sunpak Carbon Monopod and Velbon Ultra stick in the house, it's time to add a little tilt swag. I opted to try this small tilt head (no pan) to still keep things short and tight. It's pretty much the same design you'll find on certain Manfrotto monopods, but a third the price for the off-brand. I'm also going to try to use this on the Korean version SpiderTrax dolly to see if it keeps low and stable. You can find it in the link below and by searching for 'Tilt Head'.


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find-price-button Calumet Small Swivel Tilt Monopod Heads

If you don't find yourself in a rush to move the camera off the monopod, you might not require the quick release function. For this you'll find cheaper heads that use an underside clamp knob such as the Manfrotto 234 (below).

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find-price-button Manfrotto 234 Monopod Tilt Head

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Konova made a huge impact on the scene when they released their very affordable Roller Bearing slider not long ago. Now they are showing off two new slider versions one for heavier cameras and another for extremely light weight cameras (even down to iPhones). Another optional upgrade they will be offering with their future sliders are 'folding legs'. If you're familiar with the basic version, these new folding leg upgrades should make the sliders easier to pack up instead of having to remove them completely off of the slider rail each time you pack. These are both new sliders which are not available yet, and will not be replacing the original current version found below.
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find-price-button Konova video Camera Rolling Bearing DSLR Slider

Konova is also looking to offer a new three wheel skater dolly similar to a few very high end designs that are already on the market. Using three wheels on a rotating dolly makes it more complicated to line up your subject, but with the use of a Laser pointer, adjustments can be fairly accurate. This new 3-wheeled version (not yet available) will be marketed towards larger and heavier cameras, and will not replace the first version more affordable 4-wheeled version which is found below.

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find-price-button Rotating Video Camera Skater Dolly

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Vimeo member Derek Mellott appears to be refining his DIY motion controlled Timelapse Slider. This time he's added some clever upgrades such as a folding rail system, and end to end kill switches. He's also using the Ryobi 12V battery packs that I suggested a few weeks ago (glad to see that tip helped out). It looks like there's a POT in between to control voltage for slow or fast movements? Curious what the max speed is for consistent Video Dolly shots? [Thanks Derek]

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Jehu from Jag35 talks to Olivia and shows off their new Wireless Follow Focus system balanced on a Steadicam Merlin along with a Hacked Asus WiCast to send video to the focus puller. Jag35 has different version motors available depending on how much torque you need for the lenses you'll be using, giving you more affordable options. If you don't require a Wireless system, the same motors work with a tethered remote which they showed us on a seperate shoulder rig. After handling the units at NAB, they are very responsive, quick, and accurate for a Follow Focus on a budget. Gotta get me one of these. More information found below.

Jag35 remote wireless follow focus
find-price-button Jag35 Remote and Wireless Follow Focus systems

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Well here's another article that will probably get quickly outdated. Remember those 240 LED Bi-Color (Color Changing) on camera LED lights from here: http://cheesycam.com/color-changing-dimmable-240-led-video-light/? Well, I was lucky to grab a set and then they were gone, never to be seen again. Apparently there might be some type of exclusive distribution that won't allow them to be sold on eBay, but if you really really wanted them, you can find them for almost twice the price at some retail locations.

So for on camera lighting that adjusts to the ambient, you've got a choice on the 312 Bi-Color LED lights which 'totally rock' BTW (I have a set and will do a video tomorrow), but those are still running about $230-$499. Here's an interesting one that just showed up and comes in a bit cheaper with 277 LEDs from maker Socanland with the same color changing features and powered by what looks like Sony style batteries.

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States only two available at this time, so this could be one of those times it's here today and gone tomorrow. Apparently Socanland was at NAB and are manufacturers of other large LED video lights. The only video I could find about this company is the one below on some larger 1x1 sized light panels.

So for now, only a few of these smaller 277 Bi-Color Changing Dimmable LED Video lights from Socanland are available along with a 310 Bi-Color version. Personally the 310 version looks overkill on the whole digital display and I feel it's overpriced. You would be better off with the 312 Dimmable Bi-Color LEDs if you wanted to go that big.

Not sure how long this company has been around, but it looks like in the near future we could be seeing a line of Socanland products competing in the LED Video light market.

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find-price-button 277 LED Bi-Color Changing LED Video Lights

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find-price-button 310 LED Bi-Color Changing LED Video Lights

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What is Eye-Fi? It's an SDHC card with built in wireless capabilities to send the photos or videos directly to a computer or uploaded to the Internet (originally). Well with Eye-Fi's new Direct Mode on the Mobile X2 SDHC card, your camera will automatically send the image from your camera directly to your Tablet or SmartPhone via an Ad Hoc network (directly). This includes iPads, iPhones, and Android devices. You'll need to configure the card's wireless settings (just one time), and then from there it's all gravy. The new Mobile X2 is available now, and older X2 cards might get this feature via a firmware update. This totally simplifies the workflow for Photographers that often use this wireless tethering technique to view images with their iPads for a full blown view on Exposure and Color Balance. Heck, might be a good way to dial in your video exposure settings too.


Eye-Fi Mobile X2
find-price-button Eye-Fi 8GB Mobile X2 SDHC Class 6 Wireless

Yeah I know what you're thinking. Only cameras with SDHC so what about Compact Flash shooters? From what I remember, the cards even work with Compact Flash to SDHC adapters. Keep in mind that by using this technique you'll be dropping the speed rating down enough that the camera might not be able to shoot HD video. Of course still photos should hold up pretty well. Check out some of the adapters below.

Compact Flash SDHC adapter
find-price-button Compact Flash to SDHC Memory Card Adapter

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Not sure how many of you are following the 'Human Planet' television series, but it's something to look into. It's already pretty amazing what types of environments these film makers have to endure, but then at the end of the segment they always show some type of BTS of how they pulled off some of their camera movements. In one episode they showed how they setup a CableCam system to follow a man crossing over a turbulent river.

So now i'm interested in seeing if I can pull one DIY version off with a GH2 or at least a tiny version for a GoPro (you know just in case I run into a situation where i'm shooting over a turbulent river too). If you've got ideas for the best way to go about this, i'd like to see what you come up with. Here's a few interesting videos below on some motorized remote systems with pan heads.

Here's one below from Vimeo Member Photoship One, same guys who offer Helicopter mounted camera systems. Heck, if their version can support a GH2, I think it would do well in the market. On another note, with a motorized CableCam, has anyone attempted a motion control CableCam for super long TimeLapse?