Monthly Archives: May 2011

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Screen shot 2011-05-27 at 8.46.18 AM
find-price-button LED Video Light Panel Carry Case

Chris writes in and shares this find. Apparently there's travel bags available for the 1200 LED video lights. It definitely makes it easier to get a handle on and keeps the barndoors and switches from snagging, but doesn't look super duper padded. The size of the bag is 19"L x 16"H x 3"W, so if you've got other LED panels in that range, it would be a good fit. Chris also mentions there's a price drop on the 1200 LED video lights. I like either the 600 or 900 only because it can be optionally powered via Battery. But if you want something larger like the 1200, those can be found below. [Thanks Chris]

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find-price-button 1200 LED Video Light Panel

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Vimeo member Josh Donnelly revisits the​ DIY PVC shoulder rig article. A reminder that if you're not mounting accessories that require 15mm rails, this is a good start for DSLR Video stabilization. This has to be one of the best DIY PVC shoulder rig designs providing a wide enough area to rest over the shoulder, can be counterweighted in the rear, and have wide handles. If you're not permanently gluing the PVC together, the rig can break down for traveling. There's some additional information following the details of Josh's Vimeo video description and an older article featured in this blog here: http://cheesycam.com/pvc-camera-shoulder-support/. [Thanks Josh]

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Not sure how many people remember the 240 Bi-Color Dimmable LED Video light I posted about a short while back. It was a mysterious 240 LED light that showed up on eBay, and the moment I posted about it, it disappeared. Never to be heard from again. Well these 240 LED lights are back online, and now with some new options. My original 240 LED light from eBay did not come with a way to power it up. Luckily I had the correct Sony battery and charger from another set of lights. This was a huge deal breaker for some that didn't use Sony batteries in their work flow.

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This time the 240 LED light comes with or or without barndoors ($6 dollars cheaper without). They come standard with a Magenta (minus green) filter and a metal hotshoe ball mount. You can power the 240 LED light with a single Sony NPF style battery, or a Panasonic with an included adapter. One thing that grabbed my attention was a very very cool AA battery adapter case that turns 6 AA batteries into a Sony NPF style battery. Deal breaker no more!

OTCM (1 of 5)OTCM (2 of 5)

I've never posted such an adapter thing on this blog, but damn I sure did need something like this! A battery case like this can be used to power any other NPF accessory like some external monitors, the 277, the 312 LED, and more. To my knowledge (and i've seen quite a bit), these are the cheapest color changing LED video lights today. As usual, it's on the blog today, we'll see how long they last..

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find-price-button 240 Dimmable Color Changing LED Video Light with Barndoors

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find-price-button 240 Dimmable Color Changing LED Video Light without Barndoors

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The SmallHD DP6 is a serious monitor with some seriously cool features. The price tag may not hit home for the starting shooter, but if you're shopping for a monitor around the 5" mark, the SmallHD puts most others to shame. We're not talking your average 800x480 resolution (yes check those LCD specs carefully), we're talking about a true HD display at 1280x800. The housing is milled aluminum, much like how a MacBook pro is built. It's solid, but at the same time lightweight. Especially if you're shooting with Canon, the DP6 monitor has special features designed to scale video signals for Canon DSLRs which don't usually output in Full HD.

DP-6

Don't be afraid to step into something that could get outdated quickly. SmallHD has put some forward thinking into their products with a USB port and 2GB thumb drive to make sure you can download and install any new firmware updates. Two features you won't find in cheaper monitors include False Color to help you check for clipping blacks or blown highlights, Peaking to help you ensure things are in focus. If you rely heavily on external monitoring from your video camera, you'll need something better than good, and the SmallHD is a great solid product. SmallHD will also be releasing a new DP4 - 4" LCD specifically designed to be used with a ViewFinder Loupe entering the EVF market. More about SmallHD products can be found at https://smallhd.com

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No matter how many Honda Civics are out on the road, there will always be the other guy who'd rather drive the more expensive Porsche. Sure it's apples to oranges, but if you just need to make a trip to the grocery store, the end result is the same. My point being that a flying camera movement is a flying camera movement. In any case, here's a quick look at the Steadicam Merlin, the more expensive DSLR Video camera stabilizer that still draws a premium audience. This video is dedicated to that group of people looking for more information on flying a luxury model.

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Steadicam Merlin Vest

The Steadicam Merlin packs small, trimmed down as light as possible without any extra junk. It's quick to set up, quick to break down, and fast to dial in your camera's center of balance. Just because it does all these things very well, don't be fooled into thinking that it's any easier to fly. As with any stabilizer it's all about practice, practice, and a little bit more practice. The Steadicam Merlin has the option to accept the Merlin vest - possibly the most popular vest in use. The Vest can be purchased separately, or you'll receive a small discount if you decide to dish out for both items in a bundled package. The Vest doesn't really add any additional 'balance', but it will allow you to shoot for longer periods of time. I'll probably be shooting a later video on actually balancing a Steadicam Merlin setup, and If you have any questions so far, leave some comments.

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find-price-button Steadicam Merlin Video Camera Stabilizer

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Moderately impressive video on this most confusing 'latest' Flycam Nano DSLR Stabilizer. I say 'moderately impressive' because it's not that you couldn't already do all these tricks with any other version of stabilizer. Aside from what looks to be overall bigger (so it can carry more weight), there's not a lot of information about what's actually better. Do you need this version over the other? I'm still waiting to see a side by side review Nano vs. Nano to see if there's anything really significant other than just more mass. Maybe i'm missing something, but If you're already sold on the video, you can find it below..

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find-price-button Flycam Nano DSLR

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You've probably already seen the video above, who hasn't? It's a great example of the capabilities shot on the GoPro HD Camera. One accessory that was recently released is the LCD BacPac and new firmware that opens up an entirely new world of features. From little things like losing the proper time/date when the battery is removed, to live HD video output. The new BacPac takes the guess work out of proper framing, and flying through the menu is a breeze compared to trying to decipher the old Mayan code on the front LCD. Video with Audio (yes with audio) can easily and instantly be played back to make sure you've got the shot.

If you've never seen the LCD BacPac in action, Olivia's review (below) runs through those 'must have' new features, and check out the SmallHD showing full HD live view from the little GoPro.

The LCD Bacpac comes with 4 different housing 'backs' from waterproof, waterproof for wrist housing, non waterproof housing, and non-waterproof housing for wrist mount. This amazing little camera performs equally well in the Sky, on the Streets, or even under water.

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find-price-button GoPro LCD BacPac

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find-price-button GoPro Hero 1080HD

For extended Run time or just longer TimeLapsing, the Battery BacPac is also available

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find-price-button GoPro Battery BacPac

If you plan on using an External Monitor for some reason, don't go drilling holes through your Waterproof casing (like we did). GoPro has a special housing available for that also so you can run your video cables out to your External Monitor or maybe Asus Wi-Cast for some wireless HD Video Monitoring.

GoPro Housing
find-price-button GoPro HD Skeleton Housing - Hard case

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Very few samples are online about Samyang's latest 35mm F/1.4 lens, but here's the one I was interested in from Vimeo member Didier Hartong. While a lens may look fine on a Canon 7D, it could look totally different on a Full Frame camera. This is a decent test of the Samyang on a Canon 5D Mark II. The basic consensus is beautiful bokeh, sharp at F/1.4, and little vignetting. Of course these lenses have no Autofocus or Focus confirmation (which some of us are already used to). I believe this lens is available in Canon, Four-thirds, Nikon, Pentax, Samsung NX, and KM/Sony mounts. Absolutely still nothing via Amazon, the only place to find is on the auction site.

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find-price-button Samyang 35mm F/1.4 Manual Focus Lens

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I actually had no clue these were out of stock, but thanks for the emails and information that they are available again. For anyone waiting on these to come back to stock, here they are. As a reminder, only the 600 and the 900's I have can fit into travel size 'Carry On' airplane roller (not the 1200s). The 600 & 900 have the optional V-Mount battery plate so they can be used remotely and the 1200s don't have that option.

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find-price-button 600 Led Light Weight Studio Photo Light Dimmable Video Photography Lighting Sony V mount Battery adapter 14.8V DC 110V-230V

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find-price-button 900 LED Dimmable Photography Video Camera DSLR 5400K/3200K Lighting Light Panel Sony V Mount battery Adapter INCLUDED 14V OUTPUT 110V-230V


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find-price-button 1200 LED Dimmable Video Light Panel Still Photography Studio Portrait Lighting 24V DC, 110V-230V