Monthly Archives: July 2012

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Keep in mind, that I do design products that are sold through PhotographyandCinema.com, so this entire post might seem biased. Hopefully you'll consider this post to be more informational about the various products out there. Earlier this week, YouTube member NitsanPictures pointed out the differences between the Variable Friction Arms carried by PhotographyandCinema.com and another one he purchased elsewhere.

I have mentioned that the P&C friction arms were different than others a few times through the blog comments, but I don't know if it's fairly obvious to everyone out there. PhotographyandCinema.com does not manufacture these friction arms, but has worked directly with the manufacturer to ensure that small changes were made to improve the overall design. There are other manufacturers making similar friction arms, but lack the toothed joint to prevent slippage. So wherever you make your purchase, be aware of this small design change which is the better ones on the market.

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find-price-button Variable Friction Arms PhotographyandCinema.com

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Current Daily Deal for a Canon 5D Mark III + Battery Grip + Sandisk 32GB SDHC Card. Brand new USA Warranty. The total kit comes in cheaper than just buying a Canon 5D Mark III (Body Only), and after price comparing it's about a $450 dollar savings. A decent find for those who were planning on picking up a Canon 5D Mark III this weekend. Check out the eBay Daily Deal (Click Here)

Canon 5D Mark III Grip Sandisk
find-price-button Canon 5D Mark III + Battery Grip + Sandisk Card

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Eric Ferguson writes in and shares his DIY LED Umbrella Light which uses the Cheap Flexible LED light strips (seen here on eBay). These strips can be purchased in short length to rolls of 600 LEDs in a single strip. [Thanks Eric]. Another DIY LED light panel project using flexible LED lights can be also be found (here).

DIY LED light rollLED strip Flexible Can

Unlike the DIY LED light panel which would require you to cut LED light strips down to different sizes along with some soldering, Eric used an entire 600 LED roll wrapped around a simple can. The wrapped can mimics a bare bulb by throwing light off the sides. From there he's using a simple umbrella to refocus the light. Below are some images of the light OFF and then ON.

non-onLED-on

The flexible LED light strips work on simple 12V batteries, and can be found super cheap via eBay (click here).

White Flexible 600 LED light can
find-price-button Flexible LED light Strip

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YouTube member arthurwoo sends over his review of the NEW Steadicam Merlin 2. In this video he makes some very good points on Pros and Cons of the unit, and also shares with us some sample video footage from the little stabilizer. The Steadicam Merlin 2 has many new upgrades and supposedly a more robust frame than the original Steadicam Merlin. For about $800 dollars, you can find out more about the Steadicam Merlin 2 at the B&H product page (Click Here).

Steadicam-Merlin-2-Video-Samples-Review
find-price-button Steadicam Merlin 2 Video Camera Stabilizer

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A few days ago I received the latest Canon 40mm F/2.8 STM Pancake lens. The lens runs under $200 dollars on B&H (here) and delivers some stunning images. A little dark around the edges on full frame cameras, but it's very nice and lightweight for traveling photographers. A few people have commented about using it for video, and there's focus noise that you need to account for.

If you're shooting with an external audio recorder, or even a remote wireless LAV, you need not be concerned. I'm usually aware of in camera noise that gets picked up, especially when shooting with the loud Image Stabilization motors on the 24-105mm F/4L. The 40mm F/2.8 noise is heard in auto focus and even when the lens is switched to manual focus. If you're planning on using in camera audio, then check out video.

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Rod from www.foursandyfeet.com recently received the latest version of the CN-600-SA LED light panels and shares this review with us. I thought it would be much bigger, but it doesn't seem like there's too much a difference in size. Rod also sent in a few photos of the units earlier this week (seen below) [Thanks Rod].

led  600led
600-cn-led  LED-CN600-New

I've been very happy with my (original) set of 600s and 900 LED light panels and none have yet to fail me even though I don't pack them very well. The LED lights themselves are still in consistent use everyday at the studio. Though they aren't perfect in every way, the price is right and i'm seeing more and more people use these in their standard lighting kits. Prices have also been listed right now for about $100 dollars cheaper over at eBay (Click Here).

Cheesycam new 600 LED Video Light Panel V-Lock
find-price-button New CN600 LED Video Light Panels

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Screen Shot 2012-07-05 at 8.57.02 AM

The Canon 7D seems to have received it's second wind with the new Firmware announcement that will give it full manual audio and a slew of other features. You've probably seen other blogs talking about the Canon 7D Deal that ends today. If not, take a peek at what B&H has to offer. About $200 dollars off regular retail price + Free accessories or instant discounts and rebates on Canon lenses and more. The product page will display a link to choose your free accessory (in product description). Today is the last day if you wanted to see what's available (Click Here).

Screen Shot 2012-07-05 at 8.43.05 AMScreen Shot 2012-07-05 at 8.43.45 AM
find-price-button Canon 7D Sale and Bundle Rebates Discounts

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Opteka just released a new Matte Box called the MBX. Product description states All metal construction, Folding french flags and adjustable side wings; Flattened shade for wide angle lenses, Fits industry standard 15mm supporting rods, Two 360-degree rotating filter trays support 4x5.65" filters, and Swing-away design to provide easy access to lenses.

I'm sure people are hoping to hear good things, as there are not many Matte Boxes out there to come in under the $250 dollar mark. You can find more about the new MBX MatteBox product via Amazon (Click Here).

Opteka MBX MatteBoxOpteka Matte Box MBX
find-price-button Opteka MB-X Professional Matte Box Kit 15mm Rod System

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Received the new Canon 40mm F/2.8 STM pancake lens from B&H today. Wow, I really like it. Sure, it was made with their STM tech for full time auto focus in video mode for the new EOS T4i, but put all that aside, there's just no other options for Canon shooters who want a super low profile lens with auto focus.

Canon-STM-40mm-PanCake-F28 (2 of 8)  Canon-STM-40mm-PanCake-F28 (5 of 8)

I mounted the 40mm to the Canon 5D Mark III Full Frame camera, and you can see how the edges have a slight vignette (darker around edges). I personally like the look of this, and might consider this to be a more stylized lens for full frame cameras. If you want to have even exposure throughout the image, you can always program this lens into Adobe Lightroom's Lens Correction feature. On a T4i or other cropped cameras, you will see less of this vignetting.

Canon-STM-40mm-PanCake-F28 (6 of 8)  Canon-STM-40mm-PanCake-F28 (1 of 8)

It's too bad Canon doesn't have a smaller mirrorless body available (yet). As you can see from the image below, when placed on to the Canon T4i, the camera is about the same width as my Sony NEX-7 + Sigma 30mm (seen on the left). There's another example of how small this 40mm pancake lens looks on a Canon 5D (on the right).

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The 40mm focal length is a good distance for this type of lens, and it was a focal range Canon was missing in their lineup. It's not too close and not too wide. It's lightweight, fast, and low profile to fit into small bags for traveling.

Canon-STM-40mm-PanCake-F28 (3 of 8)  Canon-STM-40mm-PanCake-F28 (4 of 8)

Canon-STM-40mm-PanCake-F28 (7 of 8)  Canon-STM-40mm-PanCake-F28 (8 of 8)

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Rokinon 35mm vs Canon 40mm. Close focal distance, major size difference.

With a max aperture of F/2.8 it's not the fastest lens in Canon's line, but the build quality is great and the price is right at only $199. I highly suggest trying this lens out, and because it takes up minimal space in the bag, there's a good chance you'll want this with you all the time. They were out of stock on initial release, but are currently available via B&H (Click Here).

Canon 40mm STM Pancake
find-price-button Canon 40mm F/2.8 Pancake STM Lens