Monthly Archives: November 2012

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Guess what came in the mail recently? It's that cheap video stabilizer load vest I posted about a few weeks ago. I've had a bit of time with the gear, and as with any product there's Pros and Cons.

Cheap Stabilizer Vest Cheesycam

Pros:
The cheap vest is a combination of snap buckles and velcro, while the Steadicam Merlin vest is based on just velcro. Constantly readjusting the velcro on the Steadicam Merlin vest causes the vest to wear out, not to mention it's a bitch for hangnails. I've already had to replace the velcro on my Steadicam Vest, but there is also a 'buckle upgrade kit' (seen here) I will probably do the next time I need repairs. I've been using the Steadicam Vest for a long time, and I find that the Cheap Vest is more comfortable than the Steadicam Merlin vest.

Single Arm Vest

Cons:
The cheap vest I received came with a few scratches on the paint. Only slight blemishes, and nothing compared to how my Steadicam Vest looks like today. The Steadicam Merlin vest can be dialed down to fly light camera stabilizers. The ISO arm on the cheap vest requires a heavier load than the Steadicam. When flying just my 5D + Glidecam HD4000, the setup was not heavy enough to bounce the arm. I ended up adding some addition weight on the stabilizer setup for the cheap arm to work better.

scratch 1 cheap vestscratch 2 cheap vest

It's no Steadicam Killer, but the Cheap Vest has really good build quality for the price. I find it more comfortable than the Steadicam Vest and it works to carry your Flycam or Glidecam Stabilizers. If you're planning on flying a very light setup, this vest will not operate as smooth as the Steadicam Merlin Vest. The ISO arm of the cheap vest requires a bit more weight to put the proper tension on the spring. Below is a video showing pretty much the exact same vest setup from YouTube member Kirk Saber, along with his example footage from the vest system.

If you look carefully, you can see the bounce in his step due to the spring tension requiring more weight. The Steadicam Merlin Vest is a dual arm setup, while the cheap vest is only a single ISO arm. The Steadicam Merlin vest runs almost $1600 and the Cheap Vest runs for just under $400 dollars. There's a new listing in which they are also offering a Carbon stabilizer as part of a bundled package via eBay (Click Here).

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find-price-button Budget Single ISO Arm Camera Stabilizer Load Vest

Steadicam Merlin Vest
find-price-button Steadicam Merlin Vest Arm

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For photographers who need longer battery life with Speedlite flashes, the standard has been very expensive Quantum battery packs. Typically around $300+ dollars (seen here via B&H). There are a few cheap external solutions that use 6x AA batteries (seen here on eBay), but they are merely extended power sources and often don't help to improve recycle times.

Now a popular product making rounds in the last year as an alternative is the GoDox external flash battery packs. GoDox also have a variety of other lighting products including large studio strobes and continuous lights. I had a brief look at these products over at the PhotoPlus Expo in New York, and these battery packs look very good. The Godox external flash battery packs are available for Canon, Nikon, and popular Yongnuo flashes as well found via eBay (Click here).

Godox Flash Battery PackGodox Battery Flash ExternalGodox Green Battery Glash
find-price-button GoDox External Battery Packs for Canon Nikon Yongnuo Flashes

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Rokinon has already released a few new Cine Lenses for larger DSLR cameras, but are soon to release a new line of Cine Lenses for smaller Sony E-Mount mirrorless systems. The Cine lenses have the same optics as their standard counterparts, but differ with built in lens gears for follow focus systems, a de-clicked aperture, and relocated markings.

Great timing on this release to match up with some of Sony's new camera releases such as the new Sony NEX-6, Sony NEX-5R, and VG900 which supports E-mount lens compatibility. Like previous Rokinon Cine Lenses, the new E-Mount Cine lenses will be available in 8mm, 14mm, 24mm, 35mm, and 85mm and are available for pre-order via B&H (click here)

new-rokinon-cinema-lenses
find-price-button Rokinon Cine Lenses for Sony E-Mount Camera Systems.

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Disclaimer: I help to design products for PhotographyandCinema.com. The article below is information about the new P&C Prime Video Rig. There are many other great Video Rigs available within articles of this blog that you may also want to consider.

PhotographyandCinema.com adds another affordable product for budget video shooters. The new Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit contains a combination of parts that will allow supporting basic camera setups to more advanced rig configurations that require mounting additional accessories.

pnc-shoulder-rig-partspnc-shoulder-rig-rear

The Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit includes a special Hybrid Shoulder / Chest Pad that allows the rig to be used on the shoulder or off the shoulder as a gun-stock style shooter rig.

The Prime Rig Kit (when purchased from PhotographyandCinema.com) also includes (2) P&C Swiss Rods for flexible mounting of additional accessories and (1) NEW 'Tough' Stainless Steel Friction Arm from Kamerar.com. These are new friction arms that are more robust than other arms on the market.

More information about the new Prime Video Rig Kit can be found at https://PhotographyandCinema.com (here).

target-prime-rigbasic-rigPrime-Rig-Shoulder-Full
find-price-button PhotographyandCinema.com Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit

[More News]
PhotographyandCinema.com is now distributing Kamerar brand products. The P&C Prime Shoulder Rig is also available through Kamerar.com without a set of Swiss Rods or 7" Friction Arm and sells for $30 dollars cheaper + FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING.

Kamerar Tank CageKamerar Slider Dolly SD-1Kamerar ND Matte Box
New Kamerar Tank Video Cage, Slider Dolly SD-1, Single ND Filter MatteBox

About Kamerar:
Kamerar's product line has been completely revamped and is now offering several new products - starting today. Along with a new line of affordable and unique products, Kamerar also offers FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING which translates to HUGE savings for International Customers. I encourage you to take a glance at some of the exclusive and affordable products for Video enthusiasts at https://Kamerar.com

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Canon is adding another lens to their lineup with a 24-70mm F/4L IS. According to this B&H product page, the new lens will run $1499 (seen here).

I'm not sure how well this lens will work out for the average consumer as there is already a Canon 24-105mm F/4L IS for $1149 (see here). What's your thoughts?

Canon 24-70mm F4 L
find-price-button Canon EF 24-70mm f/4.0L IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

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Just had to pass this information on. The very popular Panasonic LX5 digital camera is currently discounted. The LX5 practically receives a full 5 star rating any website, and while Amazon is still carrying this camera for about $320 dollars or $399 (white version) , B&H has this on sale to just $249 (Click Here)

panasonic lx5panasonic lx5 white
find-price-button Panasonic LX5 Digital Camera Black or White

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Sony has overshadowed some of the other new camera releases with it's RX100 and new RX1 camera, but if you haven't been following, the new Canon Powershot G15 is quite amazing as well. I don't mean for this to be an RX100 vs G15 review, but it's a good basis of the value Canon brings in this sub $500 dollar prosumer camera. I'm not saying I will give up all of my Sony RX100 cameras completely, but I believe there's room to replace one of them with this new Canon Powershot G15.

The most important stand out feature for me is the new 24-140mm (equiv) F/1.8-F/2.8 lens. This is very impressive to have that focal distance paired up with a constant wide aperture. Not only will this provide you with better low light capabilities, but also better bokeh (blurred backgrounds) often desired for portraits. The auto focus is fast, and even the Macro capabilities of the new G15 which can focus on subjects as close as 1cm to the lens is another highlight.

The Canon Powershot G15 may not as be small as the Powershot S110 or RX100, but it's also not too large to still fit easily in a jacket pocket. The G15 will still offer professionals a remote shutter input (for an Intervalometer - Time Lapse), full manual expsoure controls, RAW imaging, and a hot shoe port for flash photography. I won't dive in to too many of the specs about the G15 that are already scattered all over the Internet, but if you're a photographer looking for a smaller travel camera without the hassles of lens changes, I feel the G15 is a great buy. Check out additional specs at the product page via B&H (Click Here)

Canon G15 CameraCanon Powershot G15 Digital Camera
find-price-button Canon Powershot G15 Digital Camera

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Skyler MiniCam Video Stabilizer
find-price-button Skyler MiniCam DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

The Skyler MiniCam (seen above) is one of the smallest Video Camera Stabilizers around, and can still fly a fairly weighted DSLR Camera. It's an expensive piece of kit, but my favorite stabilizer to travel with. To make the Skyler even smaller and faster to setup, there's a new optional Transformer Legs kit. It allows you to fold the three counterweight legs instead of unscrewing each one on the for the Skyler MiniCam Video Camera Stabilizer.

Skyler Transformer LegsSkyler MIniCam Stabilizer Transform Legs
find-price-button Skyler MiniCam New Transformer Legs