Equipment Reviews

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Here's a (fairly lengthy) look at the Gini Rigs GH2 cage that provides all the cut outs to view controls and still have access to different ports around the camera. It looks like it's cut out to allow the LCD to still swing out also. No doubt it's high quality stuff, but there's been mixed complaints about the threading used on these cages as they may not be 1/4x20 accessible, but looking through the top area of the cage there seems to be different sized holes and threads. Maybe the new cages are supporting 1/4x20?

Still waiting to hear back from YouTube member feha1000 about that question, or if anyone else can chime in about a recent Gini Cage purchase. [Update] Here's the reply:

About 20 1/4" threads are on the top plate only the res M5 threads , and yes they work well with friction arms

Find more information on the Gini GH2 cage and other rigs following the link via eBay (click here).

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find-price-button Gini Panasonic GH2 Video Cage

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For those who wanted a better look at the Flycam Armbrace, here's a quick little show and tell. The Flycam Armbrace
is used to help carry some of the weight of a stabilizer off the wrist. Glidecam also sells a Forearm Brace (seen here), but it's bit more expensive and looks like it will only fit on the Glidecam due to the larger OD on the post.

One common question is 'Does the Flycam Armbrace work with the Glidecam?'. The answer is 'YES' the Flycam Armbrace does work with BOTH the Flycam and Glidecam HD1000, HD2000, and HD4000 stabilizers. It uses a smaller OD on top and steps to a larger OD for the bottom of the post (as seen in the video). Coincidence? You be the judge. Using an arm brace will help relieve some weight from the wrist, but keep in mind that it will not solve the weight carried from the Bicep and the stabilizer will still be just as heavy. The Flycam Forearm Arm brace can be found via eBay (click here).

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find-price-button Flycam Forearm Arm Brace for Flycam and Glidecam HD Stabilizer

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Genus-Xeme-Pocket-Rig

Unclear on this right now, but check out these folding Pocket Rigs that are showing up online. The unit folds up to about the size of a standard battery grip, and folds out to provide chest plate, and two 15mm rails for getting a follow focus mounted. They are showing up as GeniusXeme rigs and i'm wondering if these are just rebranded Edelkrone pocket rigs. These were a big hit just a few weeks ago at NAB2012 along with two new Follow Focus systems.

[Update] Edelkrone writes in and states that the rig below is a counterfeit and has not been authorized to manufacture or sell such rig. Obviously they will be contacting that company to have the product removed. You can find the original Pocket Rig from Edelkrone at https://Edelkrone.com.

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find-price-button Small 15mm Rig Folding Stabilizer via eBay

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Most of the editors I know work off the MacBook pro laptops, so I thought some people might find this information useful. Apple has patented and has been very protective about their MagSafe connector and has even sued a company for using it with an external battery back. Even though the company was purchasing the cables directly from Apple and then modifying it. Instead the company now offers a 'magic box' that splices into your existing MagSafe cable to work with their HyperJuice batteries (found here).

We recently took a trip out to NAB2012 and wanted to make sure we had enough mobile juice for our editor, and found that there was a cable available to work with our Tekkeon MP3450i battery packs that we have so many of. With all the Tekkeon batteries we have, this cable has been working perfectly and would provide us with many, many, many hours of run time for our MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and of course USB power to all of our iPhones, iPads, and other camera accessories. I'm not sure if Apple is going to try and step in again and shut the operation down, but Tekkeon uses a 'recycled' modified cable to connect with select Tekkeon batteries. Hope some of you find this tip useful if you're looking to get some additional run time on your MagSafe powered MacBook Laptops.

The MagSafe cable can be found on the Tekkeon website (click here), and the Tekkeon batteries we are using are available via B&H (click here).

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find-price-button Tekkeon MyPower All Battery for 600 / 900 LED Panels

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Video on the iPhone is not perfect, but it's the most convenient camera most of us seem to always have available and readily on hand. Just for kicks, we even covered MACWorld this year entirely on just iPhones and it was a fun experience. Here's an interesting product for those who share the same enthusiasm - the Fostex AR-4i Audio Interface. [Thanks Olphus] B&H has even dedicated an entire 7 minutes of video showcasing features of the Fostex which has two microphones, headphone monitoring, LED audio meters, Low Cut filters, and limiters through the software. Comes with it's own handle, a thumb wheel gain control and even cold shoe to mount other camera accessories like an LED video light. I personally know several mobile bloggers that would find this type of accessory quite useful. The video is worth a look even if you don't shoot video with the iPhone and maybe just use it as a portable audio recorder. Available via B&H following the link (click here).

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find-price-button Fostex AR-4i Audio Interface for iPhone 4

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This video is complete rambling about different feature sets of a few 'Small Camera stabilizers' I use. I have quite a few very large ones as well, but for now i'm just touching on these specifically because they are so close in what audience they are intended for. The three small stabilizers i'm showing are the Flycam Nano, the Glidecam HD1000, and the Skyler MiniCam (new and old). If you're not interested in knowing about the differences of such products, I suggests you skip this video since it's quite lengthy.

I'll start by saying that it's possible to get excellent results from ALL of these stabilizers. Don't be fooled to thinking you'll be achieving excellent results on the first day, even if you wanted to spend thousands of dollars on high end gear. With any stabilizer, it will require practice, practice, and even more practice. This video will probably generate more questions, but hopefully it's an insight of the different things to look for when shopping for a stabilizer.

Flycam:
The Flycam Nano does not have the best fit and finish as the other stabilizers, so obviously it will be much cheaper. It also does not carry the fine tuning knobs of a Glidecam HD series stabilizer. The Flycam Nano does not come with any type of Quick release system to make packing up and re-balancing more convenient.

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find-price-button Flycam Nano Video Camera Stabilizer

Glidecam: The Glidecam HD1000 has a quick release system, fine tuning knobs, and has better overall build quality and aesthetics. The quick release system will help you remove your camera from the stabilizer when you need to pack up, and makes it easy to get the camera back in the right spot for rebalancing. The fine tuning knobs help get very accurate alignment.
Note: Recently Glidecam released an XR version of their stabilizers which is cheaper, but will lack the QR plate and fine tuning knobs. (click here to see Glidecam XR-1000 via eBay)

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find-price-button Glidecam HD1000 Small Video Camera Stabilizer

Skyler MiniCam: The Skyler MiniCam is the most expensive of these three small stabilizers. It's also the smallest and lightest, but yet can still fly just as much weight. You can remove all of the parts from the Skyler for travel and set it back up without having to rebalance. Everything falls perfectly in alignment. It also offers a quick release stage - not only for packing up, but it can be used to move your camera to a tripod, slider, cage, rig, etc with the included 'mounting base plate'. The design of the lower sled makes it easy to adjust up and down for weight compensation, and does not have the same potential to shift (like the Glidecam and Flycam models). Build quality is top notch.

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find-price-button Skyler MiniCam Video Camera Stabilizer Kit

If you're just starting out, doing it as a hobby, or just curious about flying camera movements you could start on the lower end. The actual practice of flying a stabilizer is more important than the stabilizer itself. Sell it off later when you're ready to upgrade or try renting one for a weekend to see if it's something you're interested in, and how often you think you'll be using it. If you're already flying a stabilizer and need more of the convenience of fine tuning knobs, quick release plates, compact for travel, and ease of rebalance, then look for the higher end models that offer some of those features like the Glidecam HD or Skyler Minicam.

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If you're interested in keeping scratches or wear marks off your camera, there's a number of different Silicone skins. Here's a video from YouTube member ZepsTips showing the fit and finish of the Delkin Snug Fit Silicone body armor on a Canon 60D. [Thanks Chris] These are available for most popular Canon and Nikon DSLR camera bodies following the link (click here).

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find-price-button Delkin Snug Fit Silicone Camera Body Armor

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NAB2012 - SmallHD announces 2 new DP7 LCD Monitors to add to their lineup and also a very clever molded 5D Mark II HDMI lock that attaches to the D-Ring (normally where the camera strap resides), and still provides access to all your other inputs. Currently I have the SmallHD DP4 (EVF) and the DP6 which works perfectly in our workflow. I don't know if i'll be able to afford the new DP7 LCD monitors, but i'm sure in for the HDMI lock. The information will be available at SmallHD.com

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Vimeo member Zolinger puts up an example of a compact video jib. Pretty cool stuff, but I have to say it looks very very close to some other models available on eBay for about half the price. You make the decision.

Here's a link to Zolinger's eBay store (click here)

Zolinger Video Crane Jib
find-price-button Zolinger Camera Jib.

Here's where you can find what looks like the exact same camera cranes for sometimes less than half the price (including pan head and tripod).

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find-price-button Video Camera Cranes Video Jib