An unboxing video from YouTube member Michael19801234 of the latest Opteka SteadyVid Pro Video Stabilizer. The adjustable arch is a design used in some stabilizers to change the weight ratio - more or less bottom heavy. The lower the weight from the Gimbal, the more weight it should be able to support. Judging by the weights and distance, it should have no problems flying the 5lbs. it claims. Currently the Amazon product page has a special promotion for the free cleaning kit.
The very early DSLR Cages from Gini supported standard 15mm rods, and basic 1/4 x 20 threads. In the last few weeks, there's been dozens of comments regarding some major changes in his designs that no longer support Industry Standard mounts. WTF Gini? There's no real rhyme or reason, other than he might be working on future 'proprietary' accessory mounts that you'd probably have to pick up from him. So I would stay clear from any of the cages, but luckily his DSLR rigs are still the best deal for the quality and Industry Standard. (Click here to see Gini DSLR Cage Designs)
Ironic that something like this could happen, because I have had in my hands the final designs for the new PNC (photographyandcinema.com) DSLR Cages. I posted an article about these cages earlier here: http://cheesycam.com/pnc-dslr-cage-brackets/. These new cages (industry standard of course) will have be offered in very affordable version, and one with a little more machine work and feature set.
If you're shopping for a nice quality affordable DSLR cage, you might steer clear of the Gini (non-standard) designs, and hang tight for the new PNC stuff coming out soon. Make sure to follow me on Twitter when that's announced...
I shoot a lot with smaller cameras, and i've tried plenty of small camera sliders. The IGUS was the best thing working for me when I cut it down to about 24", but now it's all about Varavon's new Slidecam Lite. This thing is very light, but solid. I'm very pleased with the overall build and finish of the product. The only thing I wished they would have provided is a seperate pouch for the legs. Everything is placed inside the slider bag, but once you unpack the bubble wrap you'll be putting the legs in with the slider. I feel like the aluminum legs will be scuffing together. It would have been nice to see separate pouches for the legs like what Konova provides.
[Update] Here's a link to the Slidecam Lite manual on how to adjust Friction with the Bearings (click here).
I don't plan to use it for much more than my small vacations and casual travel plans, but it feels like it slide a normal sized DSLR with a wide lens pretty good. This thing is not too short, not too long, and easy to hang on my camera backpack. I'll have a video up soon where I show what's in the bag and have it next to the larger Konova K5 Slider for size reference. If you like shooting with smaller cameras, but still want all the creativeness a slider, this Varavon is definitely a must have in the gear bag and it only took a few days to get here.
Mike writes in and asks if anyone has any feedback on a couple of Camtree 2000 LED video light panels. The lights can be powered optionally through a set of V-Mount batteries, are dimmable, and come with a few of colored gels. I don't know anyone who uses any of the Camtree stuff, so I can't really speak to the accuracy of color, build quality, or light output. Maybe you guys can chime in.
These look like (2) 1000 LED panels sandwiched into one housing. Personally I don't know if that's a good thing if you're trying to travel and pack down small. It's almost the same as buying two separate 1000 LED lights and mount them to one stand. If it were up to me, i'd stick with getting two 900 LED light panels which can also be powered via V-Mount batteries and can pack up easier. I've pretty much abused a few sets of the lights and only experienced one broken power cord. I guess the wiring inside the cable must have broke, but for the 600 and 900 panels, it's just a basic 14V DC (laptop type) power cord. Very common to find on eBay.
They do have a 1200 LED light panel version, but unlike the 600 and 900 it requires 24V. This doesn't make it compatible with V-Mount or any average battery power. I like the option, so I stuck to several 600 and 900 LED panels. The 600 and 900 LED panels are also a bit smaller making them easier to pack in common sized luggage when traveling. All of the lights still work great, so I can safely recommend these over other lights in it's price range.
The cheap Speed Crank came in the other day. It's a perfect fit on the Gini iFocus Follow Focus which is pretty standard 12x12, so it would work well on other FFs too. It does have a retro '1980's PacMan Arcade Joystick Red' color, but can easily be coated. The Red knob actually screws off if you wanted to mount something else, like say Dice or a Skull. LOL. The rest of the unit is all black anodized aluminum, not cheap plastic. For the price, i'm not complaining, quite happy actually. You can push or pull the FF with a single finger, and feels like there's a bit more control. I guess it's just more leverage with a longer lever.
If you need to have your hands further from a Follow Focus, there are a number of whips available now too. These whips vary in lengths from short to very long, and are slightly flexible so that you can turn the follow focus from different positions around the camera. Helpful for someone who's managing a shoulder rig alone, or if you have someone pulling focus for you. Flexible Follow Focus Whip
There were a few questions on whether or not the Varavon Slidecam Lite had a brake system. Although the video always shows such a robust setup, the Slidecam Lite is a completely new slider product for Varavon targeting lightweight cameras. The more affordable Slidecam Lite is offered as small as 24" for the growing market of people who travel with small lightweight cameras. This new video just posted today, shows a bit more of the features including the brake and how the legs are assembled. This new version is the smallest of several different Sliders from Varavon, and they can be found via eBay (click here).
Just a quick look at the Konova K3 and K5 sliders. Average users won't notice the difference, but the K5 is overall heavier, has a larger inside rail, and larger bearings inside the carrier. So the new upgraded legs with the unusual platform design was something Konova planned several months ago (way back in November). The notched out platform on each end of the new sliders are used for attaching future upgrade kits such as the Crank Pulley system and (not yet released) Motorized Upgrade Kit.
If you don't already have the new legs, you can purchase the upgrade kit from Konova's website. The new legs should also come with the new Carrier stage that is designed to align with the Crank Pulley belt guide (as in the video). If you are planning to upgrade the legs on your slider, you might want to wait until the Crank Pulley system is officially available to see if they might offer some type of 'Upgrade Legs + Crank System Bundle'. The new Crank Pulley system should be available in a few weeks, and I have no exact pricing yet. Some are saying it might run approximately $150 dollars.[Update] The new Crank and Pulley system is Available Now.
YouTube video from Fstoppers shows some features of the latest Pocket Wizard Plus III Transceivers (same unit can transmit and receive). They are really stepping up their game, and it's an entirely different unit compared to earlier version Pocket Wizard Plus system. The new Pocket Wizard Plus III was just recently announced, but is already available for pre-order (click here).
So after the prototype DIY Jib Brackets touched down in the studio, I visited my local hardware store (Representing Orchard Hardware Supply, you know WestSide! Throwin' up the 'W'). Anyways, that's what my shopping cart looked like with plain super lightweight AL square tubing on the left, and perforated square tubing to the right. The AL is 1" and 3/4" square tubes. On the right is 1.25" + 1" perforated tube which is easier to work with - no drilling required. Perforated tubes are not in every hardware store, but they are also not difficult to track down if you call your local Metal Market. You can see some of these on Amazon (seen here). With one tube larger than the other, you can create a telescoping jib. This of course is not necessary, you can just use one solid piece for both top and bottom. My top tube is 4ft. long and the bottom is 3ft. long.
These Prototype brackets were designed with Steel. Heavy duty stuff, and once all the parts are assembled, the structural integrity is solid. With this design, we were able to eliminate the requirement for welded parts, which is time consuming and costly for manufacturing jibs. Being able to offer just the brackets also saves the end user from shipping costs due to weight and length of packaging. Once you get your hands on these brackets (if the idea ever flies), then it literally takes a few minutes of assembly with basic nuts and bolts and you'll be flying whatever size crane you can think of. A goal was to offer the complete set of brackets, nuts, bolts, nylon bearings, lock nuts, etc. for around $15 bucks. Will it happen? Don't know, but it sure is fun playing with ideas....
Opteka SteadyVid PRO Video Stabilizer
. With one tube larger than the other, you can create a telescoping jib. This of course is not necessary, you can just use one solid piece for both top and bottom. My top tube is 4ft. long and the bottom is 3ft. long.