Equipment Reviews

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Another review based around the recent Budget Follow Focus which has been coined as the RJ Follow Focus. (More news on that soon). This review from Just Basl Productions is a bit longer more thorough and should answer any questions you have, and also compares it against another Follow Focus system. A few people have mentioned about the QC (quality control) of these FF's coming out of the factory. Assembly might be a bit inconsistent, so if you receive yours with a little bit of play there are a few screws inside the gear box that can be tightened up.

General Consensus from buyers of the RJ FF? It's good, and for the price - it's great. Oh and don't forget you'll need a set of Rails to mount something like this, and sometimes you can get killer deals with the Gini Rigs.

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find-price-button Gini DSLR Rig Stabilizer Kits

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find-price-button DSLR Follow Focus with Lens Gears

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When you need to support a bit of weight for a new 4ft Jib / Crane or Camera Slider, you'll need a solid base. As an inexpensive solution i've been suggesting the FT9901SLV. I have no issues with this tripod under my short 3 foot Konova slider or the latest 4ft. Glideshot crane, but under heavier loads (like my 8ft. crane), the 75mm bowl mount can slip.

Davis Sanford FM18 Head
(Above) Davis & Sanford FM18 Fluid Head

To carry the most amount of weight, you'll need to grab a set of sticks and a fluid head that isn't based on the bowl mount like this Davis & Sanford (Owned by Tiffen Company) ATPG18 w/ FM18 Fluid Head. Normally sold on Amazon and other spots for about $240, B&H has a decent price drop (Limited Quantity) on this beefy set of ATPG18 All Terrain legs with Geared Center Column, and heavy duty FM18 fluid head. Not a bead deal while they last...

Davis Sanford FM18 Fluid Head Tripod
find-price-button Davis & Sanford ATPG18 w/ FM18 Fluid Head

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Roller bearing sliders have a love/hate relationship. Some people love the smooth no friction action, and some people hate the inconsistencies they might get without friction. Thanks for Martin for tipping me off on this review. YouTube member AYFilms gives us a review of the Camtree Micro Dolly. We've all seen IGUS Drylin based sliders, but with this Camtree Micro Dolly version they provide an optional pulley system. They are also using one of the widest rails available from IGUS which handles much better than the smaller and narrower versions.

Camtree Micro Dolly Slider Pulley IGUS

The IGUS rails work on dry (plastic-like) bearings that actually slide (not roll) across the rail. One thing to keep in mind with these friction sliders is you want to center the weight as best as possible. Too much over the side and you'll have unequal tension. The pulley system not only offers additional tension to make sliding more consistent, but pulls the carrier from the lowest point to provide less binding. As mentioned in the video, with the pulley crank removed, you're pretty much 80% the way to making a motorized slider or motion controlled timelapse rig. The Camtree Micro Dolly comes with Pulley system, Quick Release Adapter, and Foam padded Travel Case.

Camtree IGUS Pulley Slider
find-price-button Camtree Micro Dolly IGUS Slider w/ Pulley

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Planning on shooting some off camera flash photos? Here's a decent kit to diffuse that lighting for portraits or product photography. If you hate setting up and breaking down softboxes (like I do), then these umbrella/softbox hybrid light modifiers work great. Often referred to as Brolly Boxes, the shoot through diffusers pack up small, set up quick, and provide nice soft even lighting on your subject. Yes, you could do the same shooting through a normal umbrella, but if you don't block the light being reflected backwards, you'll get quite a different look than how softboxes perform. Two Brolly Boxes, two Stands, two Flash Brackets, and a bag completes the kit.

Brolly Box Kits
find-price-button Umbrella Softbox Brolly Box Light Stand Kit

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When it's time to pack for a shoot, i'm a roller bag kinda guy. Easier on the back, and a good way to transport heavy gear. Instead of using one very large roller, I use several FAA approved Airline Carry On sized roller cases. It keeps me from making one case too heavy, easier to fit into smaller cars, and still serves a purpose for airplane travel. Now my current rollers I purchased a while back. I'm definitely due to purchase at least two more rollers, and when I do, here's my direction.

Thinktank SecurityThink Tank Security
find-price-button Think Tank Security Roller Bag Case

First, I'm sure people will point out the Think Tank Security Carry On Rolling Hard Case. Nice case, but upwards of about $400 dollars for a single Roller (not easy on the wallet).

LowePro x100 Roller
find-price-buttonLowePro DSLR Camera Roller Bag Case

Head on over to eBay and do a search for 'Camera Roller'. Yeah you're not going to find any good deals doing it that way either. You'll most likely run into the LowePro x100 Carry On Roller that runs just over $200. Again nice roller, but still not the best deal IMHO. Even the smaller LowePro rollers run quite a bit.

Here's what you should be looking for - The Pelican 1510 Carry On.
red-epic-pelican.
In fact this is the case that's bundled with the Red EPIC camera which starts at $58,000 dollars (shown above). It's a hard case roller that you can grab (empty) for just over $110 dolllars. Waterproof, Dust Proof, and Crush Proof - Can't get that in the LowePro or Think Tank. The Pelican cases have a reputation to be rough and rugged. What's great is that you can build a case to suit your needs, and even replace or repair parts should you ever find a way to do some real damage. New O'Rings? New Locks? New Waterproof Liners? Find a used Pelican and you can bring her back to life. The 1510 is basically future proof.

Pelican 1510 Case
find-price-button Pelican 1510 Carry On Size Roller Hard Case

Choose the one with the Pluck Foam inserts and your looking at about $30 dollars more from the empty case. You can also go with the optional Padded Dividers and tack on that lid organizer for small parts. Not looking to use it for your camera gear? Switch out the inserts and change the carry on roller into your Overnight luggage. There's also Laptop dividers you can add to the lid areas. The Pelican 1510 is a modular hard case roller with features other cases twice it's price can't begin to compare to. Albeit not cheap, the Pelican 1510 Carry On sized Rolling Hard Case is a solid roller I think gives the best bang for the buck.

Pelican 1510 Roller Camera Bag CasePelican 1510Screen shot 2011-06-20 at 12.41.15 AMPelican Padded Dividers
find-price-button Pelican 1510 Carry On Size Roller Hard Case

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Here's a couple of small packs I recommended. When I just want to carry the bare minimum, my lightweight bag is a Lowepro Fastpack 100. I chose this one, because I hate the single sling setups. With the sling, there's just too much weight on one shoulder. Using the double straps evens out the weight. The really simple design also doesn't scream 'Look I have a camera in here'. I'm able to fit a Canon DSLR with a 24-70mm in the bottom area and another lens in the top part. Plenty of space for media cards, lens cleaners, and filters. If you're shooting with smaller cameras, there's more than enough room in the 100, but of course there's larger versions available too.

Lowepro Fastpack 100Fastpack 100 DSLR Bag
find-price-button Lowepro Fastpack 100 DSLR BackPack

The Fastpack 100 is a great small pack (I actually have two), but the Flipside versions from LowePro are just a bit larger and the next step up to being able to hold a Tripod and a long lens. It's called the Flipside because of the way you gain access to the gear which is both functional for keeping things out of the dirt, and safer from pick pocketing sticky fingered thieves. If you need to hold a Tripod, carry longer lenses, or external Flashes, the Flipside 200 would be a good start. There's also larger versions of the Flipside available too.

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find-price-button Lowepro Flipside 200 Backpack (Black)

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Opteka's new 23" Slider video sample from Vimeo member skooKILLfilms. Camera used was the Canon 60D + 18-135mm kit lens and Samyang 8mm. The Opteka 23" slider is based on the IGUS rails, and offers a decent start for those who aren't looking to modify or DIY their own. It's an inexpensive slider that can provide excellent results, especially if you're shooting on a smaller format camera like the Sony NEX or Micro Four Thirds system, these linear rails should work fine.

opteka-slider
find-price-button Opteka DSLR Video Camera Sliders

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Here's a couple of things I highly recommend you should already have with your lenses. The day you purchase your new camera lens, the store will always suggest you buy it with at least a basic UV Filter. I'm not going to argue about the price and quality of the stuff they are pushing, but it's a very important thing to have. A basic UV filter isn't anything special that will dramatically change your images, but it will protect your front element from dirt, oil, dust, and most importantly scratches.

If you get a single scratch or mark on your lens, you're throwing good money out the door. Let the filter take the hit, and just replace the filter. If you walked away from the store without one, you need to at least throw something on there, and you'll find many for under a few dollars.

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find-price-button Camera Video Lens UV FIlter

Next item to care for your lenses is a pouch or a sleeve. Even some high end Canon L lenses don't come with decent lens pouches, just a gray bag and a pull strap. Regardless, you need something, anything. Not only will it protect from scratches, moisture (throw in a silica gel bag into the pouch), but also dust. Dust finds it way into 'everything'. Neoprene pouches (same as surfing wet suit material) can be had for as little as $3 dollars.

Lens Pouches
find-price-button Photo Video Camera Lens Pouches

Another inexpensive item you can grab for a single dollar or two - The Lens Pen Brush. Most of us don't have room for Compressed Air Cans. Those Liquid Bottles and Cleaning cloths are mainly used to clean up oil, but aren't the best for dusting off your lens. In fact, you should 'Dust before you Wipe'. Dust can sometimes be very abrasive and taking a cloth to it could be damaging.

If you see a few specs of dust on your filter, or in between the filter and your front lens element, don't reach for it with your finger. Don't try to swipe it with your T-Shirts (laundry softners have wax). Simply pull out your lens pen, push out the brush bristles, give it a good shake and then lightly dust away those tiny particles. You can brag about your thousand dollar cameras, lenses, and big budget shoots, but a spec of dust on your lens has the potential of ruining everything.

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find-price-button Lens Brush Dusting Pen

These lens pen brushes are so cheap, I purchased a dozen. I keep them everywhere. I'll use them to dust my laptop screens, keyboards, camera lenses, filters, and more. Small yet incredibly useful. There's a long list of things you should have as well, but these three very inexpensive items should give you a good start on maintaining your investment in lenses.

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Rokinon 35mm F/1.4
find-price-button Rokinon 35mm F/1.4 For Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Pentax

Just talking about how well reviewed the Rokinon 85mm F/1.4 lens was, and now here's a bit about the Rokinon 35mm F/1.4. First off, this is the same as the Samyang but since it's a different name, you'll save about $100 dollars off the retail price.

For Nikon, the Rokinon 35mm F/1.4 lens actually has a 'focus confirmation chip' built in. Why did they not include this for the other brands? The Rokinon 85mm F/1.4 comes in at an excellent price range, and I would say very affordable. This new 35mm F/1.4 sounds good, but it's going to have some very very stiff competition. In this area you could still get the wildly popular Sigma 30mm F/1.4 for cheaper, and that comes with full Auto Focus.

The Sigma 30mm F/1.4 has already been proven out in the field and is a very sharp lens for cheaper than than the Rokinon 35mm. The Sigma 30mm is just a tad wider, but that's a good thing especially for cropped cameras. If prices don't change, in my opinion the Sigma is the lens to get. A quick note to Micro Four Thirds shooters - the Sigma 30mm F/1.4 has been discontinued for Four Thirds cameras. If you're considering this for a GH2 (would need an FT to MFT adapter), there might be a few left in retail spots like Amazon Here, or check a few eBay Auctions Here.

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find-price-button Sigma 30mm F/1.4