Equipment Reviews

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Lensse-CamWheels-Dolly
find-price-button Lensse Cam.Wheels Dolly

It's bound to happen, so here's another version of a ready made rotating video dolly newly to the market. This one comes from the little known company Lensse. Obviously it does what other rotating dollies can do, but unless it's wider than what appears in the photos, the narrow stage doesn't seem like it's going to be practical for some type of a Fluid head mount. Hmm..might be good for tiny cameras and a mini fluid head?

DSLR-Media-Rig

Next one (above) looks very similar to a DVTEC MultiRig Pro. If you're not familiar with what that is, you can find some Vimeo videos here: https://vimeo.com/search/videos/search:dvtec/e30032e7. It's a multi configuration type rig that can go from shoulder support to handheld. Doesn't look to have all the pieces of a true DVTEC, but it doesn't have all the price of one either. You should check out the link below to see all the different configurations this type of camera support can origami into..

dslr-rig-shoulder-mount-kit
find-price-button DSLR Rig Shoulder Mount Video Kit

Next item (below) another Video Stabilizer based off of the Merlin, Hague, Lensse, IndieHardware design. Yeah I know right? Even clones can get cloned. Well to be fair, it looks closer to the IndieHardware over anything else. Love the write up in the auction about being 'The Secret Weapon" and "Latest Innovation". LOL. While the others are set on pricing, at least this starter is throwing out a few auctions.

Screen shot 2011-02-22 at 11.14.25 AM
find-price-button Twice Cloned Video Camera Stabilizer

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I've had the chance to work with Arri's 650 and 1000 watt lighting kits a few times and they are beautiful. The fresnels allow the lights to be adjusted in Flood or Spot which makes them easier to throw the light where you need it. Of course, they are a bit pricey. Just a few months ago I posted an article about certain lighting kits that claimed to be 'As Arri' found here: http://cheesycam.com/arri-blueline-jietu-fresnel-lighting/

As Arri light kit review samples

These 'As Arri' lighting kits sold at less than a third the price and claimed to be an exact 1:1 replica of Arri lighting kits. So close in fact many of the replacement parts can be ordered from Arri such as the bulbs, Fresnel glass lens, ballast, barn doors, scrims, etc. They are available in 150, 300, 500, 650, 1000, and 2000 watts. The most common kit being a 3 pc 650w should cover most situations.

Not much information is available on the web, so these still aren't very popular, but just recently a brave soul (Vimeo Member) Josh Donnelly took a chance and posted a video review. Looks like it's time to bump this one back up on the wish list.... [Thanks Josh]

blue-line-jietu-fresnel
find-price-button 150w - 2000w Fresnel Lighting Kits 'as Arri'

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[Video and Audio are terrible. Shot with a cheap Point and Shoot]

Not sure if the post shows up, but it's about 1:00 a.m. (in the morning). I received a super last minute call to help out with some Glidecam work on an event. So I decided to hack something up which I think would be helpful. When flying on this Glidecam i'm closing down the aperture to keep things in focus. This means less light. So I decided to mod a few RC batteries together to power up the 352 LED Ring Light. It's bright, it's well diffused, and it's dimmable. It's the perfect light source for what i'm trying to achieve during this event. [BTW the light at the end of this video is turned all the way down - it gets brighter!]

In order to mount the large 352 LED Ring light, I needed to raise up the 60D with a battery grip and then place it on top of a Calumet quick release adapter. A few flexible power arms kept the LED Ring light mounted and also the Rode VideoMic Pro in place. With the 60D Manual Audio + Rode VideoMic Pro +20db, it sounds really good. Anyways, this rig might be overkill so I also balanced out my 7D on the Glidecam HD1000 for times I don't need lighting or audio. Ok, time to nap. Could be a long day...

dimmable-352-ring-light
find-price-button 352 LED Ring Light with 12V AC Adapter

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The original SpiderTrax Dolly is no longer available via PhotographyAndCinema.com, but the Korean company Konova copied the design pretty much dead on. This would be the better alternative aside from making one on your own. Here's some friends working with the dolly during Valentine's day. They let the dolly control all the camera movements with no fluid head. Since there wouldn't be any panning involved during the motion, they mounted a simple Heavy Duty ball head normally used for photography.

fancier-heavy-ball-head
find-price-button Professional Heavy Duty Ball Head Quick Release

By just using the wood flooring, table tops, counters, and other flat surfaces, they were able to achieve a variety of different movements you can't replicate with just a straight slider. For areas that might not be completely smooth, you can carry a roll of Heavy vinyl plastic (comes in rolls) found at any hardware or fabric store. This Vinyl material will even allow you to run on firm carpet. If you haven't had time to make one or if you're not rockin' a rotating dolly yet, this gives you an idea of how versatile it can be. It's an extremely inexpensive tool that can boost your entire video production with these unique movements. [Thanks Guys]

konova-skater-dolly
find-price-button Rotating Video Camera Skater Dolly

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Austin Wilson from DVRebellion puts the $30 dollar shoulder support 'offset' piece to a weight test. I've seen this piece crack twice on items I have, and it seemed to break in the same place. Have they fixed a possible mold issue? Not sure, but i'm personally not taking that chance. I'm pretty happy with the Express35 RigX setup on the main shoulder support and toss out the offset. Either way, it's a good test he's put it through that still shows the main shoulder support is extremely sturdy. [Thanks Austin]

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find-price-button Cheap Shoulder Support for Video Camera

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LED-Flood-Light

Odd color or not, people are finding the cheap UFO camping lights pretty useful. You can't beat $5 dollars shipped I guess. So remember the idea of using Halogen shop lights from here? http://cheesycam.com/diy-halogen-shop-light-mod/

Here's another one that might get the hamster wheels in your heads spinning. Cheesycam reader Pawel writes in and links me to some inexpensive outdoor high power LED flood lights. These LED flood lights are designed to take abuse with a weatherproof housing and come with a positionable mounting bracket. The bracket should make it real easy to mount to a traditional light stand. Available in 10W [might be too little] - all they way up to more than 100W, there's plenty of light power to go around. These are commonly used to light up parking lots, street lamps, and buildings. I'm finding that the higher power lights go to a more bluish temp, while the lower 10-20W LED Flood lights are a warmer tone around 3200-3500K (about Tungsten). Around 65W is said to have a 5600K color temp.

LED flood light

A further search even shows that these lights are available in both AC power and 12V DC and some listings show a 160 degree beam angle. That's pretty wide. 12V DC would be pretty nice to run right off battery power at remote locations. Keep in mind that these high power LEDs will still generate a little bit of heat, but nothing compared to what Halogens would be putting out. I'm in on this idea and maybe i'll check my local hardware stores to see if they have any on hand. Oh and if you're the colorful type, somewhere i've also seen that they make color changing versions.. Another idea for color changing backgrounds..
[Thanks Pawel]

LED-High-Power-FloodLight
find-price-button High Power Outdoor LED Flood Lighting

Some additional search results for High Power LED Lighting below:

LED flood light
High Power LED Outdoor Flood Lighting

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Looks like a Manfrotto 577 Rapid Connect Adapter w/Sliding Mounting Plate right? It sure could be, but guess what - it's not Manfrotto. On sale right now this QR adapter sells for about 40% of the Manfrotto price. The specs over at the Calumet website doesn't state anything about being Manfrotto compatible or as a Manfrotto replacement part. I called the store and they weren't even sure if it was.

I don't know why they don't state it anywhere on the specs of the product, but it does look to be the exact same QR adapter and Plate design. The question I had was 'Is it really compatible?'. So I just put this quick release through the tests and it sure is compatible in every means. If you're looking for a QR adapter for all your Glidecam, Flycam, Sliders, or Jibs, it's a bonus that this inexpensive one is Manfrotto compatible. Right now it's on sale and there's only a limited supply in every store. If you were wondering too, here's the answer..


calumet-quick-release-adapter
find-price-button Quick Release Adapter + Plate (not Manfrotto branded)

If you're just in need of the plate itself, they have that available too (again not stating Manfrotto Compatible)
calumet-sliding-plate
find-price-button Sliding Plate (not Manfrotto branded)

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I love me some RedRock Micro gear, but unfortunately i'm just one of those poor souls who can't afford even their entry level stuff. As seen in the image below, this is just one bundle in the line up of RedRock Micro's Nano rigs called the Running Man. Pretty solid piece of gear that doesn't look quite overkill. Light weight, sturdy, sets up fast, and packs down small. Nice little stabilizer for the frequent traveler. You can find the Running Man rig here: Redrock Micro nano - RunningMan

RedRockMicro-Running-Man

Having a few spare parts around the studio, just decided to mount the Calumet Mini Tripod / Handle to a Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods. The bearing on the shoulder support spins freely, but by adding a handle under the camera, you can keep it steady. It's also handy having the handle break out into a Tripod to rest the gear down (gotcha on that one RedRock..JK).

DIY-Shoulder-Brace (1 of 1)

Would be an interesting travel brace for a smaller camera like the GH1, GH2, Sony NEX, or A55. I don't know..all for fun...

calumet-mini-tripod
find-price-button Calumet Mini Tripod Handle

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find-price-button Manfrotto 361 Shoulder brace for Monopods

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Can't decide between a slider that 'just slides' or a slider with actual 'roller bearings'? (Technically, I guess that would make it a roller) There's a mix bag of shooters who prefer one over the other, but here's a new 'tweener. Glidetrack was teasing everyone with their new Hybrid camera slider a few weeks ago that uses a new hybrid Roller/Slider bearing, and it's now available to purchase online.

Looks like it's still based off of the IGUS Drylin rails with the new IGUS Hybrid bearings, but there's some custom work done on the actual carrier and adjustable legs. Obviously price is going to be pricier than the normal versions from Glidetrack. In fact, for the price of 1 single Glidetrack Hybrid you could almost score two Konova full roller bearing sliders of the same length. No descriptions on variable friction, but there is a hard brake stop to keep it locked down while moving around. If you're interested in hybrid designs, the Glidetrack Hybrid sliders / rollers are available in a variety of lengths from 20" (0.5m) - 78" (2m). You can find the prices below.

Screen shot 2011-02-15 at 10.23.45 PM
find-price-button Glidetrack Hybrid Slider Uses Sliding AND Roller Bearings