Equipment Reviews

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rode-videomic-pro
find-price-button Rode VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun Microphone

Not long ago Rode announced a new VideoMic Pro and now it's available. Didn't I just grab a new Microphone Windscreen over my VideoMic? This does not appear to be a replacement for the already popular VideoMic, but a new microphone altogether. Smaller form factor, better shock mounting, external switches, and a new +20db setting. Price obviously is more than the non-Pro VideoMic, but the new shock mount and smaller form factor already has me sold. Unlike the large VideoMic, this new VideoMic 'Pro' won't look as awkward when mounting on the smaller GH2 camera.

More Rode VideoMic Specs can be found here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/744768-REG/Rode_VIDEOMIC_PRO_VideoMic_Pro_Compact_Shotgun.html

Varizoom-Stabilizer-Tripod
find-price-button Varizoom CrossFire Video Camera Stabilizers

If you've been hiding under a rock, you might have missed all the ads for Varizoom's Crossfire stabilizer. Seems like they are really pushing this product towards DSLR shooters. It's a hand held video stabilizer that combines a tripod as the lower weight. When you're not running around, you've got a tripod ready to go. This is another product similar to their stabilizer/monopod a.k.a 'FlowPod'. How well does it work? I don't know, but it's set at a price where i'm not willing to find out. So unless you really need a set of sticks under your stabilizer, you can find it here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/750674-REG/VariZoom_VZ_CROSSFIRE_CrossFire_FP_Stabilizer.html

vello-battery-grips
find-price-button Vello Battery grips for Canon and Nikon

If you're in the market for a Battery grip but don't want to pay the OEM prices, you might be shopping for aftermarket. If you're a bit hesitant on choosing after market battery grips coming from overseas then maybe the new Vello line of grips might be up your alley. Available for both Canon and Nikon in select models, shipped from the big retailer B&H Photo Video should you run into any issues. Found here: Vello Battery Grips

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vfinder
find-price-button New LCD View Finder for Canon T2i, 5D Mark II, 7D and other 3″ LCD’s

Ok, I received this earlier in the mailbox but got caught up in a long shoot today. I'll get back in the studio tomorrow to shoot some photos comparing it with other viewfinders, but I wanted to at least point you guys to this new line of viewfinders. These photos are from the store. Quality is great for the price. If you were happy with the LCDVF 'clones', you'll be even more happy with this version, especially since even the clones are over priced now.

A great looking design with different versions available to support the T2i LCD's (which means 60D aspect), and a version for the Canon 5D Mark II & 7D. I'm not a Nikon shooter, but I believe if it's a standard 3 inch LCD, the proper 3" version (5DM2 version) should work fine. It comes with a very large soft comfortable eyecup (that you don't need to buy seperately), and i'll test later if it works with my Blue Star eye cushion too. The magnets are different than the cheap stuff and feels very solid. There's some notches on the metal frame I believe helps keep the item from shifting and coming loose. I'll have to test the fit on a GH2 to see what that looks like.

carryspeed-vfinder

t2i-viewfnder

large-eye-cup
find-price-button New LCD View Finder for Canon T2i, 5D Mark II, 7D and other 3" LCD's

Also Available via Amazon
carry-speed-amazon-viewfinde
New LCD View Finder for Canon T2i, 5D Mark II, 7D and other 3″ LCD’s

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Vimeo Member Leo Silve went through the trouble of shooting this video to share what he's been doing to get a personalized comfortable budget shoulder rig put together. It's a lengthy video, but it's shot to explain from start to finish why all the parts were selected in his build. In the video you'll see a few different pieces used including the inexpensive shoulder support and Macro rail used for an offset. There's also a follow focus and some Ikan pieces thrown in to complete his lightweight setup. [Thanks Leo]

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Hunter writes in and shares one of his recent budget purchases. It's a collapsible 43" Light Disc with 5 Different color reflectors including white, silver, and gold. Perfect lightweight solution If you're looking for a simple, fast, effective way to throw some fill light onto a subject. It can also be used as a bounce when using flash photography, a small scrim, or light diffuser with continuous lighting kits. Follow the link to find some even cheaper deals if you're looking for something a bit smaller than 43". [Thanks Hunter]


5-1-reflector
find-price-button 5 in 1 Portable 43" Reflector

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If you've collected quite a bit of accessories to your DSLR and are now shopping for a DSLR cage, nobody makes a better one than Letus. You can see some of my images here: http://cheesycam.com/more-canon-60d-on-letus-gear/. The auction isn't mine BTW, mine is always in rotation...

Of course, it normally takes a good chunk of change to get into one, but maybe not today. A Letus DSLR Cage with a few extra parts retailing over $900 bucks is currently on auction. No bidders so far, and recently lowered pricing. Even the Buy It Now is crazy low. There's plenty of other inexpensive type cages you can use, but If you've been looking specifically for a Letus DSLR cage, this could be your lucky day.

If you happen to miss out on the Auction, here's where you can find them https://www.letusdirect.com/cart/cage/


letus-cageletus-dslr-cage
find-price-button Letus DSLR Cage with Extension

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1000-watt-1K-video-light

You ever watch TV and there's a crazy bunch of guys who start stapling themselves in the you know whats....? They always have a disclaimer talking about 'Don't try this at home'. This is definitely one of those times where I want to share what i'm doing but have to lay down this disclaimer. I decided to test something out with an awesome set of 1000w quartz halogen lights. They are designed with a great looking metal housing along with a dimmable feature. My kit comes with two (2) 1000w light heads, (2) Softboxes and (2) lightstands. I've seen these things with just basic reflectors too, but the softboxes really help diffuse the powerful light output.

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Now these lights have been around for a while, but haven't really caught on to a whole lot of video use. Why? It's because they have built in fans, and quite noisy ones too. Once these things are powered on, a small fan inside the housing makes it unusable when working with audio. Otherwise they work great.

So here's where I took a chance (but not a completely thoughtless risk). I opened up the housing and disconnected the fan. It's quite easy with just four small screws on the back, you can disconnect the small red/black wiring with mini plug as seen in the image below.

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Now if you looked at the build on this light, the fan almost seems useless. Yeah i'm sure it throws a little bit of wind, but doesn't seem very effective to cool anything down. I've worked with 1000w halogen shop lights before and they seemed to last just fine without being 'fan cooled'. In fact you could pick up a cheap set of 1000w shop lights at Home Depot if you wanted to. Lots of people use those things for their DIY home studios and green screen stuff.

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(Above: 1000w light Head vs. 800w Red Head)

Of course I wanted to carry a light set that looked good, was dimmable, had soft boxes, and light stands. This 1000w video lighting kit is a bit more polished than just Home Depot shop lights, but are still very inexpensive for what you get. Sales on this light haven't really taken off, so you should be able to find them cheap. They are sold under different brands and painted differently, but all carry the same form factor. You'll often find them advertised as 'fan cooled', trying to throw in a feature above other lights, but seems to have backfired on them because of all the noise it makes.

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(Above: Comparing 1000w bulb against 800w Red Head lighting bulb)

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Looking at the photo (above), the bulb protrudes out past the housing giving it plenty of room to dissipate heat. Is it going to last without a fan? Considering the fan is placed inside the housing, I don't see why not. If you look at the bulb this light head uses, it's just about the same type that's found in the big 'non-Fan Cooled' fresnels. So this bulb doesn't require any type of Fan cooling, so long as it can naturally dissipate. This design with the protruding bulb seems to have a better heat dissipation advantage over the 3pc red head set I have too. I've been testing these 1000w lights on a couple of shoots, a few hours at a time to see if they really hold up and so far i've had no problems. Bulbs on this guy are fairly cheap if you need replacements - around $9.99 each (link below).

1000w-bulb
find-price-button 1000 Wat Bi-Pin Replacement Quartz Halogen Light Head Lamp 1000 Watts/120 Volt

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There is a Large outer softbox diffusion screen that can be used with or without the small internal diffuser.

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So, I have to leave you with the disclaimer 'Don't try this at Home'. In fact, if you don't care about the fan noise when shooting stuff like Music Videos, there's no need to even disconnect the fan. These are a great set of lights! Most people just don't use them because of the fan noise. You'll be surprised how many people return these lights after purchasing them only because of the fan noise. Be warned though, that you should have plenty of power available at your location. These are very bright. If you need to be concerned about power draw at your location, go with LED lighting. LED lighting require less voltage, but they obviously aren't as bright as these.

But.......If you do choose to follow my path, you can always disconnect the fan when you need it quiet, or even 're-attach' the fan - It's fairly quick to do. Hmm, maybe i'll make an external 'fan switch' to control the fan on and off?? Well people, so far so good (knock on wood) and it's been a few days with a few hours put on them. I think they'll be just fine.......


1000-watt-1K-video-light
find-price-button Photography Double 1000w Adjustment Quartz Halogen Continuous Studio Light Kit, total 2000 W output, Softbox Video Lighting kit with Carry Bag

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LP-E6-Battery-Plate
visit-button Jag35 LP-E6 Battery Plate

Jag35 has got a new LP-E6 battery mounting adapter. What is it? It's a simple way to use your existing Canon LP-E6 batteries to power up devices that use 5V-9V DC. This includes powering up your portable little HDMI monitors and even the Asus WiCast for HD Streaming (project I was working on). Oh and maybe even power up a small motor for the new slider? Hmm..They also have additional cables and regulators to step down the voltage if needed, but a complete solution based around existing rechargeable batteries you already have. It's got a standard 1/4 x 20 thread in the rear to make it easier to mount to stuff.

Apparently there's a DIY for this, and can be found through the following link posted over at cinema5d using a delkin lp-e6 battery plate: https://www.calumetphoto.com/eng/product/delkin_lpe6_charging_plates_for_universal_battery_charger/im26634

If you need more LP-E6 batteries, the best ones i've been using are these. They work on OEM chargers, show battery meters, and still rockin' to this day..

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find-price-button Canon LP-E6 Battery Decoded battery Meter works with OEM charger

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slider-mounting-tripod (2 of 5)

First few hours with the new budget camera slider, and trying to figure out the best way to to use it. Here's what I came up with. First thing you need to know, is that the slider requires a tripod head of some sort. If you've been following my Spider Trax dolly project, I went through quite a few different inexpensive heads before I settled with the 717AH. To prevent vibrations you need a good beefy mount between the camera and the slider. The 717AH was very heavy duty, but still the cheapest thing I could find that still served as an actual video Fluid Head. If you don't have a good solid head, check out the 717AH for this type of project.

Next up, grab yourself a good pair of sticks. I have a pair of Manfrotto Carbon Fiber's but I wouldn't trust it with a slider like this. You can go with lighter sticks, but make sure you have two of them (one each side). If you're like me and want to stick with one Tripod, here's something that's very solid, and cheap. This FT9901 has the same beefy legs as my WF717's, but because it's not the same head, it's way cheaper. Having a quick release adapter under the slider is heaven sent. Without a quick release plate you'll be spinning a 3 foot rail around in circles trying to unwind it and could also damage your threads when the weight is shifting. Get yourself a good mounting solution! With a Ball Mount Tripod head it's also the perfect way to Level your camera slider without having to fiddle around with each individual leg.

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For this slider, part of it's marketing allure is the fact that you can mount it vertically at it's furthest end points. I did try this, but I found that it was much more stable and easier to just tilt the Tripod Head attached under the slider. Another huge reason why I suggest you go with a good solid tripod and tilt head as the foundation for your new slider. Vertical slides mimic a Crane shot, and here's a compact way of getting that rarely seen vertical camera movement.

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If you attached the quick release plate in the other direction, then you can even mount this thing sideways (if you had to). They say two heads are better than one, and for getting your slider level and positioning it in different ways, I say that's true. Inexpensive, heavy metal legs, and a ball head mount for quick leveling make this Tripod a great inexpensive foundation for your new slider. And when it's not used for the slider, it's still a great inexpensive Tripod to have around.

[Update] There is a new version of the Konova slider available including a Crank Pulley and Motorized Upgrade. Article found here: http://cheesycam.com/konova-motorized-upgrade-kit-now-available/

camera-slider
find-price-button Konova video Camera Rolling Bearing DSLR Slider

slider-tripod-mount
find-price-button Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Drag Pan Head FT9901SLV

717AH-head
find-price-button Fluid Drag Tripod Head 717AH

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Ok, I have to keep adding 'Roller bearing' to the description of this DSLR slider. Everyone keeps throwing in names like Igus and GlideTrack, but it's not the same. Those guys don't use actual 'Roller bearings'. I know all about the Igus based sliders, and you can find my version on this blog. My current fixation is about this particular 'Rolling Bearing' slider. If you've ever tried an actual roller bearing slider, you might not go back. The problem is that even the cheapest Roller bearing slider will run you close to $500 bucks. This is why I was excited to see something a lot cheaper show up online.

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So here it is, and what do you need to know? For starters, it's a great deal. Even after posting this slider up, I haven't seen anything else that can come close to this as far as features, build quality, and price. I'm sure i'm going to start getting some 'I made mine for this price...' comments, but unless you're selling it, i'm not considering it as a readily available option.

This slider has a solid rail, no flex. It has 1/4x20 & 3/8" threaded tripod mounts in the center, and on each end. It also has 1/4 x 20 & 3/8" threaded mounts on the sides for 'vertical' mounting. It comes with adjustable legs/feet that can be removed. There's also padded platforms that allow it to be used directly on any surface without worry of scratching or marking the area. There's a brake to lock down the carrier when it's not in use. It also comes with a very slick looking quality travel bag. The Slider moves very fluid with zero lash and can be adjusted if need be. It's also very lightweight, but feels like it can slide even heavier cameras than a DSLR.

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There is one thing to note. The platform is designed only for a 3/8" mount. This means you need a fluid head or some type of camera mount. You can't mount the camera directly to the platform. Not a deal breaker since most sliders require this anyway. The unit slides so easily, it would work perfectly for motion timelapse rigs. Any small motor can easily pull a heavy camera through it's entire rail. Overall it's more than I expected for the price. The first actual 'roller bearing' slider to break this price point, and here it is.

So another great cost saving product first introduced here on Cheesycam.com. If you want to show some support for what I do, hook a brotha up and link back to this article!

camera-slider
find-price-button Konova DSLR Video Camera Slider

Konova Slider - via Amazon
Konova-Slider
find-price-button KONOVA K Slider 3080 NA-8