Equipment Reviews

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Above: Canon T2i + Battery Grip + Sima L Bracket next to Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorder

I'm not going to try and do audio tests, I think we know what the Zoom products are already capable of. We're already sold on audio, no need for further tests. I will note on my videos if I ever have it in use though, so you can see what the results would be. If you haven't already purchased a Zoom H1 Portable Audio recorder, i'm sure you're just looking for other deal breakers or deal makers such as the size, switches, button functions, build quality, etc. Here's sorta a sneek peek around the gear from my first unboxing. I've dropped my Zoom H4n and wasn't too worried about it. It survived quite well. This Zoom H1 item feels really really hollow and fragile, so it's not something i'm looking forward to ever drop. It's all mixed feelings right now, but the true selling point is it's $99 dollars. If it were $150 dollars i'd be more on the fence. I'm a fan of the lightweight, but not the plastic build. I'm a fan of the easy to access buttons, but not a fan that you can't lock those controls. Still it's something I suggest every DSLR shooter carry if you don't already have a portable audio recorder. In fact, with the Audio-Technica LAV mic, I think it will be a perfect fit to replace many situations where you would be using a Wireless type setup.

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Extremely random. The video below just shows the new 3pcs lighting kit from this article http://cheesycam.com/new-800w-barndoor-softboxes-3pcs-lighting/ was used to record the Zoom H1 video.

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audio-technica-atr3350
click image to purchase Audio-Technica ATR3350

As soon as the Zoom H1 was released, I began my search for the perfect 'low budget' lavalier microphone. I'm not saying the Audio-Technica ATR3350 Lavalier can outperform other $100.00+ microphones, but from the tests i've seen and the comments i've received, this is the microphone for me. This little Lav comes in at under $24.00 dollars! This microphone is also battery powered. Just 'generally' speaking, powered microphones tend to perform better than non-powered microphones. Whether you'll find use for this with your Zoom H1 to possibly replace some wireless situations, at under $24.00 dollars it's a nice thing to just have in the bag. Even without the Zoom H1, this microphone connected directly to your DSLR is already an improvement over the built in camera microphone. So after researching a few Vimeo videos, YouTube videos, and checking out some comments from some of the readers i'm skipping the KFC combo dinner tonight and throwin' it down on the Audio-Technica ATR3350 Lavalier.

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bencollins
click image for larger size

Benton from BentonCollins.com commented on this article I posted http://cheesycam.com/latest-led-video-lights-for-dslr-video/, stating that he is currently using these very same 500 LED light panels outdoors for 10 new Head & Shoulder commercial shoots. I was really interested in his setup, so he sent in a link to the image above. If you took a peek at Benton's website you'll see some real credibility that this guy really knows his lighting. Wow, that's a really cool lightweight setup there for a location shoot both in lighting and audio. If you look closely, the 500 LED panel is mounted to the same Tripod as the camera, and then some clever arm is holding the shotgun microphone. You can see how far the 500 LED panel is from where the subject would stand proving to still be effective at that range, and there's an added reflector for some additional fill. The 500 LED panel looks like it's powered by a Paul Buff Vagabond power pack. Very cool setup, and glad someone can help 'shed some light' (no pun intended) on how 'cool' (as in temperature and as in trend like) these LED light panels are for both indoor and outdoor use. Thanks Benton can't wait to see more BTS and the final video when it's released.

Might be of interest, not sure if it's any good.

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Well I wanted to do a cool little Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorder video review, but looks like bhphotovideo.com beat me to it. I'll just post theirs instead since they touched on a lot of what I wanted to talk about. One of the things they point out is the use of the LAV microphone. Everyone's been talking about using this method since this unit is so small and portable, you can save some big bucks from buying a wireless mic kit. They even found a way to jamb this thing into a Microphone Shock Mount.

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click image for Zoom H1 kit

I'll still do my own little video review, but i'll talk about some things I don't like about it. My intent was not to use the built in microphones on the Zoom H1, but if you're planning to, get the foam windscreen which is part of a separate Zoom Kit (above). It's nice that the Zoom H1 leaves everything out to control many functions like WAV or MP3 settings, but these buttons are completely exposed. Using it as a body pack, I fear these buttons will be easily pressed. They should have placed these switches under a cover like the Rode VideoMic. There is a 'Hold' feature, but that only works to disable the playback buttons, not the other feature buttons.

The unit is also mainly plastic. It's nice because it shaves some weight, but feels real fragile. Not something I'd throw in my bag without a hard case, or at least the case shown in the Zoom H1 kit above. Even the microphone covers are chrome plated plastic. DSLR's as of now have terrible audio compared to the Samson recorders. For the audio quality of the Samson Zoom H1, the features this little gadget has, and the low low price point of $99 bucks + Free Shipping, it's a must have item for any DSLR shooter. The only thing we need to narrow down now is what's the best 'bang for the buck' LAV mic to use. My search continues for the cheapest and best LAV mic to use.....

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Two new items came in today. One you can see has a crap load of stamps, so you know that's an overseas item. It's a neat thing that i'll show later on. The other brown box might look familiar to many of you, for anyone that's placed an order from bhphotovideo.com and guess what's peeking out....reviews to follow soon.

Relative size next to iPhone 4
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Redrock Micro is releasing a new line of configurations on it's website called 'nano DSLR Rigs', targeted for lightweight support DSLR rigs. Still a bit too expensive for something as simple as a handle or two, but these parts are designed to be compatible with more Redrock gear as you grow. Information from their website is posted below, you can find their storefront for the Redrock Micro nano DSLR rigs here.

Product Description:
nano DSLR rigs are compact, economical rigs designed for maximum value and discreet shooting. These rigs are a great value for photojournalism, travel, and documentary style HDSLR shooting, or as a great entry level rig, easily upgradeable to additional features found in our DSLR handheld, shouldermount, and studio configurations.

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Monday's mail bag contains my two Sima L Brackets referencing this article I posted not long ago http://cheesycam.com/double-l-bracket-configuration-alzo-t-pod/. I went with the Sima as it was cheaper than the Alzo L Bracket. It feels real solid and has the dual shoe mount. I'll have more information on what I plan on doing with these when I get my aluminum flat bar cut out.

Here's an image of the Canon T2i with Sima L Bracket next to my Zoom H1 Portable Audio recorder.
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Sima Video Bracket with Handle + 2 Accessory Mounts

Next up, received the package from bhphotovideo.com . No it's not my Zoom H1 Portable Digital Audio Recorder, that's coming in the mail tomorrow. This box contains some very special lenses. I recently shot at the Craigslist Foundation Boot camp, and was requested to shoot the conference event speeches with DSLR's. Normally I would have opted for a Sony EX1, or Panasonic HVX for longer running video clips, but we were able to shoot with the Canon 5D Mark II using multiple camera angles and overlapped recording. The only problem we ran into was the range of the lenses. Shooting off to the side and wanting the closest possible headshot, my Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 on the full frame just didn't cut it. With the Canon 2x Teleconverter on, we got closer, but the aperture minimum now up F/5.6 (the converter does this) plus the dim lit theater combination had us up to ISO 1600 at the least.

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So after every shoot I think about what lenses could make this so much easier and provide better quality, still keeping in mind it has to be at an affordable price. Having a telephoto lens is important for this type of coverage, so prime lenses would be out of the question. I needed to zoom in and zoom out for wider shots as they traveled the stage. For low light, I needed something that had at least a comparable aperture of F/5.6. So I narrowed down cost + functionality to two lenses. The Canon 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L with IS & the new Sigma 50-500mm F/4.5-6.3 with optical stabilization. Yes the Sigma stops down to 6.3 at the longest 500mm, but as a comparison i'll see if I can get 5.6 at 400mm with the Sigma. Both priced roughly around $1600 US Dollars i'll have the lens vs. lens comparison up this week......
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Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Autofocus Lens

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Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO Autofocus Lens

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ccam

There's quite a few sources talking about the huge information leak on Sony's new Alpha DSLR's named the 'A580' and the 'A560', but so far the most important feature is finally recording in 1080. I'm sure there's a few more tricks up Sony's sleeve, but unless it's doing RAW video, fixed rolling shutter, or found a way to do super slo-motion in 1080, we've seen it all. I'm not sure if they'll have special features to convert die hard Canon or Nikon fans, but if the price is right maybe they can find a way to at least get in the HD DSLR video game. I have no information on pricing and availability yet, but i'm still digging for more information. Engadgets got a bit of read too: https://www.engadget.com/2010/08/20/sonys-alpha-a580-and-a560-leak-out-with-1080i-video-recording-m/

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Lightcraft workshop, probably best known recently for it's Fader ND Variable Neutral Density Filters, but also produces high quality optics for other types of filters is entering the Loupe Game. The new 'BiGeye' LCD Viewfinder for DSLR's is coming in under $140 for the complete setup. Yes, it's weird but they are selling parts of the loupe individually possibly if you happen to damage it, you can cheaply replace small pieces. Cheaper than the Original LCDVF viewfinder, but offering a 'diopter' I think it's priced very nicely. It's not the most beautiful design and I'm not a fan of the name nor the product images they display in their store, but I'm sure they've got the whole optics thing down and that's really what counts. Thanks to Paul Kondo for this tip, you can find the new LCW BiGeye LCD Viewfinder at this link.