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Thanks to LJ for pointing this interesting little product that brings ENG style zooming to standard DSLR lenses. Most people might be familiar with these controls from consumer camcorders, but for some high end ENG video cameras, you can purchase various focal length lenses that come with built in zoom controls (as seen here).

Viztool Handizoom

Looks like it connects via USB to control some of the Canon functions like start / stop video recording, and zoom in/out to magnify the video. These are the same functions already found in those USB Follow Focus devices (as seen here on eBay). No word on pricing and availability yet. The finish of the product in the video looks like an early prototype. I can see benefits to having smooth zooms, but price will determine if it's a Go or No-Go. [Thanks LJ]

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Shooting outdoors in the bright sun pretty much sucks without an LCD View Finder, but come time to pan and tilt, it's not very comfortable when you're in a low position. That's where all those flip out LCDs come in handy but even the 5D Mark III falls short in that feature. This is where an external LCD comes in handy, but without a proper sunshade, you might be fighting that glare. Here's a $16 dollar little baggy that works as a protective case to transport your 7" LCD, at the same time unzips and doubles as a sun shade. How I plan to fit the SmallHD DP6 in here I won't know until it arrives. There's a rear access door as well, so hopefully i'll still be able to access all the controls on the top of the DP6.

bag-lcdsunhood
find-price-button 7" LCD Carry Bag and Sun Shade

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Running around with a Steadicam is possible, but besides tiring out the operator, it's also hard to get rid of that stomping movement. Roller Blades are clever, but it's not something that will travel through grass or gravel. The more popular solution for fast movements with a Steadicam is the Segway (as seen above). A big issue with a Segway (besides cost) is being able to transport this to your location. It's not something you can just throw in the trunk of your car.


Self Balancing Gryo Stabilized - Solo Wheel

So for those who don't plan on spending serious cash on a Segway, check out the new Solo Wheel. It's a self balancing gyro stabilized electric unicycle-like transport that works much the same as a Segway except it's extremely portable.

It can climb fairly steep grades, hit speeds of 10mph, travel a distance of 15-20 miles, and weighs only about 26lbs. Seems very agile, and it would be very interesting to see some Steadicam footage from something like this, but comes in at an $1800 dollar price tag. You can find some additional information on the product page. (click here for Solo Wheel on eBay)

Solo Wheel Steadicam Segway Self Balancing Gryo Stabilized
find-price-button Solo Wheel Self Balancing Gryo Stabilized Wheel

Also available via Amazon ((click here)

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NAB2012 is just around the corner, and we're planning on doing some onsite video editing. It gets a bit crowded during the conference so i've been shopping for some type of mobile table and chair for our editor. Portable chairs are fairly easy to come by, but finding the right mobile desk is still the challenge. So far, of the ones i've seen, i'm leaning towards the Tripad. Extending parts of the Tripad allow for a mouse and cup holder. Albeit a bit expensive at almost $90 dollars, it mounts easily to a roller bag or tripod, both of which we always have during event coverage.


Tripad Mobile WorkspaceTripad Tripod Desk Mobile Workspacetripad-roller bag-desk
find-price-button Tripad TR-549 Tripod Mountable Portable Workspace

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Screen protectors not only help to prevent scratches on your camera's LCD, but some also prevent glare when viewing outdoors. It's also something I suggest using before mounting any sticky frame LCD Viewfinders on your camera. The Lexerd brand with TrueVue™ is ultra thin, scratch proof, touch screen capable, has great reviews and is available for most any camera including Nikon, Canon, and even the new Sony NEX-7.

lexerd-anti-glare-lcd-screen
find-price-button Lexerd Anti Glare LCD covers

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[Update] Kit doesn't come with Autopoles. Thanks guys.

Your typical background support comes with two tall stands and a horizontal support bar. Most of us have a set, but there are a few things that can be annoying. For one, the legs on the stand seem to take up extra space. Secondly, when you need to roll the paper up or down, you might have to drop the stands on each side.

Telescoping-ceiling-background-support-rollerBackground Stand

This clamping background support kit might save you from some of those hassles if you're working in a room with a ceiling. By using telescoping auto poles to push up between the ceiling and floor you can practically push your backdrop flush against the wall. There are no legs on auto poles so they'll give you more room to setup your lights on each side, especially when you're trying to move in that boom or hair light.

Chain Roller Background support
Chain rollder support background

When it's time to roll up/down your background, the clamping background support uses a chain roller normally found on wall mounted background support kits. Cons are that you need to have a ceiling to work with this (does not come with Autopoles), so it might be better suited for those who want to setup a quick change backdrop area in a small studio or in your home without drilling into your walls. Available in both single and triple background support clamps (click here).

Three Roller Support Background StandTelescoping-ceiling-background-support-roller
find-price-button Single and Triple Roll Clamping Background Chain Roller Support

Real Auto Poles for a background stand run a pretty penny (click here to find AutoPoles).

They do look pretty similar to telescoping poles found in indoor Bike Racks, and would be interesting to see if the clamps could work.
Swagman Bike Rack
find-price-button Swagman Hang It Bike Hanger

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Excited about the new Canon 5D Mark III announcements? It's been rumored all over the web that they may have an official statement by end of the week - possibly this Friday. Although I might be excited about better video quality, I have to admit there's a part of me that already knows this new camera will still have it's limitations around video. Canon makes no secrets about purposely limiting their DSLR line of cameras so that it doesn't cannibalize their true high end video line.

Still waiting for this final camera to be released from Canon, i'm on hold about the FS100. Once I know the specs on the Canon 5D Mark III, i'll have a better idea on which direction i'll be going for the next year. With Canon's EF or EF-S lenses, aperture needs to be controlled electronically. Having invested in so many Canon EF lenses, if you wanted to adapt it to the MFT cameras, you could use something like the RedRock Live Lens adapter (seen here).


Sony FS100 Super35 Camcorder
find-price-button NEX-FS100UK Super 35mm Sensor Camcorder

One solution to using Canon EF lenses on a Sony E-Mount is the Metabones adapter. This adapter translates the controls in a Sony camera to communicate with a Canon lens. The first release of this adapter had issues with cameras like the Sony NEX-7, so I held off until things got squared away. The latest firmware version 2.0 in the adapter now supports the NEX-7 so you'll be able to control the aperture values in the lens direct from the camera. It's a rare piece right now, and are constantly out of stock over at their website (found here).

If you're trying to adapt lenses to a smaller Micro Four Thirds or Sony E-Mount there are cheaper Fotodiox Adapters (like these), but you might also want to consider the slightly more expensive Metabones, as they make some great quality adapters to fit Nikon, Canon, Leica lenses, etc. (click here).

metabones-adapter
find-price-button Metabones Lens to Camera Adapters

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Adobe's new Lightroom 4 will have the ability to make minor edits to your video files. The edits are mostly around white balance, color saturation, and exposure type settings. While most professionals might not find this handy, some corrections like pulling a blue color cast away from underwater footage might be easier through Lightroom 4. I think we'll see quite a few videos being color corrected this way. Currently in Beta, you could download it (here).