Videography Gadgets

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Letus-Hawk-T3i-3-of-10

(Above) Was my first image of my Canon T3i fitted with a Letus Hawk View Finder. Yes it fits quite nicely, and they make it in the proper aspect ratio for the 3:2 LCD screen. What I didn't have was the riser for a battery grip. Here's a gallery (below) from reader HD-Tography showing you the fit and the fashion of the Letus Hawk Aluminum ViewFinder, on the new Canon T3i, with Small Oval BlueStar EyePiece, on Gini Rails offset with a bit of Easom, with the cheap Shoulder Support. Sweet example of many of the items covered in this blog and  looks pretty solid.

[Ok guys, this is more of an example of the Letus Hawk ViewFinder with Battery grip riser adapter on T3i, so please don't start submitting your rigs. We'll save that for another time...]

Here's the direct links to the products if you have a Canon T3i with Battery grip and looking to rock the Letus Hawk VF too. If you have questions, you can always contact the support team @ LetusDirect.com

Letus Hawk DSLR Viewfinder - Aluminum 3:2 (with Canon T2i/550D Riser)
CODE: LTHKVF-AL-3:2
https://www.letusdirect.com/cart/letus-hawk-aluminum-3-2.html

Shown beside the Universal Pro Mount (IMPORTANT: Low Profile Version for T3i Battery Grip)
Code: LTHKVF-UNI-RISE
https://www.letusdirect.com/cart/universal-pro-mount.html

Also shown is the Hawk Eye Cushion (Red micro fiber)
Code: LD-EYE-CUSHION
https://www.letusdirect.com/cart/hawk-eye-cushion.html

and the Letus Direct Lanyard
Code: LDLANYARD
https://www.letusdirect.com/cart/letus-direct-lanyard.html

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Screen shot 2011-05-16 at 8.19.17 AM

The Proaim DSLR View Finder is nothing new, and personally I would prefer the VF Prime or Seagull VF, but Proaim looks to have a 'one-up' on the competition. This morning I was turned onto a recent BasePlate addition to Proaim's View Finder [Thanks Greg]. Looks like they're the next in line to follow in the recent trend of converting all LCD View Finders over to baseplate mounts.

Screen shot 2011-05-16 at 8.19.57 AMScreen shot 2011-05-16 at 8.19.51 AM

The BasePlate looks to be an all metal construction that still allows you to mount a Quick Release Plate underneath. The ViewFinder claims Anti-Fog coating on the lens, and a minimal Diopter for less than perfect vision. To get further correction, you can stack the extension frames between the LCD and View Finder. Can you see that small hole on the BasePlate? The Proaim viewfinder also comes with a short Aluminum Rod that you can use has a handle (probably not very functional).

Screen shot 2011-05-16 at 8.20.09 AM

If you're wondering, it looks like a 3" LCD View Finder, but for Canon T2i, T3i, and 60D owners who really want this setup expect to lose just a 1mm crop on each side (IF it can line up properly).

Screen shot 2011-05-16 at 8.26.55 AM
find-price-button Proaim View Finder with BasePlate

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If you were interested in that review Rod did on Calumet's BP1500 large backpack found here: http://cheesycam.com/rods-calumets-bp1500-backpack-review/, the price had gone up at the time. Checking back today it seems it's dropped back down on sale. Follow the link below and search for the BP1500.


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find-price-button Calumet Bp1500 Large Backpack

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Swing out LCD's are great for odd shooting positions, but posed some problems for DSLR LCD View Finders. The Canon 60D and T3i fall into this category. The solution is to use a frame that mounts under the camera body, but the pricing has been out of reach. Or has it?
Screen shot 2011-05-15 at 1.02.10 AMScreen shot 2011-05-15 at 1.01.58 AM

Has anyone caught these new LCD Viewfinders for both 3" and 3:2 DSLR LCD Screens? Claims to be compatible with the 60D and T3i cameras, as well as the older 5D/7D cameras.

Screen shot 2011-05-15 at 12.43.55 AM

I'm not seeing very much adjustments on the frame, so i'm wondering how they could get it to line up against so many different camera bodies? Sure the LCDs are a basic size, but the position on the body isn't always the same. There's definitely two different versions from the photos i've seen. One is a square 3" and the other a more rectangular 3.2". These VF's have the obvious large eyecup but no diopter. No luck for you battery grip users, straight body mount only. Uses magnets to hold onto the frame - which the frame is mounted under the camera body with a Tripod mount still available. Fetches for mid $30's US.

DSLR LCD View Finder 60D
find-price-button LCD View Finder Canon 60D, T3i, 5D Mark II, 7D, Nikon

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Vimeo member Satva Leung shares a Flycam Nano stabilizer test with me. It's pretty nice to see someone fairly new to stabilizers get great results, especially from such a cheap piece of equipment. Flying a Canon T2i + Tokina 11-16mm (same lens I used on a few tests), check out the results. I haven't flown my cameras around in a while, I think next week i'll take the GH2 or GF2 out for a spin with the Flycam Nano. [Thanks Satva]

flycam-nano-video-stabilizer
find-price-button Flycam Nano DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer


tokina-11-16mm
find-price-button Tokina 11-16mm Wide Angle Zoom

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Don't think I ever posted any footage samples of the vintage 85mm F/1.2 on the GH2, so here it is if you're curious. Old lenses are a great alternative to getting DOF on a budget. There's a variety of different adapters to mount just about any lens type to any camera. For a list of old Vintage lenses, check out the eBay auctions. Just make sure you choose the right adapter for the Lens you choose to fit your camera body.

canon-fd-lens-adapter-sony-nex
find-price-button Search for Manual Focus Camera Lenses

Here i'm using an FD adapter without glass to make this 85mm F/1.2 work on the Panasonic GH2. At F/1.2 there's a soft glow, but step it down to F/1.8 and it's plenty sharp. They will never be as sharp as true lenses designed for Digital, but that's the whole allure about them. Sometimes they give off a really vintage feel. Oh and I didn't bring an ND filter out so the shutter speed was quite high on this footage. Might look at bit jittery...

Cheesycam GH2GH2 (1 of 2)

FD-adapter
find-price-button Canon FD Lens adapter for Micro 4/3 Cameras

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Here's my Panasonic GH2 with the Canon 85mm F/1.2L FD lens. Yeah I posted it for sale - didn't meet my reserve price so I didn't sell it. After just using it on the GH2 again, it's here to stay. This lens is just beautiful and focuses much smoother than those damn Panasonic lenses that need to rotate a million times. Sorry enough ranting....moving on.

Ok, just got my hands on the 700RC2 fluid head many have been asking about. It's one of the cheapest Video Fluid heads you can buy, but keep in mind it only supports just over 5 lbs. The head is using the RC2 plate system, so you can find many quick release adapters for this for your sliders, jibs, dollies, etc. It's a true fluid video head, not for photography since there's no vertical (portrait) flip available. The Pan and Tilt are very smooth for cameras under 6lbs. There's no real drag adjustment on here like the more expensive heads, it's either locked in place or loosened.

It's placed on Manfrotto's 190XDB 3 section aluminum tripod which looks very similar to my very expensive Carbon Fiber tripod, with the exception of quick release locks. This 190XDB is all aluminum so it's still pretty light weight. It's rated to support up to 11 lbs, so plenty for this type of camera. The legs can be adjusted to a FULL 90 degrees, so it can lay completely flat on the ground (with the exception of the neck). This is not just a 'video' tripod, as the neck can be flipped upside down normally used for very low Macro (flowers, bugs) type photography. You can also use this upside down feature for video and then just flip it in post.

Although you can purchase these items seperately, this is one of the cheapest special bundles over at B&HPhotoVideo.com

700RC2-head
find-price-button Manfrotto 700RC2 + 190XDB Aluminum 3 Section Tripod

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Panasonic GH1 / GH2 have a strong following and when it comes down to DSLR video it's almost 'cult-like'. Ok guys - you win. Panasonic does have some awesome qualities in DSLR video, but I still can't get through the ergonomics as quickly as I can the Canon DSLR's. That's a personal preference. Of course I did buy into the GH2 and recently Lumix GF2 (which i'm loving so far).

Now Panasonic has updates it's 'G2' model with the new G3. The new G3 digital upgrades the common 12MP chip found in most Panasonic's to a new 16MP chip, and adds many of the new touch screen controls like the GH2 and GF2. So far the Panasonic's 'GH2 is just completely sold out, and has been since it's announcement. The new G3 looks pretty good, but I don't think it will have the same effect being sold out, but it's available on pre-order now.

Screen shot 2011-05-12 at 9.17.46 AM
find-price-button Panasonic Lumix G3 Pre-Order