Videography Gadgets

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What can I say, it's a kick ass light that's not too big, and not too small. It's color changing to make blending in with other lighting an easier task. It's dimmable down to 0%. Even with the Sony batteries on low, we didn't notice any flickering. The double Sony battery tray keeps it portable, but could be powered through it's built in AC input. When mixing it in with daylight colored lights, this one is our Hair Light on a long boom stand turned to tungsten to add a bit of warmth. These are one of Olivia's favorite lights so far, so we thought we'd give it a proper introduction on build and features. I'll be doing a side by side test against some other common lights soon too.

dimmable-312-LED
Uni Color 312 LED with only Dimmer

There's actually two versions of this light if you don't care for the Color Changing option. Not many people actually carry the second type. The other 312 uses ONLY Daylight colored LED bulbs, and 'Yes' it's actually much brighter than the color changing version which has to cut the LED count down to half in order to be at one color. You can see in the video that in order to change colors, the Bi-Color version has one set of Daylight and one set of Tungsten colored LEDs. Outside of that, the Bi-Color and Uni Color lights are exactly the same. You can find both versions through the link below.

312 LED Video Light
find-price-button 312 Bi-Color Changing Dimmable LED Video Light

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offset-rig-x

Not sure how many of you remember this article I posted a while back about the RigX bundle from Express35. I asked Chris to put something like this together to work with the cheap shoulder support to offset rails. The offset has been revised since the 'prototype' version I received, to add more functionality.

It's been pretty quiet about the RigX since because that bundle has been moving so quickly, it can't seem to stay in inventory. Well here's your chance to get it in the next few weeks, but you have to get on the list. It's available for pre-orders, 'first order in first order out'. This is an offset design that moves the camera's LCD to line up any viewfinders you might be using.

Together with the inexpensive shoulder support, this combination gives you a solid shoulder rig for a budget price with everything you need as the foundation for future items like a Follow Focus, Matte Box, and other rail mounted accessories. You can find the pre-order webpage here: https://express35.com/rigs/rig-x/

Here's the shoulder support it's designed to mount to.
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find-price-button Shoulder Support Pad for Video Camcorder Camera DV / DC

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I think the concept is pretty self explanatory. You're looking for a solid Video head with smooth movements for video, but you're also shooting stills and need the Vertical (portrait) position. Hybrid cameras require a Hybrid stabilizer. This new Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 a.k.a 'Q5' Photo-Movie tripod head gives you the best of both worlds. It's a more professional video head designed to support a bit of weight, so it's not something for the average light weight point and shoot photo/video camera. But if you want to save on the amount of gear you travel with and still have professional results for both Photography and Cinema, it's something to consider (if you can get over the odd look).

Manfrotto Q5 Photo-Movie Head
find-price-button Manfrotto Q5 Hybrid Photo-Movie Head

For you Amazon junkies it will be available via Prime Shipping below

Manfrotto Q5 Photo-Movie Head
find-price-button Manfrotto Q5 Photo-Movie Head

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Wondlan Shoulder Rig
find-price-button Wondlan DSLR Sniper Plus Support Full Shoulder Rig

Wondlan's earliest DSLR products were pretty blah, but when they started pushing out their 'sniper' or 'target shooter' type rigs, they started making a bit of noise in the scene. My guess is they are doing pretty well since they are now expanding their lineup of previously only small parts. In 2011, here's one of their latest Full Shoulder rigs. Yes, everything you see above (except camera & battery pack) is part of the package including shoulder pad, extended handles, matte box, battery mount, top handle, LCD Monitor, and follow focus w/ whip. I personally don't think it's very aesthetically appealing in turquoise/silver, but Wondlan's new rigs are often being compared to Gini's quality. Current price not so exciting...

Another new product for Wondlan is their 'Leopard Vest system' (happy it's not in actual leopard print). The cheapest off the shelf vest systems still run over $1200, but are pretty much crap. If Wondlan's latest vest system is anything like their shoulder rig quality, the price doesn't seem too overkill.

Wondlan Leopard Steadicam Stabilizer
find-price-button Wondlan DSLR Leopard Vest Video Camera Stabilizer

It almost comes close to the total price of my Hybrid system using a Steadicam Vest & Glidecam HD4000. Wondlan's Leopard Vest system is spec'd out to handle 10 pound loads, comes with a Monitor and Matte Box (most likely does not come with a V mount battery). It will probably be a while before we see any video reviews on this, but if you happen to run into something, leave them in the comments.

Wondlan Leopard Vest System
find-price-button Wondlan DSLR Leopard Vest Video Camera Stabilizer

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vintage-camcorder
Pistol Grip Vintage Camera 		dslr-vintage-style-grip
Mock DSLR Vintage Grip

Slap on a Pistol Grip handle to your DSLR and you've got the feel of a Vintage shooter. These little handles are especially effective when combined with an LCD View Finder for another solid point of contact. Anyone thinking what i'm thinking? Yeah I think they are just begging to be DIY'd and Modified with a built in remote button to start / stop video, or even just a plain shutter release for Photography. Any takers? If so, here's an article to give you a head start http://cheesycam.com/diy-remote-video-trigger-for-canon-dslrs/

barska-pistol-grip
find-price-button BARSKA Accu Grip Camera Handle

The Barska Camera handle was probably the most popular pistol grip stabilizer, but Opteka's got their own now. If it wasn't for the recent price drop of the Barska, they would be going head to head on price. Opteka's new Pistol Grip handle is just a few dollars higher now, but it does come with a QR feature to quickly remove the handle from the camera body. Barska's Pistol grip has a solid alignment pin that needs DIY extraction before it can be used on a DSLR, and that for Barska could be the 'deal breaker'. Either way, these are excellent cheap little stabilizer additions for run-and-gun shooters....

opteka-camera-pistol-grip
find-price-button Opteka Pistol Grip Camera Stabilizer

[Update] Apparently there is a handle with a Trigger [Thanks Casper], but the price is pretty steep. They've listed them as compatible with Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Panasonic cameras, but I can't imagine the Video mode being triggered through a hard wire. Canon's can only start / stop video through infrared. The cable is probably there for the shutter release, for other camera models maybe it can actually start video mode.... Found below.

video triggerScreen shot 2011-05-08 at 7.35.37 AM
find-price-button Video Trigger Hand Grip for Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony

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Aaron of Winnipeg shows us how he mods the IndieHardware Video Camera stabilizer. This is one of the cheapest stabilizers I've reviewed on this blog that was able to balance a 5D Mark II + Sigma 20mm Lens. That's about all I was willing to push, but Aaron's managed to practically double that up while still using the stock Gimbal. The mods to add a Lilliput 7" monitor to the little stabilizer allows Aaron to add more weight to the top with a T2i + Battery Grip and 17-55mm F/2.8 IS lens (nice lens). He's also added a new handle which is one of the most common complaints on this particular stabilizer, replacing it with one from an old Flash Bracket . The video is a bit long, but all good information, so stick through it and hopefully get some ideas. Also note that the IndieHardware stabilizer is always in and out of stock, but you can check current pricing and if it's available below.

indie-hardware-stabilizer-upgrade
find-price-button IndieHardware Video Camera Stabilizer

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Just a few months ago, there was a worldwide shortage on these popular LED lights. Now competition must be fierce or the market was all of a sudden super saturated. Recent price drops on both 500 & 1000 LED panels take it down about another $40 bucks. Not a huge or crazy saving, but a discount none-the-less I guess. These are practically the same lights used in this video http://cheesycam.com/cheap-500-led-1000-led-and-z96-lights-in-use/.

These are a small step above the another one you might find, as these are both dimmable through a series of switches, or by a Dimmer Knob. These are also powered with the XLR type connection which means it can be modified to use the V mount batteries for portable use.

500-led-panel
find-price-button 500 LED Video Light Panel

1000-led-panel
find-price-button 1000 Dimmable LED Video Light Panel

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We got a good look at Cinevate's latest light weight, short(er) run FLT Camera slider at NAB2011. It's definitely a mini version of their already popular Atlas 10. I actually tried to get an Atlas 10, but they can't seem to keep these things in stock. This might be the same case for the new FLT version coming in as Cinevate's cheapest slider yet. Even though it's Cinevate's least expensive linear tracking system, the price of the FLT may not sit comfortable for the video hobbyist, but the build quality will certainly satisfy the professionals. A more thorough description of their product can be found below, with more information on the FLT found at the Cinevate website here: https://cinevate.com/​atlasflt

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lensse-rigx-cagelensse-cage-dslr

Lensse adds another DSLR accessory to their lineup - the RigX DSLR Cage. (Not to be confused with 'RigX' from Express35 which is an offset shoulder rig). This very basic frame (cage) around your video camera providing you with a few different mounting points for your LED lighting, LCD Monitors, Microphones, Audio recorders, Wireless Receivers, and other add-ons. The frame can stand on it's own with built in legs and offers a top handle for stable low shots. The RigX Cage from Lensse also includes a couple of quick hot shoe mounts.

lensse-rig-x-dslr-cage

To finish this setup off, I think it could definitely use a quick release adapter. Perhaps the longer Manfrotto 357 Sliding Mounting Plate might be a good choice to balance out the camera, and a couple of Friction Arms to get akward accessories positioned in the right place. Price, not so bad for the amount of mounting points + top handle + shoe adapters, but shipping could be a deal breaker for most some. Found below.

lensse-dslr-mounting-cage
find-price-button Lensse DSLR Cage steady-camera RigX