Videography Gadgets

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When I posted this article, the world pretty much wiped out the inventory. http://cheesycam.com/quick-release-adapter-it-is-compatible-with-manfrotto/

Just FYI, if you haven't been able to get your hands on a Manfrotto Compatible Quick Release adapter, they are back in stock. They are perfect if you have the need to quickly move your camera from a Manfrotto tripod, over to another rig like a Slider, or Crane.


calumet-quick-release-adapter
find-price-button Quick Release Adapter + Plate (not Manfrotto branded)

If you're just in need of the plate itself, they have that available too (again not stating Manfrotto Compatible)
calumet-sliding-plate
find-price-button Sliding Plate (not Manfrotto branded)

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Vimeo's got a sweet little application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Future versions will include the iPad and Android based systems. Check out the video above for a peek at the features, or download it free.

Description
It’s finally here: the OFFICIAL Vimeo iPhone app!

We’ve packed all the best parts of Vimeo into one app! Now you can upload, edit, manage and watch your videos right from your iPhone. Need some inspiration? Watch great videos based on your personal preferences or our curated channels.

Vimeo is the best way to get your videos online in the highest quality with great tools to share publicly or privately. There’s many reasons millions use Vimeo and Time Magazine voted us a Top 50 Website for the last two years running.

Screen shot 2011-03-30 at 1.14.10 AM

Apple iTunes Vimeo LLC iPhone / iPod App

While you're there over on iTunes, check out the LightMeter Application for under a buck. Looks interesting.

Description
A light meter that is always in your pocket. It is indispensable for film photography with all manual camera. Measures reflected light, and allows reciprocity calculations.

Pocket Light Meter

Apple iTunes Pocket Light Meter

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iPad Tilt ShiftiPad Tilt Shift

TiltShift Generator for iPad makes for interesting photos. Several different image editing options and blur control make this one cool little application, not to mention several thousands of dollars cheaper than a Lens.

Features (from iTunes)
- The original iPhone version was ranked second in the Photo Manipulation app category of the Best App Ever Awards. Judges included expert journalists from Wired, IGN, ArsTechnica and many more - these guys know what they're talking about!

- Twitter and email sharing - show the world your creations.
- Comprehensive in-app tutorial.
- Support for a range of image resolutions.
- Radial and linear blur masks.
- Blur strength control.
- Saturation, contrast and brightness controls.
- Vignetting (corner shadowing).
- In-app developer contact - we listen to our customers.

Available Here:

tilt-shift-generator
visit-button TiltShift Generator for iPad - Fake DSLR

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Sucks posting this article, especially since the unit is not available for the same price (right now). I posted something about this new light hitting the market a few days ago, and of course it sold out fast. It was the first time a BI-Color Adjustable LED light was available for the price. Hopefully they'll get them back on the market ASAP, because this light makes balancing fill light color so easy. Don't worry i'm on top of this so if I find out updates, i'll get it on this blog for ya'. If you want to check out the original post for these light you can find it HERE.

240-dimmable-color-led
Sony battery Compatible + Panasonic w Adapter

240-led-diffuser
Drop in Diffuser (Magenta not Shown)

Color-change-led
Color Temperature Adjustment Dial

dimmable-led
Brightness Dimmer

240-led-light
Battery Meter

For now, here's a few inexpensive other options for Bi-Color, Color Changing, Color Adjustable LED Video Lights (below).

stellar-240-led-video-light
find-price-button 240 LED Video light (same as what i've received - rebranded / marked up)

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

[Update Update] Now Back Available Here:
240-barndoor
find-price-button 240 Dimmable Color Changing LED Video Light with Barndoors

barndoor-240
find-price-button 240 Dimmable Color Changing LED Video Light without Barndoors

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Tripods, long Light Stands, or even Cranes / Jibs that break down into 4 ft. sections, there's always a need for a good travel bag. One good tip comes in talking about inexpensive Nylon Speaker Stand bags. Professional Speaker Stands are like massive light stands, and you'll often find these stands being used for DIY Cranes / Jibs since they support a good amount of weight. Some of these speaker stand travel bags come padded and at about 40" in length for under $25 bucks. Good deal for a solid travel bag to carry odd length gear. In fact, if you take the time to create sections it should fit most of the Glidecam stabilizers as well. I'm stoked to buy more...

Light-Stand-Bag
Heavy Duty Speaker Stand Padded Nylon Bags


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House Season Finale Shot 5D

Yeah I know this is all old news about that "Season Finale of House being shot on the Canon 5D Mark II", but I just had to re-watch the episode again after listening to DP Gale Tattersall's live video interview today on Planet5D. Obviously the Pros of the camera outweighed the Cons enough that they decided they could shoot this particular Finale with just the Canon 5D Mark II and only Canon Lenses.

Canon 5D Mark II
find-price-button Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera

Yup, no Zeiss Cinema or fancy PL modified lenses, just plain ol' Canon EF mounts. The images came out better than anyone could have expected when they first announced it would be all shot on the 5D Mark II. If you didn't catch it, you should. If you've already seen it, you should definitely re-watch it to admire the quality they were able to capture and process in post. You can preview the beginning parts and watch the entire Episode by clicking the jump below.

Season-Finale-House
watch now House Season Finale - Shot on Canon 5D Mark II

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If you're looking to tackle a home made Wireless Follow Focus project, you might want to give VImeo member Phillip James a holla. For the past few months, he's been working with Arduino to design his own WFF, and seems to have worked out all the bugs. It definitely looks like all the parts are in the right places, and appears to be very precise in movement. Take note that one thing inexpensive WFF's are known for is the amount of noise it can generate. WFF's have a place and sound should always be captured seperately (like on real sets).

If you're not up to the task of a DIY the most inexpensive one to first hit the market was from Jag35. Although it worked pretty well, it's been polished up quite a bit lately. Pricing is unbelievably cheap if you've ever shopped around a for one. Prices are available following the link below.

jag35-wireless-follow-focus
find-price-button Jag35 Wireless Follow Focus system

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camera stabilizer

It's probably been a while since anyone's used something like this. Very overpriced compared to what's on the market today, a bit odd looking, but might give some DIY'ers ideas for a different take on a body mounted camera stabilizer. There's a few more images following the link here.

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The IGUS linear guide rail has been one of the most popular off-the-shelf Rails used for DIY camera sliders. It's a solid build and fairly smooth slide and has been the foundation for other companies to 'rebrand' back into the Video market. One of the 'cons' of this slider is the lack of exact speed control when pushing or pulling manually. There's some friction with this type of slider which could be a good thing, but also could be a bad thing trying to control a very consistent move across the entire rail.

This time Vimeo member weelian soh attaches a basic DC high torque motor and a PWM controller (to control speed) from eBay to a DIY IGUS rail slider to achieve a consistent speed all the way across. A very nice DIY if you don't mind the amount of noise a DC motor can produce, and If you want to find out more, there's a ton of photos and information about his build following the link in the details here: https://vimeo.com/21491431

If you want to start building your own slider, IGUS has made it easy by providing a pretty much ready to go kit of rails and carrier. You'll just need to mount it to your tripod and drill a hole to add a fluid head.

IGUS-Dryling-Camera-Slider
find-price-button IGUS Slider and Carrier for DIY Camera Slider