Videography Gadgets

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The Flycam Nano video I posted recently with the Canon 60D + Sigma 20mm seems to have been a big hit. eBay seemed to have sold quite a few of them, and I wouldn't be surprised if they would be out of stock soon. It's happened a few times before. After posting my video with the Nano there were tons of questions about the Canon 7D + Tokina 11-16mm lens combo and if it would fly. The Tokina 11-16mm is an awesome lens for you who aren't familiar with it and it can maintain an aperture of F/2.8 throughout it's range - good for low light stuff. It's one of the top favorites for cropped cameras and wide angle flying stabilizers. (Note: Available for Nikon and Sony also, but won't work on Full Frame cams)


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

I've worked with many different stabilizers and had no doubt that it could fly this weight with ease, but for many of you 'seeing is believing'. Actually I wished I tried this combination earlier as it seems to fly much better than the 60D + Sigma 20mm. The reason why it would fly better is because of the weight. One of the top stabilizer tips I always give out is that you should really load up your stabilizer. Sometimes I'll add weights to the top of the camera and then compensate with more weights at the bottom, just so that I can make it overall heavier. The bearing handles on these stabilizers are very strong, and my experience with stabilizers are that they just fly so much smoother when the bearings are loaded up (especially on windy days). So here it is, and I've included in the video my secret recipe of weights and position for this combination, and also the secret power hidden in the Three Wolf and a Moon shirt (gag gift).

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find-price-button Flycam Nano DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

If you're not familiar with the shirt, the history is that someone posted a funny 'review' and then thousands of others followed with their own 'gag review'. It became so viral, you'll now see this available on XBOX controllers, iPhone skins, Laptop cases, and has even been featured in Television Shows like 'The Office'. This is also another great inexpensive 'Gag Gift' to consider this holiday season for your co-workers and close friends. You have to check out some of the Customer Reviews on Amazon.com and also the uploaded 'Customer Images' found here: The Mountain Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee Hilarious!!

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Three Wolf Moon Shirt Gag Gift on Amazon

[Update] OK I lied. It worked so well, I decided to shoot a sample video found here: http://cheesycam.com/flycam-nano-stabilizer-abused-with-7d-tokina/

Other Related Articles: http://cheesycam.com/flycam-nano-dslr-video-camera-stabilizer/

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When I posted the article about Fancier's new product line of DSLR support rigs and related accessories, it grabbed quite a bit of attention. Supposedly these rigs were also shown in Photokina earlier this year, so they are really pushing these products. In pictures it looks like it's got all the right stuff. They've come up with several modular pieces in their designs from entry level to heavily accessorized full shoulder rigs. The Fancier Rod Rig systems looks to meet industry standard measurements with 15mm rods and proper spacing to accept various other accessories.

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This rig is designed with two main modular parts. First part is the DSLR cage type frame that can hold a few accessories and a follow focus. The cage can be released from the shoulder support for you to get hand-held shots and then quickly get the entire cage mounted back again. On this rig is Fancier's own friction follow focus system and Matte box. The follow focus has a smooth marking disc area, a very nice knurled black anodized knob that can support a whip. The follow focus is actually made quite nice, but the mounting and adjustment bracket is a terrible design. The matte box comes with large metal french flags and a standard sized plastic filter holder. The body of the Matte box is made of some type of molded plastic which is strong and light weight. There is very little adjustments to the matte box which makes it difficult to match up a combination of cameras or lenses for a decent fit.

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The DSLR cage (thing) has a solid base plate, but the follow focus is raised to where it hits the bottom of the lens. Even my cameras with the battery pack on were too big to fit into this cage. There is also no vertical adjustments for the follow focus - only horizontal. Without the vertical adjustments there was no way I could mount any of my cameras with any combination of lenses to their system. This is how the rig was shipped, so it's possible 'they' even messed up on putting it together. Looking at the follow focus plate, it's still possible to flip it upside down and move the horizontal adjustment under the lens giving me a few millimeters of clearance, but the threaded knob would still dig into my lens. Not to mention they weak two screw mounts they use for the bracket wouldn't hold up well either. Basically worthless, but don't worry this rig isn't mine. I didn't pay for this rig, but sure am glad I got an early peek at it, and to share some of this information with all you guys. Perhaps saving many of you the time and money.

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The rear shoulder pad for the rig was very comfortable and balanced the rig well with the counter weights. Once the rig was on my shoulder, I head quite a bit of squeaking and thought my clamps were loose. It turns out the shoulder pad was really just shifting around, and it's a flaw in their design. Too bad, because I really liked the shoulder pad and counter weight mount. It's much more comfortable that other rigs i've been playing with.

There it is folks. I really hope this information is helpful to anyone reading this. I'm quite pressed for time this week, and almost passed up the chance to review this one entirely. I didn't see any more information about this rig elsewhere, and wanted to get something online before anyone starts throwing money around on these rigs. This might be the first review anyone's posted about the Fancier DSLR rigs, and i'm really sorry to find so many things that just don't work. I still think they make decent budget tripods, LOL. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments.

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Here's a couple of differences Letus has come up with since first introducing their Hawk VF DSLR View finder. The earliest model came in a Carbon Fiber body with a hard mounted camera belly plate. The original Hawk VF was also designed for the normal 3" LCD found on the Canon 5D Mark II, 7D, and for other cameras with a similar sized LCD. The new Hawk VF lineup now comes in both Carbon Fiber and a black Aluminum body (I like the black Aluminum), has added more products to meet the correct size of the Canon T2i 3/2 LCD size (or even Canon 60D). The new lineup of Hawk VF's also come with a Quick Release belly plate to make using your camera in both video mode and photography mode quite easy by removing the Hawk VF. If you're rocking the battery pack on a Canon 5DM2 or 7D, there's an optional adapter for that too. I don't think these LCD's were ever marketed towards Canon 60D owners, but I found it perfect for mine. With the Canon 60D's swivel screen, you can see why i'm using this setup instead of sticky metal frames normally used with other view finders. I'm still able to flip the LCD backwards into the camera to protect the glass. I like the hard mount that keeps it from falling off, and the quick release option should I need to swing out the LCD or use the camera's eyepiece for Photography.

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Aluminum Letus Hawk VF

The Hawk VF's plate has a flush mounting screw to hold onto the camera, and still allow threads for to mount your tripods quick release plate (should you need one). This same plate is also designed to work with the ever growing accessories from Letus like the Rod system, and DSLR cages. The Letus design also allows you to migrate from one body to the next simply by removing the glass eyepiece, should you decide to use it on a different camera with a different size LCD, or if you want to change out the 'finish' of the VF from Carbon Fiber to the Aluminum version. It's a fine crafted piece of equipment that won't ever see landfill that's for sure. This materials used on the VF make this a solid product to take any type of abuse you can throw at it and should last you for years. You can check out more about Letus and the DSLR accessories over at https://LetusDSLR.com or even hit them up at their Twitter @letusdirect.

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Magic Lantern, if you don't already know is a firmware type code that enhances features in your DSLR camera. There's only a few cameras supported at this time, and only so many features are 'unlocked' for each one. When it was first released, it caused quite a stir, but Canon has since updated their firmware to resolve some of these issues. For instance manual audio levels and 24p in the Canon 5D Mark II came after these features were already unlocked with the Magic Lantern firmware. The code is stored on the Media card, so after rebooting - the camera returns to it's normal self. This doesn't mean that it's entirely safe (although i've never heard of any problems using it). The code that starts running as soon as you go through the steps of booting up from it will make your camera do tricks it wasn't originally designed to do including run faster and run harder.

This time around Trammell Hudson the man behind the madness has added a new upgrade to the 5D Mark II firmware to run the video bitrate up to 76Mbps chasing the popular hack for the GH1. This still might be a bit too high for the Canon 5D Mark II camera without over buffering, so a sustained 70Mbs in 24p looks to be more manageable. There's options from 7Mbps (low quality) and several in between up to the 76MBps (OEM is normally about 40Mbps). Hey i'd take a sustained 50-60Mbps, which would already make a huge difference. Of course depending on the amount of information the camera absorbs that might change. Static shots compared to running, fast moving subjects, and fast exposure changes will all play a role in the amount of information being processed. It's an all free download, but of course if you're interested in the hard work Trammell has been doing for the DSLR video community, you can always drop a donation found on the Wikia page. For more information and other features that you can unlock from your DSLR check out the Wikia https://magiclantern.wikia.com/wiki/Magic_Lantern_Firmware_Wiki.

Yo Trammell, let's see some action on the Canon 7D as it appears to have the dual processors and the only camera capable of outputting 1080 through HDMI. I'm hoping this translates to a camera that can process more than 76Mbps too....

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I've talked about this particular video camera stabilizer before, and have been suggesting it to many people. In my older posts i've always shown demo videos of other people using this Flycam Nano stabilizer. This time around, i'm actually doing the demo. It's an affordable stabilizer with a Gimbal bearing handle that has more range of motion than the Hague MMC or IndieHardware. It's more expensive than the IndieHardware and about the same price of the Hague (if not cheaper) depending on where you live and shipping costs. It can also carry much more weight than both the Hague MMC and IndieHardware stabilizer. The design is similar to the Glidecam series of stabilizers, and it's possible it can carry the same weight as the Glidecam HD1000 which is 3 times the price.

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Flycam Nano next to Glidecam HD4000

The Flycam Nano is a cheaper stabilizer not only because it's coming from overseas manufacturing, but also because it doesn't spend on fancy aesthetics. The weights used on the sled (lower tray) of the stabilizer are just large washers with a wing-nut and bolt combo. The finish of the whole unit looks like it's some type of hard flat black paint as opposed to higher end units that use a flat black anodizing process. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing that feels like plastic. It appears to be an all metal rig. Unlike the the Glidecam HD1000 there are also no simple fine tuning knobs. To balance this stabilizer, you'll need to loosen all the thumb screws, shift the plates, recheck and try again if it's still off. With any stabilizer, this could be a time consuming and frustrating process especially for those who aren't familiar with balancing a stabilizer. For myself who has balanced many other stabilizers, it took me less than a minute. Of course, the first time I balanced a Glidecam it literally took me several hours. I've learned to understand what to look for when balancing my cameras, and practice makes perfect.

I'm very impressed with this stabilizer and the amount of weight it can carry. I'm only using 5 of the weights on each side and the unit shipped with 10 on each side. With the amount of weight I have on there now, it doesn't feel like the unit is struggling. I'm flying the Canon 60D with a Sigma 20mm Prime lens. The Flycam Nano I ordered also came with several extra parts including extra rubber feet and wing nuts. It was packaged nicely in a box of solid foam with cut outs. There are a few parts on the unit i'm planning to upgrade like the screws that hold the weights, and changing out the wing nuts to fancier clamp knobs. There's also a small hex screw that holds the top stage to the post that seems to work it's way loose after a while. A simple lock washer will prevent this from coming loose. It also lacks any type of quick release system to remove your camera when traveling. I'll be placing a Quick release adapter to the top of this unit.

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Minimal Parts for easy Travel

It's super compact and if you decide to take it apart will fit into a small bag. It's a really fun stabilizer, and i'm hoping to shoot something worth watching. If you have any questions for me at this point, leave them in the comments section. You can also check out the earlier related posts showing more examples of the Flycam Nano in use.

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find-price-button Flycam Nano DSLR Video Camera Stabilizer

Related Articles:
http://cheesycam.com/flycam-nano-now-available/

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The LP-E6 is the battery type used in the Canon 60D, 7D, and Canon 5D Mark II. This AC power adapter will power your camera from any AC outlet. There's usually several cameras going at one time and to compliment the stationary tripod shots in the studio, I decided these AC adapters help save me time from charging batteries. I can use my other batteries for the more mobile cameras. Having constant power to a few cameras is also one less thing to worry about when we've got only two guys manning 4-5 cameras. As you can see the cords are very long, so even without an extension cord, they are quite usable on it's own. These cameras don't require much power, and I verified that it works with my little portable $99 dollar battery pack which should give me more than a full day's worth of power. Extended Timelapse shooting? You'll probably think about something like this. If you're in studio, or even on constant location shoots with a static tripod shot, a battery pack and this ACK-E6 battery adapter is definitely a handy thing to have in the bag in case you run low on batteries....

If you're not using a battery grip, you can get away with some of the inexpensive versions running around $20 dollars. If you're using a battery grip, some of the aftermarket types don't work well and the battery door won't close properly. That's why I went with the OEM.

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find-price-button Canon ACK-E6AC Adapter Kit for Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR

Canon T2i / 550D owners are in luck, as the OEM ACK-E8 power adapter is much cheaper than the ones for the 60D, 7D, and 5D Mark II.
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find-price-button ACK-E8, AC Adapter Kit for EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR Camera

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Sure it's not DSLR, but if you're working with a camera that lacks 60p, you might want to take a look at the Panasonic TM700. For those shooting sports and loving that whole slow motion look, this cheap little video camera might help add to your work flow. Vimeo member iamkalaniprince just posted this video up showcasing Panasonic's ability to provide smooth slow motion playback with Image Stabilization already built in to help with your hand-held shots. Camcorders are well known for their fast auto focus compared to DSLR's which makes this perfect for fast moving subjects. Not to mention it's got a bit of a zoom range in a tiny lightweight package. There's a built in 32GB hard drive, but also supports SDHC for more storage. Filter ring support for those ND and CPL's, Microphone input support and headphone monitoring are also nice additions, along with a crazy 3.45-41.4mm f/1.5-2.8 Leica lens (yeah they dropped the Leica name). You won't be coming in with the same Depth of Field look as a DSLR and possibly lack the low light abilities, but for an outdoor fast moving shoot that you can turn into butter smooth slow motion this looks like a fun little video camera. I'm waiting for someone to throw this footage into Twixtor next.

Here's a Low Light Sample from iamkalaniprince

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find-price-button Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder at B&H Photo Video

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I've received several comments and emails about how well these FD lenses actually work. For those who are chasing that DOF look, old vintage lenses can get you there on a budget. You'll often hear that these lenses aren't as sharp as digital EF mounts, but that's going about it all wrong. Sure they aren't uber sharp, but with moving pictures it can provide a more classic Cinema feel than overly sharp lenses. Many of these lenses can give you this certain artistic look starting at only $20 dollars. I think the best comment left on this blog was 'Take them for what they are'. They can really blow out a background, especially this 200mm prime lens at F/4. Sure you can find lenses at F/1.2 but you have to also factor lens distance, subject focal distance, and background distance from subject. Get the right combination, and F/4 can provide a really nice blurred look to that background. Keep in mind too that the 60D with this FD adapter turns this 200mm into a crazy focal length of 320mm+ at F/4.

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There's a few things I could have done better in this. My white balance was set to Auto, and perhaps if I set it correctly it could have warmed things up. I didn't have an ND filter on so the shutter speed was a bit high. I could have thrown a reflector on the subject to get more balanced lighting under the hat, and a scrim to shade the hot spot. I was also just using the preset Picture style for Portrait on the 60D. I possibly could have shot it in a more flat style and edited in post, but I wanted to show how well the image can be straight from the camera. So hopefully this sample will give you guys an idea of some types of footage that can be achieved. You can find the adapter i'm using back at this article: http://cheesycam.com/the-cheaper-road-to-a-lens-with-f1-2/.

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Click Image for FD Adapter

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Old video - The 24-105mm has been upgraded with Stainless Steel Inserts

If you're out of gift ideas for what to get your camera geek buddies, you may want to check out the Coffee Mug Lens Replicas. I'm all over this one. After the initial release of the Canon 70-200mm F/4 at the Olympics, there's been quite a few new additions of 'Lens Replica Coffee Mugs' including Nikon versions. The Nikon version i'm showing in my gallery actually 'Zooms' in and out, which is quite whimsical. The details on these replicas are incredible with the recent versions being over 95% detailed to match the real deal. The new versions also include stainless steel inserts for hot beverages, perfect for both Camera lovers and Coffee Drinkers. I have quite a few myself which you can check out in the galleries below. The 24-105mm Lens mug you see in my gallery is the old one. The new Canon 24-105mm F/4 Replica Lens mug now has a stainless steel insert and is more accurate in replica details.

Originally these items were crazy over priced upwards of $100 dollars each with rare finds, but now the the trend has died down and there's more sellers available. The new cheaper prices sometimes found for about $10 dollars for these things make for the perfect Christmas gift for any Camera enthusiast. A gift you know won't end up being recycled back to someone else, LOL. You'll find local sellers that can get you one in short time, but if you're looking to get this by the big Holiday for cheap over seas pricing, you may want to pad for some shipping time and order soon.

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find-price-button Nikon Coffee Mug Telephoto Zoom


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find-price-button Canon Lens Mug Coffee Mug Replica Telephoto Zoom