Videography Gadgets

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Varavon is a new company that seems to want to make a name for itself in fast growing world of DSLR's. We've linked to this viewfinder before, but it looks like it's recently showing up on eBay auctions and a recent demo video posted at Vimeo.com. Not the most modern design in view finders, but it looks like it's got some beef to it.

In the video (below), I have no idea what this guy is saying, but that viewfinder looks massive!

It seems to mount under the camera, and has some use for low angle shots through some funky mirror design. The price is extremely high for any LCD Viewfinder loupe, especially for a company that hasn't made a name for itself in DSLR country. I personally don't think this thing is going to flying off the shelves anytime soon, but if you care to peek, here's the link to the Varavon Profinder LCD Viewfinder Loupe

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Another item Varavon is throwing out is their Camera slider called the 'Slide Cam'. Not a bad looking design with the black and red motif, but again price is going to kill 'em. Nothing special to talk about this camera slider, it basically slides a camera. But again if you care, Here's the link to the Varavon Slide Cam.

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Here's a quick gallery of images shot in a parking lot area just to give you an idea of the range this Canon 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 has. Everything is hand held with IS on, from a Canon 5D Mark II. These are the JPEG's not the raw, no post processing except for resizing the image for web. I possibly even had my sharpness turned down for video mode on the profile, but you can see it's a pretty sharp lens zoomed in or zoomed out.  You'll find related images when i'm zoomed out and zoomed into an object standing at the same spot. More video samples will follow soon..

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Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Autofocus Lens

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This is project 'overkill'. This is the setup for those who might feel a bit inadequate with their camera body and need to throw on some type of intimidation factor. LOL. The Sigma looks huge on the Canon T2i and there's a battery pack on. Imagine what it would look like without. Someone wanted to see what this would look like, it's crazy. It's so forward heavy, I wouldn't be able to shoot with this thing if it were on the T2i. It does take some awesome photos with great range http://cheesycam.com/sigma-50-500mm-quick-test/

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Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO Autofocus Lens

Update on the Sigma and Canon Lens
I screwed up big time talking about reviewing the Sigma 50-500mm vs. the Canon 100-400mm. The Sigma is in a different class, and I was confused by the price. They both sit around the $1600 dollar range. In fact the lens that I really should be comparing to the Canon 100-400mm is the Sigma 120-400mm F/4.5-5.6 that has the same aperture range and costs only $900 dollars. I'll see if I can return this Sigma 50-500mm and review the other. It won't be anytime soon though, so for now i'm not going to do Lens vs. Lens, i'll just review them seperately. I did get to shoot with the Canon 100-400mm on the 5D Mark II and is there such a thing as 'love at first click?'. I'm blown away by this lens on how fast and sharp it is. The colors and contrast that come from a lens with this range is amazing. The optical stabilization works awesome, I was able to do some handheld video at 400mm with decent results. Imagine if I had a Tripod. Next article post will be around the Canon 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6.

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Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Autofocus Lens

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ikan-recoil

Looks like Ikan has a new product in their website called the 'Recoil' for Camera Stabilization. Let me emphasize that I like Ikan, I really really really like Ikan. They make some really good products and I like how they are really stepping into the DSLR accessories market, but this 'Recoil' product might not be a good marketing move. This 'Recoil' product newly released by ikan for $79.95 has been around for quite some time as the $20.00 dollar shoulder support in DSLR world. It has already been popularized by many 'big big big' websites, so not many people will find this as a new product. My oldest article post dates back before November of 2009, and even I had my share of tweaking this shoulder support rig found in this article: http://cheesycam.com/a-s-s-implants-how-to/. I'm glad Ikan is stepping into more products for DSLR shooters, but this one product is released a little late and a little too pricey.

Below is a video I did having fun with this product.
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One thing I was keeping my eye on from Ikan was their Ikan fly Pack DSLR Support Kit. It's like a Fig rig, DSLR cage, LCD monitor, LED light, battery packs, some magic adjustable arms, you name it it's all in the bag ready to shoot your next DSLR event coverage. It's a great idea that just needed a bit more marketing behind it. Jump over to the link at bhphotovideo.com to get more information.

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IKan Fly Pack 1 DSLR Bundle w/V5600

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Yup, that's the official name 'Shoulder Rest for Cameras' according to DealExtreme. Thanks to Brett for sharing this unusual support thing. I'm not sure if it's DSLR worthy, but for small shooters like the Sony NEX or light four-thirds cameras it might make a slight difference as a shooter rig. Telescoping adjustable rod, expandable claw foot, quick release adapter, and even comes with a bag. I'll personally pass on this, but it's always nice to share. Who knows, this may stir up some new DIY ideas for us. Possibly use the rod for the Double L bracket fig rig? Thanks Brett, and here's the link to DealExtreme.com

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Above: Canon T2i + Battery Grip + Sima L Bracket next to Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorder

I'm not going to try and do audio tests, I think we know what the Zoom products are already capable of. We're already sold on audio, no need for further tests. I will note on my videos if I ever have it in use though, so you can see what the results would be. If you haven't already purchased a Zoom H1 Portable Audio recorder, i'm sure you're just looking for other deal breakers or deal makers such as the size, switches, button functions, build quality, etc. Here's sorta a sneek peek around the gear from my first unboxing. I've dropped my Zoom H4n and wasn't too worried about it. It survived quite well. This Zoom H1 item feels really really hollow and fragile, so it's not something i'm looking forward to ever drop. It's all mixed feelings right now, but the true selling point is it's $99 dollars. If it were $150 dollars i'd be more on the fence. I'm a fan of the lightweight, but not the plastic build. I'm a fan of the easy to access buttons, but not a fan that you can't lock those controls. Still it's something I suggest every DSLR shooter carry if you don't already have a portable audio recorder. In fact, with the Audio-Technica LAV mic, I think it will be a perfect fit to replace many situations where you would be using a Wireless type setup.

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Extremely random. The video below just shows the new 3pcs lighting kit from this article http://cheesycam.com/new-800w-barndoor-softboxes-3pcs-lighting/ was used to record the Zoom H1 video.

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audio-technica-atr3350
click image to purchase Audio-Technica ATR3350

As soon as the Zoom H1 was released, I began my search for the perfect 'low budget' lavalier microphone. I'm not saying the Audio-Technica ATR3350 Lavalier can outperform other $100.00+ microphones, but from the tests i've seen and the comments i've received, this is the microphone for me. This little Lav comes in at under $24.00 dollars! This microphone is also battery powered. Just 'generally' speaking, powered microphones tend to perform better than non-powered microphones. Whether you'll find use for this with your Zoom H1 to possibly replace some wireless situations, at under $24.00 dollars it's a nice thing to just have in the bag. Even without the Zoom H1, this microphone connected directly to your DSLR is already an improvement over the built in camera microphone. So after researching a few Vimeo videos, YouTube videos, and checking out some comments from some of the readers i'm skipping the KFC combo dinner tonight and throwin' it down on the Audio-Technica ATR3350 Lavalier.

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bencollins
click image for larger size

Benton from BentonCollins.com commented on this article I posted http://cheesycam.com/latest-led-video-lights-for-dslr-video/, stating that he is currently using these very same 500 LED light panels outdoors for 10 new Head & Shoulder commercial shoots. I was really interested in his setup, so he sent in a link to the image above. If you took a peek at Benton's website you'll see some real credibility that this guy really knows his lighting. Wow, that's a really cool lightweight setup there for a location shoot both in lighting and audio. If you look closely, the 500 LED panel is mounted to the same Tripod as the camera, and then some clever arm is holding the shotgun microphone. You can see how far the 500 LED panel is from where the subject would stand proving to still be effective at that range, and there's an added reflector for some additional fill. The 500 LED panel looks like it's powered by a Paul Buff Vagabond power pack. Very cool setup, and glad someone can help 'shed some light' (no pun intended) on how 'cool' (as in temperature and as in trend like) these LED light panels are for both indoor and outdoor use. Thanks Benton can't wait to see more BTS and the final video when it's released.

Might be of interest, not sure if it's any good.

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Well I wanted to do a cool little Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorder video review, but looks like bhphotovideo.com beat me to it. I'll just post theirs instead since they touched on a lot of what I wanted to talk about. One of the things they point out is the use of the LAV microphone. Everyone's been talking about using this method since this unit is so small and portable, you can save some big bucks from buying a wireless mic kit. They even found a way to jamb this thing into a Microphone Shock Mount.

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click image for Zoom H1 kit

I'll still do my own little video review, but i'll talk about some things I don't like about it. My intent was not to use the built in microphones on the Zoom H1, but if you're planning to, get the foam windscreen which is part of a separate Zoom Kit (above). It's nice that the Zoom H1 leaves everything out to control many functions like WAV or MP3 settings, but these buttons are completely exposed. Using it as a body pack, I fear these buttons will be easily pressed. They should have placed these switches under a cover like the Rode VideoMic. There is a 'Hold' feature, but that only works to disable the playback buttons, not the other feature buttons.

The unit is also mainly plastic. It's nice because it shaves some weight, but feels real fragile. Not something I'd throw in my bag without a hard case, or at least the case shown in the Zoom H1 kit above. Even the microphone covers are chrome plated plastic. DSLR's as of now have terrible audio compared to the Samson recorders. For the audio quality of the Samson Zoom H1, the features this little gadget has, and the low low price point of $99 bucks + Free Shipping, it's a must have item for any DSLR shooter. The only thing we need to narrow down now is what's the best 'bang for the buck' LAV mic to use. My search continues for the cheapest and best LAV mic to use.....

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