Videography Gadgets

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blue-mikey

blue-speaker-ipod

Here's a true story. At my own wedding the videographer sat at the far end of the Luau table. Spontaneously someone decided to stand up and start making a speech. Me knowing the camera would never be able to grab this audio, I quickly threw my iPhone on Voice Recorder mode and placed it on the table in front of the speaker. It works, try it sometime.

A reader wanted to share this item and thought it might come in handy for those times you need some quality audio recording. The manufacturer 'Blue' is known for making several quality models of microphones and has this product available that adapts to most iPod & iPhone devices. It also has a built in Speaker too for better playback, but you'll probably be on your headphones. More information about the product below.

Product Description
With positional/directional design and stereo capability, you can record your rehearsals or gigs. Other features include a mono confidence speaker, variable gain control, overload protection, recording status light and up to 1.5 hours continuous recording. It's never been easier to record your world. Meet Mikey, Blue's new iPod recording device that makes recording lectures, voice notes, live music, interviews and more - Mikey can capture it all with audio quality unheard of in a hand-held device. But hey, you'd expect that from a company with years of experience designing and engineering award-winning studio mics! Mikey features Blue's superior quality stereo condenser capsules, 3-position user selectable gain settings, and built-in speaker for playback. You can fine-tune Mikey to record everything from the barest audible sound to extremely loud sources without losing audio fidelity. Mikey's unique user-positionable head swivels 180 to provide maximum flexibility and usability, allowing you to position Mikey towards sound sources in various directions. Record up to 1.5 hours continuously Compatible with iPod nano 2G, 3G & 4G; iPod classic; iPod 5G & most cases

514g5NB6y9L._SL500_AA300_
find-price-button Blue Microphones Mikey iPod Recording Microphone with Speaker

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olympus-e-pl1

I'm still waiting to dive into the new Pen Camera which has much more improved photography and videography features over the original E-P1 and E-P2. I don't like the fact that the body has changed so much though. I was really fond of the nostalgic old school look with the leather cover.

olympus-e-pl1-waterproof-housing
This was interesting to me to find Olympus right away supporting their new E-PL1 with an OEM waterproof housing case. I'm not sure how much of underwater experience Olympus has, but there is a bit of security knowing it's all made to work perfectly and designed exactly for their own products. You can find the Olympus waterproof housing Available here at BHPHotoVideo.com.

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steddiepod

It's called a Steddiepod and it's available for around $389.00. Now before you go out thinking about buying a stabilizer like this, you need to reflect on one my first DIY's in the DSLR world here: http://cheesycam.com/?p=18

Just thought I would show the basic principle of how I believe this Steddipod is supposed to work. If you've checked on my earlier article, i've used the same principal of spacing the lower weights. (not sure if my version was out first and now it's catching on). On the bottom of the Steddiepod, those legs that hang out 'might' be some type of counter-weight set. By spacing the lower weight very wide, you'll totally minimize movement while walking. I've since redesigned my version from a wooden dowel into an adjustable Monopod with a wooden plank spacing Foundation Bearings on each side (from home depot). You can make your own for probably under $18.00 dollars, or you can opt in for something like a Steddiepod for about $389.

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zoom-h1

What's going to be the hottest selling item in the DSLR world come July 30th? Well It's not going to be a DSLR. I predict the hottest selling item is going to be the new Zoom H1 portable audio recorder. C'mon for $99 dollars, and it's portable size, it's the perfect recorder for DSLR shooters. It's not going to match the many inputs of the H4n, or have as high quality, but it'll do the job where the H4n can't. One of the things i'm already thinking about is using these instead of wireless receivers on a Bride or Groom. Given the right lav microphone attached, these will run much much cheaper than any wireless set and guarantee to provide a high quality recording capture. More information can be found on the Samson Tech website.

But if I were you, i'd start getting on the pre-order list where available. It's already showing up on the BHPHOTOVIDEO website, Keep checking this article and click here when it comes around.

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Rod based rigs are nice, since you can slide for adjustments to fit pretty much any body type. The problem is finding cheap clamps for those 90 Degree angles. Here's a guy who was able to machine some of his own clamps for standard sized rods. The DIY video above was submitted to me by Igor which is very similar to Zacuto's $1000 dollar 'Striker' rig. I'm guessing Igor didn't spend $1000.00 dollars for his DIY project. Thanks for sharing, check out his DIY rig, and leave Igor some comments at his video link here.

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Red-Giant-Software

There's some fancy new software in town from Red Giant, you probably know them from terms like Magic Bullet. It's actually called Magic Bullet Grinder 1.0, designed to convert those nasty DSLR video files into something more editable. There's a video on the Red Giant website here.

Magic Bullet Grinder 1.0

Features Easy Conversion
Convert H264-encoded video to edit friendly formats

Insert Timecode
Timecode data can be inserted for any .mov file, including original Canon format files

Final Cut-friendly Output
Support for ProRes 4:4:4, SQ, LT or PhotoJPEG media for online work

Offline Format Support
Handles ProRes LT and PhotoJPEG format in 1080p to quarter resolution

Simple, Powerful Batch Processing
Grinder is multi-threaded for speed. Transcode as many files at once as there are cores (8 cores = 8 simultaneous files)

Frame Rate Conversion
Conform files to one frame rate for converting 30p and 60p media to 24p for slow motion use (Speed conversion only: Does not alter optical flow)

File Naming
Automatically adds file name burn-in to proxies, making it easy to track offline files

Timecode/Frame Number Burn-in
Makes matching of specific frames from offline to online media easy

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If you're wondering if the above video is legit, it sure seems like it. The manufacturer is found at this website at https://www.plcelectronicsolutions.com. If you're thinking about getting something like this, get ready to dish out over $1500.00 for just the Receiver. Which means you still need the lens gears, the motor, and of course iPhone not included. I think everyone might be better off going with the the new RedRock Wireless Follow Focus seen at NAB. Check out the video below from Hand held Hollywood.

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I was asked by several people to do a review on the Canon 550D / T2i aftermarket battery grips that are found on eBay. I decided it would be best to do a side by side comparison to the real deal OEM Canon BG-E8 battery grip. Here's some video footage I hope helps clear some things up. The video is a bit long, but what's 10 minutes out of your life compared to the $$$ savings if you decide you want to go aftermarket.

OEM Prices:
The Canon BG-E8 OEM retails for $160.00
LP-E8 Rechargeable OEM retails for $60.00

AfterMarket Prices:
BG-E8 Grip available from $59.00
LP-E8 Rechargeable from $10.00
(I got the grip + 2 batteries for $69.00)

Ordering normally takes several weeks from overseas. There is never an option for overnight shipping from eBay overseas, so don't expect to place an order the weekend before your next event. The buyer I received mine from on eBay (found here),shipped it to me in just 7 business days after I placed the order. Very very fast for on overseas seller. The box and packaging inside the box is impressive and everything was bubble wrapped or came with a plastic shell cover. It even comes with some very clear, descriptive, instructional manual in different languages. Looks like quality stuff.

For the most part, the aftermarket battery grips functions exactly the same. Note: The battery trays cannot be swapped out. The OEM tray only fits in the OEM grip, the aftermarket tray ONLY fits into the aftermarket grip. The batteries of course don't matter. Aftermarket and OEM mixed up always show the battery life meter. One thing I highly suggest you purchase for any Grip owner is another charger. The grip requires 2 batteries to be used, and it truly sucks to be waiting on one charger. This is a must have for any Grip owner, so that you can charge another battery without waiting. As low as $1.99 + Free Shipping.

click image to purchase this charger for as low as $1.99 + Free shipping.
LP-E8-Chargerfind-price-button Canon LP-E8 Battery Chargers

The build quality is almost exact. At first I believed these aftermarket grips were coming out of the same factory and just being rebranded (like most things), but in fact there are some differences in design. The color is a bit darker and doesn't match the T2i exactly, but you would never know the difference unless they were side by side. The texture on the grip is a bit different too, but feels the same (non slip). Weight also feels very close, and again, you'd never know unless they were side by side. If you look very very closely, you'll see the buttons are just millimeters off from the OEM, but basically in the same area and laid out just like the OEM.

As you can see, by going aftermarket you can save a ton of money. In fact you can buy almost three sets of grips + batteries compared to going OEM. If you're wondering about the longevity of these products, i've been using aftermarket Grips + Batteries on my 5D Mark II and my Canon 7D without any problems. Of course you do have to order overseas and through eBay for the best deals. Some sellers might not have the best customer service, but if you're looking to grab one from the same person I received mine, check out this link.

Next on the review is comparing the battery life from the OEM vs. Aftermarket. I can already tell you that it's probably going to be exactly the same, so why waste time and just grab them online now for as little as $7.99 US. Check out my article here: http://cheesycam.com/?p=752

550d-grip-t2i
find-price-button Canon T2i / 550D AfterMarket Battery Grip

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Sigma released a few new lenses in their lineup at the PMA 2010. One of the most exciting ones is the 85mm F/1.4 which now shows a price tag at Amazon for $899.00, but today still shows 'on pre-order'. This sits right between Canon's F/1.8 at $379.95 or Canon's F/1.2 at $1999.00. I actually own the F/1.2 which is a beast of a lens seen mounted on my camera in many of my videos, but honestly I shoot between F/4-F/5.6, so you might be smart to stick with Canon's F/1.8 or Sigma's new F/1.4. If you really really need the F/1.2, you can always rent it for around $30.00 dollars from one of my favorite places, BorrowLenses.com.