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Do you work with a few different camera bodies and need a universal cage to fit them all? Perhaps you've upgraded camera bodies and your old Cages is no longer compatible with the new camera body? Or maybe you just have one of those camera bodies that don't third-party companies choose not to make dedicated cages for (i.e. Sony RX10MKII, Panasonic G7, etc.).

Situations like these are probably good reason to look at the new Varavon Zeus UNI C-Type Half Cage. It's designed to fit around most camera bodies giving you a proper Top Handle and dozens of mounting points for your EVFs, Monitors, Microphones, LED Lighting, etc. The video below offers a look at the Varavon Zeus UNI and a general idea how it works.

The Varavon Zeus UNI seems to be versatile enough to work with many different camera bodies, but there could be times when the cage blocks the top dials. This is mainly an issue with cameras that are very flat at the top. But with cameras that have slightly raised hotshoes (GH4, A7sII, Canon 5D, etc) this will provide additional clearance to access those top dials and menu buttons.

I believe most people would rather choose a custom designed form fitting Cage for their camera bodies. But if you can't seem to find one available for your unique camera model, this simple C-Type Half Cage could be a great option. For more information visit the Zeus UNI product page (here).

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Learn-More-sm Varavon Zeus UNI C-Type Half Cage

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I posted a short overview of the FotoDiox ND Throttle Fusion Adapter not too long ago. It's a clever lens adapter that will get your Canon EF Autofocus lenses mounted to your Sony camera bodies (like A7sII, A7RII) and allow you to fully communicate with the lens using the Sony dials buttons. The adapter supports autofocus, image stabilization, and adjustment of iris. But obviously the big difference is the built in Variable ND Filter that allows you to more ways to control your exposure. Check out the video below for more details.

Now there are times you may not need a variable ND filter on the camera, especially when shooting in dim lighting. So that makes this 24 Hour Flash Deal something to consider. With the purchase of an ND Throttle Auto Adapter, FotoDiox will throw in a Smart Adapter as well (basically same thing without the nd filter). This deal ends on Wednesday (8.17.16) at Midnight CST, and in order to get the deal you must ADD Both Items to Cart and use coupon code THROTTLEUP.

Click here to get your Smart Fusion ND Throttle AND Free Auto Adapter today (click here).

FotoDiox FLASH ND Throttle
FotoDiox 24 Hour FLASH DEAL. Purchase ND Throttle ND Auto and Receive FREE Smart Adapter.

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If you're working with a variety of Canon EF Auto Focus lenses with your Sony A7s, Sony A7sII or Sony A7RII cameras, you'll need a good lens adapter that can communicate to the lens so that you can at least change aperture values. Otherwise your lens will be stuck at one Aperture. At the same time, you'll probably need a variety of ND Filters to fit the different lenses - or at least a bunch of step up filters.

Or you can simplify your workflow and check out the new FotoDiox ND Throttle Fusion Adapter that has a built in Variable ND Filter (inside the lens adapter) while still allowing full communication to your Canon EF Auto Focus Lens and to adjust aperture settings from the camera's dials.

The FotoDiox ND Throttle Auto Lens Adapter is especially handy for people who love shooting in SLOG and wide open apertures. As the base ISO with SLOG on an A7s is 3200 (or 1600 on A7sII) normally your way overexposed. Adding an ND Filter as part of your Sony shooting kit is going to really help you control that SLOG exposure while keeping your super shallow DOF look.

Of course there are times when you need every bit of light you can get, so I can't say it's going to be the only Lens Adapters in your bag. Once you have this ND Throttle mounted you'll get a bit of light loss even at it's minimum setting ND. But I generally like shooting 'with' light and always try to add creative lighting to our scenes, so I could say this would probably tackle more than 80% of what we shoot with the Sony A7sII. It's definitely an adapter I think i'll use more over my Metabones.

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Learn-More-sm Fotodiox ND Throttle Auto Adapter Canon EF to Sony E-Mount

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Having a nice powerful lighting kit is great, but let's not forget how important it is to have ways of controlling and modifying all that light using items such as flags, grids, bounces, softboxes, etc.

If you don't have a softbox for your LED panel, the D-Fuse Softboxes are foldable instant pop-up boxes that are designed to fit most LED Panels via stretch bands that pull across the back of your LED Panel.

Just recently, they've added another version - all white. This type of diffusion is similar to the effects you get from what some call a China Ball, Drum Light, White Dome, or Lantern. You may often see this type of light used hanging above subjects evenly lighting up an area.

While this may not be your primary modifier, it is a handy accessory to have as part of your kit. Especially if you're going for low contrast with less shadows. Perhaps a good modifier to use for product closeups or food photography.

The new D-Fuse All White version is available in three different sizes. Just measure our your LED Panel and compare it with the 'back window' dimensions listed on the D-Fuse product pages (found here).

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Learn-More-sm D-Fuse Instant Pop-Up Softbox All White

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Here's a product overview of the new CAME-TV Optimus Gimbal vs the popular CAME-TV Single. In a nutshell, if you were happy with the performance of the SINGLE Gimbal, you'll be blown away by what you can do with the new design and flexibility of the Optimus.

Now both gimbals support the same payload, so don't expect to use heavy camera setups. As I said, it doesn't matter how small your camera body is if you've decided to use lens adapters and large full frame Canon Lenses. That's no longer considered a 'small camera' setup. You'll want to stick with the small camera body + small native lenses to get the best results from these small gimbal systems.

If you're curious what type of camera and lens combinations work, take a look at the CAME-SINGLE product page. They have a very nice list of camera and lens combinations that customers are using and they also link to the customer videos. Not only will you get a sense of what works, but also how the final images look from wide angles to portrait lenses - (click here for examples).

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learn-more-button CAME-TV Optimus Gimbal 3-Axis Stabilizer

Unlike the SINGLE, the Optimus now folds flat for travel as there are no 'hard stops' built into the motor rotations. Each motor can rotate a full 360 degrees thanks to new slip rings incorporated into each motor housing. With the ability to rotate without limits, the gimbal can be used inverted or upright, and can be rotated at anytime without having to restart the system.

And now that the battery has been relocated to the frame, you will be able to use a variety of different handles or mount the gimbal frame under a jib or Drone. Another bonus of course is that you can swap out the batteries quickly if needed. The CAME-SINGLE with battery built into the handle was a bit more time consuming to change batteries.

Also a difference from the CAME-SINGLE (or other gimbals) is the ability to connect directly with the Flight Control Inputs (located on the side of frame) for Pitch, Roll, and YAW. If you understand SBGC these inputs are used to connect an RC Remote (i.e. Futaba) to control the gimbal from a very long distance or to integrate with the controls of your Drone.

So while the Optimus does carry a higher price tag it includes many accessories over other systems. First, you get two batteries. You also get the Single Handle + the Dual Handles. It will include a tripod mount for balancing, and a fairly decent Hard Case for travel. You'll also get a Wireless Joystick and Magic Arm (for mounting accessories). That's a pretty decent bundle of items if you're trying to compare prices with other systems.

For more information and to see samples already shot with this gimbal, check out the CAME-TV Optimus Product Page (here).

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learn-more-button CAME-TV Optimus Gimbal 3-Axis Stabilizer Kit

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In this article, i'm sharing a little follow up video with samples shot using the new Kamerar Baton Extender Adapter for the DJI OSMO. This extension sits between the OSMO X3 camera and Handle adding about 30" of additional reach. This is great for getting new heights while still having native controls over the OSMO (trigger, joystick, etc). You can find the Kamerar Baton Extender (here).

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Learn-More-sm Kamerar Baton Extension Adapter for DJI OSMO X3

In order to get a bit more motion blur and less 'stuttery look', I added a FotoDiox ND Filter to the X3 camera. This allowed me to reduce the shutter speed on the OSMO camera. These are a new 4pc set of Filters (3x ND + 1 CPL) from FotoDiox that will fit the X3 camera on the OSMO or the X3 camera on your DJI Inspire1 Drone.

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Learn-More-sm FotoDiox ND Filter for DJI OSMO X3 & Inspire1 X3 Camera

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VIEW-ITEM DJI OSMO 4K Camera Gimbal

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Wow, BEST DEAL EVER on popular ‪#‎Zoom‬ ‪#‎H1‬ Portable Audio Recorder! Lowest price i've ever seen it! Just $64.99 - Sale Ends in a few hours: (click here).
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Learn-More-sm Zoom H1 Portable Digital Audio Recorder

Remember these are a perfect option for on-talent audio recorders when paired with AspenMics Zoom H1 Belt Clips (found here).
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Learn-More-sm AspenMics Belt Clip and Mic Trap for Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorders

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Product Description:
The newest addition to the Dracast Fresnel Series Lights are the biggest, most powerful Dracast lights to date, delivering tremendous output with incredible color rendition.

Super responsive LCD touch screen to adjust dimming and color temperature manually
Color Balance Options: Daylight (5600K), Tungsten (3200K), and Bi-Color (3200K - 5600K)
​15-60 Degree Adjustable Beam Angle
Yoke with 5/8" Receiver
0-100% Dimming
On-board dimming knob
CRI: 95
Includes 4 - way Barndoors

Optional features depending on the model:
-WIFI control compatible or On board DMX controls

Specifications:
Beam Angle: 15 degrees - 60 Adjustable Beam Angle
Handling: Double-Side Clutch Plate Tilt Adjustment Handle
Mounting: 5/8"" Baby Pin Aluminum Mounting Yoke
Tilt Angle: 90 degrees
Power Connection: 110-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz, 2.0A
Heat Management: Passive Heat Sink Cooling System
On Board Fan: Yes
Battery Powered: No
Color Balance Options: Daylight (5600K), Tungsten (3200K), and Bi-Color (3200K - 5600K)
Color Rendition: 95
Dimming: 0-100% Continuous
Controls: Local On-Board Manual Controls
Housing Color: Blue / Black
Housing Build: Aluminum Alloy
Est LED Lifetime: 50,000 hours

For more information about Dracast New LED Fresnel Series visit Dracast website (link)

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Learn-More-sm Dracast LED 1500 3000 5000 LED Fresnels

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After shooting a few projects with the BlackMagic Design URSA Mini 4.6K camera, I found several that I could sometimes get away with just the audio from the built in microphones. But as soon as I threw on my Canon EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 lens with Image Stabilization (Ursa is not full frame), the camera microphones would pick up all of the IS noise. Once that noise was embedded into the audio, it was no longer usable. So I set out to find a good microphone that I could mount over the handle.

I personally wanted the shortest shotgun microphone, powered over XLR phantom so I didn't have to worry about batteries. I wanted to find the slimmest shock mount so it didn't sit too high (trying to keep the camera clean and simple). It didn't need to be the best microphone in the world, as I was only planning to use it mostly on camera for good scratch audio or sound bites. After reviewing a few options I found the Azden SGM-PDII to be a good fit and has excellent customer reviews. Over at B&H they have an Azden SGM-PDII Shotgun Mic Kit that includes the shock mount, and the microphone already comes with a short XLR lead.

Running through the tests mounted on camera, the SGM-PDII was completely free of any Image Stabilization noise from my lens. So for my on-camera needs it works great. And surprisingly I found the microphone also sounded very good when booming overhead, so it's something I would even use during interviews. If you're working with a camera that has built in XLR inputs (i.e. Sony FS7) and looking for something better than the built in microphones, you may want to take a look at the Azden SGM-PDII Short Shotgun Microphone.

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Learn-More-sm Azden SGM-PDII Professional Shotgun Microphone