Tag Archives: canon 7d

• 83 Comments

•

I know I know. You're sick of hearing about the Nano and I said I wasn't going to show any sample footage of this uber cheap video stabilizer with the 7D + Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8. My first video was to show people that it does work with this weight, and I think I did accept a challenge. Every few minutes someone is saying it won't work because the weight would exceed what is listed on the product specs. Well after I shot the last video showing it was balanced, it worked so well, I had to do an example. In fact, I think some of you would be upset if you didn't see this next video. It handles superbly at this weight, and it can carry more. Believe me, i've played with many stabilizers. For something so cheap i'm surprised at the handling in this next video where I abuse the #$%^& out of it. I throw it around, spin it, whip it, whatever I could do to shake it around. Just to show there's no camera tricks, I threw a mirror in the studio. You can hear the wind pass the camera microphone as I toss the unit forward and back. Warning, it's quite dizzying footage but I wanted to show something more than just a casual walk. The demo stabilizer video was also shot in one take so there's no picking out just the 'nice footage'. This is a real look into how this thing flies with the Canon 7D + Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8.


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

And since I know there will be additional questions about the Canon 5D Mark II, I balanced that too. The Tokina 11-16mm doesn't work on the full frame camera, so I threw on the Sigma 20mm F/1.8. This combination is actually lighter than the 7D + Tokina combo, so I needed to move the post higher up (making it less bottom heavy). The weights and all the configuration was still basically the same and I only needed to move the post upwards by about an inch.

And who ever threw me the challenge, let me know if this qualifies as a win? LOL. Check out the related article here: http://cheesycam.com/canon-7d-tokina-11-16mm-will-she-fly/

• 33 Comments

•

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)


tokina-11-16mm
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).

flycam-nano-video-stabilizer
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!!

three-wolf-moon-shirt
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/

• 9 Comments

•

cannon-instantRebate
Canon DSLR and Lens Combination Rebates

Just a reminder that if you or anyone you know is planning on grabbing a new Canon DSLR, there's some rebate incentives going on. This rebate isn't something to go out of your way, but if you're looking to dive in to a DSLR purchase for the first time, it might save you a few bucks. From the Canon Rebate information, the deal comes in if you grab a flash or lens combination with a new DSLR body purchase. Both items must appear on the same receipt, purchased in the same day to qualify. Canon has listed all their top DSLR bodies for this rebate, incuding the new Canon 60D. Most of the lenses to qualify for this rebate are quite expensive, but if someone asked me which combo deal might be worth it, i'd probably suggest grabbing a Canon T2i or 60D + the Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS USM. There's a list of items that state Instant Rebates, so this doesn't look like a 'Mail in Rebate' deal. More information can be found on some special links displayed over at the B&H website: List of items that qualify for Canon Rebate deal

• 24 Comments

•

I've updated the video from the earlier post to include a Canon 7D HDMI output test (at the end of the video). Instead of just updating the old article on the Canon 60D HDMI output, I thought this Canon 7D test would be interesting enough to just re-post the results all over again. Here i'm using my Vizio LCD TV as the external display. The Canon 60D has the same results as a 5DMark II and Canon 550D/T2i. The 7D does not drop to the 480 resolution. Although the monitor is 'detecting' the 1080i output, I have heard that it's highly compressed with artifacts to be something worth capturing from. I have no interest in capturing from the HDMI port, so I haven't spent time confirming that quality. I will say though that it is a nice feature built into the Canon 7D if you're planning on using External monitors.

canon-60D
find-price-button Canon EOS 60D

canon-eos-7d
find-price-button Canon EOS 7D


• 13 Comments

•

A rep from EA Sports dropped in today for a quick interview about the new video game 'Need for Speed - Hot Pursuit'. Can be found here: Need For Speed - Hot Pursuit

Just thought I'd share a quick clip of an interview I thought went fairly well considering the time constraints. The rep came earlier than expected so I rushed to get something setup for the interview. Woohoo, yeah that audio is the Zoom H1 portable Audio recorder with the cheap ATR3350 LAV microphone. Not too bad for a rushed Audio interview, pretty happy with that. I had a Zoom H4n off to the side to see how that would sound, but there was too much ambient outside that ruined it. Camera left is Canon 5D Mark II with 100mm Macro IS F/2.8L (see it's not just for Macro), and camera right is Canon 7D + 24-105mm IS F/4L (the video footage isn't in this clip). The BTS footage i'm showing you was shot hand held with the Canon 60D. For lighting just used one of the cheap 800 watt Lights as the fill light, I talked about it in this article: http://cheesycam.com/new-800w-barndoor-softboxes-3pcs-lighting/

There were two other lights with a red gel to give the plain garage door something interesting. Instead of a plain background, the garage added more texture to the simple interview shot. This video hasn't had any processing done so i'm sure it looks pretty flat, soft, and desaturated. That was the profile setup on the Canon 5D Mark II. The Canon 5D Mark II was also being monitored on the Vizio LCD with DIY mount to cheap Light Stand. Well, there you go. Hope this setup is informational and helpful as the audio came out decent and the lighting added something different for a super cheap budget.

lighting-kit

• 7 Comments

•

canon-eos-7d

I saw this a few times today, but was reminded again by Kevin about the new Canon Instant Rebates. There's plenty of rebates for Canon gear, but the ones to be excited about are the DSLR bodies. The 7D kit, 7D Body, and T2i are on the list. No mention about the 5D Mark II. You can find more information here: Canon Instant Rebates BHPhotovideo.com

• 5 Comments

•

The Swintronix Powerbase 70 Battery Pack is back in stock again. Supposedly 6 times longer run time than a single Canon LP-E6 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery, it is designed with two optional power ports for powering up other compatible accessories. Yeah I know, Swintronix Powerbase is old news right? Not really, since this battery pack is designed for use with the Canon 5D Mark II & Canon 7D which shares it's battery type with the Canon EOS 60D. Get where i'm going with this? Theoretically it should have absolutely no problems powering up the new Canon 60D camera, and with it's mounting capabilities can double up to be used as that rear weight on your new shoulder rig. Double function means lighter run and gun rig since you don't need to add on that extra battery grip + extra rig weight. Soon as the Canon 60D DSLR starts shipping, expect these power packs to sell out just as quickly. The charger for the packs are sold seperately which might be a good thing. You can purchase several battery packs without having to incur costs of having multiple chargers.

swintronix-power-canon-5d-7d-60d
Switronix PowerBase Battery Pack Canon EOS 5D Mk II & 7D Pricing

swintronix-power-base-charger
Switronix POWER CHRGR f/PB70/NP-L60/EX-L96/XPL90

• 4 Comments

•

IMG_9768-2
original view Sigma 50-500mm on Canon 7D

IMG_9768
cropped from original view

It's pretty late, the moon was out so I decided to test out the Sigma 50-500mm. To get a bit further out, I threw it onto the Canon 7D and took advantage of the crop factor. These JPEG images have been resized and sharpened a bit in Lightroom. I'm still waiting to bring this out to catch some surf shots.

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

IMG_8468
Canon 7D + Canon 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6

I was able to bring out the Canon 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 on the Canon 7D and grabbed some really nice closeup shots of a turtle swimming in the bay - while I was on a cliff above. Yeah that's quite a bit of zoom, the lens is very sharp and very fast. Click any of these images to get a little bigger view of the image.

IMG_5571
Turtle swimming

Also (below) here's more zoomed in and zoomed out comparisons shot from the Canon 7D + canon 100-400mm. The bottom image is not a crop. Taking advantage of the crop on the Canon 7D, that's how close you can get. All images were hand held and stayed pretty sharp with IS turned on.

IMG_5350
Above: Pulled in to 100mm on Canon 7D

IMG_5353
Above: Pushed out to 400mm on Canon 7D

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

• 13 Comments

•

Sorry it's been quiet on the blog and also I haven't been able to respond to comments and questions. I was working all weekend day and night cleaning up some warehouse space trying to setup a small studio. You know, I haven't had time to test my Timelapse Remote (intervalometer), and it would have been a perfect opportunity to have shot a timelapse against the work we were putting in. Lots of scrubbing, cleaning, and painting it's looks really different from when I first walked in. It's coming along quite nicely, but there's a lot more work ahead.

Fred Cavender from TuperHero.com picked up the Timer remote shown in this article here to test out his 7D Timelapse skills. Fred was also the one who was showing off his DIY DSLR shoulder rig modeled after the RedRock EyeSpy, and there's a much more updated version at his own website TuperHero.com. If you're looking into a remote For Canon 7D & 5D Mark II owners, here’s the proper remote (works on both).