canon 60d

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For those rockin' the Canon 60D, Canon has recently released a new firmware upgrade. It's designed to fix a few rare cases when working with flash and specific lenses. Personally i'm going to hold off on this since it's not something that immediately affects what I use the 60D for. There's also been a few cases where a firmware upgrade to fix one thing, ends up bringing about small new problems. If you're still in for the upgrade here's the link: https://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos60d/firmware.html

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Ok, just to say I tried, here's a video trying to explain what I do to balance a stabilizer like the Glidecam or Flycam. This is one video I never wanted to do, because there are so many good ones already on the web. If you can find the videos on how to balance a Glidecam, that's pretty much the same thing for the Flycam. There is one thing those other videos don't talk about, and you'll hear me stress this several several times in the video. This most worthy tip comes in after 5:20 when I talk about moving the sled slightly upwards to reduce that awful rocking motion while you walk. The biggest problem with people trying to balance stabilizers is that they believe they need to really load up on the bottom weight to get the camera to stand upright. That's not true at all. You'll notice I begin to dial things in when my stabilizer is slightly at an angle. Once the stabilizer is at an angle, DO NOT ADD MORE WEIGHTS! Start adjusting the top stage to center the camera. If you can't seem to balance the camera by moving it on the stage, remember that the bottom weights can also be shifted back and forth to get the camera to stick upright.

Ok, now that the camera is upright and you think you have it ready to fly, check to see if it starts swaying. If the stabilizer is swaying side to side (like a boat in the ocean), then move the sled just millimeters upwards. Try try again and do it by just millimeters at a time. For the Steadicam Merlin - you will need to adjust the 'arch'. If you own one, you'll know what i'm talking about. The Arch is similar to the Glidecam Sled. Lower it and you'll be making it more bottom heavy. Close the Arch and you'll make it 'less bottom heavy'. For the Steadicam Merlin and Steadicam JR, you can also 'unthread' the Gimbal Handle. This is a design that Steadicam uses to change the center balance ever so slightly by unscrewing the handle. Balancing stabilizers takes patience and practice. Of course a few prayers and a three wolf moon shirt might help you get there faster.

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Well, I knew the Asus WiCast wasn't very demanding in Voltage or Amperage. Grabbed a couple of electronic battery boxes that hold 4 AA batteries to add up to around 6volts, cut the wire off the power adapter, and i'm in business. I had a feeling it didn't need to be a perfect 5Volts and the 4 AA's that up to 6V probably can't sustain that voltage anyhow. How long is the run-time? Not sure yet, just testing things out, but very happy that i'm on my way to some DIY HD Streaming video action. The original article posted here: http://cheesycam.com/streaming-hd-video-ouput-wirelessly/

[Update Video]

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find-price-button ASUS WiCast Wireless HD Video Transmitter and Receiver

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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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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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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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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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I'm sure you're all planning on gathering up a ton of photos and videos this holiday season, and BorrowLenses.com is looking to hook you up. Not just Photography stuff, BorrowLenses.com has a HUGE amount of video gear, including microphones, field monitors, stabilizers, lighting and more. With the right rental selection you can grab yourself a 7-day Rental for the Price of 3 Days. That's right, you can get UP TO 4 days free if you do the following:

1. Order a 3-day rental that begins Monday, November 22nd.
2. Type the phrase "Turkeytime" into the coupon box before checkout.
3. Return the gear to us the following Monday, the 29th. That's 7 days for the price of 3!
4. Read the fine print below for more details.

A few more bit of information to know: This discount applies only to 3-day orders that would normally end on November 25th through November 27th. The coupon code "Turkeytime" must be used. Cannot be used with other coupons or offers. You will only receive 4 days free if your 3-day rental begins November 22nd. There you go fellas, check out the selection and see what you might be able to take advantage of this Holiday from BorrowLenses.com.

visit-button BorrowLenses.com

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Image stabilization or 'IS' is what Canon calls it, Vibration Compensation or 'VC' is a Tamron term, and Anti Shake 'OS' a.k.a Optical Stabilization is Sigma's phrase. Yeah that last one didn't match up very well, but it's an all important feature for today's run and gun hand held DSLR video renegades. It's also going to provide you with sharper images in low light situations when you can't use flash. When photographing with an Image Stabilized lens, you can also keep some of that ISO noise down. Sure a fast F/2.8 or better will help get that light through, but Image Stabilization is equally as important. Which lens is right for you? In today's economy, that question often comes down to 'What price is right for you'. So what's the options for Wide lenses between 16-55mm with a fast F/2.8? Here's the top three for Canon DSLR's (not full frame).

First is of course Canon's 17-55mm with IS. Some say it's super sharp, and built with such quality it should be labeled with other 'L' class lenses, but Canon doesn't seem to stamp L on any of their EF-S mount. Of course, it's also priced close to other L lenses so it's above what some young shooters want to invest.
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find-price-button Canon EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 IS Zoom

I'm going to throw off the order of things and skip down straight to most inexpensive. If you're looking for the cheapest price, Tamron has been doing well with today's market and offers a 17-50mm F/2.8 with VC (Vibration Control) that has worked very effectively for me on my 18-270mm. Some may argue it's not better than Canon, but I find that the VC with Tamron is super quiet compared to the IS on some Canon lenses (especially the 24-105mm).
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find-price-button Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC

Here's the middle ground in the top three list of fast wide lenses offering Image Stabilization. Although i'm talking about Canon options, keep in mind that both the Tamron and Sigma are available in other makes such as Nikon and Sony. The Sigma 17-50mm F/2.8 is still incredibly cheaper than the Canon 17-55mm and just slightly more than the Tamron 17-50mm. This is one of Sigma's recent lenses offering a 17-50mm F/2.8 with OS. Sigma's been getting great reviews as of late, and their designs keep getting better. Normally Sigma's are way over priced compared to the Tamron brand, but in this range of lens it's not a huge difference. Personally I think Sigma has an edge in quality of glass and build so if you could afford to, this Sigma is a great option for a fast wide with optical stabilization.
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find-price-button Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Zoom Lens