Tascam DR-60D MKII Portable Recorder for DSLR $199.99
In-Stock Free Overnight Shipping.
dslr video
Affordable Quality Sound AspenMics Lavalier Microphone for DSLR Video
So eventually everyone should have wireless audio systems as part of their kit, but a decent set (on sale) can put you back $500 bucks only to capture audio from one subject. When you start placing a LAV mic on 2 subjects, then your costs immediately double up to $1,000 bucks. I recently helped on a project to record from 3 subjects having a conversation, and well let's just say that was over $2100 dollars worth of wireless audio equipment. I know most people can't afford to dive in to such expensive equipment right ways, so until you're at the point where you really need it, there are some excellent workarounds. Here are just two suggested ways to do this.
The easiest, most affordable, and straightforward way is to place a lav on your subject and run a stereo extension cord back to your camera. You can then monitor audio, adjust levels, and not have to worry about syncing audio in post.
10 Foot Extension for 3.5mm Stereo
If you can't have your talent tied down to a cord, you can always place an audio recorder with the talent. I use this technique, and I know many others who also do this with a Zoom H1. It's under $90 dollars and the audio quality is quite good. You can also use your iPhone as a portable audio recorder with many available sound recording apps. The drawback of course is that you can't monitor the audio, adjust levels on the fly, and have to sync the audio in post. The benefits are that you can afford to have multiple recorders for multiple subjects and don't have to worry about the possibility of wireless interference and drop-outs. Some even say that audio may even sound better than some wireless systems, as the recorders can capture the full sound.
Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorder
So now that you have a few ideas on how to capture audio through a Lav Mic without a wireless audio system, the question now is what's a good lav for the job? Well in this video I run though a list of inexpensive microphones that all have 4+ Star Ratings on Amazon, and also introduce you to one of my new favorite under $50 dollars.
Here's how you can use your iPhone as a Portable Audio Recorder with the RODE REC App and an overview of the basic settings you should configure.
I like using DropBox to export my files, but you can also do this via USB and extract the file through iTunes. Here are the steps to do this.
Of course I can't forget about people who are using Android devices, so here's how you can use the popular sound recording application RECForge II from the Google Play Store.
If you're curious about what the sound quality is like when using a Samsung Galaxy S4 as a portable audio recorder, i've put this little demo together (below).
Here's a link to the various Lav Microphones mentioned for your reference. Although they have excellent ratings on Amazon, I found a few small things about each one that should be considered. If my opinion is worth anything, I would personally set my sights more towards the Rode SmartLav+ or the AspenMics Lavalier microphones.
 Azden Lav Microphone |
 Sony Stereo Lav Microphone |
 Olympus Lav Microphone |
 Audio Technica Lav Microphone |
Now keep in mind that the Rode SmartLav+ is latest version of this lav mic (don't buy the old SmartLav). Also the Rode SmartLav+ is designed as a direct TRRS Lavalier, so you'll need an optional adapter (found here) if you plan to use it with an audio recorder or if you want to connect this to your DSLR Camera. Combined with the adapter you're looking at about $95 dollars each Lav.
The Aspen HQ-S is the stereo version and will work directly with any camera or audio recorder. If you want to use the HQ-S with your iPhone, you'll need to purchase the kit that includes the TRRS adapter. The AspenMics are currently available at $45 dollars, so you can basically pick up two for the price of one Rode.
 Rode SmartLav+ iPhone La |
 AspenMics HQ-S Stereo Lav |
F&V Metica 7″ HDMI+SDI Plus and SpectraHD 4 EVF
Snapped this photo earlier today. A couple of awesome new monitor products from F&V shipped over and I can't wait to start shooting with.
I saw these Metica and SpectraHD EVF Monitor products earlier at the NAB show. The all metal casing just feels incredibly high quality, but still extremely lightweight. The Metica 7" Monitor is available in a few different models starting at just $399 (found here).
Some of the software features you'll find in each monitor are Software Features Include: Histogram, Vectorscope, False Color, Zebra Pattern, Focus Peaking, Frame Guides & Safety Area, Overscan & Pixel to Pixel, DSLR Scale, H/V Image Flip, Image Freeze, Image Zoom, Audio Columns, Timecode, and more! Here's a quick video overview from the F&V Website.
Metica 7" High Resolution Monitors HDMI+SDI
The SpectraHD 4 is a small 4" high res monitor that can convert signals and is available with a Loupe attachment making it a true EVF solution.
SpectraHD 4 Monitor EVF
$31 Dollar Sony A7s Cage PreOrder
If you're just looking to mount a few accessories to your new Sony A7s (A7/A7r) camera this new SmallRig Half Cage should give you that added flexibility. It might even be a good little half cage for other small cameras as well. Retail price $62 dollars, but if you pre-order now they're offering it up for just half the price at $31 dollars (click here).
Sony A7s Cage PreOrder
RODE NTG-2 Shotgun and VideoMic Pro Savings
Adorama is currently offering savings for both the RODE NTG-2 Dual Powered Shotgun Microphone and the RODE VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun mic. I checked a few other sites, and indeed there is additional savings to be had up to $60 OFF.
The RODE NTG-2 is a handy shotgun microphone as it is a 'Dual Powered' microphone. This means if you have an audio recorder that does not offer Phantom Power, you can simply throw a single AA battery into the mic.
Rode NTG-2 Dual Powered Shotgun Mic
The RODE VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun mic is just one of those microphones that offers great sound for the price, and currently it's even cheaper. It's been around for a few years and practically a main piece of gear in any video shooter's kit.
30% OFF 8 and 10 inch PVGear 15mm Carbon Fiber Rails
Missed the last FREE 15mm Carbon Fiber Rail Deal? 30% OFF on #PVGear 8" and 10" 15mm Carbon Fiber Rails isn't bad - Limited Time. Limited Inventory (found here).
Limited Time 30% OFF 8" and 10" 15mm Carbon Fiber Rails
CAMETV 7800 Gimbal Tricks – How Stable Is It?
Earlier today I had a comment about the CAMETV 7800 Gimbal and how people may want the 'camera over handles' mode. In this mode you don't have to raise your arms very high and will have less fatigue. Not exclusive to the 7800, any 32 bit Alexmos / Basecam gimbal can perform various positions and remain incredibly stable. In this video (below) i'm demonstrating just how stable these gimbals can be with the right configuration.
Now I realize the DJI Ronin is the best bang for the buck and it is an amazing system to carry heavy payloads. The main reason I use other gimbals is because i'm typically working with smaller cameras. I don't need to travel with the bulk, and I don't need to run around with the weight of the Ronin. If you watched the video above, you can see how even me (small guy) can man handle these all carbon fiber gimbals with just one hand [try that with a Ronin]. Even while switching through all of the different positions, the 7800 remained completely stable.
With this stability in a sub $1300 dollar gimbal like the 7800, you can see why it's really hard for me to go with a heavier gimbal like the Ronin. Unless of course there's a need to carry such a heavy payload, i'd rather just borrow a friends or rent one. Otherwise i'm happy to work with a more convenient system. As you can see in my video i'm using a heavier Canon 5D Mark III with Sigma Lens. If you're shooting with a GH4 or Sony A7s, these smaller lighter gimbals should make your life much easier when you have to pack, travel, and shoot all day.
Now the tricks I show on the CAMETV is not limited to nor exclusive to the 7800. Any gimbal running the new 32 bit software that has a properly balanced camera can operate just the same. It's extremely time consuming, but i'll try to do more videos on showing you a step by step process on balancing soon, but if you guys have any questions let me know.
Unboxing the CAME-TV 7500 7800 RTR 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizers
Here's a look at unboxing and setting up the CAME-TV 7500 and 7800 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizers. Touching on the newly updated (7500) version, there are very slight changes but mostly cleaning up the wiring, especially around the battery cable. They consider this system RTR, but there is some small assembly to the top handle and of course you need to balance your camera. To see an original unboxing video about the CAME-TV 7500 (click here).
CAME-TV RTR 7500 3 Axis Gimbal
Moving on to the most recent Gimbal Product from CAME-TV is the new 7800 Gimbal. Once again CAMETV is trying to offer up an 'affordable' Ready-To-Run system and has added more improvements over the 7500 version. The 7800 model now offers a monitor mount, quick disconnect side handles, and a quick release baseplate - which makes it even easier to balance a camera.
What I didn't show in the video was how to remove the side handles. The side handles can be removed without tools by rotating to loosen the clamp.
Remove side handles by twisting to loosen clamp
The top handle I suggest removing from the bottom of the dogbone clamp, so that you can better fit the system into a hard case like the Nanuk 945. The interior dimensions are L 22 x W 17 x H 8.2, which fits pretty snug, but still has lots of side space for your accessories (monitor, batteries, cables, tools, etc).
Nanuk 945 Hard Case for 3 Axis Gimbal.
I also suggest getting a better charger and spare batteries if you plan to run all day. I suggest these batteries:
20C 3S 4000mAh 11.1 LiPO Battery
And here's a charger for these batteries. They charge must faster and keep the batteries working great for a long time: 
Balance Charger for NiMH/NiCD/Li-PO/Li-Fe Battery
Without spending too much time getting super accurate balancing on my gimbal, the 7800 performed very well right out of the box and without tuning any of the PID settings via the software. While you may not have to dive into the software, I still encourage people to at least 'understand' the software.
Now i'm not the only one this week who has unboxed one of the new 7800 gimbals. MDIFilms earlier today left a comment on this blog about their experiences setting up the system with a GH4 camera. They've provided a few different tutorial videos below, and interestingly enough they too did not have to tune PID settings out of the box (for their GH4 setup).
While it still takes a lot of patience and understanding how to balance a camera properly on a gimbal, the design improvements CAME-TV adds to each new gimbal make the 'Out of Box' experience better each time - while still keeping the systems affordable. The CAME-TV 7800 is available now, and is currently discounted for the month of October, 2014 (click here).
CAME-TV 7800 RTR 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer
Huge Discounts on Edelkrone Modula Systems
If you've been a fan of Edelkrone rigs, they are currently offering up some major discounts on the Modula Series. Here's a look at how the Modula systems can be configured differently.
There are several different Modula models starting from the Modula 3 to the Modula 9+. The most expensive combination listed on their website drops more than $1k off the list price. You can find out more about this deal over at the Edelkrone website (click here).
Edelkrone Modula Series