FYI, here's a deal on that expires in the next two (2) days. The Rokinon 24mm T/1.5, 35mm T/1.5, and 85mm T/1.5 Cine lenses are bundled for an extra savings or $250 dollars. Available in Canon, Nikon, and Sony E/A mounts, but they can easily be adapted to fit M4/3 cameras as well. As far as Rokinon Cine Lenses go, these are probably the most popular and the deal ends March 2nd. Check it out via B&H (found here)
Rokinon Cine Lens Bundle Deal 24mm, 35mm, 85mm T/1.5
I was looking for a few more strong mini ball heads and just happened to run into these guys. From the photos they looked pretty high quality, and at less than $8 bucks a piece, worth a shot. Once they dropped in, I was pretty happy with the build on these things.
If you're thinking about taking your GoPro Hero cameras to the sky, consider the deals going on right now. From basic to more advanced Gimbal stabilized packages, B&H has setup a dedicated page offering sale prices on various DJI Phantom Quadcopter Kits (found here).
Edlekrone is stepping up their game with the new SliderPlus 'PRO'. The new Pro version can carry up to 50% more, is compatible with Edelkrone's latest motion control systems, and can be disassembled for servicing or repair.
For a complete look at Edelkrone products, check out the website at https://Edelkrone.com.
Kamerar has released a few GoPro accessories that allow you to get more creative with the Hero3/Hero3+ cameras. The new Kampro Handle Kit works with existing GoPro housings (waterproof / skeleton) comes with 1x Handle, 3x Thumb Screws, 2x Threaded Pivot Arm, 1x Pivot Arm, 1x Phone Mount, 1x Tripod Mount, and 1x Cold Shoe Mount. The Kampro Handle Kit can be found (here).
Kamerar KamPro Handle Kit for GoPro Hero Cameras
When you want to run the GoPro 'naked' (without the waterproof housing), Kamerar has released an affordable GoPro Cage. Made of precision CNC machined aircraft grade aluminum, the new Kampro offers a few cold shoe mounts (a feature not found on other GoPro cages) ready to accept microphones, led lights, or other accessories.
A single knob locks the GoPro Hero3/Hero3+ in place while still allowing full access to ports, buttons, lcd screen, MicroSD slot, and fast access for battery swaps. A lens cap fitted over a 37mm threaded filter mount is ready to accept your ND, CPL, or other popular filters. For more information on these products, check out the https://PNCGear.com website (click here).
The K4000/K4000s LED Lights can be powered by V-mount battery, 3.5mm DC input, or by a more robust V-mount to AC wall adapter. The filters are offset to eliminate multi-shadow effects typically found on panels that use multi-led bulb arrays. Sold separately these lights run up to $500/each, but as a 3 piece kit (which includes a travel case) these lights end up running as low as $330/each (found here). If you want to get a few more ideas on how professionals are using these lights, take a look at the F&V Video Gallery page (found here).
K4000 Single Color / K4000S Bi-Color LED Video Light Kits
Nikon has released the D4s, an upgraded version of their flagship D4 DSLR. The new Nikon D4s Digital SLR Camera sports a new 16.2-megapixel sensor, faster processor, and a faster autofocus system. The D4s claims to be even better in low-lighting than the D4 (which was already quite impressive). As a comparison the original D4 offered ISO settings of Lo1 (ISO 50) to Hi4 (ISO 204,800), while the new D4s offers Lo1 (ISO 50) to Hi4 (ISO 409,600).
The D4s improves only slightly faster with a burst rate of 11fps (as opposed to 10fps). For video shooters, the previous D4 offered 1080p Full HD video at 30/25 or 24p, while the new D4s camera now adds on 1080p Full HD video at 60fps. If i'm correct, the D4 also offered a clean HDMI signal that can be recorded from. Still, the price point of this camera may appeal more towards professional photographers over video shooters.
I've been researching various Light Meters capable of measuring LED or other artificial lights. We're not talking about your basic exposure type light meter, we're talking about ones that can read Spectrum, CRI, LUX, etc. In hand, they are simple tools to operate, but yet everything on the market is still quite expensive. I poked around for suggestions, and for under $2,000 bucks many kept referring me to the UPRtek MK350. Here's a quick video showing the basic features of the UPRtek MK350 LED Spectrometer.
Specifically designed to measure LED or Artificial lights, and supposedly with more accuracy than the MK350. I love the convenience of being able to separate the lumisphere and having controls via Bluetooth. This saves so much time going back and forth from the measuring point back to the lights, making adjustments, and then walking back again to take another measurement.
At the Asensetek booth, they had mentioned they have been working with light measuring tools for over 7 years, and claim to be the most accurate LED meter in the world. Big words, but all I really care about at this point is being more accurate than the MK350 (or equal). The UPRtek software and features really seem outdated when compared to the controls you have with the Asensetek iOS Genius application. With an iOS device (iPad, iPhone, iPod) you can even share the data instantly via email or upload them. Besides all the basic measuring scopes, you can even store pictures of your set so you know exactly how your lighting was set up in case you ever have to reshoot.
Here's another video from their website showcasing the features of the Asensetek Lighting Passport
Being that the Asensetek is cheaper and offers a more full featured Spectrometer, this seems like a no brainer for me. The workflow with the Asensetek Lighting Passport with their Genius Software is just brilliant. I don't know how many of you have a need for such a tool, but you can find more information about the Asensetek Lighting Passport, you can contact them at their website (found here), or contact their distributor website https://alliedscientificpro.com/.
Or message them via their Facebook page (here).
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