Equipment Reviews

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Here are a few great still photo examples with the 18" Diva Ring Light in use from YouTube member Lorenzo Pickett. From what I understand the only lights used were two (DIY) 4ft. CFL banks on each side and the 18" Diva Ring Light placed center. Towards the end of the video he shows some great examples captured by this simple lighting setup. [Thanks Lorenzo]

The catch lights in the 18" Diva Ring Light are effective because of the large diameter and distance to the subject. This can be used for Video as well. Smaller ring lights will only be seen as a small dot. Here's another great video example of this Diva Ring Light in use shared through the comments from Eliu Cornielle.

Here's another very interesting BTS video showing how the Diva Ring light was used by Badmash Factory Productions [thanks seem]

The new version of the 18" Diva Ring lights are now dimmable as the earlier models had only a simple ON/OFF switch. The new Diva Ring Light kit comes with a 5,600K Lamp (daylight), 3,200K Lamp (tungsten balance), AC Power Cord, and a Padded Carry Case. You can find more image samples, information, and kit prices for the 18" Diva Ring Lightvia eBay (Click Here).

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find-price-button 18" Diva Ring Light CFL Kit Photography Video

eBay Products - Diva Ring Lights

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As popular as the Canon 5D Mark III has been, there are only a handful of LCD ViewFinders made specifically for the camera. If you're an owner, this might be something you've looked into. So here's a look at Varavon's latest MultiFinder UNI / LCD View Finder. There are older versions of the Multifinder that are very specific to each camera, but the new UNI (i'm guessing for universal) has adjustments on the base and on the View Finder itself which allow it to work with a wider range of camera bodies. Below is an unboxing video that i've done and how it fits on the Canon 5D Mark III camera body.

The unique feature on the Varavon Multifinder products is it's ability to achieve low angle shots by use of specially aligned mirrors. The optics can be removed if you only need to use it as a simple sunshade, and the quick release system makes it easy to remove the entire view finder. The MultiFinder UNI runs for $295 is currently on sale for the holidays at $236 at their website (click here)

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find-price-button Varavon MultiFinder UNI LCD ViewFinder

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The older Rokinon 85mm F/1.4 lenses are still a great value and produce great quality, but here's an unboxing of the latest Rokinon 85mm T/1.5 Cine Lens in the new Black w/ Red Accent design which not only looks better, but offers a bit more quirky features for budget video shooters. (BTW I made a mistake, and I don't need the M43 adapter for the version of the Black Magic Cinema Camera currently, just the Nikon to EF shim).

At just $350 dollars (found here), I feel it's not very much to ask for a solid 85mm video lens with a wide aperture, smooth manual focus, de-clicked aperture, and built in lens gears. Keep in mind that on cameras like the GH3 the focal distance will be hard to manage with hand held shooting. There is no image stabilization on this lens. For tripod mounted shots, it will produce that beautiful portrait style look and provide smooth focusing between subjects. The Rokinon 85mm T/1.5 Cine Lens is available now via B&H or Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony E & A mounts (click here).

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find-price-button Rokinon 85mm T/1.5 Cine Lens

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Here's a few video clips from the new Panasonic GH3 camera taken while I was hanging out at the San Francisco Academy of Science. Most of the video clips were shot in high ISO due to low lighting, and everything was shot handheld (no tripods allowed in the building). I also took a few still images that I've posted in an earlier article (seen here).

The Image Stabilization on 12-35mm F/2.8 Lens proved to work very well even with some of the close up shots. Unfortunately, this video will not showcase the true abilities of the Panasonic GH3 camera as sharpness is lost when shooting through the thick plexiglass aquariums.

For the video, the only gear that was used is found below.

Panasonic GH3 Camera
find-price-button Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3K Mirrorless Camera

Panasonic 12-25mm
find-price-button Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8

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FilmCity is now offering a budget composite mostly plastic 15mm DSLR Video rig and YouTube member Nitsan has an early look at what this budget stabilizer offers.

The price of the shoulder rig is inexpensive due to the plastic design and carbon fiber rods (or what looks like carbon fiber). Some packages include aluminum rods instead. The FC-10 can be purchased with or without the rear Counterweight, starts at only $95 dollars via the eBay store (Click Here).

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find-price-button FilmCity FC-10 Plastic Composite Shoulder Rig with/without CounterWeight

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Above is one of the most popular BlackMagic Cinema Camera examples from OneRiver Media comparing the BMCC to the popular 5D Mark III. In the last few weeks it appears BlackMagic has ironed out production issues on it's long overdue Cinema Camera and has been shipping out the BMCC. The first Cinema Camera shipping has the Canon EF mount followed up by a Micro Four Thirds mount Cinema Camera to be released a few months after. I'm just curious as to how many people have ordered this camera?

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find-price-button BlackMagic Cinema Camera with EF and MFT mounts

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find-price-button R-300 LED Video Ring Light

The moment these new F&V R-300 LED Ring Lights were available to order, I quickly grabbed three of these units to build out a portable travel light kit. Since blogging about my decision to purchase these lights, there has been several questions about how efficient are these lights compared to the larger 600 LED Light Panel. So here's a quick example of the light output and spread from the R-300 in comparison to the popular 600 LED panel. (all tests are with bare LED lights - no diffusers)

Hopefully this video example provides a small idea about how practical these little lights are (for me at least) when used as an off-camera lighting kit. The results from the R-300 LED ring light when compared to the larger (and more expensive) 600 LED Light Panel are similar light output and broad diffusion. Other benefits of the F&V R-300 include smaller size (easier to pack and travel), lighter weight, and the option to battery power with inexpensive common Sony Batteries (as seen here).

These lights have only started to ship about a week ago. I just wanted to note that according to F&V, inventory on these lights are down to a small amount right now and following orders will consume inventory from the shipment next week. The R-300 LED Ring light can be found at the product page (Click Here)

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find-price-button R-300 LED Video Ring Light

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https://Kamerar.com was recently relaunched with an entirely new line of high quality affordable products tailored for DSLR Video shooters. I actually have access to the entire product line because it's being distributed by PhotographyandCinema.com (which I design some products for), but I try to only answer comments about the products instead of doing my own reviews.

So here, Rick Owens shares his first impressions after receiving a few products [Thanks Rick]. I was waiting to see how others review the https://Kamerar.com products, and i'm happy to hear how impressed Rick was with the combination of build quality and price.

The Tank Cage uses P&C Swiss Rod designs to provide a ridiculous amount of mounting options (overkill). The MatteBox is great for a single ND filter use (non-rotational), and the Follow Focus can swap positions of the gear in case you plan to use a longer or shorter lens. With the exception of the Matte Box (for weight reasons), all materials, including the little clamp knobs are of metal construction with anodized coating. You can find these products and more over at https://Kamerar.com

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find-price-button Kamerar DSLR Video Products Follow Focus Matte Box Tank Cage

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A few others have already received their Wieldy stabilizers and have also posted up little video reviews like YouTube member Nitsan Simantov and YouTube member Chrisbottrellphoto. I received my version quite a while ago, but am only getting to posting something now. Here's a closer look at what these new Wieldy Carbon Fiber Video Camera Stabilizers have to offer.

I compare it side by side against the more expensive Glidecam HD4000 which runs for about $569 (seen here), while this new Carbon Fiber Wieldy can be found for just $250 US (found here). In the video (above) I even show how similar the counterweights are, that they can be exchanged with one another. [Update: I noticed prices have gone up since my purchase]

Screen Shot 2012-11-27 at 11.15.41 PMWieldy stabilizer carbon fiber
find-price-button Wieldy DV Pro Iron Triangle Stabilizer

Besides the affordable price, the new Wieldy has several features the Glidecam HD series stabilizer don't provide such as an adjustable Gimbal, non-rotating sled, and carbon fiber post. Other popular features found on the more expensive Glidecam HD like fine-tuning knobs (trim), adjustable sled weights, and quick release stage has been designed into this Wieldy almost exactly. Overall a great product for the price, and it performs well. Additional information, photos, and other video examples of the Carbon Wieldy Stabilizer in use can be seen following the link to the product page via eBay (Click Here).

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find-price-button Wieldy DV Pro Iron Triangle Stabilizer

You can also find the Wieldy bundled with a dual arm stabilizer from another seller. It's being rebranded under the name 'CAME' (terrible name). A few listings from this seller show the dual arm vest bundled with this same Wieldy Carbon Fiber stabilizer (Click Here).

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find-price-button Dual Arm Support Vest with Carbon Stabilizer

For reference you can find various Glidecam HD Series Stabilizers for sale via B&H (Click Here).
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find-price-button Glidecam HD1000, HD2000, HD4000 Video Stabilizers