Yeah that's a Gini Follow Focus and of course without the finished anodizing, it looks like a prototype. See something different? Yeah no Huco gearbox. Is Gini making his own metal gears? [Thanks Kenrik]
Also what looks to be in the works is some new metal lens gears. I don't know about the rest of you, but it would be great to have an option of these new metal lens gears in that sexy Gini red. You can see more images and details following the link (click here).
What can I say? It's simple, it works. As you can see it works on the GH2 perfectly without losing view of the entire LCD. Of course it works on the T3i and 60D. The velcro design and stretchy neoprene means it's adjustable to fit a variety of different cameras or even a variety of different view finders. I'm not sure about applying pressure onto the LCD while it's swiveled outwards, but for anyone that has worked outdoors in bright daylight, it's a good way to keep the function of the swivel LCD while acting as a sunshade / VF. $10 dollar tool that folds flat taking up no extra space in the bag. Heck why not. Found via Amazon (Click here)
I was testing this about a week ago, but finally published it to the public. Taking all the same little electronics from the JuicedLink DIY slider project (continuous servo, servo driver, and battery case) the little Pico Flex dolly is moving on it's own. The speed is variable and with the size of the pulley. It can go really slow, but what you see is the fastest setting it will go. A piece of scrap acrylic plastic and double sided tape was all that was used to mount it temporarily while I try to figure out the cheapest and best way to drive this thing.
A rubber band pulley system didn't do so well. The band would stretch and when there was enough tension built up, it would snap back causing a jerking motion. The direct drive was the simplest way to turn the Pico wheels and was much more consistent. Using this technique could apply to all existing Pico Flex Dollies without replacing any existing parts. The servo is extremely strong and since the Pico moves with little effort, it can move quite a bit of weight.
Another Clever Pico Flex Dolly Modification - Motorized + Lasers
YouTube Member dim3m has motorized the Pico Flex, and has also added lasers for an easy way to identify the rotating axis. This is a common practice used in those high end three wheel skater type dollies. By aligning the axles with the lasers, the cross path will be the center of rotation. This is where you need to focus your camera. Right now the lasers are just temporarily being held on with Friction arms as a proof of concept. [Thanks dim3m] You can find pen lasers fairly cheap these days in just about any store, but if you're lazy they can be found online for about $1.49 (click here)
First posted in an earlier article, this particular Mini Rig is still a fairly new product. A tough one to find in the USA let alone the UK. Sometimes going under the description 'MagicRig'. There's a video along with some comments from a few people were able to grab these in that first article. For now, a few more Magic Rig mini shooters are available again shipping from the UK (click here)
There's been a few announcements of Sachtler's latest Ace fluid head + tripod, and it's finally available for pre-order. What's all the buzz about? Well Sachtler tripod systems normally run several thousands of dollars. In fact, just a pan bar alone for a Sachtler Fluid head could run you well over $300 dollars. So it's surprising that this new Sachtler Ace Tripod system is as affordable as Manfrotto gear. With all of the incredible shrinking video cameras, my guess is Sachtler will stay in this space and produce more affordable systems going forward. There's just too much they're missing out on by staying overly high end.
Anyone catch the new CarrySpeed non-permanent NeoPrene swivel LCD mount to hold a View Finder? If you're not digging the Sticky Frame solutions, or the Quick Release Frame solution, then another option is this Swi-View. It slides in place over the LCD and held snug with a bit of velcro. Shown on a Canon 60D, but pretty much the same LCD as on the Canon T3i, so it should be compatible. Found via Amazon (click here) or via eBay (click here)
Earlier I mentioned that Canon was releasing two new point and shoot cameras (Canon S100 and Canon SX40 IS) with the latest Digic 5 processor. This new processor is said to be 6x faster and have 75% less noise with enhanced imagery. That means cleaner images in low light situations. If you want a smaller more pocketable camera, wait on the S100. If you want something closer to DSLR-like, the first to hit 'in stock' status is the Canon SX40 IS which has 35x optical Zoom (35mm Equiv) means it goes from 24mm wide-angle and extends to 840mm. Tons of Canon's creative filters and Canon's latest Intelligent Image Stabilization, Full HD video, and an option for shooting video at 240fps (lower resolution good slow motion). There's just too many features to list here, you can check out more information following the link. Available now (click here).
Lee Morris of F-Stoppers picks up a NIkon battery grip, that turns out, it's really not a battery grip. For those on a budget we often choose aftermarket, but at least we know of our decision. Picking up a complete knock-off being marketed (and priced) as the real thing is bad news. Anyways, if you guys are looking for a grip on your D7000 watch out for those too-good-to-be-true Nikon branded ones, and if you're choosing the aftermarket brand for around 40 bucks, at least Lee says this one seemed to work pretty well (click here).
This test is in reference to my eariler post (found here). So I charged up the Tekkeon overnight and setup this Timelapse test. The reason I used a Timelapse method was to determine if the light output would change during the duration of battery use. I locked the exposure on the camera to 1/25th F/4 and ISO 100 to see if the light output would dim towards the end. The big 900 LED light was set to full power.
It was interesting to see that the Tekkeon remained at a full 14 Volts during the entire test, and when the indicator was down to the last bar, the battery just shut off instantly. If there was a voltage drop during the test, the 900 LED light would start to dim (it didn't dim). Total run time in this test was about 1 hour 6 minutes (1:06). Keep in mind this is a larger 900 LED light on full. If performed at lower output, or for smaller lights like the 600 LED, or 312 LED at only 12 Volts, it would probably run for several hours.
Gini Rigs Follow Focus and New Lens Gears
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