Aaron mentioned he received the Yongnuo 560 Flash for off camera use, and threw up a demo video. From the information in the video, i'm pretty impressed. This YN-560 version doesn't support TTL, but when using my Yongnuo RF-602 triggers, I'm using my flashes all manually anyways. I can see event photographers using these either on light stands or clamped around the ceiling to get some extra light into a dim lit event. Especially since they are fairly cheap, I wouldn't be as worried about damage or theft leaving them around. I'm totally paranoid just throwing my Canon 580 EX II's in places that seem 'untrustworthy'. I guess I found my backup solution. Thanks Aaron, for the demo on these inexpensive Yongnuo YN-560 flashes.
Lighting
Caster wheels for Light Stands
Not sure how many of you are already working with Light Stands, but i've been working on my studio slowly and one of the things i've been trying to build is a rolling platform for the many different light stands I have. Because I use sand bags to prevent the lights from toppling over, it's a bit awkward to move them to a new spot. Calumet has some rolling stands but they are BuKu bucks.
Calumet Rolling Light Stand $249.00
My first idea was to sand bag the stands over furniture dollies. Most dollies that I found were wide enough were quite expensive though. Recently I just found exactly what I needed! These Caster Wheels for Studio Light Stands are perfect. They simply slide on and bolt on over the feet of light stands. Not too bad for the $10 dollars each price but the convenience for me outweighs the cost and it keeps a small footprint in the studio. The listing shows an image of 1, but they come in a quantity of 3. Just thought i'd share. Find them here: Slip on Caster Wheels for Studio Light Stands
Color Changing Variable Color Temperature LED Video Light – Review
Video Link: https://vimeo.com/14952361
What's all the buzz about these Color changing LED Video lights? It's not the technology, that's old news. It's the price that's stirring things up amongst mobile video shooters. I posted this article a short while back: http://cheesycam.com/latest-led-color-changing-video-light/. Since then, there's been responses and questions about these fancy LED video light panels. One of the highlights of Canon's DSLR video is that it does well with ambient lighting. These light panels make sense for adding a bit of fill light and mixing it in quickly. Well, I was finally able to get my hands on the panel and here's a quick overview of what it is, how it works, and price comparisons on some other items in market.
Color Changing Variable Temperature 1000 LED Video Light
First let's talk tech. The technology isn't new and it's not difficult for any other company to replicate. It is pretty cool though and quick to get it set up and get it closely mixed in with your ambient lighting. I would say this is great for location interviews to add some additional fill light. By using two different color LED's (half tungsten and half daylight) you can mix the color by controlling the power output of each set. You'll see this in the end of my little video. I'm not going to say one is better than the other, and you should contact the manufacturer of each product to find out more information, but here's the current technology being sold today by a few different companies.
Ikan uses this technique of mixing LED colors in a product they call the Ikan Multi-K Variable Color Temperature LED Light selling for $489.95.
Lowel has a portable color changing LED video light called the Lowel Blender LED sold for $629.95.
The most expensive solution. Litepanels uses this method in what they call their 1x1 Bi-Color Variable Color Temperature LED Flood Light selling for $2,545.00.
1000 LED DIMMABLE COLOR CHANGING Video Light Panel shown with Canon 7D
This particular panel has 1000 LED's so bigger than the Lowel and Ikan lights, and possibly about the same size as the LitePanel. As you can see from my photo above with the Canon 7D on top, I think I can get two of these into an Airport Carry On sized roller bag, should one choose not to have it 'Checked in'. The build quality feels exactly the same as the LED's shown in my earliest video here: http://cheesycam.com/latest-led-video-lights-for-dslr-video/. It's completely squared, there's no real Portrait or Landscape rotation on this item. So quite odd that you can relocate the mount to any side.
The overall light output is dimmable, but also has the added color temperature changing feature built in. Although it's labeled as a 1000 LED panel, if you are using one complete spectrum of color only half of the LED's will be illuminated. So far this is the cheapest Color Changing Dimmable 1000 LED Video Light panel
Available via eBay (below)
Color Temperature Changing Dimmable LED Video Light Panel
Available via Amazon (below)
1000 LED Photography Video Light Panel 0% - 100% DIMMABLE COLOR CHANGING 3500K- 6000K TEMP
Mail Bag – Monday ( Oh Damn! )
Whoa!! It's on on on. Mail bag box Monday includes two very exciting boxes that combined is one awesome rig. Been waiting on this one for a while, too bad I didn't have it a few weeks earlier for my Hawaii trip.
I'm not only thinking just Photography. I didn't get to dive in completely but it's variable speed might be used to create the smoothest, slowest, and most consistent video slide ever. It's definitely a great looking, solid built, light weight tool. I opted in for just 4 feet since I was a bit worried about the weight, but thinking I should have gone for something a bit larger. It's in a bunch of pieces that need some assembly, so i'll drag it back to the lair this evening and see if I'm smart enough to get this thing rockin'. I can't wait to see some of the results from it's use.
If you're still wondering what i'm talking about, the image below will be your first clue. The only thing this rig is missing is the Cooler full of Beer and Portable BBQ grill which I assume is standard issue when out shooting. Luckily I have a few of those items available. By the way, it's still in Beta so it's not ready to be shipped. Having said that anyone down to spend a few hours possibly this week / weekend testing this bad boy out?
Click Image to View Video
Oh Oh Oh ‘O Flash’ – Ring Flash Adapter
The above video shows use of a Ring Flash adapter. I'm just using this video as an example, but the 'O Flash' - Ring Flash adapter finally came in for me. The 'O Flash' is the cheaper version of the Ray Ring or Coco Ring Flash
Many people associate these for Macro or sometimes used as a very close up Portrait ring flash. It's a handy thing for me to carry as another diffuser option for my Canon 580 EX II. This design carries the light from a single flash into a circular ring light, giving it really nice diffusion towards your subject. Normally flashes are diffused by way of bouncing the light which still can cause uneven lighting and loss of flash power. One of the cool accessories I already own is the Yongnuo RF-602 Wireless triggers. With these triggers, I can even use this flash off camera as a nice soft beauty ring. Now I have this setup on a lightstand, but the Yongnuo RF-602 triggers also have a 1/4x20 thread if you want to mount it directly to a tripod.
It was so cool using this off camera, and honestly I don't know of anyone using them in this manner. I plan on getting a second one specifically for a portable studio lighting setup. With one on each side firing off, i'm sure to get super duper clean images, balanced lighting, with a tiny footprint. Would be an excellent diffuser to use for Wedding or Event type photographers. If you're not fond of the O Flash logo on the front, just place a Logo of your business. Guaranteed brand recognition for you. LOL! I'm betting after this post, we'll see more people using them in combination with the very cheap Yongnuo RF-602 wireless triggers. Here's the link to the $36 dollar O Flash - Ring Flash Adapter.
Curious as well, what if I connected this to the Z96 LED Video Light? Would it provide enough light through the ring to become an LED ring light? I'm in the studio now, i'll check when I get home. That would be interesting....
YongNuo Combo Wireless Remote Shutter + Wireless Flash Trigger
Tuesday Mail Bag
Yesterday was the holiday so mail wasn't running. This morning the first few items come in and they are both photography accessories to aid in Macro Photography. Actually i'm interested in testing one of these out as a video option. I'll keep you guessing for now, and open them up when I have time later today. Can't wait to test them out though!
ATR3350 on Zoom H1 – Yongnuo RF-602 Flash Triggers
Yet another video where I try to cram as much gear tests into one quick take. Here i'm using the Zoom H1 recorder with Audio-Technica ATR3350 powered Lav mic talking about the Yongnuo RF-602 Flash Triggers. Hey, I might as well get it out of the way since I haven't said much about them after I received the Yongnuo's a few weeks ago.
The ATR3350 lav mic from Audio-Technica does perform very well for something that's only $20 dollars shipped. The Zoom H1 no doubt is an excellent audio recorder that can be thrown into a pocket and carried around by the speaker. The Zoom H1 levels were set to 60, which may not be the most optimal setting, but hopefully gives you an idea of it working in combination with the ATR3350 Lav. The Audio Technica Lav mic records in Mono, but if you're already a Rode Videomic user, that's nothing new. I duplicated the audio channels to both left and right, but as you can tell, it sounds very flat and quite differently than recording in real stereo like the X/Y mic config of the Zoom H1.
I wasn't too happy with the straight drop of mono audio in this video. There's no ambient sound, and almost sounds like a voice over. Well, that also means the LAV was working well by focusing on the speaker. I possibly could have done this video better with a shotgun microphone alone, but if we were in a very noisy environment where you need to be discreet like a wedding, the LAV mic may work best. It's possible to mix the audio from the Camera along with the LAV mic audio, but the IS motor on my 24-105mm lens comes in like a loud grinding noise. I probably should have used a shotgun microphone as a second microphone + Zoom H1 w/ ATR3350 Lav mic and mixed it all together to make things sound more natural.
Sorry guys, that was a real quick rough test before I had to head out to (currently in) Maui, Hawaii. I'm out here on vacation, but also to test some other gear where the scenery is much nicer.
click image
click image to purchase Audio-Technica ATR3350
YongNuo Combo Wireless Remote Shutter + Wireless Flash Trigger
Benton Rockin the 500 LED Outdoors
click image for larger size
Benton from BentonCollins.com commented on this article I posted http://cheesycam.com/latest-led-video-lights-for-dslr-video/, stating that he is currently using these very same 500 LED light panels outdoors for 10 new Head & Shoulder commercial shoots. I was really interested in his setup, so he sent in a link to the image above. If you took a peek at Benton's website you'll see some real credibility that this guy really knows his lighting. Wow, that's a really cool lightweight setup there for a location shoot both in lighting and audio. If you look closely, the 500 LED panel is mounted to the same Tripod as the camera, and then some clever arm is holding the shotgun microphone. You can see how far the 500 LED panel is from where the subject would stand proving to still be effective at that range, and there's an added reflector for some additional fill. The 500 LED panel looks like it's powered by a Paul Buff Vagabond power pack. Very cool setup, and glad someone can help 'shed some light' (no pun intended) on how 'cool' (as in temperature and as in trend like) these LED light panels are for both indoor and outdoor use. Thanks Benton can't wait to see more BTS and the final video when it's released.
Might be of interest, not sure if it's any good.
Tuesday Mail Bag
Two new items came in today. One you can see has a crap load of stamps, so you know that's an overseas item. It's a neat thing that i'll show later on. The other brown box might look familiar to many of you, for anyone that's placed an order from bhphotovideo.com and guess what's peeking out....reviews to follow soon.
Relative size next to iPhone 4
