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I recently received two packages to test out from Senna a video equipment company based out of Croatia (website found here). One case includes their 'All Recall Focus' which is a Wireless Follow Focus system, and the second case carries their 'Five Second Head' which is a Motorized Pan / Tilt Head. Take a look at the demo video below showcasing these products at work.

The All Recall Wireless Follow Focus System has programmable functions to store and return to specific focus points very quickly. You can control the ramp speed in which it changes from one focus point to the next if you want a slower more dramatic focus pull. I've tried a few different Wireless Follow Focus systems, and in the past i've had mixed results to the point where I don't use them. So far, this system has been pretty reliable right out of the box. I've been able to test the recall function repeatedly and the servos have so far been extremely accurate switching back to the stored focus points with a simple touch a button.

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Senna All Recall Wireless Follow Focus on BlackMagic Design Cinema Camera

During initial setup, you can calibrate the focus range of your lens. The single hand held controller has the ability to operate two servos (zoom and focus) if you're operating a zoom lens remotely. The Transmitter and Receiver operate with built in rechargeable Lithium ion batteries or can be powered through an external battery pack or AC wall adapter. One neat feature is the ability to enable Night Mode which allows you to see an illuminated marking disc when your focus puller is working in dim lighting - not to mention it also looks pretty cool.

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The Five Second Head (i'm guessing carries it's name from it's fast installation time) is a motorized Pan Tilt head that can be controlled through a tethered remote, or optional wireless remote. I'm a big fan of the unique movements you can create with Motorized Pan / Tilt heads. The Five Second Head also has the ability to store repeatable positions. Apparently this head can also be used for TimeLapse which I still have not figured out yet, but i'm assuming it will require some additional equipment.

The instructions were very clear to get each of these products setup, and so far i've had to hiccups. I'm hoping to put these products through more testing with some of our future projects. Hopefully I will also work on an introduction to setting up each of the equipment and what's included in the box. Senna has a number of products available from various website retailers, but more information about their products can also be found at https:/www.senna.hr

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find-price-button Senna Five Second Head and All Recall Wireless Follow Focus

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Here's a simple way to DIY a Top Handle for your DSLR Video Camera for those low shooting scenes. The hot shoe of these cameras are very capable of mounting this little top handle, but please use common sense as to not overload your setup with bulky rigs. This is mainly a way to carry the camera in it's simplest form. The build is easy and cheap, assembled with common parts you may already have, or find it through the links below.

Giottos Ball Head Top Handle
find-price-button Giottos MIni Ball Head 1/4" 3/8"

The Giottos Mini Ball Head is a native 3/8" mount, so you can get a 3/8" adapter, or use the reducer to 1/4" (comes with ball head) and use a 1/4" hot shoe adapter (click here).

Hot Shoe Adapter 3-8 Cold Shoe1-4 shoe adapter
find-price-button Hot Shoe Adapter 3/8 or 1/4 Screw

These handles are all metal, knurled finish for grip, and you can actually stack them together if you want it to be very long. They come in a variety of colors if you want to spice up your aesthetics (click here).

Camera Grip Top Handle DIYTop Handle camera gripTop Hanlde
find-price-button DSLR Video Camera Handle 1/4

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Varavon's latest Tilt Jib Mini Crane is not the most portable system on the market, but the highlight of this product is the ability to tilt the camera when performing vertical movements. Many other jibs will keep the camera horizontal which will cause you to lose tracking of your subject.

The Varavon Tilt Jib comes in it's own travel case, and setting up the system requires no tools. All assembly can be done by hand. The tilt function uses a cable system and requires you to have a strong fluid head and of course tripod system. The Varavon Tilt Jib base kits are available from a small 3ft version to much longer models, or you can always purchase an extension kits later down the line to increase your vertical. You can get more information about the Varavon Mini Tilt Jibs via eBay (click here).

Varavon Tilt Jib T1Varavon Tilt Jib T2Varavon Tilt Jib T3Varavon Tilt Jib T4
find-price-button Varavon Tilt Jib Mini Crane

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Laing P-03 DSLR Stabilizer. [Thanks Nitsan] This small vide camera stabilizer features a gimbal that can be repositioned on the telescoping post and fine tuning knobs at the top stage for simple balancing typically not found on other entry level systems. Priced at just over $200 dollars and found (here).

p-03 stabilizerLaing Stabilizer Carbon

laing stabilizerlaing p03 stabilizer
find-price-button Laing P-03 Video Camera Stabilizer

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I've recently required the need to have more sand bags in my space, so I purchased 20 pcs of these 9" x 10.5" sized Sand Bags. Unless you see them in person, shopping for 'inexpensive sand bags' on the internet might be a hit or miss. All you get is a few photos and not much information, so I thought I would share what i'm using.

The product listing doesn't really provide the exact weight these will be when loaded up, but from my estimates it should be around 20 lbs. each. The material is good lined with a tightly woven plastic like material on the inside so the sand doesn't sift it's way out. Stitching is great and double zippered to prevent them from accidentally opening up - pretty standard quality bags. Now time to make a stop over at the hardware store and pick up a few hundred pounds of Play Sand (for kids sandboxes) and fill them up. Here's a listing to the exact same 9" x 10.5" Sand Bags i've ordered (here).

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find-price-button 10pcs of 9" x 10.5" Sand Bags

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Lensse is a company that makes very simple and affordable Video camera stabilizers that support iPhones all the way up to heavy DSLR bodies. These stabilizers balance your camera over a ball socket gimbal, attempting to prevent the transfer of shaky hands into the camera while walking, and also keeping your camera level with the horizon. You can see the complete line of stabilizers they offer (here).

Recently Lensse has just announced a new Stabilizer version called the UniqueX. It shares many of the same features at their other line of stabilizers, but the highlight of this new stabilizer is the adjustable Gimbal which can be relocated to the center of balance. Just another way of fine tuning the balance of your setup. Specs state it will support cameras up to 3 lbs and retails for about $100 bucks. Check it out via Amazon (Click Here).

Lensse UniqueX Video Camera Stabilizer
find-price-button Lensse UniqueX Video Camera Stabilizer

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HDSLRNOW.com shares this simple tip to provide shelter from the rain by using a small sheet of specialty waterproof Gore-Tex fabric and a few rubber bands to hold in place. I'm sure you can get lucky with a plastic bag, but Gore-tex is very light weight very durable type of fabric that can take a good amount of use. Not a bad thing to have in the bag when you're working outdoors. You can find this same Gore-Tex material via eBay (click here)

Gore-tex fabric camera jacket
find-price-button Gore-Tex WindProof WaterProof Nylon Fabric

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Canon has officially announced a few new cameras and lenses today and continues expanding the line of cameras and lenses that support Auto Focus in Video Mode. The first new DSLR camera is the Canon EOS REBEL T5i. Here are a few Product Highlights from the new Canon EOS REBEL T5i:

· STM Lens Support for Quiet AF in Movies
· 18.0MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
· DIGIC 5 Image Processor
· 3.0" Vari-Angle Touch Screen LCD
· ISO 100-12800, Expandable to 25600
· Full HD 1080 Video with Continuous AF
· 5.0 fps Continuous Shooting
· 9-Point All Cross-Type AF System
· Multi Shot Noise Reduction
· Compatible with Canon EF and EF-S Lenses

Canon_Rebel_T5i_BODY_FRONTHR_T5i_EFS18-55_IS_STM_LCD_OPEN
find-price-button Canon EOS REBEL T5i

For shooters looking to carry a smaller interchangeable lens camera, Canon has announced what could be the smallest DSLR camera body on the market - the new Canon EOS Rebel SL1. You can see how similar the features are to the larger DSLR camera bodies.
Here are a few Product Highlights for the Canon EOS Rebel SL1:

· 18.0MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
· DIGIC 5 Image Processor
· 3.0" Clear View II Touchscreen LCD
· ISO 100-12800, Expandable to 25600
· Full HD 1080 Video with Continuous AF
· 4.0 fps Continuous Shooting
· 9-Point All Cross-Type AF System
· Scene Intelligent Auto Mode
· Compact and Lightweight; Weighs 0.8lb
· Compatible with Canon EF and EF-S Lenses

Canon_SL1_BODY_FRONTCanon_SL1_BACK_picture
find-price-button Canon REBEL SL1 Smallest DSLR Camera

These two cameras are nearly identical in specs except that the SL1 does not have a Vari-Angle LCD. Check out the side by side technical comparison here: https://goo.gl/J2rte

New lenses from Canon are similar to previous kit lenses, but now in an STM version to support full time Auto Focus in Video mode. Rather than jumping quickly from one focus point to the next, STM Lenses (Stepper Motor) are designed to be better at producing smooth, precise 'incremental movements' during video.

[Update] The new lens is the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens (Note EF-S lenses will not work on Full Frame Canon Bodies). These lenses will be available separately or bundled with the new Canon EOS REBEL T5i and Canon EOS REBEL SL1.

Additional information about these new cameras, click through the product links below via B&H Photo Video.
(Click Here For) Canon EOS Rebel SL1 DSLR Camera (Body Only)
(Click Here For) Rebel SL1 DSLR Camera w/ EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
(Click Here For) Canon EOS Rebel T5i DSLR Camera (Body Only)
(Click Here For) Rebel T5i DSLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
(Click Here For) Rebel T5i DSLR Camera w/ EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
(Click Here For) Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens

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Here's a review of the review of the Rode iXY Stereo Microphone for iOS devices such as the iPhone 4/4S, iPad 1st/2nd/3rd Gen. The Rode iXY provides two 1/2" Cardioid Condenser Capsules with Onboard A/D Conversion and Up to 24-bit/96kHz Recording. Rode offers a free Rode Rec app, or a paid version that offers more features to share the files immediately to the cloud. The Rode REC allows you to manually set audio input levels. Comes with a Foam Windshield for Outdoor Recording and a Reinforced Protective Zip Case when traveling. You can find the Rode iXY Stereo Microphone for iOS at B&H (click here)

Review of the Rode iXY Stereo Microphone
find-price-button Rode iXY Stereo Microphone for iOS iPhone iPad iPod Touch