Finally! The 550D / T2i aftermarket battery grip + 2 batteries is sitting here at my desk, and i'll have more photos and full review later when I get back home. There are many sellers, but the boxes seem to be the same packaging. Does anyone have a different box? Send in your photos and comments, i'll do an awesome review for everyone when I get back home. Click the image above if you want to buy one from the same eBay seller I purchased mine from.
I admit, i'm not a film school kid, and really just started getting into video with DSLR's. I have only seen others using Letus equipment mainly for Depth Of Field adapters for their video gear. Now with DSLR's you would think Letus is losing alot of sales. Turns out, they are still on top of the game by providing a new line of DSLR solutions. Prices obviously are still a bit high for me, but it is Letus after all.
One of the most sexiest pieces of equipment i've seen for DSLR's in a long time, Letus has a new Carbon Fiber view Finder. Love the article write up about the design process behind it. I have a feeling after this post, Zacuto is going to lose some steam on their line of Z-Finders. I mean c'mon, Carbon Fiber?? Who wouldn't want that? Available for a special pre-order price right now. Check out some of the new stuff they're coming out with at LetusDSLR.com
carbon fiber View Finder via LetusDSLR.com
NOTE: This is a pre-order item at in introductory price of $385. This will begin shipping in early June on a first come first serve basis. You will be charged at time of purchase which will lock your place in line for delivery.
Features:
Carbon Fiber Housing
Non-reflective Internal Housing
2.75x Zoom Factor
+1.5 to -2.5 Adjustable Lens
3 Custom Lenses in 2 Groups
Fully Coated Optics
Anodized Aluminum Lens Housing
Removable Eye Cup
Talon Basic Camera Plate for Mounting
X / Y / Z Mounting Adjustments
1/4 20 Mount Point for Articulating Arms
No Image Distortion or Edge Softness
There's no doubt that camera manufacturers are pushing new product lines to get into the latest trends. They are set to ride this wave of HD Video capabale - interchangeable lens cameras. In the past Size did matter on a camera. I remember shooting my first wedding on a Canon 5D Mark II and hearing one of the guests whispering 'Why are they shooting with such small cameras?". Yeah we really didn't look very professional compared to the cousin with a 7 year old Sony VX2000.
But after seeing how capable the Canon 5D Mark II was against larger format cameras, smaller is the new trend. Olymupus brought back the Pen, Panasonic is really pushing their line of DSLR style cameras, and now Sony is in with the Nex-3 and Nex-5. Great commercial, it really sells the product, but what's up with the guy taking a lens out of his pocket (with no body caps), and then the dude on the pier trying to do the Robot? LOL. Personally, I think those sections could have been left out....
Peep this review on some of the new cool features.
I fly my Steadicam + Glidecam HD 4000 Hybrid rig quite a bit. I'm loading it up more and more with LED lighting, Shotgun Microphones, Zoom H4n, etc. I'm building it to follow someone around sorta 'Reality TV' style, and will still have decent lighting and audio. Although the Stabilizer and Vest are strong, i'm running out of space to mount things. I decided it's time to go with a DSLR cage to hold more accessories. I'll let you know how that idea goes, but this is what i'm looking at. Click Here for information on the DSLR Cage shown.
The video above is an awesome example of what you can do with your DSLR and Timelapse photography. Timelapse photography is where you can set your camera to take a photo every so many seconds, or sometimes even minutes. Next just drag all the photos into a video Timeline and export as a video clip. In Sony Vegas, I often run each photo at 0.065 seconds on a 29.97 Timeline. In order to achieve timelapse function with your DSLR you will need a ‘timer’ or ‘intervalometer’. It's rare to find cameras that have built in Timelapse, and if they do, it might not be as flexible as having an exteral Intervalometer. Here's a great option that less than half the price of OEM if you're a Canon user.
Update!! You Can Find the Popular 126 LED DSLR Video Light Kit Here!!
DLSR's are great with low light settings, but when possible, it's best to light your subject and bring that ISO noise down. LED lighting is now becoming mainstream with DSLR HD video cameras since it's lightweight and lasts longer. Problems are LED + Cameras = High Markup costs.
When searching for my LED Video Light, I had a few requirements. Broad diffusion, daylight temperature, tungsten filter, uses batteries that can be replaced, and most important DIMMABLE! I'm not a fan of rechargeable LED lights, because when you need it most, there's nothing you can do. With replacement batteries, you can quickly swap out batteries and keep shooting. You want to get an LED video light that is also Dimmable so you can keep it from blowing out your exposure.
After searching around for and LED light that has all of these features, now we're talking hundreds of dollars. Luckily, after searching around the web, YouTube brought me to the video above. Wow!! All the features that are most important for an LED light and under $70 dollars!
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE:: New update information for cheaper LED lights & faster Shipping!
Props for Vimeo member Daniel Bochenski for rigging up his own version of the ' BodyPod DSLR stabilizer ' I posted up here::::
His video (Above) shows some fine examples of how a monopod, when used correctly, can support your camera weight and give you some super steady footage.
Well the T2i came in for me last week, and I really haven't had the chance to play around with it. Right off the bat, you'll get yourself stuck if you don't have Class 6 (speed) SDHC card required to shoot videos with it. Having the 5DM2 and 7D already those both only use Compact Flash. So get yourself stocked up on some Class 6 rated SDHC cards. Hopefully i'll get some video samples online for others to see soon.
Another problem I had with the camera was the weight. It's super light which could be an advantage in certain situations, but sometimes you need that extra bulk for better handling. I suggest that you pick definitely pick up the Battery Grip by Canon. Not only will it add more grip, it will add more available power, and increase the 'looks per hour' rating on your DSLR.
Probably the best rail for a DIY slider, I believe this would be the same as a Glidetrack, is the Linear Guide rail from Igus. Normally used for Robotics, these precision machined aluminum rails use Dry bearings to slide. No greasy bearings. A.K.A. ZaZa slider, you can find more information here https://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=145701
After reading a few threads and checking out the ZaZa slider group over at Vimeo.com, I decided to build my own. This post is really late because I had already ordered this item about half a year ago, but finally decided to finish it with a Fluid Head. It pretty much just sat waiting for this last piece. It's a work in progress, i'll probably change from one Tripod to 2 (1 each side) for more stability. I'll use Quick Release plates on each end to break it down faster. Oh well, here's my first run.
[Update] After the popularity of this DIY Project, the company IGUS now sells the complete kit and some predrilled. Here's the link to grab possibly the cheapest high quality DSLR Video Camera slider: Igus DIY Slider Kits
Letus Hawk VF DSLR ViewFinder
