DIY Equipment

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diy-pvc-flash-adapter

Hal Robertson is at it again. Here's a simple, cheap, but extremely effective way to get a more diffused and powerful flash while staying portable. Using mainly PVC parts to assemble this cross shaped mount, it hold three individual camera Flashes. You can find more detailed photos at the Flickr page here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/47152462@N02/5201859448/in/set-72157625453539100/

DIY-PVC-Triple-Flash-Adapterpvc-triple-flash-adapter

Why would you want so many flashes in one umbrella? There's a bunch of good reasons why. First, you're harnessing much more power in a small lightweight package. In order to get more power on location with real studio strobes, that normally means carrying a heavy battery. Secondly, instead of firing one flash at full power, you would fire three flashes at a lower power so that your recycle times are much much faster. Third and probably most important for some high shutter shooters out there is the ability to use HSS. Most studio strobes can't support the bursts of HSS to sync at just about any shutter speed. When using HSS, you can fire the flash at almost any shutter speed but this will reduce it's power output. By adding up three flashes, you'll be able to support HSS while still giving plenty of light spread to your subject. [Thanks Hal]

In order to make mounting easier and still support some tilt action for light position, you'll need a tilt mount. Normally these things run between 30-40 dollars, but here's one I tracked down for about 10 bucks.
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find-price-button Positionable Tilt Umbrella Adapter Flash Photography

Don't forget you'll need some of them little Flash Shoe Adapters too which are dirt cheap.
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find-price-button Cold Hot Flash Shoe Adapters

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500-led-light

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500 LED Video Light panel running from $99 dollar portable battery

Testing to see how much power these 500 LED lights really consume. LED light is on full, camera is only at ISO 100. If i'm correct, I believe this 500 LED panel only requires 50w of power. That's really not much. Something like this $99 dollar portable battery (normally used to jump start cars) has two 115v outlets in the rear. So one of these batteries can power two lights directly, or with a surge protector, can power all three. It has a built in inverter inside, but there's a small fan that turns on when the inverter is running. Since these lights don't draw much power an extension cord and moving the battery pack further, audio shouldn't be a problem. If i'm at a last resort where I know I wouldn't have power readily available, or when Audio isn't an issue, this could be a decent option for location use. Run time? I'm guessing the run time will out perform those portable camcorder batteries that some of these units have. Not a bad thing to keep in the car since it can provide you with a jump. Can also serve to run a laptop if you're on the move, or charge up some batteries while going from location to location. I'll throw up a video soon enough.

There's a number of different batteries similar to this, some provide more wattage, and even comes in it's own rolling case. Check out some of the options through the link below.
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find-price-button Portable Jumper Battery with 115v Inverter

Related Article: http://cheesycam.com/bts-sample-with-cheap-500-led-video-light-panels/

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Throwing your tripod or monopod over the shoulder seems to be a trend these days, so here's another one. BTW, that title is a reference to the Double Rainbow video if you didn't get it. Anyways, here's a video from YouTube member Chung Dha about taking a simple double flash bracket and attaching it to a monopod to give you the offset, and at the same time offering up an additional cold shoe for another accessory. It's a cheap solution that will give you a bit more stabilization than straight hand held, and still offers complete use of the monopod. There's a number of different camera flash brackets you can use from single to double, and i've provided the link below to check out your options. They start at under $6 dollars. He uses a cheap mini tripod to get a handle on things, but you might want to check out the BARSKA Accu Grip which looks a little more pro. The Barska runs over $35-$45 over on eBay, but there's a sale over at Amazon you might want to look into. This video is a bit longer than I personally need it to be, but might help throw some ideas into the DIY pot. Perhaps going Double Flash bracket on $24 dollar shoulder support.

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find-price-button Flat Black Camera Flash Brackets

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find-price-button BARSKA Accu Grip Handheld Tripod System

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This $24 dollar shoulder rig just won't quit. Well, we may have to change the name as the popularity of this cheap plastic design gains popularity, the price has since inflated. This unit also is being sold under different names, but I have never heard of any one designed better than the other. There's an adapter that allows for an offset, I don't suggest loading that up as it's not designed well, but the base shoulder support works great. I posted several articles about this thing over the year, and there's been several others enhancing the use of this cheap support. Here's a recent look at how Vimeo member IE DNLab used it as additional support for the Steadicam Merlin DSLR Stabilizer.

Limited in range unless you feel like squatting for every low shot, but using it for something like this will definitely provide you with longer shooting times while you save up for your vest. Prices have inflated elsewhere, but right now you can find it cheaper than $24 dollars over at Amazon. As always prices subject to change normally after being posted here. LOL. If you're interested in something I did with my cheap shoulder mount, check out this video http://cheesycam.com/a-s-s-implants-how-to/


find-price-button Shoulder Support Pad for Video Camcorder

But if you're looking to step up your dollars a little bit, the Gliders Shoulder Support has the same functionality, with a bit more quality in parts.
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find-price-button Gliders Shoulder Adjustable Support Camera Mount

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This is a follow up video showing how I mounted the heavy 4 pound weight I purchased to the Gini Shoulder Rig. With a spare dog bone clamp, a straight hole through both items, I was able to run a bolt and a clamp knob to hold it steadily in place. The original article can be found here: http://cheesycam.com/diy-counter-weight-solution-for-shoulder-rigs/

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find-price-button Aqua Black Vinyl Coated Lace Thru Style Hard Weights - Black

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The Gini Rig I posted about in this article is an awesome piece of gear. Definitely something you should look into if you're looking for a solid DSLR shoulder rig. I suggest doing some research on what your options are and compare prices with other gear. Like many others out there, I didn't pay the asking price for the Gini. On a good day the Gini Rig can be had for rock bottom prices, so it's all about patience and just making an offer you feel you would be comfortable with. More on the Gini can be found here: http://cheesycam.com/the-gini-rig-arrives-from-korea/

There was one piece of gear I wasn't so lucky to have with my DSLR shoulder rig package, and that's a good Shoulder rig Counter weight system. Having a balanced rig is definitely going to help stabilize footage and take lots of weight off the hands. I got this DSLR shoulder rig for cheap, so i'm looking for something just as cheap. Aside from the Gini Rig here, there's a million different DIY shoulder rig solutions that could use a good counter weight. Many DIY solutions are even built around PVC pipes, and I don't think you're ready to throw down $100 bucks on a weight. So I began my quest to locate a good solid, cheap, yet professional looking substitute for a counter weight.

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find-price-button Vinyl Coated Lead Diving Scuba Belt Weights

I placed this order about a week ago, and wanted to have it in my hands before talking about it, just to make sure it's worth the pennies. It's definitely the solution I was looking for. Very small and compact, with a chemically bonded heavy duty Vinyl coating, and a flat black finish to match your video gear. These scuba weights were designed to withstand ocean salt and hard reef bumps. Simply dropping these weights on hard gravel wouldn't do damage to the coating, it's that tough. There are slits on each side to allow me some mounting options, but as dense as Lead is, it's probably not difficult to drill through either.

[Update] Took a drill to it, it literally drills through like butter. Lead is a very very soft material to drill through. Keep in mind that this is a Lead weight product known to be hazardous if not handled correctly. You should read information about safely handling Lead Metals.
diy-weight

The rounded edge design ensure you're not going to scratch or gauge yourself. The vinyl coating is very smooth and comfortable to handle in the hands and keep the system very clean. These weights are available from 1 pound and increments to 12 lbs. 4-6 lbs is probably a comfortable weight for most DSLR rigs. Now that i've had the chance to handle this product, there's plenty more ideas that come to mind. If you're rocking a super lightweight tripod system but need some extra stability at times, these are much more compact than your typical sand bag to hang. If you're working on that DIY DSLR crane and need to add some weights to the rear, these are much more compact and have a nicer finish than normal lifting weights. The possibilities are endless. So if you're looking to DIY a shoulder rig and are in need of a good cheap solution to a counter weight system, meet your new best friend.

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find-price-button Vinyl Coated Lead Diving Scuba Belt Weights

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DIY Car mount from www.enriquerodben.com

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find-price-button Double and Quad Head Suction Cup Mounts on eBay

Ready for your next camera movement? How about strapping your camera to the hood of your car and taking a drive. There's a ton of DIY's for mounting a camera to a car and the 'safest ones' all stem from these popular suction cups. In fact you'll find plenty of the same mounts being sold as 'Camera Car Mounts' for several times the price of making your own. These suction handles are designed to carry heavy glass windows and doors with the smallest Double Head suction capacity rated at 125 lbs. The quad suction head rates at a 330 lbs capacity. Whether you trust those ratings or not, I can guarantee it will be more than sufficient to carry a sub 5 pound DSLR. There's plenty of creative ways to mount up your camera but the most simplest is to drill a hole straight through the Quad Head's handle and place a small Tripod Ball Head. The hollow handle can act as a pass through for a tie down strap if you're looking for an extra bit of stability too.

Also available via Amazon:
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find-price-button 4 Head Suction Cup

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Anytime you slap the words Audio, Video, or Photo on a product the rule of thumb is to mark it up about 500%. This applies even to small pouches and travel cases, but for people on the move, it's a necessary evil. I've found my own ways of staying organized with all the bits and pieces in my rolling bags, by using transparent tackle boxes made by a company called Plano. I wrote an article about this back in May found here: http://cheesycam.com/diy-camera-gear-organizer-tackle-box/

The clear tackle boxes from Plano have taken my beatings and it's a solid product. Small items are separated and the transparency helps me find things quickly. A quick dry erase marker on the inside helps me determine used or unused CF cards and batteries.

Now looking to break all of my Audio gear into a seperate case, I find myself turning back to Plano. I have a number of shotgun microphones, lav microphones, Zoom H4n, Zoom H1's, shock mounts, clips, and cables. Putting all the audio gear together and laying them out for easy access will help me stay organized instead of throwing things in a bag. A trip to the local Walmart revealed a number of plastic hard cases with handles for Guns, complete with break away foam lining. Some single layer cases start at just around $9 dollars.

single-case

Of the ones on display, my favorite one is a 4 gun case designed with 2 stages of foam and extra deep. Plenty of space to store all of my different microphones and audio recorders with room to spare, while the handle makes for easy transporting. The break away foam will help to protect, keep items from shifting, and provide a clear view of what needs to go back in the case.

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There's a number of different foam lined hard cases in the gun section and even more that can be found online. From plastic to aluminum, deep and shallow. Great for protecting a variety of small video, audio, and photo gear. The only suggestion I have is you stray away from the Logo branded cases like 'Glok' or 'Smith & Wesson' in case you plan on jumping on a plane, and if someone asks you what's in the case, you should probably say 'Microphone' and not 'Shotgun'.

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Aluminum Foam Lined Gun Case

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diy-follow-focus

Once Eric received his Gini Rig, he went straight to work on designing a custom DIY Follow focus. Made from milled plumbing parts on his metal lathe, here's the build set and final product. Damn this looks better designed than some of the other Follow Focuses on the market. Check out Eric's Flickr page for more information, he's even included a few videos to see how it all comes together. Comments to Eric can be left at this article. Thanks Eric, so when do we see this for sale? LOL.

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