DIY Equipment

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fleece-professional-viewfinder
click image

For those who are purchasing any type of aftermarket LCD Viewfinder and want to add the additional cotton, fleece, or microfiber eyepiece, here's the actual product that normally ships with the real LCDVF. I dug mine out of a box (never used it) and turns out this is the exact ones that ship with a new LCDVF. In fact after a couple of comments and referrals, turns out this Eyepiece company pretty much dominates this product line. They are available everywhere and are used by several different companies. Quality is top notch and available in Cotton, Fleece, and Microfiber.

The original one that ships from LCDVF came in Microfiber - Oval Small. Available in a variety of colors (yes even purple), ratings over at B&H are 5 stars, run much cheaper than the Jag35.com eyepiece, and after shipping pretty much cheaper than anywhere else. Soooo cheap in fact, it's practically disposable. I may have to grab a few to replace after they've become sweat soaked, or in case someone with cooties wants to borrow. Check out the Professional Fleece / Microfiber Viewfinders for your LCD Viewfinders.

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Any designs using these plug clamps, I've been crediting as the 'Johan' rig. Johan originally sent in his DIY DSLR idea found here, and it's been a hit. I even have my hands on these clamps trying to put together my own.

Here's one very cool looking DIY DSLR rig from Derek out in Detroit, with some fancy Carbon rods purchased from DragonPlate.com. Carbon rods? Nice touch! Shoulder pad and Grips are still on it's way, but Derek wanted to give us an early sneak peek. I can attest that even with my Fiberglass Tent Poles, these clamps are strong. Check out Derek rocking what looks like a 70-200mm on this setup, proving to be a structure more than adequate for smaller cams. Great job Derek, thanks for sharing.

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Wow, very cool examples of what type of footage you can achieve with the SpiderTrax Dolly design. Here's another simple build video of how parts from a normal skateboard, Cheese Plate, and Quick release adapter were put together for those slider and rotational shots.

Here's a link to the cheese plate that was used.
cheeseplate-glidecam

Two months ago, the video above also used Skateboard trucks and looks like a wooden base. This is definitely becoming a main stream tool for many DIY'ers.

Isn't it weird how I share these videos and information openly, while at the same time it's something that I need to sell? It's all good with me, because my main goal was always to share these ideas and inspire more creative footage. For those who weren't able to DIY and wanted something, I worked with a team to have parts professionally manufactured with solid aluminum, cut with Computer Aided Design, and special Anodized coating (not spray paint). You can find the SpiderTrax Dolly available at PhotographyandCinema.com

Big thanks to Jarrod and Think Gines for taking time to put this video together and sharing ideas for others to make.

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DSLRevolt WORKSHOP / PHOTODAYS ROVINJ / AUDI from Marko Butrakovic on Vimeo.

Today's the day I may be signing a lease for warehouse space in the Bay Area. I've collected quite a bit of equipment over the last year, and networking with other Photographers / Videographers has required me to have an actual 'creative' space to setup shop. One of the ideas of using this new warehouse space would be to hold DSLR workshops where we invite a DSLR Professional or Professional DSLR team in to manage a small class and tackle a very specific project. This will all be built from scratch where everyone can contribute to ideas in storyboarding, coming up with the shot list, taking hands shooting with the different equipment, and to final editing. Think of that TV show 'Monster Garage' but for DSLR shooters. Throw a team of people into the warehouse, give them a project, and see what comes of it.

I started poking around for ideas on DSLR workshops, and really enjoyed how this video was put together. Seems like a really fun thing to tackle and I might just have to give the local BMW, Porsche, or Mercedes dealerships a ring.

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Wow, I was just talking about the SpiderTrax Dolly in my last post, but then received an email from SpiderTrax Dolly user 'Luke' with a link to his awesome BTS video. These guys are crazy! Looks like they ran a custom long track for some super long slider shots. Something you're not going to be able to do with a standard camera Slider. They also showcased some very cool rotational shots on the gym floor, again something you can't do with a standard slider. Other BTS footage includes the use in a wedding, tutorial videos, and more. This is a great video really showcasing the versatility of this product, and c'mon you can't beat the price! I have a feeling this video is going to sell out the first run of these SpiderTrax dollies, so if you don't have one, now is your chance. Visit: PhotographyandCinema.com

Thanks Luke, great job! More information about Luke and the rest of the team that put together some creative video footage can be found on the YouTube description over here.

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Modeled after the SpiderTrax Rotating Video dolly from PhotographyandCinema.com, YouTube member ZelenPol pulled off some really fun footage. This is a fine example of the types of video footage you can capture with the SpiderTrax Rotating video dolly, that you can't achieve from a camera slider. I just recently shot a video / photo shoot last saturday in which i'll show some of my BTS SpiderTrax Dolly footage, but if you're not the DIY type and need something professionally made, the final first run of the SpiderTrax Dollies are running low. Check out more information at PhotographyandCinema.com.

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Just happened upon a couple of videos that linked back to the blog. Here's the original articles they were referencing.
http://cheesycam.com/test-diy-dslr-cage-fig-rig-stabilizer/
http://cheesycam.com/20-00-diy-offset-shoulder-rig-cheesyrig/

Wow, these guys really know how to DIY! I'm glad the videos they shot are much more creative than my forte 'on the floor of a bedroom with a carpet background'. I really hate to post this up right now, Vimeo is having issues with their Play Stats. It would be great for these guys to see how many plays they get for their hard work.

I very much appreciate these guys linking back to the blog, and I ask as much as possible that everyone does, so that we can point others to all of this information for budget film makers. Most importantly thanks again to these guys for taking the time to inspire others to try DIY equipment too. Details of their videos are pulled from Vimeo.

DIY Shoulder Mount

Inspired by www.cheesycam.com I decided to save myself a few bob and build my own shoulder rig for some stabilization action. Works pretty well, and am pleased with it. I have a few long screws on it....but i can cut them to length later.
Looking forward to getting some use from it now!

DIY Fig Rig

Here is our very first attempt at a DIY rig. The plans came from CheesyCam and we thought we take the rig to our good friends at Rustworks for some metal cutting and assembling. Enjoy the video. We had a good time putting this Fig Rig together.

RUSTWORKS
830 Bransten Road
San Carlos, CA
(650) 593-2276

Big thanks to: www.cheesycam.com

Shot with the Canon 5D Mark II

Visit our website: www.calixteworks.com

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ggs-550d

Whoa! Big ups to Jeff Pepito, for this awesome new product. Jeff mentions his is on it's way, and hopefully he'll do a review for us when it comes in over at https://jeffpepito.com.

Doesn't that image above look OEM and sexy? We've all been going back and forth about LCD Viewfinders falling off, and how mounting it with these sticky frames just aren't cutting it. After a period of time, the adhesion from the metal frames will eventually wear out, and umm..putting a stronger adhesive on can damage your cameras LCD (not a good thing).

Just a few days ago people shared the idea of using an LCD 'Shade', breaking off the plastic tabs, and permanently gluing the the Viewfinder. This seems to be a popular solution I continued to suggest, but there's a new product in town!

With or without an LCD Viewfinder, why would you even go without having something like this? It's glass, it protects your cameras LCD, it's not plastic like the LCD hood shades, and it's cheap! Apparently they even put alot of effort into the quality of the glass to ensure optimal clarity (there's a whole bunch of graphs and mumbo jumbo clarity tests). If you look closely at the above image, it also seems to have a cutout for the T2i / 550D 'Proximity Sensor', definitely nice crafting. Well played glass LCD protector......well played indeed...

Features:
* Manufactured from 0.5mm ultra-thin optical glass with at least 90% light transmission to ensure maximum clarity.
* explosion-proof film that ensure maximum resistance to impact damage ( up to 12kg/cm2) , preventing damage to the rear LCD.
* Specially treated to maximise hardness and durability to resist scratching.
* The durable black ABS surround is designed to blend in with the camera ensuring that the protector remains a discrete but effective accessory.
* Anti-fog and anti-dust designed viewfinder, good for your photography.
* Easy to fit, remove and re-fit at any time. Supplied with a handy storage box.

*Oh new found glass lcd protector - you had me at Scratch resistant, Anti Fog, and Explosion-Proof film.

So if you're going to rock one (two or three) of these to protect your camera(s), it will act as the 'Perfect' mount for any LCD view finder metal sticky frame permanently attached. Clear quality glass, and a quality fix to prevent those poor adhesive frames from falling off ever again. You can find the variety of these Glass LCD protectors for Canon and Nikon by clicking here.

ggs-canon-dslrggs-glass-lcd-protection
find-price-button Glass LCD Screen Protector Available for 5D Mark II, 7D, and yes people even the 550D / T2i

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calumet-transforming-tripod

I can see myself having one of these attached to my Canon SX210 IS Point and Shoot camera as an extra handle for stability or setting it down on a table when i'm having dinner. This could come in handy as the handles for my Johan Rig too allowing me to set the rig down. Very neat little monopod-table top tripod-handle. Not a bad price on sale for $16.99 at Calumet.