dslr video

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I still love the look coming out of the BlackMagic Design Pocket Cinema Cameras, but I'll admit that i'm pretty lazy to take the cameras out as much as I could. The batteries have incredibly short run times, the large camera files eat through SDXC cards, the tiny low resolution screen makes it hard to set focus and practically disappears under bright lights.

For me to solve this, I use an external battery, Atomos Ninja HDMI Recorder, and a better EVF screen. This adds up to a lot of parts that I still need to find a way to mount as ergonomically as possible. Throwing a few pieces together, here's what I ended up with.

Blackmagic pocket cinema camera small rig tilta cage spectrahd evf

Even though the system was relatively small, it was still somewhat awkward. After shooting for a full day, I realized the style of shooting on one particular project did not require the camera operator to move around within a few feet. So I decided a better way would be to split up the equipment, which makes the camera setup smaller, and now offers the benefit of a remote Director's monitor. Here's a video look on my new setup.

blackmagic pocket cinema camera rig

For the camera i'm using a Tilta BMPCC Cage with a Top Handle, mounted on PVGear.com 8" 15mm Carbon Fiber Rails with some short handles.

pvgear 30 percent off sale
find-price-button PVGear.com 15mm Carbon Fiber Rails


Tilta-Rig-Black-Magic-Pocket-Cinema
find-price-button Tilta BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera BMPCC Cage

For better focus and viewing, we're using the new F&V SpectraHD EVF Monitor mounted to an adjustable EVF Mounting Bracket.

fvlight spectra loupe evf 4 inch monitorspectrahd 4 evf monitor fvlightspectra HD 4 spectrahd
find-price-button SpectraHD 4 Monitor EVF

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find-price-button SmallRig EVF Holder

The shoulder pad is the flexible PNCGear.com Hybrid Pad which can be folded up to use against the chest, or folded down to use over the shoulder.

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find-price-button PNCGear Hybrid folding Shoulder Chest Pad 15mm Clamp

I'm using the HDMI output from the F&V SpectraHD EVF with a 6 foot HDMI cable over to the Atomos Ninja2 Recorder. This now serves both as a directors monitor and an external recorder which is both cheaper and larger than any SD Cards I can afford.

With the Atomos mounted in a CMR Monitor Yoke, I have room to add a 14V Sony BPU battery to power up the BMPCC for hours and hours.

Sony BMCC BP-U30 BP-U60 battery adapter wall charger BlackMagic CInema CameraBlackMagic Cinema Camera 14V Battery Sony BP-U60 adapter
find-price-button Sony BP-U60 BP-U30 Battery Plate 14V for BlackMagic Cinema Camera

Sony BP-U30 batteries BlackMagic Cinema CameramVp2MjLn2FYklJnCLkpFYVg
find-price-button Sony BP-U30 / BPU60 Batteries

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find-price-button Atomos Ninja2 HDMI Recorder

camera-motion-yoke
find-price-button Camera Motion Research Monitor Yoke

I find this setup to be perfect for the type of shooting I do with this camera, but still easy enough to disconnect if I want to run the BMPCC on it's internal battery and record to internal SDXC cards.

You can see in this BTS photo sometimes space is too limited for a tripod, and it's also nice to move the camera around instead of having it completely static. The photo shows the old rig, but I feel my reconfigured setup will now be easier for this type of workflow and shooting style.

bts-dego-satostudios

Here's a few first day tests using the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera with @satostudios. The samples may not make sense, but I was sampling different MFT lenses, Canon FD Lenses, and ND Filters for sharpness. Also testing out different ProRes LT vs HQ settings to see how much exposure and color difference there was when I threw a slight color grade on it. There is also a Film Grain Scan thrown over the graded footage so it will purposely appear 'grainy'. I decided that we just have to suck up all the large data and shoot ProRes HQ all the way for the rest of the project.

So while a dual operator setup may not be ideal for live events where you are constantly on the move, this setup can be beneficial when you have time to plan your shots with a crew. It keeps the camera rig small so that it can easily go from handheld, to slider, to tripod, etc. It allows you to work in very confined spaces and fairly ergonomic to switch between low angles or off the shoulder. It may also be easier to pack up your gear into two separate cases without having to break anything down.

Hopefully this may inspire some of you guys to rethink your rigs as well. Remember that this is not limited to the BMPCC. The GH4 can output 4K 10bit from HDMI, Sony A7s requires an external HDMI Recorder for 4K, and even cameras like the Canon 5D Mark III can benefit using recorders that capture to ProRes HQ. Instead of throwing everything on one rig which can quickly get heavy, oversized, and awkward to work with, it may be easier to split up your HDMI recorders, power solutions, second display, and even Audio Recorders off camera.

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Just received a review unit of the new Varavon Slidecam EX Premium Video Slider that uses a weighted belt driven flywheel pulley to eliminate hard starts, hard stops, and offers consistent motion throughout your slide. Even if you have unsteady hands, it's pretty hard not to get smooth shots.

A video posted by Emm (@mrcheesycam) on

To be fair, Varavon is not the first to implement such an idea. Other sliders on the market like the Shark Slider or Cinevate's latest 'Hedron' slider are using the same principle. The way Cinevate talks about the function of using a spinning weight with the slider has been described as 'inertial dampening'.

The spinning weight requires a gradual start and slowly builds up speed, and as you near the end of your movement, the spinning weight has to gradually come to a halt. The spinning weight will also ensure the motion across the slide is fairly consistent. Varavon has taken one it's higher end 'EX' model video sliders and has incorporated this feature. The results are very smooth and I should have something to show towards the end of this week.

varavon slidecam ex premium slider
find-price-button Varavon Slidecam EX Premium

[Tip] Here's a cheap way to get smooth fluid pans while keeping a subject centered. Adjust angles between two sliders on each side to change the amount of panning.

A quick reminder that Varavon's website pricing changes this Friday. Right now you can save hundreds of dollars off many items listed on their new website. The Birdycam2 3 Axis gimbal is currently discounted -$375 OFF regular price and many of the Armor video cages for the GH4, Sony A7s, BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera are discounted, as well as external battery power solutions to keep your cameras running all day. So before the weekend, make sure to check out the website at Varavon.com for a list of all the current deals.

varavon armor sony a7s varavon birdycam2 gimbal stabilizer varavon wirecam

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Here's a couple of eye-catching deals available right now with Instant Savings of up to $200 dollars off. The first of which is the Bower 16mm T/2.2 Cine Lens. As many of you know this is the same as the Rokinon brand lens, but the Bower brand name has knocked off $180 dollars off it's retail list price now down to just $299. The Cine versions offer built in lens gears and a de-clicked manual aperture ring and is available for various camera mounts including Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Fuji, and more (find it here)

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find-price-button Bower 16mm Prime Cine Lens De-Clicked Aperture

The next instantly discounted item is the Vanguard Auctus 323AT Aluminum Tripod. These legs can be used with your favorite video fluid head, reaches a max height of over 70" inches, and holds up to 39 pounds of weight. Could even be used as solid support for your sliders. Originally priced at $349, currently discounted an additional -$200 OFF, Now Just $149 (here).

vanguard tripod
find-price-button Vanguard Auctus 323AT Aluminum Tripod

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Over on my Instragram feed I posted up a few images of my homemade custom mini gimbal that I use for my Panasonic GH4 camera. A couple of comments on the feed wanted a bit more information, so I thought I would post this to the blog.

A photo posted by Emm (@mrcheesycam) on

I'm constantly tweaking this homemade gimbal, but here's a video giving you a bit more insight about just how compact the system is and how well it's been working despite how ugly it looks.

The main part of the gimbal started with this 2 Axis Carbon Fiber Gimbal frame for small cameras. I had to modify it to be a 3 Axis gimbal buying random bits and pieces as well as add the controller and motors.

2 axis gimbal frame
find-price-button 2 Axis Carbon Fiber Gimbal Frame

The controller is the latest Basecam 32 bit board with dual IMU sensors.

32 bit alexmos basecam control board DIY gimbal
find-price-button Basecam 32 Bit Gimbal Control Board Dual IMU

The motors are from DYS which are small but powerful enough for the cameras i'm working with.

cheesycam diy gimbal dys gimbal motorsdys gimbal motors cheesycam homemade gimbal
find-price-button DYS Hollow Shaft Brushless Motors

I also purchased my own wiring, crimped each terminal, and purchased each plastic dupont connector. So unless you have the time and patience, it's not something you whip up in a few hours. It could take you several days (or months like me).

The PID settings are my own custom configured, which still needs some work. It's as compact as I can make it while still allowing access to the HDMI output for a monitor, and to quickly change out SDXC cards. The top bar is a #PVGEAR carbon fiber 15mm rail using all quick clamping accessories so that I can take it apart and rebuild it in under a minute. To keep things light i'm using a compact Venom 35C 3S battery to shed weight while giving me ample runtime.

venom 35C 3S battery mini gimbal cheesycam
find-price-button Venom 35C 3S 11V Compact Battery

In the example (below) I was testing the GoPro FLUX (twixtor-ish) fake slo-motion option in the GoPro Studio software. I was literally running behind my daughter and you can see how well the horizon stayed level.

In this next example (below) we decided to take our newly 'inherited' dog out for his first Electric Longboard experience.

While it's certainly not 'dirt cheap' to build your own gimbal, I created this for a few personal reasons. Firstly this allowed me to better understand these systems building one from basically scratch. There's nothing like learning hands on and running into all the problems. Secondly, I wanted something small for the pure convenience of traveling when I want to keep my tools as compact and portable as possible. There was just nothing in the market available for under a few hundred bucks so I figured I would build my own.

For interior shots, the fisheye lens combined with this stabilizer has worked wonders (you Real Estate guys would love it). It's also perfect for guys who want to use a small stabilizer while inside of a car (drifting, racing?). And just to show you how compact the system is, here's what the entire system looks like when it's thrown into a small hard case (including GH4 camera, GH4 Battery Charger, Rokinon Fisheye Lens, and Gimbal Battery Charger). It's pretty much everything you need when you arrive at your shoot.

custom mini gimbal in hard case

I still don't consider myself an expert in any way, but I think i'm a little more knowledgeable about how these things work. While I don't have all the answers, i've always been open to try and help with what little experience I have so far. If you have any, leave your comments below.

Oh and just in case any of you want to dive into Electric Skateboards to match up with your Gimbals, i've owned quite a few over the last 5 years. Here's one I recommend for it's lightweight, long battery life, and inexpensive price.
Yuneec Electric LongBoard
find-price-button Yuneec E-GO Electric Longboard Skateboard

I try to bring my collection of boards wherever I go, and even have one for light off-road use. Here's a few other examples of these boards in use for either follow shots, or as a replacement track dolly.

A video posted by Michael sato (@satostudios) on

A video posted by Emm (@mrcheesycam) on

A photo posted by Rik Cordero (@rikcordero) on

A photo posted by Emm (@mrcheesycam) on

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Today the new Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR arrived at the office via B&H for a field test. For shooters looking for the 'Best Bang for the Buck' the Canon DSLRs lack many desirable features compared to the GH4 or Sony A7s, but many people will still agree the Canon DSLR color profiles are hard to beat which makes it difficult to move away from.

Yes, there are thousands of people staying busy shooting on Canon DSLRs. For wedding and music videos the 60p slo-mo feature is a must have, but to get that Canon shooters have been stuck with just 720 resolution. The only reason the new Canon 7D Mark II is so interesting today for these shooters is because they finally have the option of true 1080p 60fps. For shooters looking to stay with the Canon color profiles and workflow, the only Canon DSLR(ish) camera to offer 1080/60 is the latest Canon C100 Mark II selling for $5500 dollars. The new Canon 7D Mark II now puts this feature in reach selling for $1800 dollars.

My goal is to put it side by side to the a Canon 5D Mark III 720/60fps (upscaled to 1080) vs Canon 7D Mark II 1080/60fps. Of course when compared to a 5DM3, you do lose that sweet Full Frame sensor. Worth it? We'll just have to find out after testing it this week. Obviously there seems to be a boat load of shooters working with at least the original Canon C100 so I would have to say this camera could be a perfect compliment.

Canon 7D Mark II
find-price-button Canon EOS 7D Mark II - via B&HPhoto

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A few weeks ago I showed both the CAME-TV 7800 and only a short glimpse of the 7500. The 7800 is ready to go out of the box, while the 7500 needs a bit of assembly. I finally had time last night to put it together and set it up for my GH4 with Rokinon Fisheye Lens.

A video posted by Emm (@mrcheesycam) on

The camera and lens combo i'm using was too light and didn't sit far enough forward. I needed to add a QR base plate system to add more weight and allow the camera to be pushed more forward. Because of the plate I had to remove the top bar and relocate the Camera IMU sensor. After recalibrating the sensors and balancing the camera, she seems to be responding really well.

CAME-TV 7800 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizer
find-price-button CAME-TV 3 Axis Gimbal Stabilizers

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Whoa. I got news of the latest DJI Inspire 1 Quadcopter and my mind was blown when I read just a few of the specs. DJI is clearly miles ahead when it comes to offering advanced features for consumers looking to jump into aerial filming / photography.

Product Highlights
* Capture 4K Video and 12MP Stills
* 3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizes Camera
* Up to 1.2 Mile Radio Range
* GPS-Based Stabilization System
* Optical Flow Sensor for Indoor Flying
* Works with DJI Lightbridge Ground System
* Live 720p HD Monitoring with Lightbridge
* Retractable Carbon Fiber Arms
* Unobstructed 360° Shooting
* Dual Transmitter Operation Supported

Obviously I have no hands on experience with this thing of beauty so i'll let you just read the following announcement information.

DJI Inspire 1 Quadcopter

DJI Inspire 1
The Inspire 1 is brand new quadcopter capable of capturing 4K video and transmitting in a HD video signal to multiple devices straight out of the box. With its transforming design, 4K camera integrated with enhanced version of Lightbridge HD downlink, DJI’s most advanced technology comes together in the Inspire 1, create an easy to use, all-in-one flying platform that empowers you to create the unforgettable.

DJI Inspire 1 4k Video

Key Features
Advanced, Ready-to-Fly DesignImagine holding the future in your hands. Designed to be powerful while lightweight, flexible while providing the stability you need, the Inspire 1 is DJI’s most advanced

Aerodynamic, Transforming Design
Carbon fiber arms give you the strength to maneuver in the air, and they transform, moving out of the camera’s way at the flick of a switch. So you now have a full 360⁰ unobstructed view, allowing you to capture shots independent of the direction you are flying.Every part, every component of the Inspire 1 was engineered to be durable and lightweight. The body’s aerodynamic design cuts through the sky and further enhances your control over the aircraft. This ensures long flight times and a long flight life.

powerful remote dji inspire 1

New 4K Camera and Gimbal System
Get crystal clear images with DJI’s most advanced camera to date. The Inspire 1 shoots 4K video at 24-30 fps, or 1080p at 24-60fps, and captures photographs at up to 12 megapixels. The 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor brings out the best of whatever you’re shooting, and the 94⁰ wide-angle FOV lens allows you to compose your shots perfectly.Holding your camera, DJI’s years of expertise in camera stabilization has been poured into the Inspire 1’s 360⁰, 3-axis rotating gimbal. This ensures your photos and video are clear and stable in almost any filming environment, even when performing daring maneuvers or flying in less-than-ideal conditions.

DJI Inspire Quadcopter Multicopter 4K camera gimbal indoor

Live HD View
A real-time feed from your Inspire 1’s camera is displayed in 720p HD on your mobile device, giving you a perfect view of what the camera sees to setup your shots.This is made possible by the revolutionary DJI Lightbridge system, which can transmit video from up to 2km away.

Powerful Remote Controller
Take absolute control of your Inspire 1 in the air with DJI’s most sophisticated remote controller to date. Featuring dedicated buttons for photo and video capture, a gimbal
control dial, an integrated rechargeable battery and more, it’s easy and intuitive to fly.For an even greater level of precision, use a second remote controller and fly with a friend. With two people controlling the same Inspire 1, one person pilots the flight path while the other aims the gimbal and camera. Each user can have their own screen to see exactly what is being shot in real-time. By working in tandem, you’re capturing shots that are more complex shots and artistic than ever before.

DJI Inspire 1 4k Video

Modular Gimbal and Camera
Inspire 1’s gimbal and camera can be removed from the aircraft for safe transport and future upgrades.

Fly Indoors and Without GPS
Indoor flight has always been a true test of skill for
all levels of pilots. DJI’s new Optical Flow technology uses a specially designed camera as well as sonic waves to bring simplicity to flying indoors. This technology allows the Inspire to hold its location, stop when the controls are released, and respond to your commands even when GPS is unavailable.

Smart Power Management System
A fully integrated smart battery powers your Inspire 1 and virtually manages itself. When in flight, your remaining battery power is shown live, letting you know how long you can continue to fly. Advanced algorithms calculate the distance of your aircraft and estimated time to return home, letting you know when it’s time to come back.The battery tracks the voltage of each cell, the total lifetime charges and discharges, and the overall health and battery status. All this helps you keep your Inspire 1 in the air and flying for years to come.

Full-Featured App
Download the free mobile app to your phone or tablet, and you’ll see what your Inspire 1 sees while taking control of its camera and flight settings.Everything from manual camera controls to flight telemetry and even auto takeoff and landing are just a tap away, with more functions and updates coming soon.

The new DJI Inspire 1 is available with a single remote or dual remotes and you can find more information or order the product (here).

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find-price-button DJI Inspire 1 Quadcopter 4K Video via B&HPhoto
find-price-button DJI Inspire 1 Quadcopter 4K Video via Adorama

[Is it me or does it look like they added Props to the head of a Battle Droid?..]

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While the guys from SatoStudios setup a shot to catch the sunrise behind some of these trucks sporting American Force rims, I decided to throw the new Panasonic LX100 on the ground and ran the internal Time Lapse setting. Once you end your timelapse, it can automatically create a video file for you. Here's a sample from the camera.

I'm still lovin' everything about this camera, features, and quality. Definitely one to have in the bag for the traveler who wants the best photo and video camera in a compact system.

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find-price-button Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 - via Adorama
find-price-button Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 - via B&HPhoto
find-price-button Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 - via Amazon

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I'm from California and although i've ordered products from Adorama, i've never set foot in the actual retail store. If you're out there in NYC (New York), you may want to stop by today between 4pm-10pm for some type of 'Secret Sale' event happening.

Adorama Secret Late Night Sale

That's about all the information I have, but I do know you need a coupon to get in on whatever deals they are offering. You'll need to DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THIS PDF (or maybe just show it on your iPhone screen?). The coupon is only good in the retail store, not online. Anyways, just thought I would put this information out there for all my NYC homies.