Photography Gadgets

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10-22mm

So my second Canon 60D arrives this morning and another friend just grabbed one yesterday over at Best Buy in Redwood City. Can you believe just walking into a store and finding the last one? I like online over retail mainly because of taxes, but with local retail you can always resolve your issues quickly on these very expensive items. We were scheduled for a Music Video shoot this Sunday, but for fun we thought we'd do everything in just the new Canon 60D. We'll have a total of three on set, so it will be a nice way of getting used to learning the menu and dials.

I woke up this morning and realized I don't have the widest lens for these cropped cameras. Many of the really nice wide lenses for cropped cameras are EF-S mounts, and the EF-S mount does not work with Full Frame cameras. Of course ALL EF mounts will work on ALL cameras, so all my lenses are cross compatible amongst all my gear. For cropped camera shooters, this is something to keep in mind when investing in lenses, if you believe you'll one day go to a Full Frame camera. Normally if I wanted to get a wide shot, I switched to my Canon 5D Mark II full frame and used some of my wide EF mounts. Soooooo...since I wanted this to be an all Canon 60D shoot, my EF lenses weren't as wide as i'd hope. Luckily Borrowlenses.com had the Canon 10-22mm in stock ready to pick up by 10am this morning. My first option was the Tokina 11-16mm, but that little guy seems to be sold out all the time, proving to be all the lens hype that everyone keeps raving about.

Again, if you guys aren't into renting, you should definitely try it out. Most rental places will ask for a huge deposit on gear, but that's what makes BorrowLenses.com different. Easiest rental place i've worked with and they do lots of mailing. It's like the NetFlix for Camera Gear. Check them out here: Borrowlenses.com

Camera Gear Rental

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canon-60d-intervalometer

Well questions about a Canon 60D Timer Remote / Intervalometer are coming in. The camera is a hybrid of T2i and 7D bits and pieces. The Canon 60D uses the same battery as the 7D but uses the connection type for the Timer Remote as the T2i. Shown in this video: http://cheesycam.com/canon-t2i-550d-timer-remote-timelapse/, this mini jack connection appears to be exact same one to be used as a simple remote shutter cord or get you started on your Canon 60D Timelapse Photography. When I get home from my drive i'll test it out to confirm with a video, but i'm pretty sure it's the right one. In fact if you click on the image below, the seller is already posting compatibility with the 60D.

canon 550d timelapse timer remote
find-price-button Canon TimeLapse Timer Remote Intervalometer for Canon 60D / 550D / T2i / G12

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Now that Canon is throwing everyone for a loop releasing every 'in between' type of camera, I just thought i'd throw up a video about a few differences in the Canon 7D vs 60D vs T2i. I too was quite disappointed that Canon didn't release any earth shattering news about new video features on their latest camera. For 5DM2 and 7D owners, the announcement of the 60D was nothing to get too overly excited about. When it was between the T2i and 7D I advised all my friends starting in DSLR video to go with the T2i, save the extra $1000 dollars and buy yourself some better glass. Now the 60D is coming in at just $300 dollars more than the T2i, I'm going to change my tune. For Canon T2i owners who said they wouldn't, I think once you've used it and seen what it can do, you'll make a decision to upgrade.

There are some really nice features for videographers that will instantly improve what you're already doing with the T2i. For one, the White balance settings on the 60D are way easier to control than the T2i, and adds the option for manual Kelvin settings. The Flip out LCD you might be able to live without (I think it's really nice), but the Manual Audio levels are well worth the extra $300 dollars alone. Why bother with an external Audio recorder when you can connect a microphone directly and manually adjust audio levels in the camera? You shoot hundreds of tiny little clips throughout the day and when you come home, you have nothing to sync. You change your settings to 24p to get that cinema look, and instead of running hundreds of clips through Plural Eyes, all that work is already done. This already will save you hours and hours of post work. Sure you can defeat AGC on the other cameras, but in doing so, you'll already be spending a few hundred dollars on a decent device. The upgraded body already puts the 60D in a different class. It's no longer a lightweight Rebel camera, the 60D feels sturdy with a bit more weather proofing. We're not even talking about all the Photography upgrades, so for beginner Hybrid shooters the decision should be easy regarding the $300 dollar price difference.

canon-eos-family-1

I was surprised that Canon didn't release any new video features like 120fps or at least 1080@60fps, but not surprised Canon released another camera with obvious Video dedicated ergonomic upgrades. Having spent an extra $1000 dollars for their first 1080 DSLR Video camera, there were thousands of Canon 7D owners who were shocked when the Canon T2i was first announced. I think the announcement of the 60D for just a few hundred dollars more appeals to T2i owners in the same way. Overall the Canon 60D is indeed a great camera at a great price, and Canon has made great strides in adding more professional video features, audio features, photography features, and body upgrades into a more affordable camera.

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Yeah, they rock! Was a bit worried about the size, type of material, and how much weight these things would carry, but I totally under estimated the quality. It's all metal in every segment. Lots of different mounting options from Male thread, to Female Threaded insert, to Hot shoe. Very cool highly positionable little arms that carry a crap load of weight. In the video above i'm showing these things carrying my other DSLR's while mounted to a Letus Talon DSLR Camera Cage. If you're looking to bring that Z96 LED video light a bit higher, move your Shotgun Microphone further away from the camera, add an HDMI LCD Monitor, or position your Portable Audio recorder into view so you can control it faster, these are the things that will help get your rig customized. If used with the Nano clamps, they become more versatile to mount onto Lightstands, onto the Rods of your rig, or clip onto the legs of your Tripod. In the past these types of arms ran well over $90 dollars for everything included, but here's a seller pawning them off for half that price: Link >> DSLR Variable Position Flexible Power Arm for Accessory Mounting

power-arm-led-video-light
find-price-button Lightweight Variable Friction Power Arm For DSLR

manfrotto-mini-clamp
find-price-button Manfrotto Nano Clamp

[Update] There was a comment in one of the earlier posts, that this item looks similar to the arms sold from Vibesta. Shortly after posting this article, I get an email from Mark of Vibesta. Here's a little bit more information from the man of Vibesta himself...

Hi all,
This is Mark from Vibesta and I can shed some light on this.
We are the manufacturer of these arms so if you find the identical arm somewhere it is from us (or a copy of it). It is right that we produce it in china to be able to offer it at the lowest price possible and we take great care of quality control to offer arms that are of the same or better quality compared to the best arms on the market.

We sell the arms to manufacturers, retailers and final customers so it is possible to get it through different sources but we try to offer Vibesta arms locally in as many countries as possible so that customers don’t have to pay high shipping costs or wait a longer time for their order – for example within the USA you can order Vibesta arms from Express35.com or Cory Easom, for europe we have local stock in Germany and we are constantly adding retailers within other countries to our network. We will very soon update our website so that it gives you more information where you can order our products locally.

As prices don’t differ a lot I would encourage you to order from a local source if possible to support your local dealers and also for better and more direct customer service.

Best regards,
Mark

Well i'm not sure how to follow up on this one. Obviously, If you're looking for these types of products in the US, check out the suggested retailers. If you're in Germany, Vibesta has the products locally. As far as the overseas sales, i'm guessing it's not going to be around very long....

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canon-eos-family-1
Above: Family Portrait from left to right
Canon 5D Mark II + 24-70mm F/2.8L, Canon 7D + 100mm F/2.8L Macro IS, Canon 60D + 85mm F/1.2L, Canon T2i + 24-105mm F/4L

My first video test out in the front driveway with the new Canon 60D. I was too lazy to do anything other than use a tripod, so the video is going to be quite boring. Lens was the Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 with Hoya ND4 + Fader Filter (stacked). Shot in 1080, dropped down to 720 and compressed to WMV (not the best example). I'll do something more interesting soon enough.

The Canon 60D is a new pup in the house, so she's been caged. LOL. Testing out some possible configurations with the Letus35 Letus Talon DSLR Camera Cage. I have the Hawk VF on the back which works with the cage, but I think it'll be better used with an external monitor. I have those new Power Arms mounted onto the many optional threaded holes around the cage with the Z96 LED Video light off center and a Rode Shotgun Mic (soon to be replaced). Those Power Arms Rock!! I'll do a video on those in a bit, gotta show you how they work.

power-arm-led-video-light

The Zoom H4n is also thrown over the top. Having a DSLR cage is really handy when you have so many accessories to mount. If you start with a standard base Rod type rig, you'll still need different methods of mounting accessories. Using the cage method, you'll have more mounting spots that one would ever need. The Letus Talon DSLR Cage also has several optional accessories from Letus to further expand the cage including handles to be used like a fig rig. If you wanted to move into a Rod Rig, you can add standard Rods possibly for your follow focus, Matte box, and shoulder pad if you really wanted.

letus-talon-cage

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letus-hawk-canon-60d

Just opened the box and the thing feels beefy. Yeah it doesn't at all feel like a Rebel series camera. It's got a bit of weight and sturdiness to the whole camera body. Sure that's no reason to upgrade from a T2i, but the new features of the 60D should definitely be taken into consideration if you're a first time DSLR buyer. I'll have more on that soon, but the first thing I did was test the Letus Hawk VF. This is probably the first photo on the internet of the Canon 60D with a Letus Hawk VF mounted. I bet you're wondering why I would pin down the articulating LCD. The LCD is nice, but it is still difficult to get focus on an F/1.2 lens without a magnification loupe. It's also handy for those super bright days when you want to review your image. These days you just can't live without a loupe.

Traditional LCD view finder mounting with sticky metal frames would work such as the LCDVF on the Canon 60D, but you'll lose the functionality of flipping the LCD around for protection. The Letus Hawk VF now comes with a quick release adapter so this type of mount should work fine for the Canon 60D as an LCD View Finder. Fast on for focus and fast off to take advantage of the rotating LCD. Check out the way the Letus Hawk VF mounts to get a better idea of why this would work as a great loupe on the Canon 60D. http://cheesycam.com/letus-drops-new-videos-hawk-vf-qr-plate/

Canon 60D reivew To be continued...

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canon-60D-in-stock

My Canon 60D has finally arrived. Well let me prepare you now that there will be lots of Canon 60D talk on this blog for the next week. The Canon 5DM2 is just way too different, and Canon has designed this 60D to sit right in the middle of the T2i and 7D. So i'm going to do what I can to show the differences between those two cameras. Everyone has been talking about the disappointment in the specs of the Canon 60D and video quality shouldn't be anything mind blowing. The thing that will change buying decisions from a T2i would be the additional features, controls, and the build of the camera. Somehow i'm still more excited about getting a hold of the awesome zoom power of the Canon SX30 IS which is not yet available. Or even testing out the new G12. I'll be upgrading myCanon SX210 IS point and shoot, so that may be up for sale soon enough.

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canon-bg-e9-60D-battery-grip

It's product name is the BG-E9 and it's the battery grip for the recently released Canon 60D. Before you go out hunting for one, it's not yet available at the usual retailers and not even mentioned on many of the big named sites. There are a few places starting to accept pre-orders of this item, but since the OEM will be the only thing available, it runs well over $215 dollars (without batteries). Why the high prices? I'm going to start a rumor here and say, my guess is there's going to be some new gadgetry involved in the grips preventing the use of non-oem batteries from being used. Accessories in the DSLR market are huge money makers, so like the batteries themselves there may be some chip information in the grips. If this is anywhere true (remember i'm starting rumors), then this could cause some problems with non-oem batteries we already own. So if you received one early, and If you're planning on taking that new Canon 60D DSLR out for a long shoot that requires power power power, that Swintronix Power Pack I talked about earlier doesn't sound like such a bad deal now.... Unless Canon has the 60D DSLR body setup to reject non-oem devices too. Mine is in tomorrow, i'll have to test.. http://cheesycam.com/switronix-powerbase-70-battery-pack/

[Update] New 60D Aftermarket Grips for Cheap http://cheesycam.com/canon-60d-aftermarket-grip/

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frio-cold-shoe

I got a few emails about a recent product review post over at the Strobist blog. If you're getting into flash photography, the Strobist Blog is one you can't live without. The new product being reviewed is a Frio Cold shoe adapter. Cold shoe adapters are those small accessories that hasn't had an upgrade in design for quite some time, so there is a reason this new Frio Cold shoe is quite the talk right now. From the comments over at Strobist, it looks like it's going to be a hit. Not just designed for simple Flashes, but also for a ton of other accessories that require a cold shoe mount like shotgun microphones & LED lights. Something DSLR videographers could use on the DIY DSLR rigs. Check out more information over at the Strobist blog.