I just ran into this auction for a used REWO GH2 Specific Video Cage. I'm sure someone out there might find this useful. This is a great product, but typically priced in the $400 dollar range. EOSHD has a nice write up about this cage (found here).
The REWO cage allows you to mount several accessories to the body of a GH2, and will clamp 15mm rails if you plan to use a Follow Focus or other 15mm accessory. I'm curious if it could work well to fit a Sony NEX, OM-D, Sony RX1, or other similar small body HD camera. I doubt it could fit the new and slightly larger GH3. The current price (as of writing) is set to $82 US dollars. Check out the auction following the link (click here).
PMA at CES 2013, Rode Microphones showed off the new iXY Stereo Recording Microphone for iPhone/iPad. The add-on microphone attaches to your iPhone or iPad and offers Two 1/2" Cardioid Condenser Capsules, Onboard A/D Conversion, and up to 24-bit/96k Recording (higher quality audio than the iPhone was previously able to handle). I'm sure you've seen the product announcements on other blogs, and this is a great interview that should answer any further questions.
It's a great little product, but i'm sure the price will drum up a few comments. What do you guys think about this new Rode offering? The new Rode iXY is available for pre-order and expected to be released in March via B&H (click here).
Rode iXY Stereo Recording Microphone for iPhone/iPad
Out of the box the BlackMagic Cinema Camera was not designed to be used handheld. There is also the issue of additional accessories that need mounting to this camera, so it will require some type of Rig as you begin building on the BMCC.
Shape BlackMagic Cinema Camera Chest and Shoulder Rigs
Tilta has stepped up with a few BlackMagic Cinema Camera Rig Bundles (found here). This is the rig I currently have my eye on. If you're not familiar, Tilta is an overseas brand but receives very high remarks from even top video professionals about their build and quality. Just because the equipment comes from overseas, don't expect this to be 'cheap', but it is 'cheaper' than what other top Rig brands are currently offering.
Tilta offers bundles from small Hand Held kits to larger Professional Cinema bundles that include their dual Cinema Follow Focus, Carbon Matte Box, and more. Still out of my price range, but one of the best looking customized rigs i've seen for the BlackMagic so far. Check out more photos and details about the new Tilta BMCC Rigs via eBay (Click Here)
The Laing P-03 has an adjustable center Gimbal and round sled counterweights. The top stage has adjustable fine trimming and a quick release plate. Although it looks to be much smaller and slightly less expensive than the Wondlan Magic Stabilizer, I still feel the Wieldy Carbon Fiber i've been flying would be a much better stabilizer. Still, if you're interested on finding out more about the Laing P-03, you can find additional info via eBay (click here).
Here's a clever little tip for carrying around a portable audio recorder 'hands free' and at the same time having quick access to the screen and controls. Vimeo member Bruno Chansou uses a B-Grip Camera Belt (found here Amazon), normally used to clip a DSLR camera combined with a Manfrotto Ball Head for positioning the recorder. [Thanks Bruno] The B-Grip Camera Belt Holster system can be found via Amazon (click here).
The B-Grip Camera Belt Holster is a nice little solution for a belt mounted audio recorder, but it's a system that can run over $50 dollars. If this is something you might want to tackle on a budget, there are other belt clip systems that might be modified to work in a similar manner for less than $7 dollars via eBay (found below)
One of the exciting accessories Panasonic has brought with the new GH3 is an official battery grip. Since the new Panasonic DMC-GH3 is targeting more professional shooters, they are offering this Panasonic Battery Grip for Lumix DMC-GH3 Digital Camera (found here). Finally, longer run times with dual batteries, but it comes with a near $300 dollar price tag.
The grip attaches under the Panasonic DMC-GH3 camera body and uses an 18 pin connection for communication. One neat feature is that the original battery door can remain on the camera, so you can quickly move from 'gripped' body to 'non-gripped' body simply by unscrewing the grip.
The grip can only house one battery, so if you're looking for additional run-time you would leave one battery in the camera body and one in the battery grip. This will take just a few seconds more to swap out the internal battery, but nothing overly cumbersome for the benefit of more battery life. Note: If you only plan to run one battery, it can be store either in the camera or in the grip, and the camera will still power on.
The grip will add a bit more balance to the Panasonic DMC-GH3 along with some quick function buttons, and scroll wheels when holding in portrait orientation. Mostly photographers will benefit from a grip like this, but video shooters looking for more area to grip on the small camera, or looking to double their battery life will find this a must have also. Price is high on this grip, but let's hope there are more affordable aftermarket versions available soon.
The PixelFlash company reached out to me stating that their 533x 32GB Compact Flash cards can outperform the Transcend Compact Flash cards and are available at around the same prices. I don't want to just believe what's written on a label, so I thought i'd give it a go with very a very basic, yet real world test by seeing how many RAW+JPEG images can be stored from the Canon 5D Mark III within a 30 second burst.
Although this may not be an accurate representation, I've also run a few Read/Write tests through a USB 3.0 card reader and using the Black Magic Disk Speed Test software. The results show the PixelFlash to be faster, and 'significantly' faster in Read speeds.
Transcend 32GB 400x Compact Flash
PixelFlash 32GB 533x Compact Flash
For DSLR Video each of these cards will perform equally well since they can maintain the required speed necessary for HD Video. The benefits to a faster card are for higher than normal burst rates, or when dumping the footage back to your computer in a hurry.
Obviously I can't speak on the longevity of these PixelFlash Compact Flash cards - only had them for about two weeks (no issues so far). I have looked through a few positive Amazon reviews (seen here) about the PixelFlash cards, but perhaps some of you are already using this brand? Also wanted to mention that they have a huge following via Twitter (check them out here), so there seems to be a good number of people aware of this brand for still photography.
So far my first impressions are good. This is a faster performing card for about the same price i'm paying now for slower cards. If things hold up well, this is a brand to keep an eye on as an alternative to the other affordable compact flash cards on the market.
You might also want to check out the PixelFlash 'No-Bend Pin' USB 3.0 Compact Flash Card Reader which claims to be wicked fast. Another indication this company is putting out some decent products, this No-Bend Pin card reader (at time of writing) has over 70 reviews rating nearly 5 stars. (Click Here).
PixelFlash No-Bend Pin USB 3.0 Compact Flash Card Reader
Maybe you've had your eye on this, maybe not. In any case, the Carry Speed VF-3 LCD View Finder is available for $99.99 for the next 48 hours. More about the VF-3 product can be found at the product page (Click Here).
Carry Speed VF-3 DSLR LCD View Finder with Quick Release
Used: REWO GH2 Video Cage Bracket - via eBay
, normally used to clip a DSLR camera combined with a 
for positioning the recorder. [Thanks Bruno] The B-Grip Camera Belt Holster system can be found 
can outperform the 
and are available at around the same prices. I don't want to just believe what's written on a label, so I thought i'd give it a go with very a very basic, yet real world test by seeing how many RAW+JPEG images can be stored from the Canon 5D Mark III within a 30 second burst.
