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If you've been following the DSLR scene, you should be hearing about how Tamron has really stepped up with a few newly designed lenses. The quality is far from what they were a few years back. One popular lens grabbing some attention is the new Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8 DI VC mainly due to the fact that it has Vibration Compensation (image stabilization) for just $1299 while Canon offers their 24-70mm F/2.8 (without IS) for $2299 (seen here).

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find-price-button Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8 DI VC (with image stabilization)

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find-price-button Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 (without image stabilization)

Just a few months ago Tamron announced a new 70-200mm DI VC lens and it's finally available. This new lens offers another solid option versus Canon's 70-200mm F/2.8 IS that typically runs for $2499. The new Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 with VC will be available for Canon EF, Canon EF-S, Nikon F (FX), Nikon F (DX), and Sony Alpha for just $1499 via B&H (click here)

Tamron 70-200mm
find-price-button Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 SP DI VC

Now if you're really hard set on Canon glass, the 70-200mm F/2.8 IS II (normally $2499) is currently on sale for just $2099. I just recently picked up this lens for $2500 dollars so i'm a bit upset, but you can get this deal up until January 5th (found here).

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find-price-button Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 IS II

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find-price-button R-300 LED Video Ring Light

The moment these new F&V R-300 LED Ring Lights were available to order, I quickly grabbed three of these units to build out a portable travel light kit. Since blogging about my decision to purchase these lights, there has been several questions about how efficient are these lights compared to the larger 600 LED Light Panel. So here's a quick example of the light output and spread from the R-300 in comparison to the popular 600 LED panel. (all tests are with bare LED lights - no diffusers)

Hopefully this video example provides a small idea about how practical these little lights are (for me at least) when used as an off-camera lighting kit. The results from the R-300 LED ring light when compared to the larger (and more expensive) 600 LED Light Panel are similar light output and broad diffusion. Other benefits of the F&V R-300 include smaller size (easier to pack and travel), lighter weight, and the option to battery power with inexpensive common Sony Batteries (as seen here).

These lights have only started to ship about a week ago. I just wanted to note that according to F&V, inventory on these lights are down to a small amount right now and following orders will consume inventory from the shipment next week. The R-300 LED Ring light can be found at the product page (Click Here)

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find-price-button R-300 LED Video Ring Light

• 9 Comments

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Canon Lens mugmYhUxIhmA5NKZJRFhkUHMRgViewImage.aspx

If you've been following this blog, then you may already know that I collect lens replica mugs. There are some cheap versions, but the best ones have the stainless steel insert and are 1:1 scale to the real lens, even down to the AF and IS switches.

Recently a new one has shown up in the form of a Canon EF 24-105mm F/4 IS Tea Cup. These are very small (shot glass like) tea cups with the Canon Lens inspiration. Sure, it's a novelty and great fun for collectors, but keep in mind these always make perfect gifts this time of year that won't ever get thrown away. These Lens Replica mugs come in Canon and Nikon in all the popular lens sizes. Some replicas are exactly to scale, and the new smaller cups are also available via eBay (click here).

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find-price-button Canon 24-105mm F/4 Lens Replica Tea Cup Shot Glass

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These things go in and out of stock a few times each week or so. When they do come up, it sells out pretty quick. A few more of these Wieldy stabilizers were listed earlier today. If you're not sure what you're looking at, I have an older article about this stabilizer here: http://cheesycam.com/wieldy-hdv-pro-iron-triangle-carbon-fiber-video-camera-stabilizer/

Additional information, photos, and other video examples of the Carbon Wieldy Stabilizer in use can be seen following the link to the product page via eBay (Click Here).

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find-price-button Wieldy DV Pro Iron Triangle Stabilizer

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Canon 50mm F14

Ask anyone "What's a great lens to start with?" and they will probably suggest a solid 50mm Prime. Decent focal length, wide aperture, and affordable. Most Canon shooters start with a 50mm F/1.8, but here's a solid deal on the better quality Canon 50mm F/1.4. Typically listed for around $340-$399 dollars, today you can find it for just $299 via B&H when you add to cart (click here)

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find-price-button Canon 50mm F/1.4 Instant Rebate.

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The sad part is that i'm too busy this week to even unbox the little guy...There are already a few videos online showing the quality of the new camera, but here's a recent little ISO test vs a Canon 5D Mark III from Vimeo member Bernhard Schinn

With the popularity of the previous GH2 camera, the GH3 will be sold out everywhere for a while, but if you're dying to get one, there's a few available (slightly marked up) via eBay (click here).

Panasonic GH3 Camera
find-price-button Panasonic Lumix GH3 Camera

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Long exposure with ND Filters

One common question is 'What's the best pocketable camera to travel with?" Obviously, that will highly vary, but I have my own personal requirements for such a camera. If you're looking for a fun pocketable travel camera, especially one that is capable of quality Time-lapse, this post might be of interest. If it's something you don't need, you can skip this article as it will probably bore you to death.

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Time-Lapse Pier

So I recently took a little trip out of town and purposely left all the heavy DSLR cameras and big lenses behind. Instead I packed up the new Canon S110, Sony RX100, GoPro Hero3, and the Canon Powershot G15. If there was any action involved, of course the GoPro is the perfect camera. Outside of that, I kept coming back to the G15. Good for close up macro photography, a stabilized lens, decent zoom, flash hot shoe, and a shutter input for Time-lapse photos. The Sony RX100 takes amazing photos and videos, but if I had to vacation with only a single camera, I personally have found more features in the Powershot G15.

I brought along a very old cheap Aputure Timer Remote that i've had for years for the Time-Lapse photos. You can achieve much better quality from the G15, but I did not have the proper software to edit the new G15 RAW files, so I was stuck with JPEG. It was also bright enough outdoors to use the HDR mode in combination of the Time-Lapse remote.

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Time-lapse with MagFilter + Tiffen CPL Polarizer

In HDR mode, the camera will take 3 different exposures and save it to a single JPEG file. With the Carry Speed MagFilter threaded adapter I was able to add ND filters to capture the motion blur of water, or Polarizing filters to correct glare. To keep the gear lightweight, I also traveled with a very small Calumet Tripod and Kamerar Friction arms. Here's a list of the gear:

Canon G15 Camera
find-price-button Canon Powershot G15 Compact Camera

Aputure Timer
find-price-button Aputure Timer Time-Lapse Remote for Canon Rebel

MagFilter Adapter G15
find-price-button Carry Speed MagFilter Threaded Filter Adapters

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find-price-button Calumet Mini Table Tripod

Kamerar Friction Arm
find-price-button Kamerar 11" Stainless Steel Friction Arm

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[Update] Listing Sold Out....

W260 LED Video Light
find-price-button WanSen W260 LED Video Light

Mark writes in and shares a link to an LED Video light deal [Thanks Mark]. This is essentially a larger version of the WanSen W106 LED Video Light (found here) which many people are already shooting with.

Mark mentions just a few days ago having purchased similar versions of this light for about $60-$70 bucks, he has stumbled on one seller via eBay currently listing (error?) the W260 for the same price as what the W106 runs for just $28 dollars + FREE SHIPPING today (Click Here)

W260 LED on Camera Video Light
find-price-button WanSen W260 LED Video Light

[Update] Listing Sold Out....

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https://Kamerar.com was recently relaunched with an entirely new line of high quality affordable products tailored for DSLR Video shooters. I actually have access to the entire product line because it's being distributed by PhotographyandCinema.com (which I design some products for), but I try to only answer comments about the products instead of doing my own reviews.

So here, Rick Owens shares his first impressions after receiving a few products [Thanks Rick]. I was waiting to see how others review the https://Kamerar.com products, and i'm happy to hear how impressed Rick was with the combination of build quality and price.

The Tank Cage uses P&C Swiss Rod designs to provide a ridiculous amount of mounting options (overkill). The MatteBox is great for a single ND filter use (non-rotational), and the Follow Focus can swap positions of the gear in case you plan to use a longer or shorter lens. With the exception of the Matte Box (for weight reasons), all materials, including the little clamp knobs are of metal construction with anodized coating. You can find these products and more over at https://Kamerar.com

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find-price-button Kamerar DSLR Video Products Follow Focus Matte Box Tank Cage