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Here we're taking a look at the new Cinevate Duzi V4 Video Slider with On-Board Flywheel System. The new Duzi V4 has an innovative On-Board Flywheel that keeps the car moving smoothly and consistently over the rails. The Duzi V4 is available in Compact 24 & 32 inch sizes and is Crafted from CNC machined Aluminum and Stainless steel.

The rails are made from Lightweight rigid solid carbon, and the car rides on 8 precision roller bearings. You can mount Cinevate Duzi V4 Slider on a Tripod using the Center bottom plate or Side mounts.

To level the Cinevate Duzi V4 Video Slider on uneven surface you can use the Micro adjusting urethane ball feet or pick up the optional All Terrain Leg Kit. The Upgraded brake secures the camera anywhere along the rails (something you couldn't do with Duzi V1). A Cheesed-out top and bottom plate allows for additional mounting options for or for accessories. Cinevate has also added a an integrated bubble level on the car for leveling.

Cinevate Duzi V4 Slider Flywheel
see more product Cinevate Duzi V4 Video Slider with On Board Flywheel System

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I typically don't color any type of LOG footage in FCPX, but I will edit in FCPX. Since there still seems to be a growing number of people who edit LOG footage directly through FCPX's poor color board, I thought I would show a different approach. Instead of adding contrast, saturation, and exposure directly to the LOG footage, try transforming it first. Depending on the footage you're working with you might find that it could be easier to saturate colors, adjust highlights, mids, and shadows all without touching FCPX's poor color board.

You can download the FREE LUT Utility from MotionVFX (CLICK HERE) which has some nice built in options for quickly transforming your LOG to 709, but you can also import your own custom LUTS also.

FCPX doesn't really have a simple White Balance tool, and again i'm not a big fan of the built in Color Board, so I suggest grabbing a decent White Balance Plugin. This White Balance Plugin from FCPEFFECTS (found here) allows for more than just cool to warm. You can offset artificial color casts (green/magenta), set exposure, and also tweak individual RGB values within Highlight, Mid, and Shadows. Again very easy tool without having to deal with FCPXs color board.

Links:
Download FCPX White Balance Plugin (HERE)
Download FREE LUT Loader (HERE)

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If you're looking to add a Director's monitor feed to your workflow, Camera Motion Research is offering a nice sale on their complete RTR Wireless Director's Monitor Bundle. This CMR Bundle includes a 7" MustHD LCD Monitor, Monitor yoke, RM12 Wireless Video Set with 2 receivers, and the Backbones for the Radian Wireless HD Video Transmitters and Receivers. With this kit, you'll be able to stream the video feed from your camera's HDMI output to a remote LCD Monitor up to 300ft (LOS) away.

Having a director's monitor available on set is one of the best tools to have when working with anyone that needs to view the videos being shot from your camera so that they can offer creative input, or at times this tool is used for someone pulling focus remotely (especially when your camera is mounted to a gimbal). You can also use this when mounting your camera at the end of a long JIB / Crane, or when you have a remote camera that needs to stream video back to a Live Switch. Tons of useful reasons to have a Wireless Video Streaming kit on hand.

For more information about this current sale on the Camera Motion Research Wireless Director's Monitor Bundle (click here).
radian-director
Learn-More-sm CMR Wireless Director's Monitor Bundle

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The FotoDiox Mirage Trio is a fun novelty item for pure camera enthusiasts. It looks like a Sony A series camera, but is actually a triple USB charging dock for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. The lens has a cut out to hold the Apple Watch chargers as well. Available on Amazon (here)

fotodiox mirage trio USB Charging Station
see more product FotoDiox Mirage Trio USB Dock Charging Station

• 1 Comment

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Aputure is probably https://amzn.to/2jUxYbtbest known for their LED Lighting, but over the last few years Aputure has also released a few different audio products including on-camera video microphones and Lav mic kits.

Just recently Aputure has released their first professional level Shotgun Microphone with quality and performance that is already being compared to mics over three times it's price. They've also added water resistant coatings that protect the microphone from elements, and even it was accidentally submerged into a puddle of water.

The new Aputure Deity Shotgun Microphone is available now in a variety of kits from your basic set with a hardcase, to complete sets that include a Pistol Grip Shock Mount, Boom Pole, and Dead Cat Wind Cover. Check out the available Aputure Deity Shotgun Microphone kits (here).

Aputure Deity Shotgun MicrophoneAputure Deity Shotgun Microphone Cardioid
Learn-More-sm Aputure Deity Super Carioid Shotgun Microphone

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Nothing serious. Just thought I would try out the 1fps + 120fps S&Q feature on the Sony A6500 Mirrorless Camera today. Used available light indoors and out. Shot with the Sony 16-35mm F/4 Lens and Sony 35mm F/1.8 Lens. Used continuous Autofocus and shot Hand Held. Because I was shooting with mixed lighting indoors, I found the footage really hard to color balance. Since I was shooting at 120fps, I set my shutter to 1/250th which cut a lot of light indoors and shot mostly around ISO 2500. It's a neat camera, but the footage works best if you can expose properly. I found it hard to shift the exposure and color around much in post.

sony a6500 slow motion camerasony a6500
check latest pricing Sony A6500 Mirrorless 4K Digital Camera

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Although I love many of the features of the new Sony A6500, I feel there's a lot more noise than the Sony A7SII, so shooting and grading SLOG footage would probably 'not be' my first choice. I'm currently experimenting with Profile 3 and Profile 4 right out of the camera for now.


Learn-More-sm Sony A6500 Digital Camera

While shooting outside with the Sony A6500 I needed to work with an ND Filter, so I decided to throw on the Fotodiox Fusion ND Throttle Lens Adapter that has a built in Variable ND. For those who are concerned about losing sharpness, I provided a few examples.

Since i'm not shooting with a totally flat image, I only applied some basic curves (contrast) and tried to adjust the white balance. The ND Throttle helped keep the shutter and aperture under control so I could maintain a shallow DOF. I believe most people will end up buying Sony AutoFocus Lenses, but if you want to adapt Canon EF to your Sony A6500, this Fusion ND Throttle is very handy. You can find the FotoDiox ND Throttle Fusion Lens Adapter available on Amazon (here).

fotodiox-pro-fusion-nd-throttle-canon-ef-to-sony-a6500-a6300-adapter
Learn-More-smFotoDiox Fusion ND Throttle Canon EF to Sony E-Mount Variable ND Filter Lens Adapter

Here's another sample where I push the image around with a whole bunch of color adjustments just to see how well Picture Profile 3 holds up in post. From my tests, I think it's a good go-to in-camera profile when you're too lazy to correct SLOG and want to minimize noise.

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I proudly own (3) Panasonic GH4 cameras, and it's just been a dream working with them. But the new Panasonic GH5 advancements is leaps and bounds above the GH4 and I think it's time for the upgrade. No limit time recording, Higher ISO recording, in camera Image Stabilization, 4:2:2 10 bit recording, 4K up to 60fps, VFR up to 180fps, Dual SD Card Slots, increased resolution (no crop in 4K), Full Size Type A HDMI input, almost 5x more focus points, new external Dual XLR Mic Adapter, and a firmware update later this year for 6K Anamorphic support, Hybrid LOG profile, to add up to 400mbs 10bit All-I internal video recording which is just mind blowing.

Product Details
Upgraded, redesigned, and filled with features, the Lumix DC-GH5 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera from Panasonic provides an outstanding imaging platform for shooters who demand some of the best video and still photography quality they can get in a single compact camera.

At the heart of the new Panasonic GH5 Camera is a 20.3MP Digital Live MOS sensor and a newly developed Venus Engine processor, which both offer dramatically improved processing times over its predecessor. This enables the ability to record 4K video at up to 60 fps, 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording with select settings, Full HD video at up to 180 fps, 12 fps continuous shooting, and sensitivities up to ISO 25600.

Also, the camera features built-in 5-axis sensor stabilization, which can work with certain lenses to activate Dual I.S. 2 for highly effective shake correction that can compensate for up to 5 stops of shutter speed. Other improvements include a speedier and more accurate Advanced DFD autofocus system that can lock on in just 0.05 seconds, as well as 6K PHOTO at 30 fps and 4K PHOTO at up to 60 fps.

Product Highlights
20.3MP Digital Live MOS Sensor
Venus Engine Image Processor
UHD 4K 60p Video with No Crop
Internal 4:2:2 10-Bit 4K Video at 24/30p
5-Axis Sensor Stabilization; Dual I.S. 2
0.76x 3.68m-Dot OLED Viewfinder
3.2" 1.62m-Dot Free-Angle Touchscreen
Advanced DFD AF System; 6K & 4K PHOTO
ISO 25600 and 12 fps Continuous Shooting
Dual UHS-II SD Slots; Wi-Fi & Bluetooth

panasonic-gh5-camera-order-stock
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 Mirrorless MFT Camera

• 3 Comments

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As someone who dabbles with camera equipment, I'm often asked what's the easiest way to take a clean photo with a smartphone to post on social networks or to eBay. Without having to mess with various lighting kits and diffusers, my first suggestion is that they try out the Foldio Folding Studio from OrangeMonkie.

It's a simple product photography kit that sets up fast, folds down flat, and is complimented by an easy to use iPhone app. When adding in the optional Foldio360 Smart Turntable, they can also create fully animated 360 Product Videos to their websites and social networks - which are fun, adds more dimension to products, and I find more engaging.

If you're working with larger products, remember that you can use the Foldio360 Smart Turntable with your own background and lighting. And if you want to take higher res photos with a DSLR (i.e. Canon 5D), the app can be configured to fire the shutter on your camera through an IR blaster.

Overall the Foldio Studio and Smart Turntable are probably the easiest off-the-shelf product photography kits i've worked with. Inexperienced users will find this hassle free for capturing clean images and 360 Product images that are automatically generated by the iPhone App ready to share on social networks or send via email. You can get more info on Orange Monkie Foldio Products (here).

foldio-folding-studio-product-photographyfoldio360-smart-turntable
Learn-More-sm Foldio Folding Studio Foldio360 Smart Turntable