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Konova K5 vs K3 Slider Compare

Konova has one of the most popular roller bearing sliders on the market, and has now made available their new K5 slider which is a slightly larger version. The larger bearings and slightly larger carrier answers the call for supporting heavier payloads. Hopefully I should have a video review of this unit up soon, but i'm just getting back from CES Las Vegas. You can find more images comparing the new K5 against the smaller K3 slider over at the new listing (click here).

Konova K5 Bearings vs K3 BearingsKonova K5 bearings vs K3 Carrier bearings
find-price-button Konova New K5 Slider - Larger Bearing

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There was plenty of information about Canon replacing the G12 in the last few months, and now it's official with the coming of the G1X. [Update] It appears that the G1X is not a replacement, but a new line of camera.

Sorry for the short post guys, i'm flying out to Las Vegas (CES) today, but you can read more about it over at the B&H Article (click here).

Pricing expected to be around $799 can be found with more technical product specs at the pre-order page already live (click here).
Canon-G1XCanon-G1X-G12-Replacement
find-price-button Canon PowerShot G1 X

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Yesterday Iker shared a link to another set of 2, 4, and 6 bank CFL - Fluorescent light panels. [Thanks Iker] Some will say these are 'Kino Flo-like' light panels. I've been using the original 6 bank type, that works great for throwing a nice broad diffusion of light, but are a bit on the heavy side when I travel. You can find some samples of the light panels I use in this article (click here). In the studio, CFL lighting is the primary type of lights we are using, and have been effective for us for quite some time now. For location shoots, i'm trying to rely on LEDs for their lightweight.

CFL Light KitSlim CFL Light KitCFL lighting Kit Sock Diffuser

These 2, 4, and 6 bank video light panels that were shared to me yesterday list that they use the same Osram bulbs as my 6 bank set, but have a much slimmer profile and come with an outer diffusion panel (sock). Peeking around in the seller store, there's a number of other CFL type lighting kits including a folding barndoor octagon shaped head. Of course much of the quality with CFL lighting is based on the bulb type and ballast being used, so has anyone used these or have any more information on how well they work?

You can find these lights being sold on both Amazon (click here)

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find-price-button 2 Bank, 4 Bank, 6 Bank CFL Light Panels - via Amazon

and there's a number of different CFL lighting kits on eBay (click here).

Octagon Barndoor CFL lightOctagon softbox CFL light
find-price-button Other CFL Fluorescent Light Panel Kits - via eBay

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YouTube member LeftCoastInternetTV has a helpful tip about using the microphone on your hands free iPhone earbuds as a LAV mic. He goes to the extreme to actually cut off the headphone buds to minimize the footprint of the little microphone. I've seen several people covering small events with their rigged up iPhone, and this is a clever little tip from having to deal with dual audio in post. Since this is all based on hands free audio headsets, there's no reason this little tip won't work amongst all the android users out there too. It's not perfect at all, but perhaps a better audio recording app with manual levels could make things even better. [Thanks LeftCoast_TV]

Of course if you're willing to shell out a bit more cash, there's already plenty of iPhone adapters that will allow you to input standard 1/8" jack microphones like the Owle Bubo iPhone Microphone Adapter, or 1/4" jacks like the Peterson Musical Instrument Adapter Cable

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Not impressed by the Nikon D4 just yet? Vimeo member Dan Chung from DSLRNewsShooter throws up a video showcasing more of what to expect on the recently announced Nikon D4 camera. With tons more video features than the Canon 1Dx and a lower estimated price point, Nikon has really stepped up it's game. Unless Canon has some new surprise for us with a 5D Mark III anytime soon, the Nikon D4 is a camera I could really go for.

Some people will question what the quality of HDMI output is going to be, but just being able to capture through the HDMI port to something like the Atomos Ninja, bypassing the 29 minute recording issue, and saving in a compressed format that is native to FCP (no batch conversion), is a huge time saving advantage when using DSLRs for event coverage. That's worth money already to many.

After all of this information, there's no doubt the camera will be sold out on release next month. A few retailers have already listed product specs, but the only spot I know which pre-orders are available right now is via Adorama (click here).

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find-price-button Nikon D4 Pre-Order via Adorama

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The Tekkeon battery packs i'm using can vary voltage from 5V-19V DC. You've probably seen me powering up the 600 /900 LED light panels and also the ASUS Wireless HD streaming WiCast. By using a simple coupler, I can attach it to the Canon OEM AC-E6 wall adapter dummy battery and power up the Canon DSLRs. For those who want to use this on a rig, check out the video review I did on the Tekkeon Snap Package which adds on a second battery for extra capacity, and 15mm Rig mount from CPMFilmTools (here). Bits and pieces needed for this mod found below.


tekkeon-battery-packtekkeon-mp3450i-snap
find-price-button Tekkeon MyPower All Battery

DC-Coupler
find-price-button 5.5mm Female to Female DC Coupler

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find-price-button Canon AC-E6 AC/DC Power Wall Adapter

This little battery mod is not exclusive to just Canon DSLRs. I know that even Panasonic GH2 cameras have a wall adapter (found here) that outputs 8.4V DC. The Tekkeon battery just happens to have that exact 8.4V setting too, making it perfect to use something like this for longer run times on the GH2. You just need the adapter that comes with the dummy battery.

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find-price-button DMC-GH2 AC/DC Power Wall Adapter

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A few days ago I posted about using Rubber Hoods as an inexpensive solution to shading your glass (as opposed to Matte Boxes). The LCW - Light Craft Workshop Digi Pro ND Filter starts with a 77mm thread and cones out to an 82mm thread. Since these ND filters can be pretty expensive, you can adapt one ND to several lenses by using cheap step up filter rings. The same idea goes for other filters like a CPL - Circular Polarizer. If you plan to do this, you want to make sure that you get the largest ND filter available to cover all your lenses. The one problem you'll run into is that you can no longer use the stock lens hood, so a cheap fix is to use these folding rubber lens hoods. Here's a look at how it all comes together.

When shopping for Step Up filters, make sure the first number is smaller than the second. There is such a thing as 'Step Down Filters' which you probably won't have much use for. Not sure about the thread size of your lens? Normally you'll find the information on the lens itself, but another tip is to look carefully for tiny numbers on the back of your Lens Cap. Rubber lens hoods can be for under $5 bucks (click here).

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find-price-button Rubber Lens Hoods - via Amazon

Cheaper of course if you check on eBay

Folding Rubber Lens HoodFolding Rubber Lens Hood
find-price-button Folding Rubber Lens Hoods

I don't suggest stacking a step up on top of another step up. This could work in a pinch, but it will have a slimmer profile if you use just one. I'm using a 77mm LCW Digi Pro Variable ND filter, so to save myself the headache, I ended up purchasing (2) of every filter size up to 77mm. There's only about 7 common sizes to cover most DSLR lenses you'll come across from 49mm-77mm, 52mm-77mm, 55mm-77mm, 58mm-77mm, 62mm-77mm, 67mm-77mm, and 72mm-77mm.. Depending on the size of the ND or CPL you're trying to adapt to, you might want to do the same. For Step up filter rings, they run as low as $1 dollar + Free shipping.

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find-price-button Lens Metal Threaded Step Up Filter Rings

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nikon-d4Nikon-D4-Back

Engadget just posted an article about the new Nikon D4, and it looks like a true winner. [Thanks Alex] A full frame camera that goes toe to toe with Canon's (unreleased) 1Dx, with built in Ethernet that can transmit photos or can be controlled remotely via a web browser. Wifi capable, and the most important thing for video shooters - uncompressed video output to capture to an external device. Estimated price $6K which is cheaper than Canon's 1Dx estimated price. Let's hope they don't fail by not providing FULL manual video controls. Check out more of the specs and a video over at Engadget.com (click here).

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find-price-button Nikon D4 Full Frame DSLR Price and Availability

B&H has also published a product listing that verifies the new price (found here) and estimated release date (earlier than the 1Dx), along with an article for the Nikon D4 announcement with some other interesting insights (click here).

Nikon's higher end cameras tend to stay out of stock once they become available. If you're a Nikon guy who's already sold on the spec sheet, Adorama is already taking pre-orders (click here).

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find-price-button Nikon D4 Pre-Order via Adorama