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This morning I woke up and literally slapped myself in the head for finally figuring something out that should have been pretty obvious from the start. A few months ago Gini DSLR Rigs began working on a few prototype follow focus system that attached only to one rail. The first versions were based on a Huco gearbox, which is the same stuff found in old RedRock Micro Follow Focus systems. Gini eventually ditched the Huco gearbox and began working on a second design with a different gearbox.

Gini-Follow-Focus-Lens-Gears-1Gini-Follow-Focus-Lens-Gears-2

Through this process there were unfinished versions so it wasn't clear about the direction this follow focus was heading. Now that there are more recent images of the new Follow Focus, I finally figured out the inspiration for this design! (Slaps ForeHead) The entire time the follow focus was being developed, it was based on the Cinevate Durus Follow Focus system. Single Rail mount, adjustable marking point, the removable marking disc, knob design, and latest gearbox design. In fact the new Gini Lens gears are also a tribute to Cinevates universal lens gears. Here's a side by side on the FFs.

Cinevate-Durus-Follow-Focus Gini iFocus Follow Focus
Cinevate Durus (left) Gini Latest Follow Focus (right)

Hands down, the Cinevate Durus Follow Focus is the best Follow Focus i've used under $1300 dollars. If you want something rock solid, literally ZERO Backlash, and built to last for years don't hesitate on any of Cinevate's equipment. They make the best sliders, Matte Boxes, Follow Focus systems, and more. Customer service behind all their equipment is a big added bonus. Find more of Cinevate products (click here).

Cinevate-Durus-Follow-Focus
find-price-button Cinevate Durus Follow Focus

From looking at all the other photos, Gini truly appears to have been inspired around the Cinevate Durus, but the question is how closely has the new FF followed in actual design? Gearbox design? You can see all the new additional photos following the link (click here).

Gini Follow FocusGini Follow FocusLens Gear Gini
find-price-button Gini i Focus Follow Focus

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The 312 is one of our favorite LED lights. It's big and the color changing feature allows you to blend it in better with other light sources. The video (above) is a look at the original 312 LED Video light, but now this popular light gets a few upgrades. The first thing visibly is the new magnetic filter holders, much like the Z96 LED light. Why can't all the LED lights use this feature? This is awesome. Second upgrade is thicker filters for better diffusion. There's an upgraded hot shoe ball mount, and finally an overhaul on the entire frame. The body of the LED light has been redesigned with heavier plastic making the unit feel more solid and less flimsy. Other notable mentions are a longer 2 year warranty on LED lamps. With all the new upgrades, surprisingly prices stayed low. You can find the latest versions of this light (click here)

312 LED Light Upgrade New version 2
find-price-button Latest 312 Color Temp Changing LED Video Light

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One of the things that we've been working on for the past few weeks is a motorized, wirelessly controlled Cable Cam a.k.a. Skycam. These rigs fly a camera seamlessly across any distance using a rope line. Under the Cable Cam is a pan-tilt head to maneuver the camera position. We should have started the test without the camera mounted, and needless to say we've got a few bugs to work out!!

The problem we ran into was using a cheap Traxxas Remote and Receiver (old crystal type). There was too much interference that caused the motor to go out of control. After replacing our remote and receiver with a much more expensive 2.4GHZ version, we were outdoors flying our rig with no problems. Once we have the prototype finalized, we'll get this sucker into production and at the most affordable cost than any other motorized cable cam system on the market. I'm sure this will be something everyone will be excited about....

cable-cam-prototype (1 of 1)
Cable-Cam Prototype (can't show you too much...)

Here's an idea of the type of footage you can achieve with Cable Cam type systems (video below)

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(above) Original Pico Flex Dolly Demo video

For the first time, the Pico Flex Dolly is available Internationally. As usual all of this information will be updated at the main product website https://PhotographyAndCinema.com.

The first retailer ePhoto Inc., has decided to carry the Pico Flex Dolly units (dolly only at this time) and is offering the units for sale in both USA and International to some countries. They have only a limited quantity at this time, so if you've been waiting for the opportunity, the time is now (click here).

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find-price-button Pico Flex Skater Dolly - via eBay

For USA customers, the Pico units were also not available on Amazon recently. ePhoto Inc has also added a listing over at Amazon following the link (click here).

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find-price-button Pico Flex Skater Dolly - via Amazon

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pico-international

If you're not familiar with the Pico Flex Table dolly, you can find some information here: http://cheesycam.com/new-pico-flex-table-dolly/

It's been just over a month since the Pico Flex Dolly was released, and since then it has not sold internationally (including Canada). Sorry people, it's really much more complicated than it appears. There's been quite a few hurdles in the last few weeks, but this time PhotographyandCinema.com has opened up with retail partners who have the experience and capabilities of shipping internationally.

PicoPico (1 of 19) PicoPico (4 of 19)

The deals have already been made and the retail partners are just waiting for the inventory to ship. I know that the retailers are excited about posting the products up as soon as they have it in their hands, and i'll announce where it will be available when that happens. Some retailers will be receiving inventory by tomorrow or Friday, so as soon as I hear the listings are up i'll post that on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cheesycam

For USA customers, the Pico Flex Dolly is available via https://PhotographyandCinema.com

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First look at a very new product (unreleased) (Patented Pending) that I showcased a few days back. Leo said it looked like a Canon 60D on steroids. Camera mounted is the Canon 7D. This is a prototype version and as far as I know, a very original product idea. I can't really talk about specs outside of the 5.6" HDMI LCD that swivels. I'm not sure how much it will change in the production model. There's built in speakers for playback, an HDMI pass through, and powered by LP-E6. There's an LP-E6 shaped battery case adapter that looks like it uses AAA batteries. So far it's very convenient to just mount an LCD monitor to your camera like a battery grip, and have such a large monitor available. It sort of feels familiar like using a GH2, T3i, or 60D.

There's a few more 'unreleased' products i'll be talking about soon too. For more updates remember to follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cheesycam

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A Canon T3 (not T3i) bundle shows up on the eBay deals page. Not very exciting since the bundle is based around a cheaper camera strap, SDHC card, camera bag, card case, card reader, lens cleaning kit, and mini tripod. Surprisingly though, they sold over 70 units, several dozen today. You can check out other discounted camera deals over at the page (click here)

Canon T3 Bundle
find-price-button Canon T3 Bundle Tripod, Bag, Strap, SDHC Card

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Screen shot 2011-10-11 at 11.04.52 AM

Vimeo member ephisus uses several strings of Christmas lights wrapped around a wreath frame to create a continuous ring light source. There's a definite catch light in the subject's eyes that smaller diameter ring lights have a hard time achieving (unless you're super close). The trick to making these catch lights smaller or larger is to move it closer or further away from the subject. I like the ring light effect, but some people see it as 'unusual'. If you pull your light source a bit further, you'll just get a clean round dot. Simple build, no soldering, with an estimated cost of about $25 dollars. [Thanks Joel]

These type of stringed bulbs are getting harder to find now that LED XMAS lights are inexpensive to make, use less power, and generate no heat. Check your local hardware stores, but online i've only managed to find two that might output enough light.

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sennheiser-g3-wireless

When it comes to going wireless with audio, you can't go wrong with Sennheiser products. Unless of course you've managed to purchase a counterfeit. Sennheiser will be filing a lawsuit against several companies for selling counterfeit Sennheiser gear, with no real mention on if there are very specific products - could be anything I guess. If you think you might be a buyer, you can follow some steps at their website: https://www.sennheiserusa.com/serviceandsupport_counterfeitalert