• 13 Comments

•

Shane Hurlbut ASC Master Cinema Series

There's no question that Shane Hurlbut ASC knows what it takes when working with DSLRs, so he's teamed up with Letus to design a new line of DSLR gear. Click the image (above) for a video trailer, and other information quoted below.

"Over the past 3 years, my team and I have shot 2 feature films, 20 shorts and over 100 commercials on the DSLR platform. This out of the box thinking was the result of collaborating with directors Scott Waugh and Mike McCoy on the feature project "Act of Valor". We used the Canon 5D to deliver an immersive, visceral, cinematic first person perspective that intercut seamlessly with film.

As a direct result of this exploration, Hien Tu Le, owner of the Letus Corporation and I have designed a groundbreaking new gear system with film production as it's benchmark. This form factor looks and feels like a motion picture capture device that morphs effortlessly between configurations."

More information about the Master Cinema Series gear should end up at https://mastercinemaseries.com.

• 13 Comments

•

Rode commemorates 15 years of classic sound with a very limited edition Classic II microphone. A fine collector piece that looks as great as it sounds. Press release found below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RØDE CELEBRATES ‘15 YEARS OF CLASSIC SOUND’ WITH LIMITED EDITION CLASSIC II

Wednesday October 5, 2011, Sydney Australia - To commemorate the Classic and Classic II tube microphones, RØDE has announced a custom edition of its Classic II, exclusively limited to an edition of 500 worldwide.

The release of this microphone coincides with RØDE’s decision to retire the RØDE Classic lineage, following a celebrated 15 years as the Australian microphone manufacturer’s flagship model.

At the heart of the microphones’ ‘classic sound’ is the 6072 twin triode valve, as found in most of history’s most revered transducers. The transformer, custom designed by Jensen to perfectly match the 6072, pairs with the valve to provide the signature classic warmth.

Both the Classic and Classic II capsules are hand assembled dual pressure gradient transducers, sputtered with pure gold. The microphone body is machined from solid brass and polished by hand before coating with stain nickel.

This new limited edition Classic II microphone is the most exclusive offering that RØDE has ever presented –– only 500 microphones will be crafted, and then the RØDE Classic badge will be retired into audio history.

For the very first time the RØDE Classic is finished in a lustrous matte black, with the ‘15 Years of Classic Sound’ logo proudly etched onto the microphone’s brass body to signify the microphone’s esteemed status as one of the most revered tube microphones of the last 30 years.

A second of the extremely rare 6072 twin triode tubes is supplied in a custom made, etched aluminium storage cylinder to ensure that this microphone’s classic sound will last for many years to come. A leather bound embossed collector’s coffee table book documents the history of RØDE’s flagship microphone.

RØDE’s reputation of providing outstanding product support and warranty is exemplified in the microphone’s lifetime warranty. Upon online registration the owner will receive a fully personalised titanium warranty card featuring their name and the serial number of their microphone.

The microphone’s aluminium case and power transformer are also finished in black, and marked with the commemorative logo. The included 30’ (10m) cable features double-shielded, oxygen free copper wiring with heavy duty plugs and sockets. A suspension shock mount and stand mount are also included to complete the package.

For more information on this extremely limited collector’s edition please visit https://rodemic.com/classic

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stores should begin carrying this item soon. When the limited edition collector item microphones become available, you should be able to find it through authorized dealers like B&H (click here).

classic_ii_pack_3qtr_whitebgclassic_ii_front_whitebg
Screen shot 2011-10-05 at 12.07.08 AM
find-price-button Rode Limited Edition Classic II

• 56 Comments

•

swivel-lcd-2

Yes. The images look quite funky, but they were purposely modified to be a little discreet. I can assure you that the product is real. It's actually been in design for a few months (Patent Pending), and this is the first images ever released. So what is it and what does it do? It's a 5.6" swiveling LCD (about the size of a SmallHD DP6) that connects under a camera like a battery grip. Seen in the images is a Canon 5D Mark II, but the unit will mount under any camera providing it with a swiveling LCD. There's an HDMI pass through on the side and the LCD unit is powered by a single Canon LP-E6 battery. I guess this LCD design also solves the problem of using an HDMI Lock so you don't damage the one on your camera. If you don't have a Canon LP-E6 battery, there's an adapter that accepts AAs. There's also an optional sun shade. The monitor will have peaking to assist with focusing. I've heard there's other features, but i'm not sure if I can mention it.

That's about all I can say for now, until the product hits the shelves in a few weeks. What do you guys think? Love to hear your opinions....

• 13 Comments

•

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

Yeah that's a Gini Follow Focus and of course without the finished anodizing, it looks like a prototype. See something different? Yeah no Huco gearbox. Is Gini making his own metal gears? [Thanks Kenrik]

gini-metal-lens-gearlens-gear

Also what looks to be in the works is some new metal lens gears. I don't know about the rest of you, but it would be great to have an option of these new metal lens gears in that sexy Gini red. You can see more images and details following the link (click here).

Gini-Follow-Focus-Lens-Gears-3Gini-Follow-Focus-Lens-Gears-5
find-price-button Gini Rigs Follow Focus and New Lens Gears

• 9 Comments

•

Some BTS of a DIY stabilizer we put together last minute. Working with the GoPro 3D Rig we wanted to get an unusually low tracking shot. A wheeled dolly would have a hard time in the urban streets, so a slightly modified Flycam Nano was the solution. The Flycam Nano received an extension below to hold the GoPro 3D Rig, and an extra GoPro was used to output the video up to the SmallHD DP6 monitor. A few counterweights taped to the top was added to balance it all together. I need to get the awesome footage from the GoPros later..it was quite amazing to get flying shots at that super wide low angle..

• 6 Comments

•

For 24 hours only, B&H has Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 available at a 50% discount. If you're the daring type that shoots still photos with high ISO, Lightroom 3 has an amazing feature to clean up grain and noise. Too bad we don't have something this good with video editing software. Ends today.

Lightroom 3
find-price-button Lightroom 3 - 24 Hours Only 50% Discount

• 29 Comments

•


Disclaimer:: The Pico Flex Dolly was not designed to work in this manner. Use in this manner at your own risk.

The Pico Flex Dolly has already been motorized with lasers, so what else can we expect? Here's something quite odd. This is just something I happened upon and although it's not perfect, maybe it will spark some creative ideas for you DIY'ers out there. After removing the sets of wheels, and keeping the two bearings on the axles, there's enough gap to ride on a set of rails. If you need to track a straight line on some 'unforgiving surface', a set of rails will give smooth performance. For a quieter experience, cheap plastic rods would work better. I'm not sure what rail width would be optimal use for something like this and again, this is not what the Pico Flex Dolly was designed for.

Oh and for a solution while keeping the standard skate wheels on the little table dolly, there will be a specially designed roll out mat available soon. Still in the works...

• 39 Comments

•

Hopefully people are pretty familiar with the Pico Flex Table Dolly and I don't need to give these little tools an introduction. There were two pre-orders open a few weeks ago which were wiped out very quickly once the item was featured on PetaPixel, Engadget, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, LifeHacker, and practically every other top gadget blog out there (thanks for noticing guys!). It's taken a while to get a few of these back in inventory, since Photography and Cinema is a small outfit.

Without hesitation, here's another opportunity. Small inventories move pretty quickly so consider it while it's available (International not available - just yet, sorry guys). Updates for International will be found at PhotographyAndCinema.com. Or follow me on Twitter when I make that announcement https://twitter.com/#!/cheesycam.

[Update] No longer available via Amazon. You can find more information of where these units will be available at https://PhotographyandCinema.com or at this time the package is available via eBay (click here).

Pico Dolly eBay
find-price-button Pico Flex Dolly

• 3 Comments

•

For the average person Tape is Tape. Then there are the professionals that use several rolls of tape daily in big production environments and have certain requirements. They can tell the cheap stuff from the good stuff. Great tape should tear easy, hold strong, be heat resistant, and come off clean - no residue. In the last week, Vimeo member IndustryTape has been uploading a collection of videos showing off some new tape.

 

From the profile:

Industry Tape is a revolutionary new tape that, unlike most tapes, is not based on a sticky rubber adhesive. It's as strong as duct tape, but leaves ZERO residue, even at extreme temperatures. It's made to easily rip, and tear at a perfect 90 degree angle every time. It's re-portionable, can easily unstick from adhesive-to-adhesive contact, weather resistant, puncture resistant and has no foreseeable shelf life. Visit industrytape.com for more information.

The demo uses in the video look pretty good, and pricing is pretty standard to even Generic Gaffer Tape stuff. What's your choice of Tape?