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Well Gini is definitely all ears and listening to feedback. Here's a look at a more complete Gini Follow Focus. All things black anodized, magnetic marking disc holders. Still lacks a pointer and packaged lens gear, but obviously something that anyone can add on. Shipping prices have also come back down from the $150+, so if you can score one for $1 dollar at auction that would still come out cheaper than anything else on the market. Find the Gini Stuff here.

Screen shot 2011-08-14 at 9.17.02 AMScreen shot 2011-08-14 at 9.17.10 AM
find-price-button Gini Rigs DSLR Stabilizers + Follow Focus

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Lens ReplicasCanon Mug

Here's the background story. During the Winter Olympics, Canon released some limited edition Lens Replica Coffee Mugs to the press. The world went nuts, but these were limited edition items. These lens replicas sold for hundreds of dollars at auction. Rumor is that Canon had these made by a factory over seas (China?), and since there was such a demand, the company began producing more of these and in different varieties.

Not sure how long some of you have been reading this blog, but i'm an enthusiast of the most random DSLR Collectibles. I've collected a few of those fairly accurate Lens replica Coffee Mugs, and now another nice one is on available in the 100mm F/2.8L Macro IS version. These look dead on like the real things, and some available with stainless steel inserts for managing hot beverages. Some versions actually have a 'zoom' feature - turn the zoom ring and the lens cup adjusts.

Nikon-Zoom-Lens-Mug
watch image above for animated zoom action

These are by far the best 'Gift Ideas' for friends and family (maybe yourself) who enjoy all things DSLR. It's an inexpensive idea, but something that won't ever be thrown away. Most of these can now be had for less than $10 US dollars. If you're interested, go for the latest models often advertised as 'latest generation', and opt in for the Stainless Steel inserts too. Available in a variety of Lens models from 24-70mm, 24-105mm, 70-200mm, and now 100mm Macro IS and also a variety of popular Nikon lenses too (click here).

Canon 100mm Macro IS Coffee Mug
find-price-button Canon Nikon Lens Replica Coffee Cup Mug

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A project I worked on a while back when I was requested to spin a person around with a green screen background. I needed a Lazy Susan that could carry a large amount of weight and still flow like butter, or actually flow better than butter. Maybe flow more like 'I can't believe it's not butter'. Sample video of what rotating a model on a green screen looks like (not my video) http://cheesycam.com/rotating-video-shot-with-model/

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Having some experience with cars, front wheel hub bearings are the stuff of dreams for spinning heavy loads. Small, cheap, and can spin hundreds of pounds with ease. Sorry I don't have the full breakdown of how I assembled it piece by piece, but I never intended to show this DIY. It was a rush job I needed to put together a few days before the shoot. But since there's a trend lately around motorized Lazy Susan tables, I thought I'd share my front wheel hub bearing concept.

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You can find a way to mount a table directly to the top, and a platform below and you're all set to spin a large amount of weight slowly and smoothly. If you want to motorize it, I stacked round tables to create a type of 'spool'. The center table is smaller in diameter and created a grooved area for a belt to be wrapped around. By using the outer circumference of the large table a small motor has much more leverage, so it doesn't require anything heavy duty. In fact the DIY belt i'm using is just an old bike tire inner tube. Without having to do direct chain drive to the motor or belt tensioners, you can see how very little force is required to spin the table. You gotta love these wheel hubs. I used one under my heart shaped vibrating spinning bed.

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I kept it battery powered in case I need to move it around. For this I just cannibalized a very cheap 12V drill. I kept the speed controller (trigger) to operate the motor at slow speeds. I used L brackets to prop the motor up, and 2" pipe clamps to attach to the L Brackets. You could replace this with many other speed controllers if you wish to go hands free - just set it and forget it. I might do that soon. The motor is not attached to the table, so it's easier to transport. If you guys want to look into building heavy duty spinning tables, Buick has some cheap wheel hub bearings following the link (click here).

front-wheel-hub-buickfront-wheel-hub-buick-lazy-susan
find-price-button Front Wheel Hub Assembly


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Canon 5D Mark III

It's been several years, and there's no secret about Canon replacing the 5D Mark II. The big question on everyone's mind is when? I'm not a rumor guy, I myself rely on CanonRumors.com for that sort of stuff. But I just received a teeny weeny bit of news not mentioned elsewhere (from a reliable source) that the Canon 5D Mark III is definitely real and among us - closer than you think. One thing I can say is that while Canon has been releasing all their latest cameras with Swivel LCD screens, the 5D Mark III will not have this.

This is just my opinion, but my guess is that the Canon 5D represents a more robust professional line of camera. A swivel screen could cause more issues (fragile?). Most professional photographers require speed and don't shoot in 'Live View' mode. For professional video and filmmakers, there's no reason to add a swivel LCD since there are many existing solutions around using external monitoring sources like EVF or LCD monitors, should you require angles while shooting...

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Ok, so Gini wasn't completely off his rocker selling what looked like unfinished versions of a Follow Focus. Now we're starting to see some finished versions of the new Gini DSLR Follow focus. Now in anodized black with Marking disc. Check out the stuff following the link (click here).

gini-black-marking-disc
find-price-button Gini Black Follow Focus with marking disc

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Looks like Gini is still looking to create more accessories outside of the standard Shoulder rig. Just recently introduced a full size (incomplete-like) Follow focus, and now there's the Gini Mini (rhymes). What's up with the unfinished look? Interesting how someone was just asking me about a super tiny FF to be used on a Sony NEX camera, and here we might have an option. Now you have an option to stay away from those beastly knobs on a Micro Four Thirds rig. No marking disc, no lens gears, no pointer included, and too bad he didn't add some knurl texture to the knob. You can find the new Gini Mini Follow Focus in his auctions (click here).

Gini Mini Follow FFGini Mini Follow Focus
find-price-button Gini Mini Lens Follow Focus.

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Here's a closer look at the inline version of the 'EVENT' DSLR rig from Express35. There is so many good things about this rig, but overall you'll find the price is the best part. Express35 stabilizers are made in the USA, and it's quality rivals many of the top local DSLR Stabilizer brands, and yet pricing competes with the cheapest of over seas rigs.

event-dslr-rig-express35

This particular EVENT rig is designed for EVF or LCD Monitor use by keeping the camera in line over the shoulder. You can also use this setup with cameras that have Flip out LCD screens. The contoured shoulder pad wraps behind the shoulder (doesn't sit on top), and the counterweight that sits low balances the rig out even more. With the dual rods on the counterweight, you can offset this if you feel you need to shift it over more to one side. I prefer to have the weight adjusted to sit lower. You can also just shoot without the counterweight, and still have plenty points of contact for stabilizing your camera.

event-express35

Normally you'll see adjustable handles with some rigs, but those could have a tendency to reposition (slip) under weight. The Express35 XL HD handle is one solid piece which really adds to the whole stability of the rig. The 13" length and 4" offset design of the front handle makes it extremely comfortable to operate with less strain in your arm. There's a few optional pieces I suggest to really get this rig going. The optional top handle makes it easier for me to lift the rig on/off my shoulder or to hold the rig in a position for low shots. The optional tripod mount obviously makes it easier for you to get into tripod mode for some fluid panning (or just docking the rig). The 90 degree accessory rod clamp with stub makes it easy to attach or detach a 1/4-20 accessory. In this case i'm using a friction arm with Zacuto EVF with the rod clamp.

XL-HD-handle

The only other item I'm looking to add is a second handle. It's not necessary to have a second handle for stabilization when shooting video on this rig, but the second handle will allow me to place the rig on the floor without falling over. If you decide to look into Express35 gear, make sure you put in a good word about this Cheesycam blog. To find out the exact pieces that come with the EVENT, and optional accessories, check out Express35.com.

DSLR Rig Event Express35
find-price-button Express35.com EVENT Video camera Shoulder Rig.

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Just for fun, I wanted to sport some basic Tees with association to DIYs and DSLRs. A friend started running through a few different ink and shirt color combinations to see which I like better. No shameless website plugs, just a simple design with the letters "DIY" and an image of a DSLR. No plans at the moment to actually offer these elsewhere - this is just a personal project. But if you so far like what you see, he's open to ideas...

DIY-DSLR-Logo-Shirts

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Canon 5D Mark II

Thanks to Adam for writing this in. The Canon 5D Mark II is currently on sale over at BestBuy. I just checked pricing over at Amazon, B&H, and a few other popular websites. Indeed it is a few hundred dollars cheaper. Not as cheap as a refurb unit (if you could ever catch it in stock), but it's been a little while since we've seen these 5D Mark IIs on sale.

Available in stores if you can find it (with tax) or grab it online (maybe no tax?) following the link (click here).
Click here for the Best Buy Homepage