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[Update on this Article - Buyers Must Read]

Thanks to Serge for posting up this comparison between what is being advertised as the 'Z96 Upgrade' a.k.a W96. This little verified 'clone' fails to meet the standards of the real F&V Z96 LED light, and tries to ride the coat tails. In fact, there's a few of these popping up lately, so if it's not official F&V, then it's a no-go. He's got a bit of a write up about this W96 over at his blog found here. Looks like we can all scratch that one off of the options list... [Thanks Serge].

[Update] Seller wants a 'Make Good'. Check the comments from [email protected]. If you purchased one of these lights and are unsatisfied, holler back. Honestly, I suggest you do this through eBay Messaging from the person you bought this from. Looks like you could get a different version or a revised version of the light with hopefully less flaws. Looks like the blog has got some pull, hopefully it works out for those who already purchased one of these. Heck the worst case scenario is you end up with two of these lights...

Here's the latest update, and I would encourage you to do so. Regardless of who you purchased the light from, I suggest just giving FULL NEGATIVE feedback on this item unless they refund you. The seller should be responsible for also paying for return shipping. If they refuse, you should give Negative feedback on the item (without shipping the item back). Let them know that the light they are selling is not a Z96 upgrade and was falsely advertised as so. One recent comment mentioned that they were refunded fully without shipping the item back. (comments are frequently updated - check comments)

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Excellent little demo video from YouTube member ChainfireXDA. Here's the punchline. Connect your Android Phone to your DSLR directly with a USB cable and control it. You'll neeed a Honeycomb tablet or an SGS2 (with KG1 or newer firmware) and a USB host (not the typical) sometimes referred to as OTG a.k.a 'On The Go'. Yeah that's pretty sweet, very very sweet. Live view is a bit slow, but that's the same you'll get if connected to a Laptop system. Zoom in to check focus, check the histogram, adjust aperture settings. Oh and you can hold an area of the screen to select focus too (could eventually eliminate okii?). There's a handful of info and goodies found at the Android marketplace (click here). Tweet this article, thanks.

Here's a list of cables you'll need to get this going on your DSLR (click here).
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find-price-button USB Host On The Go OTG Cables

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At first glance most Varavon products take unusual routes in designing camera gear. One example is how they opted to design their ViewFinder with a pop open door and mirror for low angle shots. Unusually I find myself using this feature quite a bit now. This time they've designed their Armor (cage) to not look so 'cage like' when compared to all the other square or rectangular boxes on the market. Varavon sent over the Armor [Thanks Varavon] and it looked like a weird contorted frame, but that's all designed to make your camera still feel like a camera. We didn't really notice this until mounting the 5D Mark II and using it as we normally would hand held. The frame is very lightweight, but it's far from flimsy. Not exactly sure what's it's made from but it feels more like steel not so much aluminum.

varavon-armor-mini

Since most DSLR cameras have the hand grip placed on the right side of the body, I guess Varavon figured you'll be focusing with your left hand and supporting the camera with your right. For this, they provided some 15mm standard stubs only on the right side of the Armor body and include a well crafted wide grip handle for support. Instead we tested different things from Shoulder Pads to Target Shooter style gunstocks mounted on the stud. You can use this 15mm mount for a variety of things, but if you build up too far, you might have a tough time getting on and off a Tripod head.

varavon-armor-mini-pics

The Armor comes with a mounting base, which is already designed to accept the Varavon View Finder. I have one for the 5D Mark II, so it fit in place perfectly. The entire package together really works, but it has it's 'cons'. The quick release is still a propriety system. The View Finder I have is only for the Canon 5D Mark II, so this won't mount correctly if i'm using a 7D, 60D, T2i, T3i, GH2, etc. For people who own multiple cameras, expect that you'll only be using it for one. Another thing I found was the many many threaded holes around the cage. It's nice if you're mounting a direct 1/4-20 bolt directly. But I tried mounting a hot shoe adapter and it continuously positioned the wrong way. This is due to the threads not allowing a bolt to spin freely before locking it down. I may have to drill a few of these out to remove the threads. For most people Varavon products haven't been competitive in pricing, but that could be contributed to quality. Also, tools like the Varavon ViewFinder and Cage don't exactly fall under 'Future Proof' designs if someday you choose to change cameras. All in all, in the time i've had a chance to use Varavon products, I've been really impressed. They make excellent quality ViewFinders, Sliders, and now this Armor Cage. More information on the Armor can be found at their website (click here).

Varavon has very limited distribution, but you can usually find their products via B&H Photo (click here), or mostly via eBay following the link (click here)
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visit-button Varavon Products on eBay

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As pointed out in the comments, the original 500 LED video light panels prices have been reduced since it's first inception. Of course, it's because the new style 600, 900, and 1200 LED panels are out. For the new lower prices you could almost get two 500's as opposed to one 600 LED light panel. The older 500 LED panels are still great lights to use, but they do weigh a bit more than the newer 600 LED panel and also don't offer a battery mount. Two different versions of these 500's are available with a true Dimmer knob, and one dimmable through 4 power switches.

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find-price-button Dimmable Knob 500 LED Light Panel

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find-price-button 500 LED light Panel 4 Bank

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ladder-dollyladder-dolly-cinemover

J.G. Pasterjak's DIY ladder dolly a.k.a Cinemover is a solid little track dolly. The adjustable width makes it easy to find a variety of different tracks from straight lumber, square tubing, or round rods. Using heavy duty steel perforated square tubing as the chassis and skate wheels / bearings makes for a smooth ride. [Thanks J.G.] Still a hand made DIY (not mass produced), so quantities are limited, and you can check out details if you want to make one yourself. If you're not into building or buying, maybe winning a contest might be up your alley. There's a few RTG (ready to go) versions and other information available on the eBay listing following the link (click here).

cinemover
find-price-button Cinemover Adjustable Width DSLR Video Ladder Dolly

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Most DSLR Rigs use handle grips very similar to bike handle grips. In fact if you threw a bit of cash down, you can get Bike grips better than rig handles. Now how do you go about making your own custom set? Well first you need to get them down to fit the 15mm standard, so the video above by Vimeo member Jarrod is one way to accomplish this with a nice pro look. This technique requires a pair of 15mm rods and a pair of 90 degree clamps, so by no means dirt cheap, but you can end up with something worth much more than what's found in current retail. One way of saving a few bucks is to locate a single rod and cut it in half. [Thanks Jarrod]

You can find a variety of inexpensive 15mm Rig Rods and Clamps new and used at the auction site (click here).
15mm-rod90-degree-clamp
find-price-button 15mm Rods and 90 Degree Rig Clamps

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If anyone cares, the Atomos Ninja HDMI recorders are in stock. The little box will capture the uncompressed video out of the HDMI port of your professional camera and save it directly to FCP friendly format ready for editing. For some cameras, this means capturing a higher bitrate than the compressed file saved to the media card. It could be a great time saver for those who could use the format. (Canon and most other DSLRs need not apply). I was curious on it's initial release (which failed), and then finally gave up on waiting...

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find-price-button Atomos Ninja - Portable HDMI Recorder

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Jonathan writes in and shares his Yongnuo RF-603 unboxing with a quick demo. The RF-603 is an upgrade from the previous RF-602 model. A single RF-603 can act both as a transmitter and receiver, as to where the 602 were actual separate units. This is definitely more convenient and also changes the required batteries to only AAAs (easily found at any store).

These are also Wireless Camera Shutter Remotes to fire your camera while on a tripod (best for sharper images). As you can see from the end of the video, Jonathan sets up the RF-603 to trigger both his camera's shutter while simultaneously firing off the strobe. Not only can they fire off strobes through a sync cable, but they also have a built in hot shoe for firing off Speedlite Flashes, which allows you to mix all different types of strobes in one setting. [Thanks Jonathan] You can find these inexpensive flash triggers following the link (click here).

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find-price-button Yongnuo RF-603 Wireless Flash Triggers

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There's an on going debate between the GoProHD and ContourHD cameras. While the GoPro is having much success with it's recent sale price announcement (I know many of you swooped one up), some ContourHD fans might be happy to know there's a drop for this particular little POV cam. Normally running about $250 and then at times on sale for $199, ContourHD has even shaved off another $60 bucks from that sale price right now (full 1080p version). It's a cool little water resistant (not waterproof) camera if you're looking to start doing some bike helmet, car, or motorcycle mounting. If you want to go full waterproof, the optional case runs about $40 bucks, which is still keeps the overall total price under retail. Yes, it qualifies for Prime too which means free shipping and have it in two days (click here).

ContourHD POV HD Camera
find-price-button ContourHD Camera