• 16 Comments

•

1200-led-light1200-led-bi-color
find-price-button 1200 LED Color Changing Light 3200K-5400K

The latest 1200 LED light panel is now being offered in a Color changing model. An added dimmer knob allows the LED panel to switch and mix between two different sets of LED colored bulbs giving you a range between 3200K-5600K. Unfortunately like the other 1200 LED panel, it still does not have the V-Mount adapter to use this off the grid like the smaller 600 or 900. Something to keep in mind - since the 1200 panel uses two different rows of LED lights, when switching from one color over to the other, you'll be cutting the LED count down to half (600 tungsten LEDs and 600 Daylight LEDs). The question you're all thinking about - why not just use Gels? First, Gels cut down light quite a bit, and it's also one more thing to carry. Using a Bi-Color LED light like this 1200 can also mix in between temperatures. If color changing on the fly is an important part of your work flow, you might want to look into these below.

yellowhite
find-price-button 1200 LED Color Changing Light 3200K-5400K

• 10 Comments

•

Putting the Micover Stickover Windscreen to the real test, just inches away from a high blowing fan. You can totally tell the 'wind rumbling' being eliminated while you can still hear the actual fan motor. To get better audio, you should replace the waterproof housing with the non-waterproof skeleton housing. To get 'even better' audio, this Dead Cat windscreen cover is a must have. It's made from the same furry material and thick padding as their other popular microphone windscreens. Loud motors from Motorcross, Street Cycles, or even Car Drifting, this little accessory makes a big difference in the sound that is captured. [Thanks Olivia]

You can find an older article about Micovers on this blog found here: http://cheesycam.com/cheaper-microphone-windscreens/

Micover Windscreen GoPro
find-price-button Micover Stickover Windscreen for GoPro HD Motorsports

• 3 Comments

•

I admit, i'm pretty set on bags right now so i'm out of the loop on what people are shopping for. I'm not very familiar with this Aktiv Pak AP400, but here's a review for anyone that might have been doing some research. It's quite deceiving as it looks fairly small zipped up. Once it's open it's tall enough to carry a DSLR with battery pack, and plenty of room for additional lenses and camera bodies. There's even room for what looks like a Dell XPS laptop on the backside. [Thanks Jay]

Aktiv Pak
find-price-button Aktiv Pak AP400 400 Camera Backpack (Black)

• 21 Comments

•

Screen shot 2011-05-31 at 10.49.45 PM

While there are some Panasonic GH2 cameras available at current rip-off prices, the older GH1 is stepping back into the spotlight. Previous GH1 cameras with older firmware could be hacked into what was called the GH13 or GH1.3. The hacks provided more features than the standard GH1, which included higher video bitrates and additional framerates. After a certain firmware version, later sold GH1 cameras were considered 'unhackable' and this was discouraging. Well just a few days ago the hacking geniuses finally got things going again, and now state that all GH1 cameras can be 'hacked' along with some other models like the G1, GF1, and G2.

The great thing about the MFT cameras are that you can adapt pretty much any lens to it. The GH1 is even a great 'stills' camera for the budding photographer. So if you're looking for a Micro Four Thirds camera body that can capture high quality video and photos, you might want to re-consider the older discontinued GH1s while there are still some in stock at these discounted prices.

GH1
find-price-button Panasonic GH1 Digital Camera

Or a few via BHPhotoVideo: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/760894-REG/Panasonic_DMC_GH1KBODY_Lumix_DMC_GH1_Digital_Camera.html

On a side note there really isn't good deals on the GF1. If you're a smaller rangefinder sized camera type of person, the GF2 which has a faster processor is also in stock with a $100 dollar instant savings found here:
Panasonic-GF2-Camera
find-price-button Panasonic GF2 with 14-42mm

• 10 Comments

•

v

Vimeo member Just Basl Productions gives us his opinion on the VF Prime LCD view finder. This is a 3" LCD View Finder, so it will crop a bit on a T2i, T3i, or Canon 60D if you choose to use it. It's not the cheapest LCD Viewfinder solution, but it's also not the most expensive. This one has received excellent reviews so far. The mount is the typical stick on plastic frame type, and optional frames can be purchased seperately.

mounting-frame
find-price-button Mounting Frame for VF Prime

You can find this under a few different names like 'VF Prime' or Seagull View Finder. Can be found on eBay here: VF Prime LCD View Finder for 3" Canon Nikon DSLR

Or also Available on Amazon here:
VF Prime
find-price-button VF Prime DSLR Camera LCD Viewfinder for 3" LCD

• 2 Comments

•

The 160 LED Video Lights (larger brother of the popular 126) is now old news. You'll find many of the pricing on the 160's coming down fairly cheap, but that could be due to a slightly better version that is now out with 170 LEDs.


170-LED-Video-Light
find-price-button Latest version - 170 Dimmable LED Video Light

I'm not sure if the overall unit has a better build, but it appears to be from the same manufacturer, and the new 170 LED video light will also come with the much better adjustable metal ball mount (not the plastic crappy version). Many shooters picked up a minus green filter to further correct a slightly green cast on these CN lights, and it appears the new 170 version also comes standard with a pink (minus green) filter now.

The older 160 LED Video lights
160-led-light
find-price-button 160 LED Video Lights

• 9 Comments

•

I picked up the Panasonic GF2 camera lately because I wanted something small and really lightweight. Sure you can adapt Nikon or Canon lenses, but that took so much away from being 'small and lightweight'. An excellent solution for Sony NEX and Micro Four-Third cameras are to use CCTV or 'C-Mount' lenses. Here's an excellent video test from Vimeo member Dario Viola showing the quality of these inexpensive lenses. These C Mount lenses are normally used in very small security cameras, but they've become a popular choice for many M43 shooters. You'll find many CCTV lenses with fast F/1.4 and F/1.7 apertures for about $30 dollars.

You can't go too wide without seeing the inside of these small lenses, but for the GH2 you might be able to use crop mode to use just the center of the lens (eliminating the barrel ring on the edges). The most popular sizes for the NEX5 and GF1/2 cameras are the 25mm F/1.4 and 35mm F/1.7. Keep in mind that M43 is a 2x crop, so a 25mm is more like a 50mm F/1.4. I'm picking a few of these up to use on the GF2 and will post results soon after receiving. You can find other C Mount lenses below.

C Mount Lens Tests
find-price-button CCTV C Mount Lenses for NEX and M43

• 5 Comments

•

This latest SD1 46MP DSLR from Sigma does not shoot video. The 46MP sensor is actually calculated from individual layers of RGB, with each layer capturing a little more than 15MP each. This camera is extremely old news for those who follow Photography cameras, but just wanted to post the latest news on pricing. For some time now everyone was expecting the retail price to come in at about $9,700. B&H has posted a page with the retail price about $3,000 dollars less, so good news for those who were eyeballing this - (still not available).

Screen shot 2011-05-30 at 7.05.22 AM
find-price-button Sigma SD1 Flagship 46MP DSLR