Tag Archives: gh3

• 6 Comments

•

A few weeks ago, I had a comment-chat if a BMCC can fly on a CAME 5000 gimbal. So four of us guys spent over half an hour trying to stuff the BlackMagic Design Cinema Camera into this CAME 5000 Gimbal, but clearly it was not meant to work. The BMCC is just too wide from the center mount, and to compensate we tried adding a quick release plate sideways. After failing, we decided to give it a run with an unbalanced setup. Here are the results.

Surprisingly the horizon stayed just about perfectly level the entire time, but you can see how it struggled with the panning stabilization. Of course if I really wanted to, I can add post stabilization to the footage and it may not be so noticeable. Had I disabled the pan stabilization, I think this would have been a perfectly acceptable run. On lighter camera setups like the GH3, the results have been very good, but I can't suggest the CAME 5000 3 Axis Gimbal with anything more than an average DSLR.

Related Articles You May Like:

• 26 Comments

•

Here's a side by side video test showing samples from a Panasonic GH3 with and without the new Lens Turbo Focal Reducer. We used a newer Rokinon 85mm T/1.5 Cine Lens [Nikon Mount] + and old Nikon 50mm Pancake. With the Lens Turbo adapter we were able to achieve a wider field of view and an increase in exposure.

Obviously YouTube has added compression to the video, but if you want to be a pixel peeper, you can download a better version of this edited video from my Vimeo Channel (here).

I think the image quality achieved from this (Speedbooster alternative) adapter delivered decent results for the price. The Metabones Speedbooster will run about $489 dollars (here), versus this Lens Turbo which can now be found under $139 US (here).

Of course we're just using a consumer grade Rokinon Cine Lens, and an old $50 dollar lens from eBay. There's no doubt this adapter won't match up to the quality of the Metabones products. Anyone using serious glass worth thousands of dollars might as well pony up the extra cash for the Metabones MFT M43 Speedbooster (found here).

Metabones Speed Booster MFT M43 Nikon Adapter
find-price-button Metabones SpeedBooster Nikon to M43 MFT

If you're a casual video shooter looking to get a wider field of view and increased light through your common glass, I think you'll be happy with the Lens Turbo. I'll probably go out and take a bunch of high resolution still images on the next outing, but for now let's hear a few comments about these first video test results. What did you guys think so far? [Comment]

For more info, you can find the Lens Turbo MFT Focal Reducer adapter available now via eBay (click here).

Mitakon_AI_m43_MFT-Nikon_Focal_reducer_speed_booster
find-price-button Lens Turbo Focal Reducer Nikon to MFT Micro Four Thirds Adapter

Related Articles You May Like:

• 44 Comments

•

I've had this Mitakon Lens Turbo MFT Adapter for a almost a week and I am just getting ready to publish a video showing some examples from this. Recently I noticed an increase of questions and the amount 'buzz' picking up around the Internet, so I wanted to quickly provide some additional important information. THIS ADAPTER WILL NOT WORK ON THE #BMPCC BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera. It simply will not fit or attach to the camera.

If you're not familiar with this adapter, it's similar to the Metabones Speed Booster (found here) (but less than half the price). Always a concern on smaller MFT cameras is the cropped sensor. The Lens Turbo adapter offers a wider field of view on these smaller sensor cameras and also increases your Aperture by 1 F-Stop. Your lenses are now wider and faster!

Metabones Speed Booster MFT M43 Nikon Adapter
find-price-button Metabones SpeedBooster Nikon to M43 MFT

Right now the Lens Turbo MFT / M43 adapter fits Nikon (F, G, Ai, Ai-s, E) manual lenses and should work perfectly on your Panasonic GH3 or BlackMagic Cinema Camera MFT mount (not Pocket Cinema). How well does it actually perform? Give me a few days, and you'll see a video with a variety of examples.

For more info, you can find the Lens Turbo MFT Focal Reducer adapter available now via eBay (click here).

Mitakon_AI_m43_MFT-Nikon_Focal_reducer_speed_booster
find-price-button Lens Turbo Focal Reducer Nikon to MFT Micro Four Thirds Adapter

Related Articles You May Like:

• 31 Comments

•

I'm sure everyone is aware of 3-Axis Gimbal Video Camera Stabilizers surfacing on the Internet. Some people think this is going to be the future of hand held stabilization in cinema. There are literally dozens of versions available today, and here's one of the inexpensive versions that was sent over to me - the CAME 5000.

ViewImage-3.aspx ViewImage-2.aspx

This article is truly my first impressions on the CAME 5000 product, so keep in mind I am by no means an expert in this area. If you are just now looking into these types of stabilizers, hopefully this review should appeal to many of you who are also not experts. First let's take a look at a demo video about the CAME 5000 Stabilizer from the company.

Notice that with fast movements the camera stays pretty level, but with slower movements the camera will 'follow' the direction of Pan/Tilt. This area of operation does require a bit of practice steering the camera in different directions. Now lets take a look at what I was able to achieve with my first tests in this 15 minute video overview (below).

No matter how expensive other systems are, my impressions are that these gimbals are not as simple as they have been advertised to be. Like any other tool it can yield great results or look totally amateurish. It still boils down to skill and experience. Practice and and patience to perfectly balance your camera. Swapping out to another lens on this type of system will take several minutes to re-balance.

Ok, so from the examples I shot as a first time user, I think the unit seems to work pretty well with a Panasonic GH3 camera. The footage has not been stabilized in post, and it seemed to stay pretty level as I rolled the handles around. They state this CAME 5000 model can easily support larger Canon 5D (or similar) DSLR Camera Bodies.

Can this particular system perform even better than my examples? Considering my inexperience and lack of patience to perfectly balance my camera, I think there is definitely plenty of room for improved footage. How much better, I can't really say. Only time will tell as I continue to practice more and hopefully work with many other 3-Axis Gimbals. I'll be revisiting this again shortly as I think I figured out how to better balance my camera...

Further info on the CAME 5000 3-Axis Gimbal can be found at CAME-TV.com
CAME 6000 Stabilizer 3 Axis Gimbal CAME 6000 Stabilizer Gimbal
find-price-button CAME 5000 3-Axis Brushless Motor Gimbal Stabilizer

Related Articles You May Like:

• 5 Comments

•

If you're working with a client or talent that needs to pitch a script, or even if you're a sole blogger who needs to remember key points during your video presentation, nothing beats a legit teleprompter. By 'legit' I mean a camera's lens that sits directly behind an actual beam splitter. Throwing your smart phone to the side of the lens does not yield the same results when your talent's eyes are wandering off.

An iPad sized prompter should cover most use cases, but because of the size, it may not always be practical for travel, working in the field, or when using small camera systems. For times when you want minimal, small, compact, and lightweight this Listec PW-04 Teleprompter is great for mobile screens and smaller camcorder systems (and perhaps #GH3, #BMPCC?).


via YouTube kelbymediagroup

Typically sold for $320 dollars, the Listec PW-04 is available today with an instant savings of -$120 (now just $199) complete with hard case and bluetooth remote. Check it out (click here).

listec-pw04listec-pw-04-telepromter-bmpcc
find-price-button Listec PW-04 Teleprompter w/ Bluetooth Keyboard Remote Android iOS

[ Prompter Software Tip: ] Of course the Listec will offer prompting software, and there are dozens available through the app stores, but EasyPrompter.com is another option as a web based version. Here' a bit more info, and you can check it out at EasyPrompter.com:

EasyPrompter is a free web-based teleprompter solution that offers many of the benefits of expensive products. It's unique in that it's completely cloud-based, so even something like a Chromebook can be used as a teleprompter. It also offers a subscription PRO service ($9.99 / mo or $99 per year) which adds the ability to save an unlimited number of scripts along with settings.

Some of the features available:
Adjustable font size
Variable speed
Mirrored display capable through our exclusive font download
Elapsed Time Display
Supports keyboard and mouse controls (start/pause, ff/rew, etc) so you can control the prompter remotely
Can run full screen with no distracting ads, banners or control graphics
Control pad can be undocked for 2 screen operation - this way there is nothing but the text on the second monitor

Related Articles You May Like:

• 8 Comments

•

Cyber Monday Deals

I can't wrap my head around all the deals this weekend, but as far as what I think might be of interest to this audience, here's a short list.

Adobe Lightroom V5. (expires in a few hours).
Great Deal especially if you're working with RAW images (or even CinemaDNG files).
Adobe Lightroom V5 $121.00 Now just $72 dollars (found here).

Rokinon Lens Deals.
They seem to be promoting these quite a bit today (and selling quite a few).
Rokinon 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Lens - Choice in Mount $279 (found here)
Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sony) $199 (found here)

Panasonic GH3 Save $300 OFF
Probably the most full featured MFT Video & Photo Camera. It rocks.
Panasonic GH3 Camera -$300 OFF Cyber Monday (found here)

Sigma Macro Lens - ALL MOUNTS -$300 OFF
Portraits or up close details. Great for Wedding & Event Coverage.
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS Macro Lens -$300 OFF - Cyber Monday (found here)

Canon Powershot S110 -$100 OFF
Nothing beats a solid pocketable camera. If you can't afford the $750 Sony RX100, the Canon S110 for just $219 (today) is my next suggestion.
Canon Powershot S110 - Cyber Monday (found here)

Seagate 3TB Drive + THUNDERBOLT Dock
These are so awesome, I own three. If you're working with SSD Sata drives (BlackMagic Cinema Cameras), you can dock directly to this and start editing. Once you work with Thunderbolt Speeds, it's hard to go back to USB. Sucks for me - I paid over $400+ each. Today, you can get it for just $199.
Seagate Backup Plus 3 TB Drive + Thunderbolt Dock Desktop External Hard Drive (found here)

Sandisk Extreme PRO SDHC / SDXC 32GB - 64GB
A must have for the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera to shoot RAW. 64GB will give you about 20 minutes of RAW on the BMPCC, time to stock up. They are now up to 30% cheaper than when I purchased them.
Sandisk EXTREME PRO SDHC / SDXC Up to 30% OFF (found here)

Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS II
Newest version. Originally $2499, now down to $2K. But wait, could this also qualify for the current Mail-In-Rebate for an additional $300 OFF bringing it down to just $1700?
Lens Listing: Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS II - Checkout Price $2K (found here).
Mail-In-Rebate: Additional $300 OFF (found here)

[Keep checking back as i'll be updating through the day].

Related Articles You May Like:

• 9 Comments

•

YouTube member blkphoto sends in this video test using the Rode SmartLAV while shooting with a Panasonic GH3 [Thanks Larry]. If you jump over to 1:43 in the video you can hear the immediate difference between the recording and the sound from the GH3 internal microphone.

The Rode SmartLav is a microphone that connects directly to an iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad. You can download a free version of the Rode Rec app to adjust sound levels and with the paid version of the app you can immediately share your recordings to the cloud.


Rode SmartLAV via GearAddix.com

It may not replace your other high end mics and digital recorders, but as you will often hear stories about Lav mics breaking in the middle of a project, it might be handy to keep a Rode SmartLAV around in the kit. Available at the DVEStore.com (found here)

rode_smartlav_packshot__69011.1358971622.1280.1280
find-price-button Rode smartLav iOS Lavalier Microphone.

The Rode SmartLAV can also be found via eBay

find-price-button Rode iPhone iPod iPad SmartLAV - via eBay

Related Articles You May Like:

• 19 Comments

•

Here's a simple way to DIY a Top Handle for your DSLR Video Camera for those low shooting scenes. The hot shoe of these cameras are very capable of mounting this little top handle, but please use common sense as to not overload your setup with bulky rigs. This is mainly a way to carry the camera in it's simplest form. The build is easy and cheap, assembled with common parts you may already have, or find it through the links below.

Giottos Ball Head Top Handle
find-price-button Giottos MIni Ball Head 1/4" 3/8"

The Giottos Mini Ball Head is a native 3/8" mount, so you can get a 3/8" adapter, or use the reducer to 1/4" (comes with ball head) and use a 1/4" hot shoe adapter (click here).

Hot Shoe Adapter 3-8 Cold Shoe1-4 shoe adapter
find-price-button Hot Shoe Adapter 3/8 or 1/4 Screw

These handles are all metal, knurled finish for grip, and you can actually stack them together if you want it to be very long. They come in a variety of colors if you want to spice up your aesthetics (click here).

Camera Grip Top Handle DIYTop Handle camera gripTop Hanlde
find-price-button DSLR Video Camera Handle 1/4

Related Articles You May Like:

• 2 Comments

•

The Panasonic GH3 camera is still out of stock via Amazon and BHPhoto, but you can find dozens available for overly marked up prices on eBay. Every now and then you can track one down at normal retail price, and there just so happens to be one available right now. Looks like a listing for only one GH3 at normal retail price (click here)

Panasonic GH3 Camera
find-price-button Panasonic GH3 Digital Camera

Related Articles You May Like: