» Archive for July, 2011

31Jul SmallHD DP4 first impressions.

Above are the SmallHD DP4 and the Sony CLM V55 monitors. The size and resolution is about the same but the smallHD’s pixels are closer together. Both monitors blink but, from early testing, it seems like the Sony CLM v55 recovers faster. The upside to the DP4 is that in record mode you can choose […]

30Jul The mail man left me some gear.

Just made it home from Denver about an hour ago and there is a large stack of packages waiting to be opened. A lot of the time I order random parts and peaces from Hong Kong but some of this shipped a little closer to home. The problem with stuff from China is that it […]

29Jul Writing music with a sampler.

Your film footage might be great, but it’s nothing without a good sound track. I can’t afford to pay for top 40 music, so most of the time I write my own. Normally the first thing I reach for is a field recorder and the MPC 1000 sampler. In about 15 minutes you can turn […]

29Jul 11 inch friction arm with Rod clamp.

I’ve been using these adjustable friction arms for quit awhile and they work great, plus they’re cheaper then most of the other adjustable arms on the market. It seems like every few months they come out with an updated model that has some other minor feature. This time they’ve included with the arm a nice […]

28Jul Native support for previewing Canon RAW files in Windows 7 and Vista.

This originated from Canon Rumers. Microsoft has quietly released a native codec for Vista and Windows 7 that supports preview of most Canon RAW files. In the past I’ve relied on Canon’s Digital Photo Professional application if I needed to quickly rummage through photos and Adobe Lightroom if I really want to dig in and mess around […]

27Jul My rig mounting secrets. 1/4 20 threads anywhere.

I get this question all the time. How do you attach your monitor, microphones, etc. to your DSLR RIG? The answer is very simple but very tricky to find.  There are 2 items I use all the time to attach my gear to holes or 1/4 20 threads in my DSLR rigs. Pictured above is a 1/4 […]

26Jul Unlimited Cloud storage! Thanks Yousendit.

I’ve used yousendit to transfer large files for a long time. It’s handy and the desktop app does a great job of managing my uploads. I’ve also been considering some of the cloud storage options out there for awhile. I sometimes need to share large project files or need access to my arsenal of  stills and video footage. […]

26Jul Pinch in the middle lens caps.

The Canon 50mm f1.2 is a beautiful lens, but you know what isn’t beautiful? Trying to get the dang lens cap off with the hood on. I’ve always had problems with canon’s side pinch lens caps. Either I can’t get them of the lens or I can’t get them to stay on the lens. Center […]

24Jul Polaroid fader ND filter quick video test.

I’m still meandering around the California’s country side for another week and had a little free time yesterday to drive up to Mt Tamalpais State Park just north of San Francisco. At 2400 feet I though the peak would be high enough to keep the Bay Area fog from bothering me. It worked for a little while […]

23Jul Light Craft Helmsman Canon USB controller

I was an early adopter of the Okii USB follow focus controller and although I don’t use it as a follow focus very much, it works great as an all in one camera controller. It looks like Light Craft is getting into the game with a very similar looking USB follow focus controller called the Helmsman. […]