15Jul Taking the 3 legged adjustable DSLR RIG on the road.
I found out this morning that I’ll be in Sacramento CA for the next 2 weeks. I haven’t really had a chance to play around with that 3 legged adjustable dslr rig I picked up a few weeks back so I figured if it fit in my camera bag i’d take it with me. I was surprised to find that it’s the prefect size for my Ape Case. The only change I had to make when packing was to add a padded camera bag divider over the top of my camera gear. I’m thinking a cheap foam 12 inch laptop case might be a good way to pack this thing in the future.
Since the unit is relatively thin, I still have plenty of room underneath for 2 lenses (Canon 50mm f1.2 and 35mm f1.4), the Sony CLM v55 monitor, the Sennheiser G2 wireless kit, the Okii usb follow focus, an intervalometer, and the Canon t2i with battery grip. I also have the Zoom h4n and some extra batteries packed away in the side pouches. That should be more then enough gear to cover an event or shoot a short film.
I plan to spend some more time with this rig over the next few weeks. If I can find the time, I might even finish the video review I started working on a when the rig showed up last month. It looks like the which makes this an even more attractive deal and less then I paid for it.
On a side note: Those two pictures were taken with my cell phone. The Droid 3 has a surprisingly nice camera built in for a cellphone.
14Jul Empty monitor space on the Sony CLM v55 with Canon DSLRS.
I finally had a some time this evening to run a few proper tests with the Sony CLM V55 monitor and go through the menus. I will admit that I have a little bit of buyers remorse. Although the image is crisp and the colors look very good the monitor has no stretch or adjustment options for the image. The picture above is of my Canon T2i in record mode with the Sony CLM V55 and as you can see you have empty space on either side of the image. Even though the empty space isn’t that big it’s still a little annoying that the monitor has no option to fill the screen.
There is also no way, that I’ve found so far, to avoid the monitors blink as the camera changes resolution when you press record. I timed the blink and its just over 1.2 seconds. Although the blink is shorter then a lot of monitors I’ve tested it’s still a step back from my Lilliput monitor.
I was expecting better results when I attached the monitor to my Canon 7d. The results are better, but the output of the camera still doesn’t fill the whole screen, and since there is no way to adjust the image, you are again left with black space on either side.
I decided to grab a proper video camera and try it out. It works great and fills the whole screen no problems at all. I can’t really blame Sony for this problem when the fault is with Canon. I still think the Sony CLM v55 is a nice monitor for the price, but I’m going to wait and see how it stacks up against the Smallhd DP4 that shipped out to me on Tuesday.
In fact I don’t really think the short comings are enough for me to return the monitor or get rid of it. It’s just disappointing that Sony decided not to include the proper adjustments to deal with the inherent problems canon has added to their DSLR camera lineup. If you have a proper video camera this monitor will be a great addition to your line up. If you have a Canon DSLR, be aware that this monitor wont correct for Canon’s poor choices.
14Jul Juicedlink DS214 adapters are finally available.
The DS214 adapter is finally back. The demand has been so good for the Zoom H1 shock mount that I didn’t have enough down time on my makerbot to test and print the new design until a few nights ago. The new DS214 design has a few hard to notice changes mostly to do with strength and positioning. Most of the changes are based on feed back from those of you who bought the first round of adapters. Thanks for all your input!
One of the changes that is hard to see but easy to demonstrate is the interference fit on the bottom of the adapter. I redesigned it to be slightly wider at the bottom which means it takes a little more force to get it into your camera’s hot shoe, the upside of this is that it will take force to get it out of your cameras hot shoe. There is no lock on this so I still recommend you use a $3 threaded cold shoe adapter to attach it to your camera. The interference fit will eventually wear out because metal beats plastic.
The Juicedlink DS214
for mounting you still have plenty of room to use the view finder without smacking your head.
If you guys see anything else that you would like to have changed or added just let me know and I’ll try it out on the next revision. Price is still $10 and don’t forget to choose “other countries” if you live outside the united states.
13Jul Lilliput 5 inch 569GL hdmi monitor.
I ended up getting a great deal on the Sony CLM v55 monitor, but there is a cheaper option if you’re looking to save a little money and like the idea of a smaller 5 inch monitor. The Lilliput 5 inch 569GL HDMI monitor comes with an HDMI cable, cold shoe adapter, battery adapter, and screen hood for around $200. On top of that it has a headphone jack with volume control and some nice BNC video connectors built in. The only leg up the CLM v55 has over the Lilliput (looking at the specs) is focus peaking, but i’m sure you can live without that for a savings of $150 to $200. Over all it looks like a pretty good deal. Here’s a little video demo posted by hdvideoshop.
Some of you have asked why I would move from a 7 inch monitor to something smaller. There are actually a few reasons, first I like to travel with a single camera bag if at all possible and although my 7 inch Lilliput monitor does fit in my camera bag, it ends up taking up a lot of space. A 5 inch monitor on the other hand fits nicely into a single lens pouch in my Ape Case. Secondly I usually need a field monitor for its ability to adjust and position not for its size. If I have to back my camera up against the wall or place it on the floor I still want to frame the shot without having to become a contortionist and any size monitor will solve this problem.
A 5 inch monitor is also about double the viewing space of most cameras built in screen and with a resolution of 800×480 you’re getting about the same number of pixels as you do with many of the larger 7 inch model screens on the market. If you have bad eye sight a larger 7 inch or 8 inch monitor might be a better way to go, but for me the easier it is to pack the more it will get used.
If any of you decide to go for the Lilliput 5 inch 569GL HDMI monitor send me some pictures and let me know how it turns out. It looks like Amazon has it for $265 right now
if you don’t mind waiting a few weeks for shipping from Hong Kong. Over all it looks like a good pick for the price range.
12Jul The dirt cheap monitor died. Meet its replacement, the Sony CLM v55.
I’ve been using that little dirt cheap monitor for a number of months,but it finally took a fall from 10 feet and abruptly decided to stopped working. The size has made it one of the most used monitors in my collection. Manly because it easily fits in my camera bag and runs all day on a single 6800 mAh battery. Even though it’s very cheap to replace I thought it might be time for an upgrade to something with a little more screen resolution.
I jumped on Amazon the other day looking around and they had one Sony CLM V55 5 inch monitor delivered by Amazon for $299. Same resolution as my Lilliput monitor, but with focus peaking and a number of other great features. I was going to hold out for a samllhd DP4 monitor but I couldn’t pass up the $299 price tag. I may still end up with either a DP4 or DP6 monitor in the future but I thought I’d give the Sony a try for the price.
The CLM v55 came with some nice extras, including the sun hood, adjustable cold shoe mounts, and hdmi cable, but I was disappointed that Sony decided not to include batteries or power cord with the monitor. Thankfully I have a number of spare batteries laying around from previous cameras that fit the monitor, but that could end up being a hidden cost for many people.
When you stack the dirt cheap monitor on the Sony CLM V55, there is only about a 1/2 inch difference around the edges between the two monitors. Also having a proper battery mount on the back of the CLM v55 and a nice 1/4 20 set of threads on the bottom makes it more convenient then the dirt cheap monitor.
The included sun hood is very handy and seems to be a great way to protect the monitor. It’s also nice to see that Sony included a rubber cap for the hdmi and headphone ports. Over all the build quality is good for the price, but i’m guessing the aluminum frame of the SamllHD DP4 might be a bit more durable.
Although the sun hood does seem handy, it just about doubles the thickness of the monitor. The hood (top) and Monitor (bottom) snap together with a few plastic clips around the frame. The small indents used for mounting the sun hood around the front of the monitor do look a little strange when you look at it from the side.
One other thing that is a little disappointing is that there is no way to upscale the output of the t2i in record mode to full screen on the monitor, but I knew that going in. Over all the Sony CLM v55, so fare, seems to be a pretty good bargain for the price. Once I get a chance to spend a little more time with it, I’ll post a full review.
11Jul One Fader ND filter adapted to all of your lenses.
Fader ND filters are nice to have, but if you want to buy one for each of your lenses it can add up quick. There are a few exceptions, for example the Canon 28mm f1.8, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.8, and 100mm f2 all share 58mm filter sizes. But what if you start adding something like the Canon 35mm f1.4 with its large 72mm filter size to your collection?
The cheapest option I’ve found is to simply buy a ND filter for the largest filter size in your collection then step it down using a step down adapter ring. These step down adapter rings are usually only $2 to $4 a peace, compare that with even the low priced Polaroid fader nd filters at $40 a peace. Plus you wont have to worry about vignetting and it gives you a pretty good option for adjusting your fader during a shot.
I will admit however, that it does make the lens look a little odd having that large of filter attached to it. Pictured is my Canon 85mm f1.8 with a 72mm Fader ND attached.
10Jul Decoded LP-E8 generic batteries first impressions.
Those generic decoded Canon LP-E8 batteries showed up yesterday along with the two spare battery chargers. From the little testings I was able to do today, they seem to work just about as good as the Canon brand batteries. I was however disappointed that none of the batteries included covers.
I normally use the covers to keep track of which batteries are charged and which aren’t while filming. It can be a real pain if you have a bag full of batteries and you don’t know which ones are charged. Plus it wastes time filming when you grab a battery with very little charge, pop it in, shoot a couple of scenes, then see your battery warning starts flashing.
Until I get some battery covers ordered, the easiest way to go is to simply rap a rubber band around the battery after I pull it off the charger. Maybe I can print some type of battery cover out on the makerbot. Other then the missing covers I think these should work out well.
08Jul Getting Technicolor Cinestyle to work on your T2i in video mode.
I’ve received a lot of e-mail from people having trouble using the Technicolor Cinestyle on their Canon T2i in video mode. Most of the e-mails say that they can see it in picture mode but can’t seem to get it to work in video mode.
If you haven’t already installed Cinestyle on your Canon T2i
Hopefully this will help out the people that were having problems getting the picture style to work on their Canon T2i. I’ve also got a good post comparing the Marvel Cine Style with the Technicolor Cinestyle if you haven’t already taken a look.
07Jul Cheapest Entry Level DSLR choices for video.
Adam wrote in
I have recently graduated from college having completed a degree in Television production. I am mainly interested in making short films. I wanted to get my own gear but I don’t have the resources available to buy a lot of gear so I am looking into buying a decent DSLR and build up my kit up from there.
There are a few things to think about when moving to filming with DSLRs that can save you money.
- Does the camera have on-board audio inputs without AGC? This can spare you the cost of a field recorder.
- What Lenses can be adapted or made compatible with your camera? The more old manual focus lenses you can adapt to your camera, the more money you can save on glass.
- Has your camera been hacked? Hacked firmware can add many high end features to your camera, making it an even more cost effective film tool.
- Is there a clear upgrade path in the future? Once you choose a camera brand and invest in compatible lenses and gear, it’s easier to upgrade your camera body then it is to sell off all of your lenses and start over.
Looking at the list there are 2 main Cameras that come to mind. The Panasonic GH1 and the Canon T2i, both have pros and cons. The Canon t2i (ruffly $600 used) has better low light performance, higher build quality (IMHO), and less crop factor. The Panasonic GH1, on the other hand has a lower price (ruffly $350 used), adapts to a wider range of lenses, and has that nice flip out screen.
When you add the Magic Lantern Hack to the T2i and the Tester13 Hack to the Panasonic GH1 it unlocks a number of great features (including audio metering) that make these cameras even better. But before you make your decision on which low price camera you want to spend your money on you should really think about what you plan to film and what your needs are.
The Panasonic GH1 is part of the micro 4/3 class of cameras which means the crop factor is two times the lens’s advertised focal length. So if you’re shooting with a 28mm lens for example, your equivalent focal length will actually be 56mm. The good thing about this is that you can pickup a 50mm f1.4 lens and effectively have the reach of a 100mm lens at f1.4. The down side is that when you try to get wide shots you’ll have trouble finding low price lenses that are wide enough to get the job done. The micro 4/3 design also creates a smaller distance from the camera sensor to the flange of the lens mount. This basically means you can adapt the GH1 to most older manual focus lenses, a good example is the Canon FD mount lenses. These lenses don’t adapt well to most cameras (I don’t recommend them for Canon DSLRs) so they aren’t very sought after, but they work great on the GH1 and you can pick many of them up for under a $100 a peace on ebay. These FD mount lenses have great manual focus rings and do a good job optically for the price.
The Panasonic GH1 doesn’t do as well in low light and most consider 800 iso to be the usable limit. The Canon T2i, on the other hand preforms well tell about 1600 iso giving it an edge in the low light department. The T2i however is missing the very handy flip out screen, and doesn’t work with as many types of lenses. In fact, the older lenses that do work well with the T2i, like the Nikon Nikkor and Pentax PK series lenses have tripled in price over the last few years thanks in large part to the popularity of video on Canon DSLR cameras.
The Canon T2i does have a smaller crop factor of about 1.6, so that 30mm f1.4 sigma I use ends up working out to about 48mm on the T2i body. The smaller crop factor also means it’s a bit easier to achieve wide shots. Add a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens to your T2i and you shouldn’t have any problems filming in an elevator or car.
Both cameras have a clear upgrade path. With the T2i, you can always upgrade to the T3i, 60d, or 5d mark II, and with the GH1 you have the GH2 (which has recently been hacked) to look forward to. The GH1 over all is probably the better price to performance ratio for video if you can live with the crop factor and low light short comings. If your pockets are a little deeper starting out, and you plan to focus on both photo and video work the t2i might be a better choice.
If you decide to go with the Canon T2i, I recommend starting out with the Sigma 30mm f1.4, the Canon 50mm f1.4, and either the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 (wide angle) or the Canon 85mm f1.8 (medium telephoto). Expect to spend around $1600 or more by the time you’re done with that list.
If you decide to go with the Panasonic GH1
I own the T2i and use it almost daily, but if I were just starting out and didn’t have a large investment in lenses, I might very well have ended up with a GH1 & GH2 in my bag. That’s my two cents on the lowest price options available in the entry level DSLR video market.
06Jul Fader ND filters
Picture taken by Eric 5D Mark II
I received a small amount of friendly harassment the other day from another photographer about using cheap lens filters. I’ve been using lower price Polaroid Fader ND filters for awhile now and haven’t had many problems. The Polaroid filters general run about $30 to $45 on amazon and cause a small amount of vignetting, but overall I haven’t had a lot to complain about.
The point she was trying to make was that I have a very nice Canon 50mm f1.2 lens, but I’m putting a “junk peace of glass” in front of it. I don’t consider the Polaroid Fader ND filters to be “junk” but it is at the lower end of the food chain.
The conversation went on for quit awhile, before I was finally convinced. I placed an order for a 72mm Light Craft Workshop Fader ND II. The light Craft Fader ND is about 3 times the the price of Polaroid’s Fader ND. The question I have is, will the difference be that noticeable? Or is this another case of spending more money makes you feel like you have a better product?
Once the Light Craft shows up I’ll run a few tests to see how the two filters stack up. I’m guessing it wont be that noticeable in video mode, but it might be a different story when used for stills. Either way the looser will probably end up on ebay.
