06Apr Lens Prices are slowly inching up.
I was checking lens prices this morning and I noticed that the Canon 50mm f1.4 has crawled back up to about $450 from about $350 only 6 months ago. That 25% price hike is being blamed on short supply caused by the earth quake Japan.
At that inflated price, it could be a good idea to start taking a look at used Nikon Nikkor lenses. In the video I compare the Canon 50mm f1.2 to the , and the difference isn’t very dramatic, which means the Nikon 50mm f1.2 is as good or better then the Canon 50mm f1.4. Looking on ebay this morning it seems the
lenses is selling for around $350 to $500.
The is manual focus which means it might not be the best choice for photography, but if you’re in search of shallow depth of field and creamy Bokeh goodness for your next video project this could be a great choice. The other nice thing is that the focus ring has lots of travel and operates nice and smooth. Making it great for use with a follow focus.
You’ll also want to pick up a . Make sure you buy one that has the auto focus confirmation chip built in. The chip basically feeds the camera some bogus lens information so that when you’re focusing you’ll still get the nice little red dot or square when your target is in focus. I suppose you could live with out it, but it only adds about $1 to the cost of the adapter. So I would say it’s worth it.
If your going Nikon the 35mm f1.4 is also a good one to check out.
05Apr New Bluetooth Combo Video test.
I’m still sick, but as promised, here is that video test of the new Bluetooth transmitter setup in action. I have to say these are the best results I’ve had. This setup is completely usable and very clean. In the test I’m simply recording audio directly into the built in mic on my zoom h1 and transmitting Bluetooth audio back to the receiver plugged directly into the t2i.
The first test is the Clip-on Bluetooth receiver with the generic Bluetooth transmitter. The results, as you can see, are great. No delay, very clean audio, and no hissing noise floor. The clip on receiver also has a built in amplifier with volume control, so you can boost your signal into the camera without any problem. In fact I turned the gain to zero for this first test and still had great signal level.
The second test is the Jabra Bluetooth transmitter with the . Again the results worked out great. The volume control on that clip on receiver may have won me over, but the little generic receiver still worked great.
The last test is the Jabra Bluetooth transmitter and Clip-on Bluetooth receiver, this was the combination I was expecting to be the best. In testing, it seemed to me like there was a noticeable delay. I’ve watched to footage 3 or 4 times and it seems like the words come slightly after my mouth moves. I think that the delay isn’t extremely noticeable, but i’m disappointed that the extra money spent didn’t equal better performance.
It’s clear to me that after all of my Bluetooth testing, I still don’t have a firm grasp on what causes which problem. Or why one setup works great and another does not, but I am glad to have finally found a combination of results that delivers the goods
If you have the money to spend, you still might want to consider a proper wireless setup, but at under $50 the above combinations work much better then I ever expected.
03Apr Choosing the right tripod.
A good tripod is something everyone will end up needing eventually and the worst thing you can do is waste your money on a $30 or $40 throw away tripod like the one above. The connectors will stop working, the plastic will brake off, or worse yet, it could send your camera on an unplanned trip to the ground. Tripods like this are designed for point and shoot cameras and small video cameras. If you expect more then that you’ll have to climb a bit higher up the food chain.
Seeing a cheap tripod next to a few nicer models should give you an idea of the difference in build. From top to bottom we have the cheap MX1000 tripod, the Manfrotto 055XPROB 501hdv combo, and the Slik Pro DX700 with a Manfrotto 503hdv head. The size increase actually starts to make sense when you consider the load capacity. The MX1000 is rated for 2.5 pounds, the 055XPROB is rated for 13.2 pounds, and the Slik/manfrotto combo is good up to about 20 pounds.
When you start looking at tripods, it’s good to consider weight. As you start to add monitors, field recorders, and microphones to your DSLR RIG, it can be pretty easy to hit the 10 pound mark. If you overload a fluid head, the counter balance springs wont do you any good and could be damaged, so it’s a good idea to match your camera rig to your fluid head.
For many people it’s hard to justify spending the money on a good tripod and fluid head, but if you take care of a good tripod it should last you through at least 3 cameras if not more. I know people that still use their tripod head combo that they bought in the 90’s and it keeps up just fine with my modern day 503hdv setup. Sure they spent $800 on it when it was brand new but monetized over 15+ years of service means about $53 a year. When you think about it like that it’s a lot easier to justify the investment.
So here is a list of tripods to consider priced from low to high, I wont review them each but they should give you a good starting point on your quest for the next peace of camera gear in your life.
- Davis & Sanford FM18 combo $140 to $180 good price, ok performance, ok build, handle 18 lbs.
- Manfrotto 055XPROB 501hdv combo $310 good performance, great build, handles 13.2 lbs.
- Manfrotto 503hdv combo $450 to $700 great performance, great build, handles 17.6 lbs.
- Libec RS-250M combo $850 great performance, great build, handles 13 lbs.
It’s pretty easy to go into the $1500 to $5000 range if you really want to spend the money. If you have it to spend Miller and Sachtler make some amazing products that I can only afford to rent. No matter what you have to spend, any of these will be a major upgrade compared to a $30 best buy tripod.
02Apr Looking for a DSLR RIG?
I was browsing through ebay this morning when I came across an auction for this . The auction is at $1.25 right now with no reserve. If you’re in the market for a shoulder rig this could end up being a good deal if the price stays low enough. It also looks pretty sharp.
I’ve also been seeing this rig pop up on ebay quit a bit. Seems to be going for between $45 and $140. It doesn’t look amazing but if you’re just in the market for a cheap shoulder support rig, this could still be a good way to go. $140 might be a little over priced but $45 would be a good deal.
02Apr New Bluetooth combo.
After running a few tests with the Jabra transmitter and Clip-on Bluetooth receiver, I found the audio to be clean and usable but the was horrible delay. So here is where things get confusing. Disappointed in the results I decided to try the Jabra transmitter with the generic Bluetooth Receiver and it worked fine. Then I tested the Clip-on Bluetooth receiver with the generic Bluetooth transmitter
and it also worked very well.
I have no idea why one combination works and another combo doesn’t, but I’ll have video results up once my voice comes back. Four days sick, maybe I have the plague. Even the kleenex with aloe
01Apr Wireless Canon DSLR remote iPad app.
Source: Philip Bloom
I must say that this looks a little fishy. No USB cable, no connections, yet you have video monitoring and camera control through an iPad. The company doesn’t have much information on their website, so i’ll believe it when I see it. If it does actually work I will most likely be the proud owner of a new iPad very soon. Or maybe I can find a generation 1 iPad used for cheap.
Update: Aprils fools day. I’ve been so sick I didn’t realize what day it was.
31Mar New laptop showed up. Quick look at the DELL XPS 15.
The new Dell XPS 15 laptop showed up while I was out on the road. Thankfully or not, I’ve been sick for 2 days straight, so between medication, hot baths, and cough drops, I’ve been able to mess around with it. My first impression is that this beast is only slightly smaller then my old 17 inch HP, it’s defiantly lighter, but some of the design choices are a little strange.
For example, if you look at the laptop from the side you’ll notice a dramatically rounded cover plate on the optical drive. You’ll also notice that you’re left with a square section jutting out past the monitor. I would consider it to be average ugly. Even though I regret the stylistic choices made by Dell on the XPS 15, the performance makes up for it.
The built in speakers sound rich and full, the trackpad is large and supports multi touch, and every key has a satisfying click. The power under the hood allowed me to watch 4 DSLR mov files with picture in picture in my premiere timeline in real time, and after I added the nvidia script hack, I bumped that number up to 7 with no problem.
I may feel a little self conscious setting the Dell XPS 15 next to a MacBook Pro, but i think the savings will keep me happy.
30Mar Leather Hand Strap, how I love you.
One of you out there was really pushing hard for me to try one of these Leather DSLR hand straps. I was honestly skeptical about switching from a neck strap to a hand strap, but now I’m sold. Maybe “love” is to strong of a word but I would definitely use “like, like”.
When the Leather Hand Strap shows up, it’s attached to this little 1/4 20 adapter. I tried to make it work but that little plastic adapter just adds hassle and doesn’t allow the camera to sit flat. It’s a little bit of a pain to thread the Leather Hand Strap through the loops on the camera and the battery grip, but once you have it on, you’ll be good to go.
If you don’t have the battery grip on your canon t2i or 7d you’ll be stuck using the 1/4 20 camera adapter. So if you don’t own one yet, you might want to pick up a battery grip. In practice I was able to walk around HorrorHound weekend without a sore neck at the end of the day. I was also able to keep the camera out of view in area’s where I wasn’t supposed to be shooting.
The Leather Hand strap was comfortable to use and saved me from smacking my camera when I leaned over tables. Even with my large hands I found it very easy to reach most of the controls on the Canon t2i. At a price of $10 this is well worth a look. I think I’ll be ordering on for the rest of my cameras.
26Mar Two more days on the road.
These lovely ladies stopped by the booth to pick up a copy of Outpost Doom on DVD, as did a ton of other great people. I would like to thank everyone for coming out and buying just about everything we have. You’ve all been great! Tomorrow I get to start the 16 hour drive home. Back to regular posts on Monday.
25Mar Traveling to Indianapolis.
After driving for almost 9 hours we’ve made it to the motel. Tomorrow we will be running a booth over at HorrorHound weekend in Indianapolis. Our 4 man crew will be promoting some of our films and drumming up funding for our next project “The dark around your heart”. If your in the area, feel free to drop by. You can find event coverage and photo’s over at Deadlantern.com.
