Category Archives: Accessories

Manfrotto Befree Live New King Of Portable Video Heads!

Manfrotto Befree Live

The new Manfrotto Befree Live Tripod Fluid-head may be the most ultra-portable and quality video ready fluid head out there.  Before this new model was introduced the Manfrotto 128RC and 128LP heads dominated this space. However the new model has smoother movement along with locking features that bring the line to more modern designs.  There is a big need for compact video heads which can be used with smaller slow motion capable cameras like DSLRs, Sony RX100, Sony RX10, Micro 4/3rds and Action cams.

With the miniaturization of camera gear the days of the old and heavy but dependable fluid head are nearing an end. When the tripod can be carried alongside a small camera bag in a very portable fashion; the amount of usable footage will increase due to the amount of shots set up with it due to simplicity and little fuzz. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Metabones Updates Adapter Firmware!

Metabones speedbooster m43 Ultra

Metabones the company that brought you the speed booster and one of the first to offer electronic lens compatibility including AF for Canon lenses on mounts like Sony E Mount and Panasonic/Olympus micro 4/3rds has updated the firmware on these to have better overall compatibility with AF modes on newer cameras.

Slow motion shooters on Sony, Panasonic and other slow motion capable cameras are big fans of these adapters and speed boosters because it allows compatibility with their Canon EF glass collection. Furthermore the speed boosters enable wider field of view and an extra stop of light which is always needed when shooting high speed footage. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Stiller Studios Uses Bolt Robot With Phantom 4k!

BoltRobot

Stiller Studios a motion control specialist based in Sweden has used the robot Bolt Cinebot computer controlled arm created by Mark Roberts Motion Control alongside the Vision Research Phantom Flex 4k camera to create some amazing slow motion footage.

While the equipment is daunting to the common man and probably the rental price is equivalent to the price of a mid size sedan; it should not deter you from taking a look.  High speed is especially suited to this kind of robot as the quick and rock solid movements are ideal to control every angle during a slow motion shot that lasts a few hundreds of a second to few secs. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sigma Makes Filters Extremely Strong!

SigmaFiltersCracked

SIGMA has released a compelling video showing their new process for ceramic lens filters being compared to other brands in a metallic ball drop test.  The ball weighs 49 grams or 1.7 oz  and it is dropped from a height of four feet.

According to SIGMA, their strengthening ceramic process is 10x or 1000% stronger than previous strengthening methods which are included in the video as the competition to compare them. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

DJI OSMO Stabilized 120fps in your hand!

OSMO1080p

DJI Has announced a portable 3-Axis Gimbal camera system called DJI OSMO that rivals the best handheld  camera options from the competition with an integrated ZENMUSE X3 camera “Same as the one found in the DJI Inspire 1 drone.    You get a ton of standard features like an intelligent panning mode and auto panorama with also a timelapse & intervalometer to boot.   You will need to supply a Phone or other portable device with iOS or Android in order to have a live preview screen and set up the camera / adjust settings.

Specs for the DJI OSMO portable stabilized camera:

Video Resolution:
  • UHD: 4K (4096 x 2160) 24/25p
  • UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) 24/25/30p
  • 2.7K (2704 x 1520) 24/25/30p
  • FHD: 1920 x 1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p*
  • HD: 1280 x 720 24/25/30/48/50/60p
Sensor:
Sony Exmor R CMOS; 1/2.3” Effective pixels: 12.40M (Total pixels: 12.76M)
Still Photography Modes:
Single Shot Photo Burst Mode: 3/5/7 shots Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames @ 0.7EV bias Interval Timelapse Auto Panorama Selfie Panorama
Video Recording Modes:
Auto; Slow Motion Max. Video Bitrate: 60 Mbps

Video Formats: MP4/MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Kipon MFT to EF Adapter v2.5 Review!

KiponReviewv25
NEW Update: Kipon has released Firmware 2.5 fixing a lot of adapter issues. Scroll below for new info!

This mount adapter converts Canon EF and EF-S lenses to a micro four thirds mount and permits electronic aperture, auto focus and image stabilization on lenses that support it. Cameras that use a MFT mount like the GH4 and Olympus OMD can now use Canon glass with all the features bundled with the lenses.

We are doing a full review of the Kipon MFT to EOS EF Autofocus Lens adapter that will be evolving over the coming weeks and months due to compatibility that may change and improve in the future. The following is a first impressions and v2.5 firmware performance that can you get out of it in it’s current state. → Continue Reading Full Post ←