This is kind of amazing and extremely unexpected: Freefly Systems has announced that it will give away 12 MōVI M5 camera stabilizers during the 2014 NAB Show. During the show (which is in Las Vegas) April 7th – 10th, they will be giving three away a day, but you don't have to be at the show to win.
In case you didn't know, the Nikon and Canon rebates are ending in two days and I've been told with absolute certainty that at least the Nikon ones won't be extended. Also, B&H has a small number of D800s in stock that have been refurbished by Nikon for $2400. Not a bad deal if you've been lusting for the Nikon flagship camera. Also of note, there is a special deal on the Sony a7 and a7R if you're interested...
WD, of the Western Digital family, has announced the new My Passport Pro, the first portable, Thunderbolt-powered dual-drive solution for you hard drive discerning folks. Designed For Mac systems, My Passport Pro has user-selectable RAID functionality, doesn't need power adapters or extra cables, and clocks in at up to an impressive 233 MB/s.
Schneider (no relation) is up there with Zeiss when it comes to recognized high-quality lenses. This year at NAB (the National Association of Broadcasters tradeshow in Las Vegas), Schneider is adding the 18mm, 25mm and 100mm lenses to its popular Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon FF-Prime family that already includes the 35mm, 50mm and 75mm focal lengths. They are purpose built for digital cinematography with cameras including RED Dragon, Canon C100/C300/C500, Arri Alexa, Sony F5/F55 and HDSLR cameras.
Though the lens doesn't have the best performance if stopped down more than f/10, the 40mm pancake has grown to be one of my favorite lenses, especially in tandem with my 70D (which is also on sale today for $300 off). The B&H refurb of this lens is only $150 right now and they only have a few of them. If you've been curious about this lens, now is the time to try it.
Early this morning Canon announced a new CPS level for Cinema shooters. To join, you have to own at least one Cinema Zoom lens or one of the following Cinema EOS cameras: the EOS C300, EOS C500, or EOS-1D C. The membership has an annual cost of $1000.
Camera cranes and jibs are becoming more commonplace in the DSLR video maker's arsenal due to more, light weight options and falling prices. ProAm calls their Orion DVC210 the "first camera crane built specifically for DSLR cameras" and it extends to eight feet tall for a surprisingly affordable $300. Sounds great on paper, but how does it function in practice?
Quick update for those of you looking for raging deals: the Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 Lens is normally $450, but is on sale for only $200 after a crazy instant rebate. And a 2-pack of Lexar 32GB SDHC UHS-1 Class 10 cards are on sale for $72.95 if you need to stock up.
'Dat Lens | 'Dose Cards
If you shoot video, you know that sliders make all the difference. I personally love the cinematic production value you can get out of a slider; the kind of shots you can produce are those that really elevate the end product. However, sliders can be large and obtrusive, not to mention difficult to travel with. When I saw that Edelkrone's SliderPlus promised to deliver that quality I was looking for but remain compact, I couldn't wait to try it out.
ONA, makes of some pretty fine bags, are celebrating 100 years of Leica photography with a new bag called the Berlin. It is a limited-edition ONA bag designed for the Leica M-System. The signature Leica red interior is fully customizable, padded with premium closed-cell foam, and can accommodate one Leica M-System camera, two to three lenses, an iPad and small personal items.
It was a fascinating experience comparing the reactions to the Comodo Orbit online to those who saw the rig in person at WPPI Las Vegas this year. Almost 100% of the comments online were negative, non-believing dismissals of the product, while nearly 100% of the comments in person about the product were an excited thumbs up. It was easily the most popular product at the show. So what did we think of it?
There were few new products on the show floor that garnered as much attention as the Comodo Orbit. It's eye catching, but mostly because people are just fascinated with the design. We spoke to Comodo regarding the new product, and show you a little more about how it works. We even show you how quickly you can adjust the gimbal to accept any new camera.
Hasselblad has made the camera they said existed back in January official: the H5D-50C CMOS medium format back will retail for €20,900. Ian Rawcliffe, Hasselblad CEO, stated: "There is no price premium at all for customers who wish to acquire this groundbreaking technology. The H5D-50c will ship with the same price tag that applies to our H5D-50 model."
This week Zach and I will be roaming the WPPI Las Vegas show floor, talking to some cool people and showing you some new products. While there, we'll be Instagramming our shenanigans, and you can follow us! Couldn't make it this year? Let us be your eyes and ears!
In the wake of rumors regarding the health of the PocketWizard parent LPA Designs, the MAC Group distributed company is teaming up with the lighting brand Bowens and light meter company Sekonic to produce cohesive products together, in the hopes this will improve sales on all fronts. This includes a new PocketWizard in the Bowens signature yellow.
Comodo, a new member of the MAC Group and manufacturer of advanced camera stabilization systems, has announced the release of their newest camera stabilization device: Orbit. Utilizing advanced engineering in mechanical gimbal technology combined with application of basic physics, Orbit is the first mechanically driven, twin grip gimbal stabilization device of its kind to be introduced to the HDSLR and small camcorder segment of the filmmaking community.
Profoto just released the first of 20 videos highlighting different aspects of a wedding as shot by wedding photographers Justin & Mary as they set out to capture a young couple's most special day. Each video reveals the story and the lighting setup behind a certain image. For instance, we get to see how the bridal couple's dance was shot and how the kiss in the church was eternalized.
Cinetics, originally known for their Kickstarter success story CineSkates, has just put a brand new product on Kickstarter yet again, this time aimed at motion control and time lapse. Called Axis360, it is "a compact, motorized tripod head and slider for dynamic video and time lapse photography."
I'm a big fan of shows like Photo Plus, Gulf Photo Plus and WPPI Las Vegas, so when my good friend (and amazing photographer in his own right) David Kai-Piper told me about an event he's helping orchestrate in the United Kingdom this year, I thought you all would be interested to hear about it. Introducing The Photography Show, a new show and home for professional and hobbyists to come together to enjoy all things photographic.
I tend to agree with Wistia, the video player company known for making awesome productions that teach you how to better your company's video productions. Yes, the right music really plays a major role on how your audience feels when watching one of your videos. Arguably, the right music makes a video what it is, and the wrong music will turn everyone off.
Last year Sigma released "Sigma Aizu," an unexpectedly captivating video showing how the company manufactures their products. It was not only a rare look into the process, but also done in such way that mirrors Sigma's recent change in their attention to detail and love of the craft. Part 2 was just released, and it matches the artistic integrity of the original.
Though you can read more about the Powershot G1X here (since the info was leaked early by Best Buy who shortly thereafter removed the page), the Canon T5 experienced no such leak. The T5 is an entry-level affordable ($550) way for newbies to take ditch a point and shoot for a DSLR. It features an 18.0 megapixel CMOS (APS-C) image sensor and a high-performance DIGIC 4 image processor.
Over the weekend Nikon announced new lens rebates for several popular lenses, but according to numbers we received this morning, Fuji is crushing Nikon in sales numbers, with hundreds more Fuji sold so far today than Nikon. The most popular lenses? The 27mm f/2.8, the 23mm f/1.4 and the 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8.
So the much awaited Blackmagic Production Camera 4K is finally shipping, according to a press release put out by Blackmagic this morning. But on top of that, Blackmagic has announced a major price drop, down about $1000 to $2,995. That's a big deal for those of you interested in the camera, especially if you were impressed by prior video footage we've shown here.
Sigma today announced the new generation of high image quality compact cameras “SIGMA dp” that incorporates a newly developed Foveon X3 direct image sensor (generation name: “Quattro”). Sigma is saying it is unique and without peer among image sensors, the Foveon direct image sensor is similar to traditional color film in that its multiple layers capture all of the information that visible light transmits.
The new Nikon "lens only" rebates are now live - a total of 15 lenses are now up to $400 off, and the good news is that you don't have to buy a DSLR body in order to qualify! If you were in the market for buying a lens, now is the perfect time.
GoPro, basically the name synonymous with action-camera mobile HD video, is one of America's most recent super-success stories. Well, they look to be taking things a step further as they have announced they'll be conducting a registered initial public offering of its common stock.
Last night Panasonic revealed their new Lumix DMC-GH4 capable of producing 4K video and seemingly aimed directly at pro video shooters. There are some who are skeptical of cramming 4K video into such a small sensor and others who can't believe how amazing the camera reads on paper. Check out this sample footage from Lumix and you can draw your own conclusions.
I always thought the point of mirrorless was to make things compact, but Panasonic looks like they want to expand my mind and believe it also means raw power, as they have announced the Lumix DMC-GH4, a new camera that features 4K 24p cinematic video (4096x2160), plus 4K 3840x2160 30p/24p with 49 points of autofocus. The build is all metal, and it's obviously aimed at the professional market.
RODE downsized their popular Videomic with the new Videomic GO, half the size and can run without a dedicated battery through the use of in-line power. This looks like a perfect run-and-gun mic, but would the smaller size affect audio quality? You decide, as I compare the two against on-camera audio and a lav mic.
Ahead of the Japanese trade show CP+, Tamron has announced two more mega-zoom lenses, the 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD (Model A010) and the 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD MACRO (Model B016). The lenses follow the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 announced in late 2013. The two new lenses feature Tamron's Vibration Compensation and a PZD (Piezo Drive) which will supposedly deliver faster, quieter autofocus.
Well despite the CMOS back announcement last month, Hasselblad hasn't done much in the ways of innovating (and it can be argued they haven't really done anything yet since the back was only announced, but no specs or information on it has been released). That didn't change yesterday when they announced the Hasselblad HV, a rebranded and reskinned Sony a99 that will retail for €8500.
I don’t know about you guys, but when Sigma announced the 24-105mm f/4 lens last year, I got very excited. The Canon 24-105mm f/4 was one of my favorite video lenses early on. It’s an extremely versatile focal length that, besides the slow f/4 constant aperture, was largely pretty usable in nearly any environment. Sadly, the lens was only good for video because it just wasn’t very sharp. That’s why Sigma’s attempt got me so jazzed. Based on prior experience with their Art line, I had high expectations for Sigma's new zoom lens.
If you don't like lav mics rearing their ugly heads in your video productions but love the sound quality (like we saw in a video from Wistia), then maybe Rode's latest product is the perfect solution. It's called the invisiLAV, and it adheres to the interior of clothing and skin and supposedly eliminates the need for those pesky lav clips.
"Beauty" is a short video by Rino Stefano Tagliafeirro, and it's a captivating 10 minutes that brings to life still paintings with a somewhat eerie soundtrack that almost forces rapt attention. The manifesto is described as delving into the "enigma of beauty." I would say more, but this is just one of those things that needs to be experienced. Warning, this does contain painted nudes.
