Finally! iPro Case for iPhone 6s+ is Shipping, Enables the Full Monty!

I left a Pelican 1510 full of Sony bodies and prime lenses at home as I flew to Vegas for NAB 2016 (don't get me wrong: I LOVE them), vowing to repeat my NAB 2015 party trick of filming all my interviews and taking all of my pictures with an iPhone. But it was only after I arrived that I finally got my hands on the updated iPhone 6s+ iPro case, cornerstone of Schneider Optics' iPro lens system. And then some. 

Of COURSE there are compromises when using an iPhone as your sole imaging device (more on that in a moment). But at a venue like NAB, they are far outweighed by the benefits -- at least for me. Incredibly small, lightweight and unobtrusive, the iPhone allows me to focus on the people with whom I'm speaking. 

I just didn't want to put it in a rig like I did for the cover of my eBook Apple's iPhone: The Next Video Revolution. At NAB, bulking it up like that would defeat the whole purpose. 

So I was stoked when NAB bud Niki Mustain of Schneider Optics snagged a just-shipping iPro case for the iPhone 6s+. I already had all the other gear I'd need to rock it - three iPro lenses by Schneider (Super-Wide, 2X and Macro), RØDE Videomic Me, Manfrotto's Pixi mini-tripod with integrated push-button locking ball head, and Aputure's not-yet-released-but-based-on-people's-reactions-Aputure-should-get-on-it Lightning Up micro-LED panel.

Apple iPhone 6s+, iPro case, iPro 2x lens, Manfrotto Pixi mini-tripod, RØDE Videomic Me, Las Vegas NAB 2016

Apple iPhone 6s+, iPro case, iPro 2x lens, Manfrotto Pixi mini-tripod, RØDE Videomic Me, Las Vegas NAB 2016

I've already posted some shots from NAB, and next week I'll be posting videos. But videos are also where those compromises are really felt.  I did an interview with Blackmagic Design bud (and Americas President) Dan May, but I REALLY could have used shallow depth of field. I also took no chances with audio, relying on a really great combo of gear (a TASCAM DR70-D field recorder and a pair of RØDElink Filmmaking Kits, packed in a little Domke bag). To be fair, I only used the RØDE Videomic Me once, and while it was credible, it wasn't nearly as good as my larger setup. Then again, acoustics at NAB are ALWAYS horrible -- it's just the nature of the beast.

PS: If anyone has a truly outstanding over-the-shoulder solution for one-man band hybrid video/stills shooter, let me know. Seems to me this is a hole in the market -- and I've looked at a lot of bags!

Pricing and availability:

  • iPhone 6s+ Amazon
  • iPro Lens Trio Kit for for iPhone 6 Plus [6s Plus not yet listed, though Schneider shipped last week)  [B&H|Amazon] 
  • Manfrotto Pixi Mini-Tripod  [B&H|Amazon] 
  • RØDE Videomic Me  [B&H]
  • RØDElink Filmmaking Kit [B&H]
  • TASCAM DR70-D  [B&H|Amazon] 
  • Domke F-5XA (black)  [B&H|Amazon] 

Latest Giveaway: Aputure VS-1 FineHD 1920x1200 7" Field Monitor

From the department of the Crassly Commercial comes our latest giveaway: a new (used only for review purposes) Aputure VS-1 FineHD HDMI display.

It's perfect for many mirrorless cameras because they'll already have the focus and exposure assists that you can then send to this eye-popping display (a6300, a7R II or a7S II anyone?).

All you have to do to enter is subscribe to this blog and/or our Three Blind Men and an Elephant YouTube channel. I pick up shipping if in the U.S., but it's on you anywhere else. I'll announce a winner on April 1st.

Good luck!


Sony a7R II + Wooden Quick Cage = FS5?

Well, not quite: the a7R II [B&H|Amazon] offers neither the 10-bit 4:2:2 HD nor 120 fps slow motion on offer with the FS5. But attach the exceptionally minimalist yet strong and clever Wooden Quick Cage for Small DSLRs to the a7R II, and you have a superior low light, hybrid video/stills platform to which you can mount just about anything.

I contacted Wooden after discovering that my favorite hybrid, Sony’s a6000 [B&H|Amazon], suffered from flex when working with a follow focus and a geared cine lens. There are many cages out there, but I’d seen the Wooden Quick Cage for Small DSLRs [B&H|Amazon] before and its diminutive, spare design seemed ideally suited to the a6000.

Unfortunately, nothing could help the a6000’s flex except some additional engineering by Sony, and it appears Sony may have done just that by strengthening the lens mount in the a6300. We’ll see.

But I’d also just finished a review of the a6300 [B&H|Amazon]  after returning from Sony’s global press event, and even compared the little guy to its big brother the a7R II and even bigger brother the FS5. You can check out that review here.

Bottom line? If the a6300 is ultimately about price, the a7R II is about that 42mp BSI sensor, and the FS5 is about being a pure – rather than hybrid -- video platform.

That’s where Wooden’s Quick Cage comes in: when you mount it to the a7R II, all of a sudden you’ve got a hybrid which is just as robust a platform for hanging on batteries, monitors, mics and more – even as you can quickly detach it and go hand-held for video or stills, superior to the FS5 when shooting in low light or needing to shoot stills.

 

Even so, the FS5 is a superior video machine for 1080p with 10-bit 4:2:2 output (via SDI only, not HDMI!), 120fps, built in XLR... you get the idea.

 

The Quick Cage for Small DSLRs itself costs $399 – eminently reasonable – but is very modular and expandable. Wooden offers kits beginning at $789 running all the way up to the Pro Kit at $2,225. The Pro kit begins with the Quick Cage and adds a quick release NATO handle, a pair of rods, an XLR adapter allowing a pair of XLR mics to feed directly into the a7R II’s mic jack, an EVF/LCD mount, a dovetail clamp, battery slide, and other bits and bobs to truly challenge the FS5 as a platform.


Nits?

Only one, really.

In order to allow the rear LCD to swivel up, I had to remove the small, adjustable block designed to prevent the camera body from swiveling around the ¼” 20 thread by locking it in place from th rear.  I wish Wooden would create custom blocks the way Really Right Stuff does (in this case, for the front of the body), because torque can result in a camera moving off axis.

 

Other than that, the Wooden Quick Cage for Small DSLR is a surprisingly affordable and rock solid way to handle even the most complicated set-up. They offer cages for a variety of cameras including Panasonic, Blackmagic, ARRI, and more.  Visit their site to learn more.

 

When Customers Talk, Aputure Listens

I loved the Aputure Amaran HR 672C  when it first came out, but really wished light modifiers – soft box, grid and snoot – were available for it.  I wasn’t alone, and Aputure listened. How about that?

 

Back in November 2014 I reviewed a small LED panel  the size of an iPad by a company I’d not heard of before: Aputure. The Amaran HR672C was great.  In fact, it was the impetus for eventually selling off my ARRI Softbank IV kit and going all-LED.

Fast forward to NAB 2015, where I connect with the Aputure guys in person. Good people.  Heck, they even asked for feedback on their products which – never one to be shy – gave them.

Fast forward a little bit more and now it’s the fall and the Aputure team is at Photo Plus Expo in New York.  They show off a prototype of a diffuser and egg crate for the HR672C. A little bit after that, I (and I imagine, a bunch of others) get a package with a beta version of the diffuser and a note asking for additional feedback.

Then there’s a Facebook group, which Aputure uses to solicit even more feedback. 

About a month ago (sorry it has taken me so long to report on it), another package arrives in the mail. This time it’s the final product, the Aputure EZ Box Softbox Kit  [B&H|Amazon]  for the 672 and 528 LED panels.

This is way cool.  It’s simple, small, inexpensive at $45 + shipping, and folds up into practically nothing.

While one might expect it to be too small (its surface area is only 1.5x the panel’s own diffuser), given the size of the LED, its price point, its intended use and its output, I think they’ve hit the nail on the head. What I can tell you is that it made a noticeable, pleasing difference when I used it as a key light in a two light set-up for my recent comparison of Sony’s new a63000  [B&H| Amazon]  to the a7R II  [B&H|Amazon] and FS5.

Which, I must confess, surprised me. I liked it.

Do I wish it were even bigger? Yes, but I’m afraid the light output would drop off too quickly. Do I wish there was an egg crate and a snoot, too? Yes, and I hope they come.

To me, the Aputure brand is about excellent value, original products, and nice people. If you own either LED panel, this is worth a close look.

Full disclosure: Aputure sends me stuff from time to time for review.  It often ends up somewhere in my bat cave under a pile of something or other, but I think I’ll leave the EZ Box on the HR672C permanently.

We Have a Winner!

It's not like I look particularly handsome in any case, but getting up early on Christmas morning to announce our winner -- without having coffee first -- well, I look like crap.

But totally worth it, because I'm really excited to announce the winner of our CAME-TV 7800 3-axis gimbal.  

Please contact me as soon as you realize it's you at hugh.brownstone@3bmep.com so I can get an address for shipping (oh, yeah: I'm going to make you watch this - after all, I had to get up to film it).

Congrats!


Is the Sony FS7 the Last Camera You'll Ever Need? A Five-Part Series

This series is the biggest hands-on evaluation of gear I’ve ever done with the most advanced gear I’ve ever used. I know it is incomplete, limited, and wrong – I just don’t which, where. But this also made it the perfect Three Blind Men and An Elephant project. It allowed me to see the FS7 from many different angles and thus get a little closer to some kind of objective truth not just about one camera, but the entire endeavor of filmmaking. Heads up: there is a TON of video and images in each episode, so stick with them!

But it wasn’t just the FS7 that we tested. The good folks at Zacuto, Atomos, Veydra, and CAME-TV lent us gear to fully kit it out as it was intended, with fascinating results:

·      Zacuto Recoil Rig for the FS7 and Gratical-X OLED EVF

·      Atomos Ninja Assassin 7” HDMI Monitor/4K Recorder

·      Veydra Mini-Primes in Sony E-Mount

·      CAME-TV Wireless Follow Focus Controller

Here’s a top level recap by episode, but I encourage you to visit planet5D where my original series was first published.

Episode 1: "Built Like a Tank" - I find out how tough the FS7 is when the entire setup crashes to the floor

Episode 2: "Brilliant Footage at the Cost of Ergonomics" - the footage looks amazing, but the menus and physical handling are tough for someone coming from the DSLR/ILC world.

Episode 3: "First Footage" - Did I say it looks amazing? I believe I did. But do I really need it? Want it, absolutely. But...

Episode 4: "Enter the Ninja Assassin and the Gratical X" - We respect the Gratical X and love the Ninja.

Episode 5: "The Answer" - We go a little nuts and compare 1080p footage shot with the Veydras on a Sony a6000, 4K footage shot on an iPhone 6s Plus -- and 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 footage shot on the FS7 -- to help get to a final verdict.

You can read the rest of this post on planet5D, where it was originally published.

source: http://blog.planet5d.com/2015/12/is-the-sony-fs7-the-last-camera-youll-ever-need-episode-5-the-answer/

Is the Sony FS7 the Last Video Camera You’ll Ever Need? Episode 1

The Sony FS7 is the most capable -- and complicated -- camera I've ever used. If you're thinking of moving up from something like the Canon 5D Mk III  [B&H|Amazon] , the Panasonic GH4  [B&H|Amazon] or even the latest Sony a7s II  [B&H|Amazon] , you need to read this!

You can read the rest of this post on planet5D, where it was originally published.

Source: http://blog.planet5d.com/2015/12/sony-fs7-...

Enter our holiday giveaway to win a CAME-TV 7800 3-Axis Gimbal!

It's that time of year!

We thought it would be cool to give away a CAME-TV 7800 3-Axis gimbal -- the very one we tested back at the beginning of the year -- and found to be a "credible alternative" to the MōVI M5  [B&H|Amazon] at a fraction of the price.

 

All you have to do is subscribe to our YouTube channel and/or our blog. You know the drill - the more you do, the higher the probability you'll win (we use Random.Org's sequence generator). Winner will be selected at random the morning of December 25th US East Coast time), and will be contacted for shipping details (I'll need your address -- if it costs more than $25, I'll ask you to pick up the balance. Fair?). 

Good luck, and a happy/healthy/merry!