jonni's DIY steadycam

If you don't know what a steadycam / steadicam is good for, I'll try to explain it in a few words. When shooting video one of the most important factors is the stabilization of your camera. If you don't do it right, your footage will look shaky - and this is what we really want to avoid (in most cases).

You'll find yourself in situations when it's absolutely not possible to use a tripod. Even if some lenses do have build in image stabilization, they can't compensate the shaking that you'll get while walking or running around with your camera. So when you are filming while walking around and it's not possible to use a slider or track dolly you'll need another kind of mechanical stabilazation.

There are different steadycam models on the market. I think that most of them are really good, the only problem is their price. So if you have some time and the right tools you can try to build your own model.

This is my DIY steadycam:

My main goal was to built a steadycam for DSLRs that is as small as possible, fully adjustible, lightweight but still very strong. As you can see in the image above it is adjustible just like all the other models. But there are some more facts that I would like to point out. I used a high quality universal joint which is very agile and therefore the movement is compensated very effective. The handle is very soft and big which makes it possible to carry this thing around a while. The steadycam is made out of aluminum and therefore it's very lightweight. The weights are made out of brass. It is possible to loosen and tighten all the screws without any additional tools. This makes it possible to make quick adjustments when changing lenses or adding other equipment. It can carry my 550D wit a LED video light or other DSLRs with medium sized lenses easily. The first test runs went pretty well - I will upload a video as soon as the sun comes out.

The parts have just been painted black and are still drying - I think this thing will have a really professional look.

Hope you like it. Feel free to ask anything you want if you have some questions.

Cheers,
jonni

Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 550D Firmware Update Version 1.0.9

There's a new firmware available for the 550D on this site.

This update...

"Fixes a phenomenon in which tone jumps become noticeable in some images, depending on the shooting scene, when shooting with the Auto Lighting Optimizer settings (Low / Standard / Strong)."

Cheers,
jonni

Canon 550D on the Delkin Fat Gecko mount

As a big fan of cool camera angles I had to try mounting the 550D to my car and shoot some clips while driving around.



There are many products on the market which make it possible to mount your camera to a car, bike, door or whatever. But after comparing all these products on the web I had to get the Delkin Fat Gecko. It is a really solid, small, cheap and reliable product. I got mine for 70 Euros which is about $90.

Here's a video of the Delkin Fat Gecko. I thinks it shows pretty well how strong this mount is (you don't have to understand the words, don't worry):



The build quality is almost perfect. I didn't expect to get a product with this quality when I ordered the Fat Gecko. It's pretty heavy but the adjustment screws keep everything in place all the time.

I tested it with my 550D, the 18-55 kit lens and a lens hood. The suction cups do their job very well. In the beginning I was sceptical and afraid that the mount could get loose, but after a few minutes I knew that there's really no reason to be afraid when using the Fat Gecko. You only have to make sure that your mounting surface is smooth and clean.

The only thing I have to test is if it works better with IS turned on or off. The clip above was shot with IS on all the time. But I tested it with IS off, too. Have to compare the shots.


My rating - go and get it. 5/5.

arigato gozaimasu,
jonni

Full Version of "The Bridge" by Marlon Torres

I just came along the very inspiring full version of "The Bridge" by Marlon Torres - and i HAD to share it! This was entirely shot on Canon 7D and 5DMKII DSLR cameras!

Check this link for more information.

Enjoy!

Favorite DSLR video sites

Just added some great DSLR related sites to my feed reader (after I deleted a lot of other sites) and wanted to share my favorite ones with you.

the site that let me fall in love with DSLR videos:

vimeo.com

the guy that made me buy a Canon:

philipbloom.net

the site that shows the greatest equipment:

cheesycam.com

other great sites:

learningdslrvideo.com

nofilmschool.com

chasejarvis.com

hurlbutvisuals.com/blog

ninofilm.net/blog

tomguilmette.com/wp

canon5dtips.com

digital-photography-school.com

dslrhd.com

visualrebel.com

eos550d.com

cinema5d.com

planet5d.com

hdslrshooter.com

dslrnewsshooter.com

dslrvideoshooter.com

prolost.com

canonfilmmakers.com

mydslrshow.com

nextwavedv.com

my little site:

jonnionhd.com

Hope you'll take a look at these sites. Let me know if I missed a good one.

Cheers,
jonni

Canon 550D underwater photo and video with the DiCAPac SLR Case

Since underwater cases for DSLR cameras are way to expensive for my budget ($1000++) I was searching for an underwater bag for my 550D and came along the DiCAPac SLR Case. It's a $115 (90€) bag for your DSLR camera which is meant to be waterproof up to 5m. It's pretty big so you can even put in a 7D or 5D if you want to. You can find even cheaper cases on ebay, but to be honest - I don't trust them. The DiCAPac case has a large optical lens with a diameter of 85mm, so you can use it with a big variety of lenses. And the quality of this glas is really good. I couldn't notice any light loss at all.

To keep this article short, here are the facts. After some tests I took a few underwater photos and shot some videos with this thing and it works! The quality is amazing! This is a product I can recommend without any doubt.

Here's a short video to show the abilities of this bag


But before you hit the buy button and get this thing you should be aware of some things. Handling your camera with this bag is really hard! You can fit 2 550Ds in this bag easily. I think it will work better with bigger cameras. Making adjustments during a shot is almost impossible. So you have to make all your settings first (even zoom and focus) and then start the shoot. Another problem I had was that my 18-55mm kit lens was way to small, so I had to push the tube for the lens against it all the time to avoid filming the inner side of the tube. But with some practice or by taping the tube towards the bag (or using a longer lens) you should get some really nice shots, even if this bag can't replace any professional case for your DSLR.

I can't wait to test this bag on a rainy day...

My rating:
price: 5/5
quality: 5/5
handling 2/5

Cheers,
jonni

Z96 dimmable LED video light - how to use it as a strobe (bug)

Shooting video at night without enough light is almost impossible. You can pump up the ISO which will result in a grainy image or use an extra light source. In case you are searching for a portable but still powerful light source for run-n-gun shoots you should take a look at the dimmable Z96 LED video light. Build quality is good, the light is very bright and also dimmable, you get 2 diffusors and a shoe mount to put it on top of your camera and it works with 5 AA batteries. If you need a bigger light source you can get more of these and stick them together. The LEDs on mine Z96 don't have the same color. Some are white, some purple and some yellow. But this doesn't affect the light at all.

Check this post on cheesycam.com for more information.

I was really happy when I got mine. Tested it with an AC adapter (not included) and it worked really good - I'm still using it as my desk lamp with the AC plug. But when I put some batteries in it I noticed that it started to flicker after a while. First I thought it was a problem with the LED light but then I realized it was because of my batteries.



So if you need a strobe (maybe for a music video or to simulate some flashes) - this is how you get the effect: simply take 4 fully loaded AA batteries instead of 5 and stick in another empty battery. Then twist the dial till you reach the brightest light (not at the end any more but somewhere in the middle) and adjust it slightly till the light starts to flicker. Once it started to flicker you can adjust the strobe speed by twisting the dial. For me this effect is reproducible, I don't know if it works for every Z96 LED light.

Hope this was interesting.

Cheers,
jonni