By: Chris Collins

As a one-man-band DP or camera assistant it is extremely important to be ready for anything. A director may ask to place the camera in an odd overhead shot or you may need to rig a small LED light where the stand would be in frame. This cardellini-ballmount adapter will allow you to rig anything with a 1/4-20 thread (monitors, small lights, cameras) onto virtually anything.

I have used this cardellini 494 to rig a second monitor off the side of a handheld rig to pull focus; I’ve rigged an LED light from a tree branch; I’ve even rigged a camera to the handlebar of a hang glider and a BMW motorcycle. It has saved my ass on a number of occasions. It’s small, simple, and incredibly useful. I highly recommend adding an accessory like this to your kit. They are available at Filmtools.

By: Chris Collins

We’ve all been waiting since NAB 2010 for Red Rock Micro to come out with their iphone wireless follow focus system. While I still can’t wait to buy one, I had to go another route when I landed a job with Sesame Street which required remote focus pulling. I haven’t had enough time to play with the Jag 35 wireless system and a Preston was out of our budget, so the Bartech single channel RFD was the obvious choice.

I went in to Birns and Sawyer a few days in advance to put together a camera package, and I did some tests. Unfortunately, the M-One motor is extremely strong. I was using an analog unit, so there was no way to adjust torque. While everything ran smoothly on wide lenses, I noticed unacceptable image shift when using a Zeiss ZE 85mm. It turns out that the Canon EF mount simply isn’t strong enough to handle the motor’s torque. Therefore, I decided to step it up to the Zeiss CP.2 lenses which all have a 1/4-20 thread for lens support. Better support=no image shift and a happy production.

Here is a Quick Take on the Ultralight Control Systems Arm. This is one of the most stable accessory arms on the market. It has a very sturdy ball mount tie down and various size scaffolding to configure for any on camera situation. The one shown here has a Cardellini Clamp that will let you mount it almost anywhere to almost anything. It can be replaced with a hot shoe mout adapter for camera top use. This would actually cost a little less than the configuration shown. We picked up this one at Filmtools for around $200. Dig it.

Click here to check it out.

Here is a little Quick Take on set with the Filmtools three point suction cup car mount system. This really is one of the best systems for smaller cameras like DSLR’s. It’s only around $400 for the kit. A good tip when using suction cups on cars: use a little plastic wrap to prevent any marks from the suction cups. We had a rental, so we did not really care. We also were trying out the new Technicolor Cinestyle Picture Style that night. As you can see in the video the Cinestyle gives you more latitude than any of the other available picture styles for the Canon 5D Mark II. It was quite difficult to keep everything in focus with the Technicolor Cinestyle. The sharpness is turned way down as well as everything else. It is an Ultra Flat picture style. I think it is worth having on your camera as a great option for color correction in post.

We decided to create a little spec commercial to test out the new Zacuto Scorpion rig in the field. We only had it for the weekend and wanted to test it in the field. Technicolor also happened to drop the new Cinestyle Picture Style for the Canon 5D mark II. So we decided to to check it out at night. We also wanted to test out the Filmtools three point car mount. We rented a convertible from Budget for around one hundred bucks, we found our lovely talent Lindsey hours before the shoot and headed to Downtown LA for some night car footage. We were lucky enough to get the location for twenty bucks and used it as base camp. The Scorpion rig was very comfortable and ergonomic. I did not have to take it off once during the shoot. It really is the best DSLR rig I have ever used. The Technicolor Cinestyle picture style adds quite a bit of latitude for the shadows and the highlights. We learned a lot on this little spec shoot.

First: We learned NEVER to rent the Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible ever again. The lamest looking convertible to photograph in the world.

Second: We learned not too expect too much from a shoot that we literally put together in one day.

Third: The Zacuto Scorpion rig is ultra balanced and comfortable and the Technicolor Cinestyle picture style for Canon DSLR’s increases your latitude for both the shadows and highlights. This is truly a great tool for DSLR work that will be color corrected in post.

Here is the new Scorpion rig from Zacuto. This is the evolution of the DSLR camera rig. The handle is robust, the shoulder pad and counterweight keeps it perfectly balanced. The ball mount joint system really lets you fine tune the position of the front of the camera. This really is one of the best rigs I have seen for DSLR’s. The demo shown in the video is a prototype and may change before it sees the light of day. It can only get better.

Roman M France Shot this Quick Take. Check him out here.

Here is the new ikan iLED 144 on camera light. It has a ton of features that make it a great all around pocket light. The 144 iLED is Bi-Color and can be changed from 3200K to 5600K via a dimmer switch. This is a great feature in a small on camera light. It also has a battery indicator. This is another huge bonus with LED lights. They tend to flicker when the batteries get low and always ruin the take. ikan is stepping up their game with both the 312 and 144 iLED Bi-Color lights. The ikan iLED 144 Dual Color light will cost you around $350 US.

Here is a Quick Take video on the new Zacuto Electronic View Finder is one of the best I have used and currently kills the competition. The image rivals that of the Canon LCD. The 90 degree HDMI cable is the best on the market. We used it on set and it lasted all day on one Canon LP-E6 battery. We also beat the crap out of the HDMI inputs and could not get the image to flicker. This is one solid piece of equipment. The Zacuto EVF Snap retails for around $800 US and will be available in the Summer of 2011.

Here is a slightly soft video shot by Misa Garcia from JAG35. The Zacuto EVF is the best one I have used so far. The screen is killer. Better than the Canon LCD. The HDMI inputs are super solid. I beat the crap out of them for this video. Most importantly. The battery lasted all day long. We switched the Canon LP-E6 after 8 hours of use. We never turned it off. It goes from one red bar to  solid red battery icon when it goes down. I tend to push my batteries till they bitch and moan. This thing just kept on going. I went with the “Snap” version as I already have a 3X Zacuto Z-Finder Pro.

***Note: The Audio Is A Bit Messed Up. It Was Frankie Knuckles First Time And I Think I scared Him.

Here is a Quick Take on how to clean your camera lenses the correct way. I shot this in reaction to this video posted here on Light Stalking. There are so many things wrong with that video, I can’t even to begin to waste your time here. This is how we do it in Hollywood. I prefer canned air to the puff balls. I also recommend disposable kimwipes. There is less risk of adding dirt or dust with a fresh one every time. I also recommend using Pancro or any other cleaner that will not degrade the anti-reflective coating on the lens. Rosco is a cheaper alternative. The kicker here is that the cleaning fluid goes on the lens cloth, not the front element. A very light touch is all that is necessary. I prefer using a circular motion. A second hit with the air and off you go. It is not necessary to over clean the front element. The anti reflective coating will degrade on it’s own over time. Anything you can do to prevent that degradation will add value to the most important part of your kit. The lenses.