I just saw on CanonRumors the press release of the 60D.

Here is the executive summary:

• 18 MP APS-C CMOS sensor
• Advanced creative features with Basic +
• Vari-angle 7.7cm (3.0”) 3:2 ratio LCD
• Full HD movies with manual control (same settings as the 7D)
• DIGIC 4
• ISO 100-6400, H:12800
• 5.3fps shooting for up to 58 JPEGs
• 9-point cross type AF System
• iFCL metering with 63-zone Dual-layer Sensor
• Integrated Speedlite transmitter
• In-camera RAW processing

Priced at about 1100$, it is probably going to replace the 7D as the second camera for a lot of shooters (and main camera for a lot of people too!).

Other than its attractive price point, I really like the vari-angle LCD. Its usefulness is very context dependent but for shooting from a tripod or steadicam device, it is going to be a life saver. Actually, I think it is THE feature that will make this camera a must have for a lot of HDSLR shooters.

We will have to wait for official reviews before calling it a 7D killer, but lets say everything looks like it since they share so many features.

Note: Canon also released a bunch of pro lenses, we will talk about these very soon.

You can get it (reservation) here from BH Photo or from Amazon
. Hurry up, I think they will sell quite fast!

I just saw on Planet5D a Red Rock Micro product announcement: the Nano rigs. Basically, these are small HDSLR rigs similar to the Zacuto Striker line but cheaper.

—Disclaimer—
I haven’t tested these rigs yet. Actually, knowning RRM order policy, it could take months before I do. They build everything in JIT mode (just in time) which basically means that once you place an order, it could take a while to get it. Here it is, directly from their web site:

Build to order
All products are product on a build-to-order process. You place your order and pay in advance, and we put your order into the production process and ship it to you when it is ready. This process allows us to minimize inventory costs, and helps us to provide the low prices to you without sacrificing quality.
I don’t know if things have changed, but I know some visitors contacted me last year telling me they had to wait weeks before getting their gear (many had to cancel their orders and moved to the Z store).

—End disclaimer—

So, let’s take a quick look at these rigs.

The LowDown

WTF? Do you really think I am going to trust a camera hot shoe to hold my HDSLR? Unless you are using one of the smallest HDSLRs, I would totally advice against this rig and even Canon says (somewhere that I can’t find for the sake of Google) that you should never hold your camera from the hot shoe! Have they tried it with a 5DMrkII + 16-35L?.

Also, from a usability point of view, I really wonder if they ever tested the rig outside of a studio photoshoot. The position of the handle is totally wrong! With the camera weight all in front of the handle, a lot of pressure is put on the wrist to keep the camera straight instead of pointing down. A few minute of this and your wrist is either tired or injured. Look at this model, does she look relaxed?

GripIt

The product description says:
The Grippit is a simple economical way to create added stability in a minimalist rig. A sturdy rubberized grip combined with the nano DSLR baseplate keeps hands off the camera and results in smoother video.

Do they test their products or what? How can handling your HDSLR in one hand increase stability? Don’t they know basic math: the further a point is from its center of rotation, the less stable it is. This rig put the axis of rotation about 6 inches off the camera. How could this be more stable than just holding the camera in your hand?

The only use I can find for this rig is for very small HDSLR that are actually lighter than the GripIt so it adds from weight to it.

Running Man

This one is actually ok. It looks like a simplified version of the Zacuto Striker with less adjustment knobs. I will have to wait until I get better pictures of the rig to comment.

Conclusion

You may think I don’t like RRM and you are right. My experience so far with their products has been very bad. The HDSLR revolution started two years ago and this product line does not offer anything new from a design perspective. To me, it looks more like a marketing push to increase sales than anything else. Come on! These are not real new products, these are just new packaging of already existing parts.

There is a reason why I don’t put RRM ads on my site, and I don’t think this article is going to help! If you see any bloggers excited about this announcement, you can bet they are building a relationship with RRM.

This week big news was Canon announcement of their wonder camera. If you have not see it yet, here it is.

You know what this reminds me of? Videos from the 60s saying everyone would own a flying car in 2000…

Some of the technologies highlighted in the video already exists and I am sure they are working hard on those that do not. Still, I believe it is all vaporware coming from Canon marketing department.

Think about it: why would Canon design a camera able to do everything in a single unit? We are talking here about a company that is over protective of its product lines and would rather limit customer options than cannibalize its sales. If you dont believe it, just think about where we were 18 months ago with Canon stalling the 5D  MrkII firmware to protect the video division. To make it happen Canon would have to merge the DSLR, point and shoot and video (pro and consumer) divisions under a single entity. Unless there is a big mentality shift at Canon, I can’t see it coming anytime soon.

Instead of this presentation, I would have preferred seeing one about Canon vision of what it coming in the next 3-5 years. Then again, CEO are like politicians, they only promise stuff that is going to happen when they are out of the picture.

Am I the only one wondering where is the 3D?

I will be reviewing Sonic Fire Pro soon,  until then, you can download the free Express Track version to play with it and get some single track for only 9.99$ (normal price is 30$ each). This is a great rebate and a good opportunity to stockpile tracks for the next year. Each of these tracks can be used in a multiple of ways which make them great value. Go take a look.

Sales end June 9.

What is Sonic Fire?

It is an audio clip editor that uses special smart sound clips to make editing easier. Audio clips automatically adjust to fit the desired duration and you can add/remove instruments or change the mood when ever you want while staying within the same track. In short, the perfect tool to get a good soundtrack when you dont know anything about scoring!

I am looking for someone to help me add content to the blog. This participation can take many forms.

I want to push this blog to the next level and could really use a hand to do so.

Compensations will be based on the level of contribution.

If you are interested, please contact me at: boss @ canon5dtips . com

EDIT: fixed a typo in the email

Wow, life can keep you busy.

Since I have been back from Iceland, I have been busy over my head and (unfortunately) had to take time away from the blog. Just to give you a rough idea, in the last few days I have: sold my loft, bought a house (and manage its construction), shot a video clip for a friend, manage the delivery of the Fader ND filters on top of all the baby related stuff (baby coming in less than 2 months!).

I have yet to edit my pics from Iceland but there is a sample of what I have selected so far. It is probably going to take a month before I have time to edit the clips I have shot there.

Iceland was a blast and I am working on a full article about it. It is hard to believe but these pictures were barely edited, this is really how things where looking up there!

The great thing about the NAB is that we will see a lot of new products targeted at the HDSLR market. The bad thing is that most of these wont be available for my trip to Iceland…

The first of these product is the HDSLR PowerBase 70. First, the picture:

Read the rest of this entry »

I never watched House, but I know a lot of people do. I am more the Flashforward type of guy. Anyways, I just found out that show director, Greg Yaitanes, revealed on twitter that they shot the season final with the 5D!

This is big. While Saturday Night Live used the 5D before as did some other shows and commercials, this is the first time the camera is used on a big TV production set that is watched by millions (afaik).

While we all know the merits of the camera, it has often been hard to sell its video capabilities to skeptics. Now, the next time someone says HDSLR can only be used for marginal jobs, we have a great show case to point them to.

Looking at all the tweets, I was surprised to see that they stayed with Canon lenses and simple rigs.

The episode airs on May 17th. And I will be watching it!

BTW, kudos to PhotocineNews for spotting this!

M. Bloom is a funny guy and what I find even funnier is to see that some people fell for it.

I have to admit, for the first few lines of the article I was thinking ‘wow, cool!’, then my reality check said ‘wait a minute’ and as I went  down the post, it was clearly a joke. My favorite part is the ‘beer goggles’ filter!

And if you think that I am wrong and M. Bloom is all serious, maybe you should have read until the end…

Good one Philip!

While there are a lot of shoulder mounts and follow focus available on the market, the options regarding viewfinders are quite limited. Everyone I know love their Z-finder and those who dont have one wished they did and complain about the price.

Well, the Z-man listened and thanks to pressure from competitors (LCDVF anyone?), they just came out with new iterations of the product divided into two product line: the Jr and the Pro. The differences are explained in the chart below (taken from Zacuto web site).

First thing we can notice is the change in z-finder to camera attachment. The new system looks much stronger and will probably give more confidence to those who were afraid of the clip system used in the first system (which never gave me any issues). Zacuto also added a lens tube production boot and cap which is a great idea since I had to design one on my own.

I hope to put my hands on one of these soon to give you a side by side comparison with the existing model.