A while ago, we announced that the BeachTek DXA-5D was discontinued and confirmed that a new version of the product would be out ’soon’. Soon in this case sounds like the end of February /March. Just got an email from BeachTek announcing these:
| DXA-5Da | Feature Comparison List | DXA-SLR |
| $329 | US List Price | $399 |
| February 25 | Available | March 30 |
| Passive | Circuitry | Active |
| no | Preamplifiers | yes |
| no | Phantom Power | yes |
| yes | Dual Channel | yes |
| yes | AGC Disable Feature | yes/enhanced |
| yes | Headphone Monitoring | yes |
| LCD vu meter | Level Meter | good/peak indicator |
| no | Playback Monitor | yes |
| polycarbonate | Chassis | aluminum |
| wireless mics | Ideal for | wireless mics |
| self-powered condenser mics | virtually any microphone | |
| mixer interface | mixer interface |
I know a lot of people prefer to use en external recording device such as the Zoom H4n
The conference was not over this afternoon and I had already received a few emails and SMS from friends telling me how great of an external screen the iPad could be. And now even Philip Bloom talks about it.
I am currently downloading the iPhone SDK3.2 to investigate the possibility but if it is doable, I am not the one who will do it! Way too complicated!
M. Jobs might call the iPad a magic item, transforming the iPad as an external monitor would require massive coding skills. Why? You would have to port the Canon desktop SDK to the iPad which is near impossible unless you are Canon and have access to the source code. OnOneSoftware did it for the iPhone with their DSLR Remote app by using a little trick: they use a computer as a proxy so they could piggyback on the existing Canon API. The next part would be to resize the feed in real time so it fits on the iPad screen, something I doubt the iPad has the CPU power to do. So you see, it is not really possible in the current context.
It is too early to tell, but one thing is for sure: if it is possible, it will be done! The market for such a product is too big for a developer to ignore! And who knows, maybe the solution will come directly from Canon! (wishful thinking!)
By the way, I am looking for a cocoa/Objectif-C dev for a totally unrelated top secret project…
Finally, someone realized that pressing the start/stop button is a pain when using a shoulder rig. While Red Rock Micro already has a solution to this problem, it is not elegant or practical since you have to place the remote in front of the camera. The solution proposed by Switronix is better (since you can position the remote at the back of the camera), yet not perfect. Before going further, lets look at their press release.
NEW FLEX DSLR Remote from Switronix Inc.
January, 27th 2010
Rockville Centre – NY: Switronix Inc releases the FLEX DSLR Remote. The FLEX is a patent-pending, handle mounted DSLR remote unit that triggers HD video start and stop recording for Canon 5D/7D. The FLEX’s unique gooseneck arm houses an optic to be positioned within line of sight to the remote sensor on the Canon cameras (transmits up to 1m away, 135deg spread). Once positioned, the remote transmits a signal through the optic when the button is depressed.
The arm can be extended up to 12″ and coils down to approximately 3″ in diameter. The FLEX’s all metal construction will standup to the everyday rigors of HD DSLR video production. Max clamp diameter 1.5″. Powered by 2 included AAA batteries. The FLEX DSLR remote will have a street price of around $150.
Shipping week of 2/8/10
For more information Visit: www.switronix.com
150$?
Yes, that is a little steep and it does not look super ergonomic to me. While I applaud the idea, I hope someone comes up with a more refined solution. Actually, I know someone who is working on a similar issue: me!
Should you get this?
Unless there is a use case I did not think about or you really have to position the camera in an awkward place, I think it would be better to wait and see what the competition is coming with.
Came back from the electronic store yesterday and got these parts. Anyone guessing what I am working on?
It is with great pleasure that we introduce our new sister site: the Canon5dTips Market!
What is it?
It is a place for you, the users, to publish ads for gear you want to sell and for prospective buyer to find gear at great price. It is mostly targeted at Canon cinephotographer but you can post gear from any brand. As long at they are related to HDSLR.
How much does it cost?
It is free!
Why use this instead of a forum?
By using various fields to gather the relevant information, we hope to make it easier for buyer to find the gear they want. And if it is easier for the buyer to buy, it will be easier for the seller to sell! The structure we use to publish your ads also maximize their visibility toward Google and other search engines.
Any cool features to help sellers?
To increase products visibility, randomly selected ads will be places it in the sidebar of Canon5dtips. This mean over 1000 people will see the ad every day. If that isn’t giving sellers all the visibility they can get, I don’t know what it is!
What about features for buyers?
They are coming…
I don’t have anything for sale and already have all the gear I need. Anything I can do to help?
Of course! A market place is only as its popularity. So please, spread the word: Tweet about it, talk about it in forums, Facebook it, etc… The bigger the site grows, the easier it will be for you to buy/sell gear when time comes!
Anything else coming up?
Yes.
Final word
I know the system is not perfect, yet, but I am working on some improvements to come in the next few weeks. If you have any cool idea, please contact me.
Canon announced the release of a new file transmitter earlier today. We talked about the earlier version of the product a while ago when reviewing the iPhone application DSLR Remote. At the time, everyone agreed that the WFT was nearly useless for 5DMrkII owners because of its slow transfer speed.
That is why I was quite intrigued to see Canon releasing a newer version of this aging product. You can read the full press release here but here is a summary:
- uses 811.a,b or G no N! This is a big let down. Sorry Canon but a G network cant handle a trigger happy event shooter! Like with the previous version, the camera uses the CF card as a buffer and send the files over the air as fast as it can. Which is ridiculously slow when you think about the card filling rate of cameras like the 5DMrkII and 1DMrkIV!
- easier network setup: finally, a lot of people complained about the setup of the previous product. Nice to see improvement in this area.
- FTP/server mode: allows photographers to connect to the camera with their browser and directly download files from it. Notice that I did not say pictures but files. We we can get video and stills. It also allows the users to control the camera from their browsers. We dont have details about the resolution of the liveview feed but if it is good enough, maybe a laptop could be used as a wireless camera monitor! Then again, lets not get too excited, I am sure the resolution will be 640×480 or lower…
- EOS utility: similar to server mode but uses ESO utility instead of a browser.
- Camera linking: allows you to remotely trigger a bunch of camera when you take a picture with the ‘master’ camera. I see this as being of marginal use, unless it can also be used to start/stop movie recording. Then it would be incredibly useful in a multicam setup.
- USB Host: For me, this is the big thing. A USB connector allows you to plug a GPS or.. a USD hard drive! I can clearly see myself use this with a G-raid Mini
and shoot all day while never having to worry about data security and filling my cards! Lets hope the USB plug is sturdy enough so the cable can hold.
- Presentation stuff: plug-play into some presentation stuff. Seriously, who cares?
And now the price… 700$ Is it worth it? Unless you really need one of its features (like the USB host), I think it is wise to pass.
As most of you know, news products generally mean new firmware coming up soon too! Lets all cross out fingers and whisper 24p/50p!
Canon announced a new Canon 70-200L2.8IS lens today. Rumors of this update must have been a hot topic for the last 3-4 years, out lived only by the rumors of the 24-70L2.8IS. While it is not the most useful lens for videographers, it is the central item of most photographers gear list.
This new incarnation benefits from a new IS system for an additional stop of stability (for a total of 4 stops, like the F4IS version), reduces the minimal focus distance by a few inches and improves durability and focus speed. All of this while increasing its weight by about 1% (20mg).
Optical elements have been changed to increase image quality, which is the key point for me. Ever since I saw sample images from the new Nikon 70-200VR2.8, I was jealous and wondering how Canon would react. Of course, no one has seen any sample pics taken with this lens yet so we cant really comment about it. We can only hope they are on par with those from its Nikon nemesis.
Will it be worth an upgrade? I don’t think so but it will surely be a nice acquisition for anyone who does not already own a 70-200IS (either model).
On the minus side, the lens will only be available in April and I guess Canon will take the opportunity to increase the price, as they did with the 24TS-E.
Note: thanks to Scott Bourne at Photofocus for pointing this news out. The press release is not yet on Canon US /CAN website.
Last weekend, I had to opportunity to participate in the production of a small movie entirely shot with a 5D. We had a lot of gear to play around, including a SmallHD DP1 field monitor.
It was my first time shooting with an external monitor and it quickly became a key item on the set. As you can see in the picture below, the camera was installed inside the car and it was near impossible to focus by looking at the LCD. Also, the director had to stay at the back of the car so the monitor was very useful for him to see the actual composition and the actors performance.
I guess that most of you guys never heard of ShapeWLB. They are a small Canadian company that builds rigs mostly for pro video camera and are now entering the HDSLR market. They rigs are stable, functional and very affordable. They offer various models but the one that interest us the most is the Sumo II (pro or not).
Read the rest of this entry »
D-Focus came up yesterday with a new innovative product: it is a camera plate with an adjustable arm to install a follow focus. Dave calls it the DFocus DSLR mount.
This is a genius idea! This little gadget allows you to use a follow focus with small rigs like the Zacuto Gorilla series without upsetting too much the rig center of gravity.
I have yet to try it out but, from a requirement perspective, this is the product I have been wanting for a while without even thinking about it. No need to carry my indi rails and camera plate anymore!
On a side note, I guess it means I will have to revise my post about the 350$ follow focus rig now. The price got slashed almost in half!
My only complain so far: it should be called the DFocus HDSLR mount…
You can order it here
