In light of the approaching new year I would like to discuss some of the new products that we have in the works of for all you hdslr users out there. I know, many still think these devices are not true serious video shooting cameras because all of limitations they have like Odd shaped form factor, aliasing, flash banding, rolling shutter and so on. But to those who think in such way let me just say that everything has limitations, consider Film for example: Outrageously expensive, needs tons of light, 24 fps not good for fast action because of strobing, film cameras don"t record audio, and need large crew to operate, and the list keeps going. With a list like that you would wonder why anyone would even think shooting on film, but the answer is always because the image was well worth all the trouble. The same goes for todays new HDSLRs cameras, the image they produce is well worth all the trouble and in this coming year we will see a lot more productions using them whether is for TV or the big screen, 2010 is the year we will see the release of motion picture shot on HDslr. Don't believe me? read this: The tale of Lucasfilm, Skywalker Ranch, Red Tails, Star Wars and Canon DSLRs on a 40 foot screen!
Anyways back to topic, because this is the future and we want to be part of it we will be releasing new products for this market, earlier this month we launched our new DSLR section and we plan on expanding this section to include more than the few products we currently sell there.
We like to think we have started with some of the best products like the H4n Redheads, Zacuto's Z-finder, The super affordable D|Focus and the New Affordable LCDVF And some of the best training DVDs for getting you up to speed on How to get the Film Look out of your new camera body.
And the most exciting part is still to come, we are working on a camera accessory cage for the 5Dmk2, 7D, and the new 1Dmk4, We are shooting for a sub $200 price. You will be able to securely attach things like external Monitors, microphones, sound recorders, and follow focus gears. We plan on releasing it the first half of JAN. 
Also Because so many JAG user are moving to HDSLRs and they will be needing lenses which unfortunately are so expensive, we have decided to offer 35mm lens rentals at 35mmrentals.com The site will officially be launching later this year as soon as we figure out insurance stuff for all this equipment, we plan on offering EOS lenses and bodies first and then expanding to Nikon lenses and bodies.
We also have started VDSLRuser.com a forum we will post all our ongoing projects and hopefully others will start joining and sharing.
I thought i give you guys an update on the spinner, Last we saw of it was here in this thread back in august, thats 4 months ago. 
It seems like ages, because so many things have happened, we've been so busy. But things are finally falling to place here in our new location. So work on the spinner picks up again, and with good progress too, At this point we have completely redesigned it to simplify it and eliminate so many of the problems it had. At the top of the list was noise and vibration. Because the old design used an off center motor and pulleys and a belt drive eliminating noise and vibration turned out to be harder than we though.
We were fortunate enough to find a smaller motor that now will allow us to directly mount the gg into it, all without changing the overall size of the adapter, which by the way its as small as it can be.
Also to further eliminate the noise we decided to mill a custom aluminum case for it, which will also add strenght to the structural integrity, and it will make for a more pro looking device. 
Originally we thought of just making a rectangular case but because we are making it from scratch we decided to give it a design that would better work. This is how it currently looks like:
So the spinner is alive, and looking better than ever, and the good news is that we plan on pricing it very very competitively, as it will most likely be the last 35mm adapter that we design. Who knows where this whole HDSLR revolution will take us, and we dont really know how many and for how long you guys will remain loyal to the old 35mm adapter. But as long as the interest exists we will have a jag35 for you.
!Update!
Just got the Newly and freshly machined parts for the JAG35sp V2, they look awesome, only a few adjustments and we will be ordering a production run. I am happy to say that it's looking like we'll be able to keep its price $300ish.
Jan 28 Update
Parts for first 50 units arrive!! Exciting times.
The only way that's gonna happen is if you would have placed your order two weeks ago. At this point, there's absolutely no way we'll get an adapter to you before Christmas if you place your order this week. Sorry about that, but there's just no way.
As much as we'd like to gain on our list and ship everything out to you guys today, it's just no possible, we're doing our best and working as fast as we possibly can, but with the holidays rush everything seems to be going slower, so getting our parts has taken longer for us too, so bear with us, as we try and get everyone's order in a timely manner.
I found a great post on HV20.com forum posted by Matt Bornstein. I guess he was previously using a static adapter, but because of the grain produced by the static focusing screen, he had abandoned the idea of shooting video with adapters, to the point that he wasn't getting much use of his video camera anymore. After deciding to get a Jag35Pro which includes a Vibrating GG Focusing Screen, he went out and these are his first test shots with it.
This is straight footage with no grading. He shot this using a Canon HG20 and a Jag35Pro w/ 40mm Achromat and a Nikon 50mm f1.8
Just recently one of our clients Matt Stapleton sent over some of his video clips he created using one of our Jag35Pro adapters. It's always to see what our clients are doing with their Jag35 adapters.
I wanted to point out Matt's footage, simply because it stood out to us. Nice colors and very crisp focus. You can tell he took the time to fine tune his setup, by making sure he was focused to the GG Screen, it's the only way to get images like these.
He shot his footage using a Sony HDR-SR11 with a Jag35Pro w/ a Canon FD 50mm f1.4 Lens.
One of our clients Luke Dejoras shared his video test with us. We don't get too many people showing us their footage shot with Jag35 adapters and much less with Jag35E models, I thought this was some very nice very contrasty images he captured.
He shot this with his Canon HG10 with a Jag35E and a Canon FD 50mm f1.4 Lens.
Jehu made a short clip long ago, to help our clients with the initial setup of the Jag35 adapters on your camera. This was supposed to be one of many to come, however, right away,
we were so overwhelmed with questions and orders, that we haven't gotten around to making more. I hope we get a chance to make more, simply because it helps answer emails. At this point, I wouldn't even know where to start, so if you guys wanna give us suggestion, what sort of issues would you like to see a video clip of, you can post your comments below.
Lots of you have been asking if we plan on having any holiday specials. So we have decided to offer a limited edition Static adapter. We are practically giving it away as its the cheapest adapter you can buy, anywhere. You can't even buy the parts for the price were offering it. How can we do this you ask?
Well because we have been doing this for a while and our designs have changed, then some of the parts of previous designs were no longer needed so they sat in a box collecting dust. So instead of discarting them we though we would put them to good use, there is nothing wrong with those parts apart from not working with current designs of our adapter line. All optics are new and these have never been used before so your not getting a second hand adapter here or one that does not perform better than production units, it just looks a little different on the outside. One advantage I would like to mention is that this limited edition static is the first to be offered in an EF mount, so if you are one of the many that are starting to move VDSLRs then EOS lenses might alredy be in your camera bag, so why not put them to use with your video camera?
These will be produced on a limited basis, We only have enough parts to make around 100 of them, and we will be offering them on Friday Nov. 27 and in the month of December. We are not sure how long they will last but once gone then the price of the static will go back up to normal. The limited Edition JAG35ST will be selling for $69 + S&H and you can find it here: http://jag35.com/limited
*Note: We got a message from one of our clients that tried using the Jag35ST Limited Edition w/ his Canon HFs100 model camera. After testing this ourselves, we realized that the Canon HFs series is design a little different than most other cameras, and since the lens sits far back in the barrel, our Limited Edition Jag35 adapter won't work with this setup. Our Regular Jag35ST adapter works fine, but not the Limited Edition. Sorry we didn't catch this earlier.
Problem:
We have been offering a nice little product called the D|Focus, which is basically the most affordable follow focus system out there, starting at $100. It's a great fit with our very affordable Jag35 adapters because of the price. However, one of the things we lacked was a Lens Gear Solution to go with this system. There's a few lens gears out there, but we found a couple of problems with most solutions. Price mainly, and flexibility.
Solution:
Design by Dave came up with an amazing little design that fixed most issues we had with other lens gears. A one size fits all gear that utilizes interchangeable tension legs to firmly grip any size lens.
Design:
The design consists of a one size gear which ships with multiple length interchangeable contact legs that will fit any lens at any diameter all the way up to the bigger 400mm lenses.
Price:
As an on going trend for us here at Jag35, we continue to provide affordable solution for aspiring filmmakers, so we'd like to offer these at the very affordable price of $30 which will include all the different size contact legs.
They are on sale now, and have started shipping this week. CLICK HERE
For the story behind how Dave came up with his design read his blog here
Video on how to set it up:
Shooting video today has very quickly morphed into a new and exciting way to share memories or communicate your ideas as well as promote and express yourself artistically. With the introduction of HD cams and now DSLR's with full HD video capabilities it's becoming more and more accessible for any one to jump on board this form afford-ably.
With the change in technology, new shooting techniques have evolved and the way you approach your projects will also vary because of the new equipment. To help you get up to speed quickly, Philip Bloom along with Den Lennie of The F-Stop Academy have developed 2 DVD's which will go into detail about learning Cinematography using the most popular DSRLs with video capabilities, 5DmkII & 7D
Acclaimed digital film making guru Philip Bloom reveals the exact techniques, cheats and secrets he uses every day to create incredible films in this packed DVD that will transform the way you shoot video in less than 90 minutes.
Scott Bourne Said:
The hour plus production covers things like recommended lenses, how to set the camera to shoot video, using matte boxes and follow focus and how to avoid rolling shutter. There’s also a fairly detailed explanation of Bloom’s suggested workflow. As long as you use Final Cut Pro and the 5D MK II you’ll get plenty out of this tutorial.
Scott Bourne Said:
I have also been granted access to the Canon 7D version of this tutorial. By the second time around Philip seemed to really hit his stride. I feel like the 7D version was more cogent and flowed better. There is some information that is common to both titles. The 7D title is a bit more up-to-date. I don’t know its release date or price but I feel very comfortable recommending it. 7D version is 10 out of 10!
Read the full review by Scott Bourne: Click Here
A while ago i came across a tutorial on how to remove the aperture clicking out of your fd lenses, this makes them more suitable for video work, almost like a cinema lens.
Click here if you can't view above
I know we've been testing out a lot of DSLR cameras, and shooting video with them, however, we haven't forgotten about all the Jag35 users out there.
We're actually looking for some of your videos shot with the Jag35 adapter to feature on our home page. If you have a video or have come across a great video online either on youtube or vimeo that you think would be worth checking out, please send us the link, we'd love to feature them on our home page. You can either post a comment below, or send us an email to jag35pro@gmail.com, either way it's fine.
Can't wait to check out some of your videos!
So you've got your 7D on your hands and it shoots incredible pictures and even better looking video So what else do you need?
Ah yes, lenses. If you've been shopping for lenses then you've probably noticed that because your new 7D has a APS-C sensor, which is smaller than full size (24mmx36mm) there is a crop of 1.6x (sometimes called focal length multiplier), So for example if you have a 50mm lens, on your 7D, after the crop factor it becomes 80mm.
On the long end it's great because your $1600 70-200mm lens now becomes a $4300 112-320mm f2.8 lens, without adding cost, weight, and size. But where it hurts is in the wide end, my awesome 16-35mm f2.8 is not as wide as on my 5Dmk2.
Canon doesn't make many wide angle lenses and the ones it makes do cost a lot of money. So if you're looking for a wide angle lens for your 7D there are several available options, so first lets look at canon's full frame lenses:
EF 14mm f2.8 L USM x1.6=22.4mm sells for $2200
EF 15mm f2.8 Fisheye x1.6=24mm sells for $700
EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM x1.6=25.6-56mm sells for $1600
These lenses are great, top quality and versatile as you can use them in full frame and on crop systems, problem is they are not cheap nor very wide, best value there is the 15mm fisheye, but not everyone likes the fish eye look. You can also look at canon's EF-S line they are somewhat more affordable, but keep in mind that these only work on the smaller APS-C sensor bodies, so if you were to later upgrade to a full frame model like the 5Dmk2 you would not be able to use these lenses without seen massive vignette on your image, and it seems you might not even be able to actually mount EF-s on full frame bodies.
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 x1.6= 16-35.2mm sells for $760
EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS x1.6= 24-136mm sells for $800
EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS x 1.6= 27.2-88mm sells for $1060
EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS x 1.6= 27.2-136mm sells for $450
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS x 1.6= 28.8-88mm sells for $180
EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS x 1.6= 28.8-320mm sells for $600
Sigma makes one lens that would work:
Sigma 18-125mm f3.8-5.6 x 1.6= 28.8-200mm sells for $340
Tamron Also makes a good Wide lens:
Tamron-17-50mm f2.8 x 1.6= 27.2-80mm sells for $450
Tokina lens:
Tokina AF 11-16mm f2.8 x 1.6= 17.6-25.6mm sells for $600
And Finally a Wide amongst Wides, The very affordable and very wide Opteka lens:
Opteka 6.5mm f/3.5 x 1.6= 10.4mm sells for $290
Now this lens is awesome Not only is it super Wide, but at only $300 bucks you cant beat it. I will be writing a review on it very soon as I just received my copy, here it is sitting on my desk:
Quick Shot of my Shop at JAG35 HQ
And the Garage, Soon all those racks will be filled with tripods, lenses, DSLR bodies.
So if dramatic effect is what your after and just how wide is the deciding factor, here is how they rank:
Opteka 6.5mm f/3.5 x 1.6= 10.4mm sells for $290
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 x1.6= 16-35.2mm sells for $760
Tokina AF 11-16mm f2.8 x 1.6= 17.6-25.6mm sells for $600
I remember buying an anamorphic lens for or DVX100 camera a few years ago in the search for more resolution. The idea is that if you bend the light of a 2.35 aspect ratio image to fit into a 4:3 sensor, then stretch it to the 2.35 aspect ratio on post, then you get more resolution because you'll end up using the entire sensor instead of just cropping the top and the bottom of the 4:3 image.
Well turns out these lenses are still around and some people are saying, Why not?
Stu Maschwitz from 'Pro Lost" Has posted some sample videos of footage shot using a 7D and 50mm f/1.4 lens. Mounted to that with a stepper ring is a Iscorama-Anamorphot 1.5x-54 (Isco-Göttingen) anamorphic lens.
Update: The folks at hunterhrichards.com posted this video shot on a 5dm2 + lomo roundfront anamorphics
As many of you may already know, I am a big fan of Philip Bloom. I have been following his work since early on as i started researching 35mm adapters, and because he has many videos explaining 35mm adapter things, I used to keep up with his updates. Had a chance to meet him at this years NAB show back in april, and got to see him at work a month later when he shot a video to introduce panasonic's GH1.
Then in September we had a chance to hang out and hear the F-Stop conference in Orlando FL at the WEVA convention. At this time we also had to chance to shoot the behind the scenes for the F-stop Academy's 7D video trainnig DVD
So this past week Mr. Philip Bloom was back in SO CAL so we caught up with him in Venice beach and we had a chance to hang out, chat and meet other Bloom fans and friends, including Rodney Charters ASC, DP of the tv show 24. All in all there was about 30 of us that showed up, had a great time meeting new people and we even got to shoot a little video that I'd like to share with you.
David Alrich from designbydave.net shot this video while there:
Philip Shot this the following day, a fourth of his "People" series:
One of the guys there had his rig that included a giroscope to help stabilize it. You can info on it here
Some people have asked why a 35mm adapter Maker would blog about a DSLR cameras like the 5DMk2 and the new 7D, after all they are without a doubt the start of the death of 35mm adapters aren't they?
Well, the answer is yes, and no,
YES in the fact that this cameras are already affecting adapters sales, not so much JAG sales yet as we are on the low end but I can imagine the mid price adapter sales must be slowing down. This makes sense because for many that are buying a product for the first time going the video camera plus 35mm adapter way is actually more money than just buying a GH1 or a 7D with a kit lens.
And NO because a lot of people already own part of their kit and only need to expand on it so buying a 35mm adapter is more affordable than buying a whole new set up, for example say you already have your beloved hvx200 and granpa left you a set of nice nikon primes in the attic, getting an adapter opens up the shallow depth of field world to you and you don't have to give up the ability to shoot good audio and sequences longer than 12 minutes, so you get more for way less than buying a whole new DSLR system.
But the reason I use and blog about this cameras is that they are the future, they shoot amazing video and they do it JAG style, and by that I mean, that they are to a certain extent affordable, they are small, light and they help you shoot everyday life, all things that were on top of my list while designing the JAG35 line of adapters. This is the reason I believe a large percentage of JAG users will eventually migrate to some sort of DSLR in the near future. And by having used and played with these systems as they are coming out, hopefully I could post useful stuff to all once JAG35 users and everyone else interested in using DSLR cameras for video use.
So should you get a DSLR right now? Should you throw away your hv40 and get a 5Dmk2? Well It all really depends on what you'll be using it for. You need to keep in mind that DSLR's still have huge limitations like a 12 minute continous recording time limit, poor sound recording capabilities, No auto focus, and you will need lots of lenses to match what you might be used to on your video camera's built in lens. Also keep in mind that although the camera bodies are relatively affordable, good lenses cost a lot of money, So for example if you buy a canon body like the 7D you'll be spending about $2K but if you want the matching canon glass that goes with it, you will need another $8-10K for a set of fast primes as the good ones almost cost $2k. Of course you can always rent them or use older nikon glass found cheaply on ebay, but trust me eventually you will want modern quality glass to go with your amazing DSLR body. Bottom line is, if you can afford to buy one and all the add on accessories that will help you work around its limitations then go for it. Just do keep in mind that at this point it cost more to switch to a DSLR than to just add an affordable JAG35 adapter to your existing camera. Of course this will not always be the case as prices keep coming down and more manufacturers come out with video capable camera bodies. We currently live in very exciting times for digital video with all the coming products that are just in the horizon.
Ok if you're like me, and you are self thought in using FCP and every other app you use to create video works of art, then you might like me, be used to staring at those 3 color wheels, and scratching your head. I've tried messing with color, but not really understanding what it is that i need to do I've decided that its just best left alone. Well today I've come across a video that helps understand what it is that you're supposed to do with applications like the very popular "Magic Bullet looks" and "Colorista". The video is in tutorial form and is done by none other than Stu Maschwitz who is the co-founder and chief technology officer of The Orphanage, a visual effects company in California, He has worked as senior visual effects supervisor on several films, and he previously worked at Industrial Light and Magic.
Stu also regularly writes posts on his "Pro Lost" Blog. Here is the Video:
So after watching everyone turn all these cool time lapses with their new Canon 5Dmk2 and 7D's I decided to give it a try. Having some free time on my vacation was really helpful, as doing time lapses or learning to shoot them is time consuming.
So here are the basic things you'll need:
1-DSLR body most any will do, in my case I used a 5dmk2 and a 7d
2-Good lens, any will do but for a good dramatic look, wide angle lenses work best. I used a 16-35mm f2.8L canon.
3-A good tripod, some people will tell you that you need a real true fluid head tripod for video work, if you can afford it, get one, but for time lapses, all you really need is a sturdy tripod that wont move around easily by wind. I used a Manfrotto 756B legs with a 701HDV head that costs about $300
4-And finally a good Timer controller. Canon Has the TC-80N3 for about $140 but I bought a cheapie ebay knock off for $40, worked good for me, not sure if the canon has more features.
If you'll be doing a daytime time lapse then you'll have to set exposure in your camera like you normally do, you can even do auto if you'd like the results, sometimes the camera does a good job exposing correctly. So once you set your framing and exposure then you connect the timer controller and dial in the right settings.
There are 4 main settings: Delay time - Bulb Time - Int. this the time between shots and finally the amount of exposures or pictures.
For daytime timelapses these settings worked for me,
Delay = 0
Bulb = 1
INT = 5
Count = 399
Keep in mind that I was on a moving Ship most of the time so longer exposures and longer times between pictures would not work, longer exposures would create too much blur and longer times between pictures would speed the movement of the ship too much.
For night shots the the settings looked pretty much the same with the exception of the bulb time, this is the time the shutter remains open. For long times I set my camera to Bulb setting and set the remote settings as follows:
Delay = 0
Bulb = 2
Int = 5
Count = 399
Again, keep in mind that these settings were needed because of the moving platform I was on. Longer Exposures will generally give you better results at night and longer times between pictures will speed slow moving objects like stars more, when played back a 24fps. And so after playing with this for a couple of days, this are my first time lapses ever.
If you wanna learn more about what to do once you have your pictures read Philip Blooms blog, I followed his technique here: http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/10/18/tutorial-on-how-to-turn-your-dslrs-stills-timelapse-into-video/
