I would like to give you guys an update on some of the products we will be releasing very soon, They are being prepared for Anodizing! This is a process where the finish of the aluminum actually gets changed at the molecular level to protect and color the parts, it is what every pro Level piece of gear should be finished in. This is a First for us as we have been using traditional methods of fishing our products to save on time and cost. Even though we are still very much concerned with value when designing products we like to push the envelop and move up in quality of fabrication, All of our new products will be custom fabricated using aluminum, milled with CNC machines and finished in hard finish anodizing.
First I like to show the first pictures of the DSLR Accessory cage, Its really small and it wraps around the body of your 5DMK2 or 7D without adding too much size or weight to the rig but it will allow to mount several accessories at the same time like a Zoon HD4, an external monitor, or a microphone. In the front it has the ability to mount the super affordable D|Focus without the need rods. In its simplest form its able to be used as a handheld rig and also to be mounted to a tripod. If you need to use a mattebox, like the one pictured by Genus, you will be able to easily and affordably get a rod attachment and a pair of 6" rods just for the mattebox. Or you can get longer rods and configure the rig with handles and a shoulder pad for a shoulder rig. On the Top of the cage, you'll also be able to attach rod clamps to run a set of rods in both back to front or side to side configuration. Along with and to support the cage we will be offering our own line of very affordable 15mm rods in 6",12" and 24" Also our own handles and rod clamps, raiser blocks and many other cool stuff. We believe this system will be vastly configurable and will be be very popular.
Next, the return of the JAG35SP v2, this is in a whole different category than the v1. The case is now custom milled out of aluminum and again will be anodized black. The battery performance in this adapter is increased from the previous version and noise and optical performance is also worlds appart. Along with the adapter we will be offering affordable mounting solutions, for the very popular among our clients hv40 camera there will be a very simple and very affordable plate for support with out rails. There will also be a universal rods set for all other cameras including a cage to mount your camera upside down for a complete solution. Will be available in canon EF and FD mounts and Nikon and pentax M42 using adapter rings. If you'd like to be kept up to date on the SPs release please submit your email here.
Also in the very early stages of discussion are talks of making our very own affordable matte box, we are really exited as we think we have found a way to get this from concept to finish product in a couple of months. I'd like to thank Genus for creating such an awesome matte box, Currently i think its the best one out there, Some might think its a little pricey but for the features, craftsmanship, and performance we think this is priced correctly, and until we have our own you will see us using it and recommending it. Here is the Latest FreshDV review
UPDATE: Here is the first prototype we came up with, still needs a lot of work but here is what we will aim for, will be out of carbon fiber to keep super light weight, Will be able to use it as a shade, just screwed on the front of the lens or supported with 15mm rails. Will support french flag and side flags, one fixed stage for 4x4 filter and upgradeable to 2 stages 1 rotating and 1 fixed. Lots of work ahead of us.
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.
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
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.
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/
So the first long anticipated good news is about the 24p and 25p firmware update to the now famous and popular 5Dmk2. that's the good news, the bad, we'll have to wait until first half of 2010! that could be up to 8 months away, but hopefully sooner.
You can check out the source at FXGUIDE.COM
Second good news is the first firmware update to the just released 7D, it will fix the following:
Firmware update Version 1.0.9 incorporates the following fixes and improvements:
1. Improves AF accuracy during Live View shooting.
2. Corrects a phenomenon where in rare instances, movie
images shot by the camera may exhibit abnormal colors.
3. Corrects a phenomenon that at certain timings, the shutter cannot
be released when the camera's built-in flash or an external Speedlite
is used for shooting.
Download it here
Instructions to install it here
And lastly, the exiting anouncement of the Proffesional body, the 1Dmk4 with the following specs:
Key features:
World’s fastest AF continuous shooting performance at 10 fps (up to 120 shots in a single burst)
16.1MP Canon APS-H size CMOS sensor
New 45-point area Auto Focus (AF) system
World’s first professional DSLR to feature FULL High Definition movie recording
ISO speed range 100-12800 (expandable to L:50; H1: 25600; H2: 51200; H3: 102400)
Dual DiG!C 4 image processing
Live View shooting (AF mode: Quick, Live, Live Face Detection)
3-inch, fine detail Clear View II LCD screen (920,000 dots, VGA)
Seems this camera is the best in low light, and blows all the competiton out of the water. Vincent Laforet, Stu Maschwitz, David Nelson shot a short film to demonstrate the cameras ability to shoot with virtually no light and some of the worst lighting conditions they could find. You can see it here
NOTE: seems canon has asked the guys to take the video down for the time being, Hopefully it will be back up soon!
and you can read Vincent's Blog here
and you can find Stu Maschwitz here
Lot's of great stuff happening, even though we've been offline for a bit, we got a lot of really cool things coming up. Wanted to again apologize if we took a bit longer to answer all your emails, but I think we finally got all caught up, and we should be back to answering your emails within hours like before. We've been moving to a new location and things have been a bit hectic, while we relocate, plus our trusty DSL Service Provider here in Rancho, left us in the dark for about a week and half, so that really didn't help at all. Either way we're back, and we'll have some great updates for you guys very soon.
Check out the new video edit from the first day of our WEVA Trip to Orlando Florida, we had a ton of footage from the events there and the great people we met while visiting, but with all the stuff happening, we just didn't have the time to get thru any of it. This is just some clips of our trip as we traveled there.
If you've been following our tweets and blog posts lately, you'll know we've been out here in Orlando Florida for the 2009 WEVA convention. This has been our first expo, and we think it was a complete success. We met up with old friends we hadn't seen in a while met online friends personally for the first time and we made many new ones, that was the best part of this whole trip. Zacuto's Crew are some of coolest people we met, friendly and helpful and ready to share their vast knowledge about this industry and their awesome line of top notch products. What follows are some of the images taken during the week.
