What if all camera companies made a cell phone?
So RED Digital Cinema is making a phone… What would happen if ALL camera companies made phones?!?
Canon – For 4 years web empires are built on speculating what the flagship phone will be and when it will launch. Riots ensue when a friend of a friend of a friend in the industry hears that it’s going to have a particle accelerator built in. Finally Canon announces and ships… a phone that would have been cutting edge 4 years ago. Still, the menu is nice and the buttons have advanced clickyness.
Nikon – Makes a great phone that has the prime selling point of being backwards compatible with the telegraph.
Panasonic – Announces and ships phone promptly. Phone has fantastic tech and is higher quality than most phones. Only it’s ½ the size and who wants a ½ size phone? No one. A weird niche of core users hack it and become able to travel through time.
RED Digital Cinema – Announces phone with an ad comprised of nothing but a black velvet nude Elvis painting and promises of teleportation. May possibly be able to make phone calls as well. Pre-order sells thousands in the first hour. Charger cable costs more than Canon’s phone. Ships without ability to make phone calls but will on a later firmware. No one notices or cares and is sold out for years.
Blackmagic Design – Announces a similar phone to Red for 1/3rd the price. Takes a year and a half to ship. Is both figuratively and literally a cinder block. Has more glitches than Red’s phone but includes a free paperback copy of Encyclopedia Britannica. Develops a cult following from people who are jealous of Red owners.
Sony – Already makes an awesome phone that no one really cares except that one weird guy in every office who swears by it. Makes 6 variants within the first week. mkXVIII version launches 8 weeks later.
Lytro – Actually makes and delivers a holographic phone but no one buys it once they realize a holographic phone is completely pointless. Their follow up phone is living room sized and sends criminals to the phantom zone.
GoPro – Makes a mediocre phone but pays NASA to let someone bungee jump off the ISS with it while fighting Godzilla. People lose their minds assuming owning the phone will let them do the same thing and they sell like hotcakes. No one remembers the Contour or Drift phones.
Leica – Paints Panasonic’s phone black and puts a red dot on it, doubles the price.
Hasselblad – One-ups Leica, puts a wood handle on a Sony phone, triples the price.
Samsung – Gets bored of crushing the phone market and makes a decent camera that no one really cares about. Tablets start catching on fire. Ditches cameras and goes back to making phones properly.
SIGMA – Makes a pretty good phone… but runs Windows, so no one gives a crap about it.
DJI – Makes a great phone, but the phones tend to crash frequently and each time require being sent back to the factory for a month for repair. Next gen has anti-crash technology. They still crash.
Fujifilm – Makes such a good phone that it’s totally sold out anytime people go to buy one so people just go back to buying Canon’s 4 year old tech flagship phone.
JVC – Makes a new phone with great ergonomics. People aren’t sure whether it runs Windows, Android or IOS so just go buy 4 year old Canon tech instead.
ARRI – Makes a phone with the best call quality on the market. Costs the same as a nice car and weighs about as much. Lacks the teleportation abilities of the Red phone, but is embraced by everyone who wouldn’t dare be seen talking on a Red.
Kodak – Basically invents the telegraph, telegraph pole and telegraph wires. Decides no one will want a wireless phone. Goes out of business in 17 seconds. Licenses name to selfie sticks.
Polaroid – Makes a comeback from certain death by printing text messages on square paper. Minds blown.
Summer Yardsale Clearout!
Hey Vancouver! We need shelf space PRONTO! All this stuff… It gotta go!!!
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Used Bargains
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20-120mm f2.8 Cinema zoom w Canon EF mount – SOLD!
650w “as Arri” fresnel – (3) SOLD!
Canon 5Dmk2 – $300 as is – Working but with hot/stuck pixels
Canon 7D – $500
Includes battery and charger. Selling because we need more space for Canon 5Ds R and 5Dmkiii bodies.
Canon 7D – SOLD
Metabones EF to MFT SPEEDBOOSTER SOLD
Panasonic HMC40 w. XLR adapter kit $950 Includes battery, charger, AC cable, 450hours
Panasonic AF100p – $1300
Zoom H4n – SOLD
Sennheiser MKE400 $100 as is – has a teeny bit of hiss so we are just going to flip it cheap. Includes foamie.
Generic Chinese HD-SDI HDMI 7″ monitor $495
Used 4-5 times, in great condition, Sony NP battery mount. Includes hood and AC power. Batteries available.
Comely Crane CC121 model – SOLD
Ikan “kinoflo type” CFL 440w – SOLD
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Nearly New Bargains
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(either floor demo models or something we bought and played with once to see if it was cool or not – all are effectively mint and effectively unused!)
Movcam Sony A7s cage SOLD
Lowel Lighting
Blender kit (light, stand, AC, case) reg $730cdn SALE $595cdn
G1 kit (light, battery, charger, AC adapter) reg $900cdn SALE $675cdn
GoPro Removu R1 SOLD
Vello Freewave Wireless Live View Remote SOLD
Drift HD Action Camera – SOLD
Steadicam (new in opened box)
Smoothee (both Iphone and GoPro models) reg $200. SALE $125cdn
Curve (red) SOLD
Tiffen Filters: (basically all new in opened box)
Imagemaker Fundamental 4×4 kit (ND.9 Promist 1/4 WTR/WHT Circ UltraPol) $395 (reg $500 at B&H)
77mm Digital HT ultra clear reg $95 SALE $65
77mm ND 3.0 reg $59 SALE $45
77mm Haze 1 $45 reg SALE $30
72mm Advantix ND 10 stop $182 reg SALE $129
72mm Axent ND 10 stop $59 red SALE $45
72mm XLE IR Apex ND 10 stop $294 reg SALE $195
Davis & Sanford tripods (all are basically new in box)
Pro Elite Tripod kit SOLD
Provista 7518 Tripod SOLD
Magnum w FX3 head SOLD
Vista w 3 way head $85
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Brand New Bargains
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(full factory warrany – we are a dealer for all of the following)
Steadicam Solo Vest/Arm kit (this doesn’t include the Solo itself) RED $1280…. SALE $780
Photoflex First Studio 250w light inc. bulb, umbrella & stand $170, 2 for $320, 3 for $450
Rode Blimp $349
Rode Videomic Pro $275 (MSRP is $380, save $105)
Konova K7 100cm slider (1 only!) reg $605 SALE $545
Konova K5 100cm slider (I bought waay too many) Reg $530 SALE $480
Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mic $479 (Save $100 over MSRP)
Cinematics 15mm rail system w. quick release base $185
Cinematics QR follow focus system w. hard stops $295
Cinematics 4×4 swing away matte box $440
Production slates/clappers $44.99
DOMKE bags:
NOTE: You may not have heard of Domke bags, but they are really the Mercedes of soft camera bags. Every time we sell one, I cry a little because I didn’t keep it. Yes, they are expensive… but 60 years from now your kids will be fighting over who gets it when you die.
J-Ledge Ledger in Black reg $@380cdn SALE $266cdn
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034946-REG/domke_j_ledge_cb_ledger_cordura_black_black.html
V-Image Image maker in Cordura Stone/Black $375cdn SALE $246cdn
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034960-REG/domke_v_image_csb_image_maker_cordura.html
700-30A F3 in Waxwear Brown reg $156cdn SALE $125cdn
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/697106-REG/Domke_700_30A.html
701-83A F-803 satchel in Waxwear Brown reg $156cdn SALE $125cdn
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/592387-REG/Domke_701_83A_F_803_Waxwear_Camera_Satchel.html
J-Chron Chronicle in Ruggedwear Black reg $456cdn SALE $345cdn
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034940-REG/domke_j_chron_rb_chronicle_ruggedwear_black_sand.html
V-Direc Director in Cordura Stone/Black reg $320cdn SALE $245cdn
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034961-REG/domke_v_direc_csb_director_cordura_stone_black.html
M-Cross Crosstown in Ruggedwear Black $233cdn SALE $175cdn
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034951-REG/domke_m_cross_rb_crosstown_courier_ruggedwear.html
A-Trekk Trekker in Ruggedwear Military $210cdn SALE $150cdn
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034959-REG/domke_a_trekk_rm_trekker_ruggedwear_military_black.html
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how to rig an Atomos Shogun 4k recorder to Sony A7s
It would be easy to say the Sony A7s is one of the best video cameras on the market but couple it with the Atomos Shogun and even the Blackmagic & GH4 fanclubs can’t argue. And sure, Sony will eventually release an A7s with 4k internal recording, but even then the quality won’t be near what you get out of this combo. So learn to love it is what I say!
Now, setting up the A7s and Shogun together is pretty straightforward, but here’s my preferred way of doing it (as someone who builds at least a couple different rigs a day):
1) Unless you pick the right mount for it, it’s going to be a clunky setup. Forget running a mini arm with 1/4-20 threads on a cage, because as soon as you shift the weight counter clockwise, it’ll unthread (unless you use Loctite which would be a hell of a commitment!) For ours, I played around with a few variations, but the one I liked is simply mounting it on a Manfrotto Sympla 15mm base plate with a nice solid 90 degree arm and mini ball mount. It lets me prop it up just above and to the side of the camera, perfectly visible but doesn’t interfere with the camera controls. The ball lets you swing it sideways if you’ve got an annoying director or producer who wants to snoop in on your work.
2) HDMI cables still suck but what do you do… When I set this one up, I only had a 24″ microHDMI cable, but if this was my personal rig, I’d buy one with 90 degree connections in the shortest possible length to minimize the cord dangling around my rig. I may be old school but I like cables out the right side of cameras, not the left where they get in the way of operation, so I’d probably tape them down to the rig/arm if it was my personal rig. I don’t really like the phone cord type cables that extend, as they exert a sideways force on the ports, causing extra wear and tear, I’d rather just buy different lengths. Once you’ve spent $400 to replace a port, you’ll probably agree with me. Note of course that if you’re on set, you’ll need at least 3 HDMI cables. The one you use. The one you use to replace the one you use when some chump snaps it out of the port and kills it. And the one you use to replace that one when it eventually dies and you forgot to replace the first one.
3) Sunshades and cages for the Shogun… I have a couple on order, and will be trying them shortly, until then, no opinion!
4) Batteries – I’m happy to continue using the Sony NP batteries on this. Mostly because I have dozens and the NP F970 provide a lot of power for not much buck, especially if you’re buying the high quality aftermarket ones. This seems to be one of the most common mounts for accessories these days, so it’s a reasonable investment. I’d avoid running any V-mount batteries unless they were a long P tap cable away from the monitor itself, simply in the interest of maintaining balance over your rig.
More to come as we keep working with this, but so far very happy with it! We’re renting it with a 480gb SSD and NP battery kit for $175 per day, which also includes HDMI cable and a mount to run it on whatever rail system you have.
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Sony FS7 rental camera review
Sony’s FS7 first was known as the FS700 mkII by the internet, but those rumours turned out to be false when it was revealed as a new camera altogether and more positioned as a little brother to the Sony F5. It’s rare that I get excited about a camera as most of them are so similar overall but the design form had me interested from the first leaked photos. While it isn’t a revolution, but it has done a very good job of liberating some of the best features of a lot of other cameras. Here’s what I like about it:
F5 sensor. Ok, it’s not the global shutter F55 sensor, but at this price point, I think we can’t complain.
Internal 4k. Technically, it’s internal UHD, but most people are going to call it 4k so I won’t nitpick.
High speed. 240fps at 1080 *MADE* the FS700. While the FS7 retains most of the high speed of the FS700 it also shoots 4k… er… UHD-60fps. That’s nice.
Viewfinder in the right place. Thank God Sony moved away from the rear LCD of the FS100/700. That was awful. This EVF is good enough for the price and allows some flexibility in positioning. Some people will complain, but at least we’re back in the right spot where you can operate it without a second monitor.
Ergonomics. Many cameras (looking at you Blackmagic) seem to be designed by someone who has never used one. In fact, I haven’t seen a camera with a layout I liked since the tape based JVC HD100. This style is a retro-leap for Sony, at least in this price range of camera, back to a pseudo-Super16-ish shoulder mount. For the most part, it works, depending on how tall you are. The control arm will feel too short for anyone over 6′ tall and you have to pull focus right beside your chin. If you got used to using the wacky ergonomics of a DSLR, you’ll get used to using this. At least you don’t have to build a shoulder rig just to hold it steady, though many people will prefer to use this with a rig, as with just the single handle, it will fall over if you try to sit it down with the arm out.
I can come up with a lot of little complaints, but I won’t as the reality is that this is probably the best camera on the market under $14,000… and it’s only $7,999. Given the specs and the price, I’d be very surprised if this didn’t turn into a legacy camera like the EX1.
Ours kits are available for $375/d including 2x batteries, charger, AC, 64gb XQD card & reader.
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Ursa vs GH4 vs Hero 4 – 4k rental roundup!
Blackmagic Ursa vs Panasonic GH4 vs GoPro Hero 4 Yes, we rent all three. No, besides shooting 4k, they are nothing alike in any way, shape or form, other than the very handy flip around LCD screen! However, it does make you realize what an amazing range of powerful cameras are on the market today, and how fast they are coming out. Go back two years and you could count the amount of 4k cameras on one hand. Now, even phones shoot 4k.
So, if you plan on making something future proof, at this point, 4k is almost mandatory. Almost… but not quite. The C300, FS700, A7s and others are still pumping out stunning 1080/2k video and of course your delivery method is still a factor. But, if you’re jumping into 4k, we’ve got you covered. And of course, yes we still carry Red Scarlet and Epic cameras, which now look tiny beside the Ursa.
You can find prices for all of these spread between the VIDEO and DSLR pages of our site. Technically the GH4 isn’t a DSLR, but looks the part so it goes on that page. Oh, and yes, that’s actually a Hero 3 (which technically shoots 4k), I had rented out of GoPro Hero 4 blacks when I went to take the picture, so had to improvise.
And if you’re looking to buy a GoPro Hero 4 Black or Silver in Vancouver, we carry their full line, including accessories, at very competitive prices.
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DJI Ronin Rentals Vancouver
We now how the DJI Ronin stabilizer for rent! Direct competitor with the Movi, the Ronin offers a great mix of ease of use, quick calibration, and best of all a very low price! And unlike some of the cheap competitors, it’s amazingly smooth, quiet and reliable!
Also, it has the benefit of being able to fly anything up to a Red Epic or Scarlet. Sorry Ursa fans, there’s no chance it’s going to fit.
You can find rental details and pricing on our GEAR page in the menu bar above.
While we don’t offer private instruction on the Ronin, we do offer a free half day at the start of any shoot for you to familiarise yourself with setup and calibration. And if you really love it we also have an option to purchase the DJI Ronin in Vancouver. Ask for details.
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Rokinon cine lens kit in rental stock!
We now rent the Rokinon Cine lens kit!
Here’s what we think:
“Rokinon (also known as Samyang & Bower) hands down make the best budget cine prime kit on the market. No, they aren’t as sharp as Zeiss or Canon cine primes, but stopped down a bit they get pretty darn close. And while the build quality isn’t as top shelf, you can rent the entire set of 4 for less than a single Zeiss CP2, making this one of the best lens bargains in the history of digital cinema.”
The basics:
-Kit is 4x lenses 14mm T3.1, 24mm T1.5 35mm T1.5, 85mm T1.4
-Canon EF mount (Sony adapters available)
-Industry standard 0.8 pitch gearing on focus/aperture
-“de-clicked” smooth aperture ring
-aperture and focus scales on side of the lens for ease of use
-hard packed in Pelican case
-full frame coverage
And the best part is you can get the entire set of 4 for $90/d, $135/ 2 days, and as cheap as $270 per 7 day week! Feel free to bring a camera body in the shop and we’ll let you try them out.
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