Rotating Banners

Review: GoWorx FreeRide Smartphone Phone Mount



Overview : Fresh off the GoWorx design table, the FreeRide Phone Mount transforms your phone into an infinitely versatile and mountable camera capable of shooting time-lapse photos, steady video, unique perspectives and anything else your creativity conjures up. FreeRide securely attaches to GoKnuckles and The Original Handle as well as any pole, suction-cup mount, tripod or any of the thousand other gadgets that hold a GoPro HERO or traditional camera. Whether using your phone for POV video, rigging up your smartphone as a GoPro camera display or adding a second perspective to your video production, the padded, vice-like clamps secure your phone so you can capture quality footage with the camera you already own.

Features :
  • Three-fin mount and included thumbscrew let you mount your smartphone (with or without a case) anywhere you can mount a GoPro HERO camera, unlocking the creative potential of your smartphone.
  • Included ¼-20 universal tripod adapter lets you mount your smartphone to any tripod or traditional camera mount built for a point-and-shoot or DSLR. With your phone on a tripod, you can finally utilize its powerful camera by capturing quality, shake-free video and truly stunning photos.
  • FreeRide works seamlessly with other GoWorx designs, including the skate-ready Original Handle and internationally acclaimed GoKnuckles.
  • Vice-like design fits any smartphone between 56.5mm and 86.5mm wide (2.2 to 3.4"), including all Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy models.
  • Top screw locks down clamps to ensure a solid hold during rowdy, in-motion skate shots.
  • Soft urethane rubber pads grip your phone (with or without its case) and prevent scratches from the mount itself.
  • Impact-resistant polycarbonate and precision-machined 304 stainless steel provide a long, adventurous product life regardless of use in saltwater, freshwater, snow, mud, dust or black Hawaiian sand.
  • With the GoPro® Smartphone App and a little ingenuity, the FreeRide lets you rig your smartphone as a touch-screen display to view and control your GoPro HERO camera in real time.
  • The FreeRide also enables secondary video perspectives when using your GoPro as the primary camera during your next video project.
  • With the FreeRide, a dashboard mount and your favorite map app, your smartphone becomes a removable GPS to guide you to your next skate or wave session.


Deal: Dolica Proline GX Series 65" Tripod



Amazon offers the Dolica Proline GX Series 65" Tripod, model no. GX650B204, for $52.99. Clip the $5 off coupon on the product page to cut the price to $47.99 with free shipping. It features a ball head, 4-position leg angle adjustment locks, and non-slip feet.


Deal: Photo Magazine Bundle 1-Year Subscription



Discount Mags offers a Popular Photography Magazine 1-Year Subscription (12 issues) bundled with an Outdoor Photographer Magazine 1-Year Subscription (10 issues) for $23.95. Coupon code "DEALNEWS" cuts it to $7.99.

Note: You can buy up to three years at this discounted rate.


Deal: Lowepro Vertex 100 AW Backpack



B&H Photo Video offers the Lowepro Vertex 100 AW Backpack in Black, model no. LP35018, for $99.95 with free shipping. It measures approximately 12" x 10" x 17" and features capacity for up to a 14" laptop, water-resistant zippers, all-weather cover, adjustable glide-lock system, removable tripod holder, and padded and adjustable lightweight harness.


Deal: Lowepro Pro Runner x350 Rolling AW Backpack



B&H Photo Video offers the Lowepro Pro Runner x350 Rolling AW Backpack in Black, model no. LP36146, for $99.99 with free shipping. It measures approximately 13" x 11" x 18" and features a weather-resistant 600 denier square rip-stop polyester exterior, removable, padded inserts with adjustable dividers, all weather AW cover, hideaway tripod mount, sliplock attachment loops, rubber grab handle, spring-loaded trolley handle, and padded shoulder straps.


Spider Holster SpiderLight Hand Strap Coming Soon



We have been a huge fan of the SpiderPro Hand Strap. One of the things we wished for and I'm sure many others as well were for it to be able to work with smaller cameras. Well your questions have been answered! Spider Holster will be releasing a SpiderLight Hand Strap for smaller camera bodies like Fuji X-T1, SONY a7’s/7II’s, Olympus OMD to name a few.


Features:
  • hand in and out easily and quickly
  • works with any tripod
  • s-curve shape puts your hand in a perfect shooting position
  • easy access to your camera controls
  • super quick to get on and off your camera
  • nice and sturdy
  • includes adapters for compatibility with all leading mirrorless cameras
  • feels great and looks beautiful
The Kickstarter campaign will go live early 2016 but no indications as to what the price would be. If you want to be notified when the Kickstarter campaign goes live, sign up here.


Continue reading for more information and be sure to follow us for any updated information. We'll have a full review when we get our hands on one.

What are the differences between the new SpiderLight Hand Strap and the SpiderPro Hand Strap?
The Pro hand strap is designed for large, heavy camera bodies with big lenses and flashes. The new Light hand strap is specifically designed for smaller camera bodies like Fuji X-T1, SONY a7’s/7II’s, Olympus OMD to name a few. As good as they are, these cameras DO NOT have enough room for your hand (and certainly not enough room for a comfortable hand strap!).

The new Spider hand strap adapts to smaller/mirrorless camera bodies with a genius solution never conceived before – “smart” adapters that will allow your hand to comfortably hold and securely handle your camera.

No more slippery hands, no more fear of dropping your cameras. It is the freedom of taking pictures everywhere, on the go.

What’s it made of?

The outside is crafted from a proprietary material that is extremely strong and flexible, allowing it to “remember” the shape of your hand. The inside is lined with a soft quality foam, covered with a velvet skin, making the hand strap super-comfortable while resisting excessive sweating.

Will there be colors?
Available trim colors will be: Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple and Black.



Review: Peak Design Slide Summit Edition Camera Sling Strap


Review Peak Design Slide Summit Edition Camera Sling Strap

Overview : Slide™ is the most versatile professional camera sling strap in the world. Wearable as a sling, neck or shoulder strap, Slide™ is made of 45mm tubular seatbelt-style webbing with internal padding. Slide™ has aluminum quick-adjusters and our patent-pending Anchor Link™ quick-connectors. Comes with 4 Anchors and 1 Standard Plate for attachment.

Choose from the following styles, which were chosen by Peak Design customers/fans and Kickstarter backers:
  • Tallac: Keep Tahoe Blue. Inspired by Mount Tallac in South Lake Tahoe, this color pallet mixes a classic navy strap with silver anodized hardware and dark caramel leather accents.
  • Lassen: Liquid hot magma. Lassen Peak is one of two volcanoes that erupted in the continental US in the 20th century - the other is Mount St. Helens. Lassen features a red strap and heritage tan leather accents.
Both of these straps feature the same features and specs as the classic black Slide strap:

Features :
  • Works with any camera: attaches to any camera's strap loops or tripod socket using included ARCA-compatible tripod plate.
  • Ultra versatile: wearable as a sling strap, shoulder strap or neck strap.
  • Quick-connecting: attach and detach with one hand using our patent-pending Anchor Link™ connection system.
  • Grip or no grip: smooth on one side and grippy on the other, and instantly reversible depending on your preference.
  • Ridiculously comfy: Internally-padded webbing is low-profile and comfortable even with the heaviest of pro cameras.
  • Tripod compatible: compatible with most ARCA-type tripod heads.
  • Quick-adjusting: quickly adjustable with durable aluminum quick-adjusters.
  • Super strong: strong enough to hold the heaviest of pro cameras/lenses/accessories.
  • Use with Capture®: works stand-alone or with the Capture® Camera Clip.
  • Lifetime warranty on all parts


Deal: BigOrder Portable Flash Bag Case Pouch Cover



We happened to stumble upon a case for your flash on Amazon. The flash pouches that come with the unit itself is somewhat flimsy. The pouch on Amazon provides additional protection and a small section to hold a stofen diffuser or even extra batteries.

  • Easy to take along with. (speedlight and battery is not included.)
  • Small slot inside can take batteries and other small items.
  • Protects your precious flash.
  • Helpful assistant accessory when you are out.
  • Made of Nylon.
It's fairly reasonably priced at $18.

*UPDATE*


We just found another pouch that is in black with a slightly different compartment setup for the batteries on Amazon. It also seems that this case has a strap on the back to let you attach to your belt. This version is priced at $7.99.




Kickstarter: MagMod Introduces the MagBeam - Fresnel Lens Flash Extender + MagMasks



Today, MagMod has just launched their 3rd Kickstarter project. The newest item they are launching is called the MagBeam along with MagMasks which requires the MagGrip (check out our reviews). Within 96 minutes of launching (182 backers), they have met their pledge goal.

The MagBeam is the most unique, versatile, and totally awesome fresnel lens speedlite flash modifier ever created for photographers.

What is the MagBeam?
The MagBeam is a revolutionary new fresnel-lens modifier that gives you increased power output, a killer beam pattern, and projection masks (gobos/cookies) that turn your flash into a pattern-projecting-thing-of-wonder. The MagBeam brings you ninja-style light shaping in a fast, easy, and simple package.

It comes with a Telephoto lens for a laser-like precision beam with 2 to 3 additional stops of light output.


Add a Wide Angle Lens and our custom MagMasks to project patterns, shapes, and awesomeness--anywhere you want.




We're looking to providing a full review of the MagBeam and MagMasks. Be sure to follow us and check back often.

Continue reading for more information.

Existing fresnel-lens modifiers:

Today, fresnel lens modifiers are kind of a rare-bird--especially for speedlites. The ones that exist are primarily made for wildlife photographers, and they come with their fair share of...annoyances.

For starters, they look kind of primitive. Literally, like two plastic sticks with a lens stuck to the end, or, like a bulbous box that takes up more space in your bag than your camera does.

They’re pretty flimsy, hard to get on, leak light all over the place and don’t inspire confidence. Laaaaaame.

We decided enough was enough, and we’re stoked to show you how MagMod kicked the fresnel lens up a notch. Meet the MagBeam.


The MagBeam
Magnetic Attachment

The MagBeam is the bees knees because it features our patented MagGrip design, which attaches the MagBeam to your flash in, well, a flash. And, once it’s on there, it's on like Donkey Kong.

With a single ninja-like motion you can attach the MagBeam and fully extend it all with one hand. No more fiddling or velcro-ing. Booya.


2 to 3 additional stops of light

Sometimes photographers need more juice from their speedlites, and the MagBeam is up for the job. It’s designed to give you up to 2 to 3 additional stops of light compared to your bare flash. This means more light at a greater distance, and your flash recycles 4 times as fast. Ya, its a big deal.


What else can you do with 2 to 3 additional stops of light?
  • Use a faster shutter speed with wildlife and bird photography for sharper photos. With 2 to 3 stops, you could go from 1/50s to 1/200s or 1/400s! That's a big deal.
  • Use a lower ISO speed to improve your image quality. Going from ISO3200 down to ISO800 or ISO400 is a huge improvement!
  • Place your flash further away from your subject -- this is especially helpful with photographing people outdoors, and you want to overpower the sun, but a bare flash doesn't cut it, so you have to bring your flash in real close. Move it further away for a wider composition!
  • Overpower sunlight for outdoor portraits. Sometimes you want that darker sky, but don't want to bring out a big, heavy, expensive flash to give you the power you want. With 2 to 3 extra stops of flash power, your sky can go from near-white, to a rich blue!
  • Turn your flash power down to improve your recycle times. You'll get more flashes, more consistently, in a shorter amount of time when your flash doesn't have work so hard to recycle its power, which means you'll capture more photos with better flash quality!
Sharp, multi-spotlight control!

When fully extended, the MagBeam + Tele Lens give you super-focused light with a harder edge, similar to a stage spotlight. Not to mention the 2 to 3 stops of extra output, the MagBeam delivers light shaping like you've never had before.


MagMasks are a thing of wonder

And finally--you might want to sit down for this one--its collapsible design isn’t just for portability. Collapse it down all the way, swap in a wide-angle lens and now you’ve transformed it into a pattern-projecting-thing-of-wonder. MIND. BLOWN.

What is MagMask?


You might know them by other names: gobos, stencils, cookies, or masks. Whatever you call them, they all basically do the same thing: 'go between' the light source and lens to create a pattern or shape of light.

MagMasks are our paper-thin custom-made stainless steel 'gobos' that 'go between' your flash and the lens in the MagBeam. When placed at the focal point (aka the sweet spot), this pattern is imaged through the lens and projected out where you want it to go. Sweet huh?


Combine a MagMask with our rigid MagGels and now your creative possibilities are endless. Seriously, how cool is that?!

Gobos have been around for decades, just like fresnel lenses, and are commonly used to project shapes, names, and patterns with constant light sources.

The MagBeam now brings you the same creative power, in an incredibly compact, slick, and easy-to-use product.

What can you do with MagMasks?

Oh we never thought you'd ask. Actually, we read your mind. It might be easier to ask "what CAN'T you do with MagMasks"?

Feast on these samples below:


What MagMasks are available?




Why 2 lenses?

Both lenses serve a unique purpose in shaping light like a boss. Think of it like having two prime lenses for your camera--one is to shoot wide, the other is for focusing on what is important.


Tele Lens

The Tele Lens is supplied in ALL versions of the MagBeam, as its application is more broad. It focuses light in a very tight beam, and increases total light output. Wildlife photographers who need that extra reach or recycling speed, this is the only lends you need.

For Portrait photographers who want a spotlight effect (tight, normal, or wide beam) with a harder edge, the Tele Lens is your go-to lens. And because the MagBeam collapses in 3 total stages, its like having a zooming spotlight in your pocket.

Wide Lens

The Wide lens is only used when you want to kick it up a notch with MagMasks. Its specific focal length is designed to image the MagMask pattern and project that pattern out to create super awesome stuff.

*The Wide lens is only used when the MagBeam is fully collapsed.*

What should you get?

If you only shoot wildlife, then the MagBeam + Tele Lens will keep you smiling, big time.

If you want to take your light to the next level with both spotlights and gobos, then the MagBeam Kit is the bees knees.

Like all of MagMod’s magnetic, modular flash modifiers, we’re pretty jazzed about the way we’ve transformed a formerly clunky design into a tool that makes awesome photography easy. We know you’re going to love how the MagBeam lets you SHAPE LIGHT LIKE A BOSS.

The MagBeam in a nutshell
  • Two to three more stops of light - The MagBeam’s special lenses collimate light (which is a fancy word for “making light travel in a straight line") that increases total flash output by 2 to 3 stops of light. This gives your flash greater reach when shooting distant subjects, or, brighter light when you need more than just your bare flash. This increased output also allows you to reduce your flash power to significantly increase recycle times. Ya, it’s a big deal.
  • Variable spotlight pattern - When fully extended, the MagBeam gives you super-focused light with a hard edge, similar to a stage spotlight. Collapse the MagBeam down one or two stages to create a wider beam pattern while retaining the beautiful shape and crisp edges. Finally, a Hollywood-style fresnel spotlight for speedlites.
  • Gobo-projecting thing-of-wonder - Collapse the MagBeam down, swap in a wide-angle lens, and add our custom MagMasks and now you’ve transformed it into a pattern-projecting-thing-of-wonder. MagMasks are our paper-thin custom-made stainless steel 'gobos' that 'go between' your flash and the lens in the MagBeam. This pattern is then imaged through the lens and projected out where you want it to go. Sweet huh?
  • Collapsible design is easy - With a single ninja-like motion you can attach the MagBeam and set it up all with one hand. The MagBeam’s collapsible design also makes it incredibly portable and easy to store, freeing up valuable space in your camera bag.
  • Magnetic, modular system - MagMod utilizes the invisible powers of magnetism to attach modifiers to your speedlites, completely eliminating the need for messy velcro, adhesives, straps and bands that all add complexity to your system. We make awesome photography easy.


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...