As one of its daily deals, B&H Photo Video offers the Sekonic Litemaster Pro L-478DR Light Meter bundled with the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport for Windows or Mac and the Sekonic Gray Balance Card, model no. 401-479CCPP, for $369 with free shipping. The light meter profiles camera exposure, calibrates meter to camera, and purportedly captures more accurate color and simplifies post-processing. It features a rotating dome head, 5-degree viewfinder, PocketWizard triggering, and wireless flash power control. The ColorChecker Passport acts as a white balance target, creative enhancement target, and color control target for post-processing consistency; the balance card enables reflected-light meter calibration. Deal ends today.
Canon USA has started a new round of mail-in rebates. These new rebates are on top of the recent price drops on various Canon L lenses. Mail-in rebates lasts until May 30, 2015.
B&H Photo offers the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport, model no. MSCCPP, for an in-cart price of $59 with free shipping (shows $99 on the site but add to cart for discounted price). It features a creative enhancement target, classic target, white balance target, camera calibration software, and protective case.
As drones become more and more popular, more are also popping up. The latest one to hit the crowdfunding scene is CyPhy LVL 1. LVL 1 is actually created by Helen Greiner who is the co-creator of the little autonomous robot vacuum known as the Roomba.
One of the features that makes the LVL 1 different from other drones on the market is the ability to stabilize the camera without a special gimbal. Other multi-rotor drones have to tilt in order to move. This creates swaying motion in the video which requires elaborate, expensive, and fragile mounts in order to stabilize.
Worse, because in these drones the camera— the most expensive part of the drone— is the closest to the ground, any hard landings hit the camera first.
Enter, Level-Up. This revolutionary technology changes everything. The drone never tilts, allowing it to snap perfect pictures and stable video every time. By eliminating tilting, the drone handles intuitively, with an unrivaled out-of-the-box experience.
You can also turn it off if you want to pull some maneuvers.
Thanks to its special shape, our LVL 1 simplifies aerial photography. There’s no complex, expensive stabilization mount or vulnerable camera. You’ll take stunning pictures with ease.
The built-in camera shoots 8-megapixels stills and 1080p video.
You can also put up Geo-Fences, which act as invisible walls that block the drone from going where it’s not supposed to go.
If you buy in now during the Kickstarter campaign, the drone costs $495. Unfortunately, all the early birds are sold out. Of course, that means you’ll be relying solely on your smartphone for controlling the device and will need to spend a solid amount of cash to get a real RC-style remote for the craft.
Don't like the white? For $1,000, you can get the Diablo-edition of the drone which is black and red, but you get a more high-performance version of the craft that includes upgrades like carbon fiber rotors.
More and more companies are releasing motorized stabilizers whether it be for DSLR, handhelds for smaller cameras or even the GoPro. One of the newest ones to hit the market soon, at least on the crowdfunding site, Kickstarter, is the GoPro-specific StabCam. It can be attached to any existing GoPro mount. As an added bonus, it can automatically track a moving subject.
StabCam is a 3-axis motorized GoPro stabilizer. Thanks to its motors and sensors, it will capture smooth videos hands free. StabCam has a GoPro mount, you can plug it on any GoPro accessory (helmet, suction cup, rod...). Since it works with a GoPro and its weatherproof, any accessory should also be. So you can use this in the snow or rain and it shouldn't be a problem.
Power is provided by a removable (and thus swappable) battery that's reportedly good for approximately two hours of pitch, yaw and roll-compensating action.
One of the new features that are starting to be included especially with drones is a follow me mode. This setting will lock onto a moving person's smartphone using the phones GPS and accelerometer to gauge where they are located. The StabCam will pan and tilt the camera in order to keep your subject centered in the shot. I personally would like to see this manually selected in the app without the use of connecting to someone's smartphone. I guess this would also make it more precise in terms of tracking.
Overview : Think of the Lens Flipper as a double sided locking lens cap with a strap! The Lens Flipper serves two purposes. The first is to carry an extra lens, and the second, to make it easy to swap out lenses. It makes a lens change quick, easy, and safe.
Features :
GoWing Lens Flipper for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E and A Mount Lenses
