The New Evolution of Pan and Tilt Motion Control – eMotimo

TB3 Black

The prize for the Best Timelapse category in the APA 2^nd Annual Short Video Contest http://tinyurl.com/apavideo is the eMotimo TB3 Black.

Having all the photography toys in the world isn’t going to help a mediocre photographer become great. Put the right equipment in the right hands, and amazing things can happen.  eMotimo crafts the highest value multi-axis motion control head available. Specializing in repeatable, 3-axis moves for both video and timelapse applications, the eMotimo TB3 is affordable (starting at $799.00), portable, and ridiculously easy to use.  On a mountaintop, or in studio, eMotimo makes professional capabilities like moving time-lapse, repeatable motion, and precision moves part of your arsenal.

eMotimo is proud to sponsor the Timelapse portion of the 2013 APA Short Video Contest. In fact, we’re thrilled! Coming together to share ideas and content is something we value highly here at eMotimo. We see this contest as an opportunity to learn and grow as a community. We can’t wait to see what you come up with and we are excited to hear your suggestions for new tools to empower you in the field.

We are confident that this competition will generate stunning results and start some great conversations! Hard work, experimentation, and the willingness to push past the norm, are qualities we try to embrace at eMotimo.  We will be looking for these qualities in the Time Lapse category.

TB3 stands for “The Box” 3-Axis.  It is the next evolution of the eMotimo Pan and Tilt motion control heads. The TB3 has a milled aluminum head with new geometry. It is strong, lightweight, and it puts the pan-axis nearly on-node with most cameras to turn a heavier setup.  You may easily add an additional stepper motor to the powered AUX Step port on the side of the TB3 to get 3 axis moves.   Additionally, it has a configurable I/O port that allows for 3rd party solutions.

Interested in winning a TB3?  Check out APA’s 2ND Annual  Short Video Contest for 2013 at www.tinyurl.com/apavideo.

Plasticase NANUK Cases for the Ultimate in Protection

The prizes for the Best Overall, Best Comedic Short, Best Audio and Best Spot News/Editorial Feature categories in the APA 2^nd Annual Short Video Contest are the Plasticase NANUK 940 and 945 cases.

plasticase NANUK 940

Plasticase NANUK 945

The super tough nylon construction ensures your precious items remain safely inside the Plasticase NANUK 940 and Plasticase NANUK 945 cases no matter where the journey takes you.  The waterproofing seal used in all NANUK watertight cases is custom designed to fit our products. The seal is designed to resist deformation and fatigue, ensuring a long lasting watertight seal.  Easy open PowerClaw clamps keep the case tightly closed using compressive force while the integrated slide lock prevents the case from opening during transport or when dropped. Every NANUK case come equipped with two padlockable hasps moulded directly into the case for superior strength. All models have integrated lid stays molded into the hinge that keep the case lid open when you need it to stay open. No more pinched fingers.

NANUK durable protective cases are designed to protect the most sensitive equipment in the harshest environments. Whether transporting your gear through the unforgiving Amazon jungle or across the planet’s most punishing terrain, every detail of NANUK durable hard sided cases has been refined and perfected to offer the utmost in protection and performance. From our high-impact NK-7™ resin to our PowerClaw™ latches, NANUK equipment and industrial cases have been engineered and manufactured to stringent military specifications to surpass the needs of the most demanding users. These virtually indestructible, lightweight, protective watertight cases offer the ultimate grade of protection in a variety of sizes, configurations and colors.

More information at http:www.nanukcase.com

Glidecam Smooth Hand-held Video Shots

The prizes for the “Best Motion” and “Best Overall” sponsored by Glidecam – HD-4000 and XR-4000 respectively in the APA 2nd Annual Short Video Contest.

Whether your running up and down stairs, circling the bride or traveling over rugged terrain, The Glidecam hand-held stabilizers are the ultimate production tools that deliver the highest production value to cost ratio of any products in their class.

Each HD-4000 Stabilizer and XR-4000 Stabilizer offset, foam cushioned, Handle Grip is attached to a free floating, three axis Gimbal.  This allows your hand to move up and down, and side-to-side, thereby isolating your hand’s unwanted motions from the camera.  This up and down movement alleviates the bouncing, pogo type action often associated with our competitor’s system because their handle cannot move up and down.  This design feature, coupled with the overall higher inertia of the HD and XR-Series systems, produces superior award winning stabilization when compared with our competition.

Glidecam XR-4000 stabilizer

Glidecam XR-4000 hand-held stabilizer

Glidecam is presenting the XR-4000 hand-held stabilizer a lightweight, hand-held camcorder stabilizing system designed for compact and full size cameras weighing from 4 to 10 pounds to the winner of Best Overall category.

Glidecam HD-4000 hand-held stabilizer

Glidecam HD-4000 hand-held stabilizer

The Glidecam HD-4000 is the prize for the Best Motion and is the number one selling Hand-Held Stabilizer in the world today and offers advanced features and a degree of sophistication never before seen in a line of Hand-Held Camera Stabilizers.

Interested in winning one of these hand-held stabilizer?  Check out APA’s 2ND Annual  Short Video Contest for 2013 at www.tinyurl.com/apavideo

Pegasus the Versatile Slider Dolly

Pegasus-carbon-slider

The prize for the Best Commercial/Promotional category in the APA 2^nd Annual Short Video Contest is the Cinevate Elements Camera Slider Bundle.

The words I hear most often to describe the Pegasus dolly are versatility, creativity and fun.  We all know that moving the camera gives a feeling of presence and higher production value. As a kit, it has what you need for many shooting solutions for the independent filmmaker.

The Elements Bundle  is lightweight and easily handled by one person.  The Pegasus is easy to set up either as a slider dolly or a tabletop dolly.    The Pegasus dolly uses steel ball bearings that run smoothly along 15mm carbon rails making for a lightweight but sturdy slider.  The design allows the unit to be inverted on the rails for overhead shots that can add a unique moving viewpoint to many subjects.  Once you unhook the dolly from the track, it becomes a tabletop dolly that can perform both straight and curved dolly movements.

The kit includes an All Terrain foot system but can also be mounted using adapter plates using 1/4-20 and 3/8 (my favorite) threaded holes or 5/8 holes for  lighting stands.

For more information please go to www.Cinevate.com

I Can See Clearly Now

Hoodman Custom Finder Kit

The prize for the Best Spot News/Editorial Feature category in the APA 2^nd Annual Short Video Contest http://tiny.url/apavideo is the Hoodman Custom Finder Kit.  With Custom Finder Kit, Hoodman solves one of the persistent problems we have in viewing the LCD screens while shooting video on our HDSLR. As a professional photographer owning Lee White Photography, I have also shot video for over twenty years.  I have found few things more problematic than dealing with bright conditions and needing to see what the LCD is telling me.  I want to clearly see what my framing is without guessing and that is exactly what the Hoodmanloupe provides me.

The Custom Finder Kit consists of the H32 Hoodloupe with a +3 diopter adjustment and a 1/4 20 mounting solution that attaches to the base of the camera.  The base plates are custom milled with anti-twist bars, handstrap slot and camera sling attachment point.  For more information, go to www.hoodmanusa.com.

To find out how to submit to the APA 2^nd Annual Short Video Contest and to read the fine print, please go here. The contest is open to APA and all creative content creators.

CROSSING OVER FROM STILLS TO VIDEO

The prize for the Rockin’t It People’s Choice category in the APA 2^nd Annual Short Video Contest is the Redock Micro Crossover Kit.  With The Crossover Kit, once again Redrock Micro has put together just what a photographer shooting video needs.  As a professional photographer owning Lee White Photography, I have also shot video for over twenty years.  I have found few things beat well thought-out professional equipment.  Shooting video sometimes takes specialized equipment not usually in a photographer’s kit.  The Crossover Kit provides just such equipment.  I have used the various parts that make up this kit and found them indispensable at times.  This is a great starter kit for those getting into video.

The Crossover Kit starts with a choice of base plates, either the DSLR Baseplate, microRRS or lowBase which holds the 15mm support rods.  15mm rods are industry standard so you will be building a very adaptable set. The final piece of the kit is the microMatteBox which controls the glare and gives you two full-size rotating stages for most filtration plus fits virtually any size lens or camera.  For more information, I suggest you go to http://store.redrockmicro.com.

To find out how to submit to the APA 2^nd Annual Short Video Contest and to read the fine print, please go here: http://tinyurl.com/APAvideo. The contest is open to APA and all creative content creators.

Redrock Micro Crossover-Kit

Show Us Your World In Motion

APA 2013 Short Video Contest

American Photographic Artists (APA) just announced their 2^nd Annual Short Video Contest.  All creative professionals are invited to “Show Us Your World In Motion”.  Below are details of the contest and a link.  Just think there are over $15,000 in cash and some of the coolest video industry prizes.

More than that, every entrant is a winner because Smartsound.com is going to give every entrant a free album of their music and Sonicfire software to edit the music.

“The career of a photographer is all about telling stories. We know that many of you are actively engaging in shooting video/motion.  Clients increasingly demand that photographers are adding video as an integral part of their services offered.  APA wants to spotlight your talents directly to our extensive subscriber list.  This is a great opportunity to showcase your talent to the most respected decision makers in the industry.  And, our judges include prominent industry professionals, even more opportunities for you to get your work seen.”

“Beginning April 8^th we ask you to submit up to three videos between one and five minutes each. The contest closes on May 26^th at 5PM Pacific Standard Time.  Winners will be announced on June 11^th.”

“There are over $15,000 in cash and prizes including $500 cash and prizes from Adobe, Agency Access, Chimera, Cinevate, Controlled Vocabulary, Dripbook, Glidecam, Hollywood Camera Works, Hoodman, ikan, indisystem, RedRock Micro, Resource, Roberts Imaging, smallHD, Smartsound, and Think Tank Photo.   In addition you can win bragging rights and become an award winning Video Director overnight in one of several of the fifteen categories being awarded.”

“To find out how to submit and to read the fine print please go here: http://tinyurl.com/APAvideo . The contest is open to APA and all creative content creators”.

Check it out I think you’ll want to enter.

To UV Or Not To UV

As a advertising and editorial photographer that shoots both in the studio using strobes  and on location using the sun I am covered in UV.  What I mean is that both light sources emit large amounts of UV.  Since, I have been a professional photographer for over thirty years, I started my career shooting film.  It was popular and useful to use a UV filter when shooting film.  Film is sensitive to UV, digital sensors are not.  So the possible carry over of using a UV filter is needless in this age of digital photography. So the answer is Not To UV.

This hold true for shooting digital video as well as digital still photography.

Inexpensive Video Production and Halloween

What this Halloween taught me about storytelling and video production.  Horror movies are often said to be the cheapest movies to make.  If you look at the production values, just about any location will work, dialog can be simple (good screamers are a positive) and lighting should be kept to a minimum for what you don’t see is scarier than what you do.

All of this was reinforced for me this Halloween. My wife and I were very busy in the week leading up to Halloween this year, including the day itself.  We were late getting home and the kids were already circling the neighborhood as we arrived.  My wife, who loves Halloween to the point of giving out full size candy bars, ran inside to get in costume.  I was left to hurriedly put up a few decorations to attract the kids to our somewhat hidden front door, it requires you to go around a fence so it is not oblivious from the sidewalk.  After stringing a few lights and setting up a few noisy animated ghosts I realized there needed to be a more direct approach.

Having no time to dress in my usual “scary” costume, I simple put on a black hoodie and stood stooped over by the sidewalk.  I had my head down so you could not see my face and saying nothing, slowly, repeatedly pointed up the path to the front door.  I was astonished at the number of trick or treaters that were scared.  Not being able to see my face and the potential of some other action by me was enough to freeze many of them in place.  Even some of the teenagers were unwillingly to cross the 10 foot gap between me and the fence to get to the front door.  All of this showed me once again that the viewer’s mind is your best ally in storytelling.  Set the viewer up in the right way, let them fill in the gaps and you will have a much scarier movie with no need for expensive special effects.

Red Giant Acquires Singular Software

Red Giant software just announced it has acquired all of the Singular Software products.  This means that the PluralEyes, DualEyes, CloudEyes and Presto plug-ins will now be Red Giant Products.  But never fear as Red Giant has also brought on board the entire engineering team and should release the PluralEyes 3.0 for MAC as scheduled  this summer.  Red Giant is continuing to supple the industry with smart software solutions.

For more information about Red Giant software go to: www.redgiantsoftware.com