Varavon Slide Cam Lite 800

One of my favorite video equipment to use is the camera slider. This particular piece of equipment allows you to do smooth panning shots of your subject. It also gives your videos this professional look that big hollywood production companies have. Nowadays that video is so popular that almost every video camera is cheap and on almost all mobile devices, the equipment that they used back in the days to produce professional looking videos has gone down in price. The rigs, lighting, and even the camera sliders are now affordable for everyone.

I needed a slider for a small production that I was doing so I decided to look for one online...and there were a ton of choices. There were different types from different manufacturers. There's basically 2 types...the friction ones and the bearing ones.

Frictions camera sliders usually just use friction to move the camera plate from one side of the slider to the other. They have lubricated rails to make the camera plate slide easily. They are usually cheaper but the cheaper brands don't have the smoothest action. In video where every movement of the camera counts, this smoothness of motion has to be put into consideration to produce professional looking videos. So I was thinking friction based camera sliders are good for the value but I'd rather pay a bit more to get the smoothness that I want.

Bearing camera sliders use bearings to produce smooth, flawless motion from side to side. The camera plate usually just glides giving it an almost perfect motion. I looked for the best value in bearing camera sliders and I found the Varavon Slide Cam lite series. I decided to purchase one.

I purchased the Varavon Slide Cam Lite 800 which is the 32" version of the slider. The 24" version might be too short for me so I decided to get the next longer one. Varavon is a popular company that produces video equipment. From rigs to jibs and everything in between. I've read that the Varavon sliders have very good quality so I decided to just get one.

The slider came in a few days later and I was pretty happy about the package. The box included a bag for the slide, the slide itself with the adjustable legs, a lubricating device for the slide, a set of allen wrenches for the tension adjustment, and it came with a free focus adjuster for lenses.

The construction of the slide is very high quality. The screws, the mounts seem like they are machined to very strict tolerances. Everything just fits perfectly. It feels really sturdy too, I wouldn't try it but it seems like it can take the abuse of being carried around in the set or outdoors.

The slider action is VEEEERY smooth. This is why I never regretted spending a bit more dollars in getting this instead of a cheaper slider.  The camera mount is very light to move around...although you can adjust the tension using the allen screws at the bottom of the camera mount. You can also tighten the stopper on the side of the camera mount to stabilize the mount while you attach a camera or a tripod head to it.

The bottom of the slider has 1/4 and 3/8 sized screw holes for tripod head plates so you can mount it either way. IT also has screw mounts on both sides for mounting vertically into a tripod, this also allows you to mount both sides on 2 separate tripods for more stability. I just purchased a heavy duty fluid head so I can just mount it from the center using a heavy duty tripod...remember you need a heavy duty tripod and head for you to mount it in the center...otherwise the head wouldn't be able to support the slide and move when the camera is on either one of the sides.

I have been using my Varavon Slide Cam Lite 800 for months now and I am pretty much very happy with it. This summer I am taking it to a few location shots so I can make the most out of it. 

My first bird photos of spring

After a long winter of rarely taking photos outdoors, spring is here again. It felt like spring was delayed for too long. Although the past winter season wasn't really bad at all...I can't complain.

With spring comes showers, and flowers and chirping birds in the morning that were gone during the winter. One spring morning I heard birds eating the bird seeds in our bird feeders so I prepped my dslr in our loft. 

I attached my favorite Canon 400mm f/5.6 to my 6D and got ready to head downstairs. It was pretty overcast outside so I set my ISO to auto so I wouldn't bother tinkering with it while I take shots. I then set my shooting mode to shutter priority and set my shutter speed.

This brave one was so hungry it didn't even move when it saw me.

I went out near our bird feeders and found a pair of doves chowing down the fallen seeds from our bird feeder. They just looked at me and continued to eat. I guess they were so hungry.

This one waited for me to get closer to take my photo.

This day officially starts the bird season for photography! I cannot imagine how many bird photos I'm going to take this year.

Fotga Dp500 II Follow Focus

Recently I have gone to a new hobby in addition to my photography. Although it uses almost the same similar equipment, some new equipment still need to be bought for this new hobby of mine. I've gone to dslr video. I have done videos before, when I was in college. I used a minidv camcorder and edited videos on my pentium 4 single processor laptop. Now that dslrs have the ability to do video, I have decided to give it a try and resurrect my long lost hobby. Editing nowadays have become easier, thanks to multi core processors and faster software and plugins, the look of video has become more defined as ever.

I have recently acquired new equipment. From lights to rigs to heavier duty fluid heads.  I have assembled a rig and recently got a follow focus system for it. Follow focus systems attach to your existing video rig to allow you to focus into your subjects faster, more accurate and makes it twice easier than focusing in using the focus ring of your lens.

The Fotga Dp500 II follow focus system

Follow focus systems run from around $99 and could go up to around $2000...motorized ones even go up to around $13000. Sometimes I don't really understand why they can charge around $1500 for something simple that attaches to your rig, that's like the price of my dslr right there. So I searched the web for the best deal around for the best quality follow focus systems there is.

I ended up getting a Fotga Dp500 II  Follow Focus system. From the reviews I've seen it seems like the best bang for my buck. From what I've read that it's mostly made out of aluminum...better than the plastic ones that cost the same. That was the thing that made me get it. For something that will attach to my aluminum rig, I'd rather have something made out of a tougher material than plastic.

It's a very good substitute to more expensive follow focus systems

Fotga Dp500 II Follow Focus is an improvement from the recently released Fotga Dp500 which from the reviews I've seen all said that the mechanism isn't as durable as the newer version. I've seen owners of the first version complain about the internal gears being stripped which basically makes the follow focus unusable. The Fotga Dp500 II Follow Focus' improved design was to make it more durable.

The Fotga Dp500 II Follow Focus features a detachable gear that you can attach to either the front or the back of the follow focus to make it suitable for either left handed or right handed operation, that's a plus for me because I am left handed and the first time I tried on a right handed follow focus, I had difficulty using it.

Very nicely constructed. Almost all metal.

It also features focus stops that serve as markers that you can use for focusing at a certain distance. You can also use it to limit the movement when the focus on your lens has reached infinity or the end. The previous version of the follow focus from Fotga didn't have that.

It attaches to 15mm rods which makes it more of a universal follow focus system, with professional looking twist locks that make it look like a more expensive follow focus system. And what the reviews were saying is true...it is indeed mostly made out of aluminum.

The feel of the wheel is really nicely dampened. Not too tight but not too loose either. The follow focus system comes neatly packaged in a box with the follow focus and a lens gear belt that fits most lenses.

For around $150 you simply cannot go wrong with this item. With almost an all metal construction and a professional feel to it, I highly recommend the Fotga Dp500 II Follow Focus.

My winner at the 2013 Chicago Flower and Garden show

This years Chicago flower and garden show had another photo contest. I decided to enter all categories. The categories they had were people and plants, landscapes, macro, abstract, and still life. The photos displayed in the show all deserved to be winners. The photos included flowers, tress, people, vegetables and other subjects related to plant life.

For my best entry this year I decided to go with very dramatic lighting. One way to achieve that is using minimal lighting to produce shadows everywhere. Spot lighting is a very common way of producing really dramatic shots.

I used one Mettle strobe light attached to a boom pole positioned it around 45 degrees from the front of the subject. To concentrate the light, I attached a snoot to the strobe. I then triggered the strobe with a wireless trigger connected to my Canon 6D. I then used my Canon 50mm 1.4 lens as it is excellent for doing portraits. Also the 50mm gives you the look of an actual scene you'd see with a human eye, which means the perspective is as normal as you'd see it in real life. A very important thing to consider to make the viewer the the portrait as life like. 

I then triggered the camera using my iphone...which is one of the 6d's awesome features. The smartphone triggering is especially useful when doing self portraits as it gives you real time previews of the shots, so you can adjust your position accordingly.

My winner this year.

The photo turned out great. I processed it using Lightroom. My photo ended up snagging the best photo for people and plants category.

The 2013 Chicago Flower and Garden Show

The Chicago Flower and Garden show logo by the entrance.

Spring is in the air and there's no better indication of that other than being in the Chicago Flower and Garden show. This years theme is called "The Art of Gardening". We always go at the first day of the show. This year they have a lot of stuff going on. Here are my favorite areas of the show this year:

Footwear: Women's Stories - This area displays footwear created by members of Women's Journeys in Fiber. The footwear displayed are crafted with different materials...from leather to buns and hotdogs...yes you read that right....BUNS AND HOTDOGS. you have to go see it to believe it. I had a very enjoyable time just walking through the displays and taking photos of them.

One of the cakes on display in the show.

Another cake on display.

The Water Sonata - This area displays a garden full of water...from fountains to mini ponds.  Complete with Koi fishes and a turtle! The scenery was very calming. A very nice place to grab an idea if you own a home with a big garden.

A very cool metal sculpture of frogs. 

The Tulip display.

Think inside the box - This area has displays of plant life and art put together in a box. The displays range from vegetables and plant life made out of sheet metal to animals meticulously sculpted from a metallic material. Pretty neat stuff.

The Art on the Farm display.

Tablescapes: An Art-Full Table - Every year they have an area where the display some table arrangements with a theme. From weddings to a specific culture themed tables, this years display was I think one of the best compared to previous years. One of my favorite one was an asian inspired table arrangement.

One of the Tablescapes display. 

A piano and trumpets converted to be water fountains.

Art on the Farm - This area displays edible plant life that can also be used to create a very artsy garden. The plethora of colors, textures, and shapes contribute to making the garden pleasing to eye. I've never seen vegetables arranged in such a big area that it becomes a functional garden and at the same time attractive.

One of the Tablescapes display.

Canvas of Tulips - Now here is where the photographers congregate. I made sure I brought my Canon 17-40mm f/4L and my 100mm macro to enjoy this area. The tulips were so nicely arranged that you'd spend hours photographing them.

An asian themed Tablescapes display.

The Artist palette tulip display.

Took this from the tulip area.

Another one of my tulip shots

Of course...the Marketplace!

The Marketplace - This is usually the last stop for us every year before we leave the show. Tons of merchants introducing new products and crafts...from hoses to portable speakers. They even have a wine area where you can sample wines or just sit down and enjoy the show.

This beautiful display is in the Veris display.

One of the most awesome cakes in the show.

The Photo contest - This area had a lot more photo entries compared to previous years. The walls were decorated with graffiti that has a Chicago theme in it. I managed to snatch a best in class photo ribbon. Next year I'm going for the best in show.

A display from Footwear: women's stories.

A depiction of Hiking Shoes.

They also have display cakes from different bakeshops specializing in made to order cakes. From Tomato boxes to artist themed cakes, you'd actually feel bad cutting them in pieces if you ordered one for yourself.

One of my favorite designs in the shoe display.

This one was very artsy.

There are other stuff in the show that I forgot to mention that we went to but I don't really have the time to write about them here. All I can say is that we enjoyed the event and I always recommend to my friends to go and visit.

Another cool shoe display

This is a closeup of the piano fountain in the show. 

The show runs from March 9-17 at the Chicago Navy Pier. If you decide to go, don't forget to bring your camera. Details on the show can be found at the show website at:

http://www.chicagoflower.com/

The photo contest area.

This is painted on the walls surrounding the photo area.

One of the best displays at the Think Inside the Box area. 

This display is of a giraffe made out of metal.

Shooting through a glass window

Winter is here and oftentimes it really is very cold to go out and shoot, especially wildlife. The day I shot these shots, I woke up and looked out my window, and there were a ton of birds eating in our bird feeders outside our house. It is really nice to have a bird feeder especially during winter to keep the birds well fed when food is rare during this cold time of the year. 

Perfect timing to get two birds in one shot.

So I cleaned one of the glass panels near our door with glass cleaner to take dirt and smudges off the glass so I can view the birds clearer through it. I grabbed my Canon 6D and attached my Canon 400mm f/5.6 lens to it so I have enough reach to shoot the birds outside.

This bird was really persistent on hanging on to the feeder.

I knelt down behind the glass panel and started to view the birds through my viewfinder. With a 400mm attached, I had to back up a bit from the glass panel to properly frame the birds. When I finally got in position I now began to set my settings in the camera.

This guy was waiting for its turn to eat.

I set my mode to shutter priority. Birds are fast moving animals so I am going to need a fast shutter speed for these shots. Also considering I'm using a 400mm lens, the faster shutter speed will minimize the camera shake when I take shots. I set my speed to around 400th/sec. I am not moving that much as I was kneeling down behind the glass panel, If I was standing up or moving I would've used a shutter speed that's faster than 400th/ sec. I also set my ISO to 320 which is enough to give me an aperture of around f/5.6 to around f/8...my lens is an f/5.6 lens so I had to put that into consideration. Also since I was shooting in snow I had to bump up my exposure compensation to +1 because snow will affect my metering to underexpose because the camera thinks that I am shooting in bright light.

In situations where you need to shoot behind glass, set your focus to MANUAL mode. By doing this you have the control on which to focus on instead of the camera focusing on the glass panel. You have to be quick enough to refocus when your subject moves though. It's hard at first but it's really to get used to.

After a bit of post processing, I saturated the colors a bit and gave the subjects more pop. I was glad to not go out into the cold to capture these shots.

Masterpiece Thundercracker Transformer

Masterpiece Thundercracker Transformer

As a toy collector I was delighted to see that they finally released the Masterpiece Thundercracker Transformer as a ToysRus exclusive. The Takara version of it (Japan version) has become way too expensive for me...around $200 and higher from independent sellers. So when this was released here I snagged a copy right away before the prices go up.

After getting the toy about 4 days later, I set it up in the studio. For studio shots like this, I use the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro for maximum sharpness. Working in a studio for shots like this, you don't really need a zoom lens since the subject isn't moving at all. Prime lenses are excellent for these kinds of scenarios so primes are my primary choices for product shots like this. I have a small studio so when my 100mm is too close for the subject and I don't have any more room to move, I switch to my 50mm.

 As usual I used 3 strobes for this shot. Two strobes on each side and one on top. I used the strobe on my left side as my main light and the right one for fill. For the fill I usually set the power to half or less of what my main lights power is. The top light is just used to create some shadows to make the subject more three dimensional and not flat.

For studio shots like this I usually set my shutter speed to 100th/sec which is enough for static subjects like this. For photographing droplets or something moving, I usually use a higher shutter speed. I adjusted my fstop according to my lighting and ended up somewhere between f/5.6 to f/7.1. My average was around 6.3. With that range I get enough depth of field without me being worried about diffraction, which sets in at narrower fstops.

I love photographing objects like these because of the contours of the subject. The contours show up depending on your lighting. When photographing objects like these just make sure that the shadow areas aren't really heavy and not totally black..not unless you are looking for that kind of look.

 After shooting, post processing always brings out more details. The contours seem to pop more and the colors become more vibrant. Just be careful not to over process as doing that makes the shot look very artificial.