IN[FOCUS]

Greetings humans! Hope all is well.

Today I’m reviewing a new LED light panel that we picked up from LCD4Video out of Detroit, MI. If you’re an event filmmaker, or even if your background is ENG…a portable light is an essential piece to your toolkit.

Once upon a time, those lights were large, incandescent lights. Those lights are one of the reasons we wedding filmmakers got a bad rep. Fast forward 10-15 years, and now everyone and their brother sells an LED light. They have become increasingly popular, but their performance quality has increased substantially as well. Lights that once  would struggle to light the end of your nose and would take 8 AA batteries to power can nearly replace a 1K light (with a large enough LED panel) on a production.

We picked up the LCD4Video iLED Dual-Color LED Light Kit a few weeks ago, and I was instantly intrigued. This was unlike any light panel I had ever seen. Super bright, uses a rechargeable battery, but most importantly allows you to adjust the color temperature of the LED panel itself! No gels necessary.

The light has two adjustable dials on the back, one for the dimmer and the other for the color temperature. This is an awesome feature to have because now you can easily make changes to the color temperature of the light depending on your shooting situation. You can also have your cameras white balance locked in more accurately knowing where your LED’s color temperature is set.

Although the LED boasts 144 LED diodes, they are split between the 3200K and the 5600K temperature. When adjusting the color temperature the diodes brightness will change and mix, depending on the needed color temperature.

The light costs $250. The kit comes with a rechargeable battery, car charger adapter, table stand, and two battery adapters if you have your own canon (the  BR-511, not the LP-e6) or panasonic batteries. The light also has a DC adapter.

I still have some field testing to do with this light, but based on our initial tests and observations this light is MUCH brighter then the litepanel micro, and having the ability to change the color temperature is reason enough to consider purchasing this light.

Happy Shooting!
Eric 

Eric Kmetz

Eric Kmetz is the lead filmmaker for Epic Motion, based in Detroit, MI. Named one of the 2010 EventDV top 25 filmmakers, Eric has been a full-time wedding filmmaker since 2009. In his spare time he devotes himself to being as kmawesome as legally allowed. Furthermore, 83% of people agree…he's the bees knees. True story.

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So we’ve all heard the saying “newer is better,” and today I’m going to put that statement to the test. I tested two of Canon’s wide-angle L-series lenses. The 24mm 1.4L, and the 24mm 1.4L II. In the video, I’ll highlight some of the differences between the lenses, as well as talk about how they stack up against each other. Which one is better? You’ll have to watch the video to find out!

In 1997, Canon released the 24mm 1.4L lens. The lens was extremely successful and was used heavily. In 2008, the 24mm 1.4L II was released. While the lens had a few cosmetic upgrades, the internals were upgraded as well. Canon added an additional aperture blade, made the lens weather sealed, and added some other internal upgrades that were intended to minimize ghosting and lens flare.

Some things that remained the same between the lenses; the lack of hard stops on the lens (fine for photographers, a hindrance for cinematographers), the filter diameter is still 77mm, and the minimum focus distance is still 9.8 inches.

Pricing for version 1 will vary greatly, as you’re going to have to find this lens on the used market. For version 2, pricing is set at $1,661 on B&H Photo.

Be sure to check out the video and watch some of the test footage, as well as hear my final verdict. What do you think? Is one better than the other?

Be good.
Eric

Eric Kmetz

Eric Kmetz is the lead filmmaker for Epic Motion, based in Detroit, MI. Named one of the 2010 EventDV top 25 filmmakers, Eric has been a full-time wedding filmmaker since 2009. In his spare time he devotes himself to being as kmawesome as legally allowed. Furthermore, 83% of people agree…he's the bees knees. True story.

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Greetings!

Today I’m reviewing a piece of equipment we recently purchased, the CobraCrane Backpacker camera jib. This camera jib is different then many others I have seen in the past. It is extremely portable and lightweight, a necessity for event filmmakers. This particular crane gives you the ability to add a whole new dimension to your shots while at the same time remaining relatively unobtrusive to guests, other vendors, and most importantly, the couple.

My only gripe about the backpacker, which I did not mention in the video, is the slight left-to-right shake you can get occasionally. Because the crane is so lightweight, it is easy for it to be swayed by a stiff breeze. I purposely added a few shots that contain this “wiggle” so you can see for yourself.

A few of the accessories I mentioned, like the LCD video screen we use to monitor shots, can be purchased through a variety of retailers. The one we use is from LCD4Video. Also, the weight bag I referenced can be purchased directly from CobraCrane as well, here. Also, here are the tripods that I’d recommend to use with this crane. I use an older set of sticks that we’ve had for some time…but here are two current tripods that should be suitable for use with the crane. 501HDV/525MVB or the 503HDV/536K (this is what I will occasionally use).

To summarize, I really like this jib. For the price point ($319), it is a great investment and can seriously add to the production value of your work. If you decide to purchase this crane, I’d love to see what you’re doing with it. Feel free to send over your shots!

Thanks for listening.
Eric

Eric Kmetz

Eric Kmetz is the lead filmmaker for Epic Motion, based in Detroit, MI. Named one of the 2010 EventDV top 25 filmmakers, Eric has been a full-time wedding filmmaker since 2009. In his spare time he devotes himself to being as kmawesome as legally allowed. Furthermore, 83% of people agree…he's the bees knees. True story.

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