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Unboxing and first look of the Zhiyun Crane 3 LAB

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During IBC last year we caught a glimpse of the oddly shaped Zhiyun Crane 3 LAB. It’s Zhiyun’s new flagship 3-Axis gimbal. With a price tag of $899.00, 1.8kg weight, and 4.54kg load capacity it’s not a gimbal for everyone. But if you need a gimbal for a heavy rig, this is a gimbal you’d want to consider.

Even before balancing and running the gimbal, you can see that it’s oddly shaped. Well, oddly by 2018 standards, I think that this form factor is going to become the norm soon enough. Our initial tests proved that it’s more comfortable that the “stick” configuration and allows holding the gimbal and camera closer to the body, as well as better distribute weight on both hands.

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If you have a giant phone and shoot on location, you need the Cosyspeed Phoneslinger

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The evolution of mobile phones has been an interesting journey to follow. They started off as huge bricks of things and manufacturers were all trying to make them as small as possible for years. Then, all of a sudden, phones got “smart”, and now they seem to get bigger and bigger again every year.

This “growth” can be a pain for photographers who work on location. Giant phones are annoying in your pocket all day, scrambling around in the wilderness digging into your leg. But if you put them in your bag, then you can miss important calls and messages. That’s where Cosyspeed’s new Phoneslinger steps in.

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DIYP tests out the new SpyderX Elite – Datacolor’s “fastest and most accurate” monitor calibrator

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Along with camera profiling, monitor calibration is one of the most vital things a photographer can do to ensure their work looks the way they intend it to look throughout the whole imaging process. There are various devices out there for calibrating monitors, and now a new one has been added into the mix.

Yesterday, Datacolor announced the new SpyderX Pro and SpyderX Elite, adding to their lineup of monitor calibration tools. They say it’s their fastest and most accurate calibration device to date. Well, I’ve had a SpyderX Elite here for the past couple of weeks, so let me tell you about my experiences with it.

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The Rhino Motion Kit is not cheap, but it’s one heck of a motorized slider

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We are a small crew, this is why it’s handy to have one moving camera that needs no attention when we shoot. It means one less crew person while getting top notch B cam footage. And our slider package of choice for that is the Rhino Ultimate Slider (Amazon | B&H).

Having an automated motorized slider is a powerful tool to have in your box. It allows the same camera moves that your typical slider will allow. But it also adds an array of abilities to the team that a normal slider does not:

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Drum Scanned – A Review of 35mm Kodak E100

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To those who follow my work closely, you may know that I consider myself a large format photographer. I will photograph with a medium format camera, particularly when I’m trying to save weight on a backpacking trip or save time when I’m teaching a photography workshop, but 35mm has been somewhat shunned in my arsenal, being a format I deemed too small to be used effectively for my work.

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The Weeview SID 3D is an entry-level 3D camera that’s a whole lot of fun to use

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Small compact camera technology and tiny sensors have come a long way in the last few years. This is largely due to the advancement of smartphone cameras. But the benefits that those small sensors bring to the table can also be applied to other cameras. Cameras like those which can record 3D video in a package that easily fits in your pocket. The Weeview SID 3D is one such camera, and I’ve had one for the last few weeks.

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What are Canvas backdrops and why you should own one

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A canvas backdrop is a backdrop made, well, from a canvas. Canvas is a type of fabric that absorbs paint well, so it is often colored with textures, and this is what we are going to talk about today. We used canvases from Artery Backdrops, but what we say probably applies to all canvas backdrops.

I’ve heard canvases described in many ways, from cliche to regal and that really depends on how you use it. Annie Leibovitz has a canvas backdrop signature look, but so does those horrible portraits from the ’80s, so should you get one? Let me try and help.

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DIYP reviews the WEEBILL LAB, probably best gimbal for small mirrorless cameras

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I first saw Zhiyun’s Weebill LAB gimbal at IBC 2018 and then two weeks later in Photokina. When I saw it first, it was alongside the Crane 3 LAB, and I thought that the two shared a pretty weird design.  I asked Zhiyun if I can review a kit, they kindly agreed. I was blown away.

So before diving into the specs and features, there is a funny misunderstanding to share. The WEEBILL was standing alongside the bigger brother Crane 3, and at first, I thought that the exhibitor was trying to explain that the smaller gimbal costs less than the Crane 3, resulting in a Wee Bill. ($599 vs. $899) Boy, do I feel stupid now. Anyways, turns out that the Weebill is Australia’s smallest bird, a name that was chosen to emphasize the gimbal’s small dimensions and lightweight. LAB, stands for Zhiyun’s premium line, hence the combination WEEBILL LAB. Read on for a full review.

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The DJI Osmo Pocket goes up against the Hero 7 Black in these side-by-side comparisons

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When the GoPro Hero 7 Black was announced it was lauded as the “Gimbal killer” with some pretty amazing built-in image stabilisation. It’s even convinced a few people to finally upgrade from their GoPro Hero 4. But has DJI just announced a “GoPro killer”?

DJI recently announced the new DJI Osmo Pocket. A teeny tiny gimbal that seems to easily match the Hero 7 on specs, but features a true mechanical built-in gimbal rather than electronic image stabilisation. Dave Altizer at Kinotika took the two out for a spin to see how they compare.

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The Deity S-Mic 2 shotgun microphone punches well above its weight

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Amongst the various types of microphone that are available, a good shotgun microphone is probably my favourite. It’s certainly the type of microphone I use most often. Their design allows them to pick out very specific directional sounds while ignoring the rest of the world around them – at least, that’s the theory.

You might remember that a while ago, lighting company Aputure decided to get into the microphone business with their new “Deity” microphones. Well, Deity Microphones is now it’s own separate company and I recently received their new Deity S-Mic 2 shotgun microphone. Priced at a fairly modest $359 it’s quite the bargain if it lives up to its claims, so I wanted to put it to the test.

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