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The Zhiyun Crane 3 LAB is the best gimbal I’ve laid my hands on

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If the Zhiyun WEEBILL was not a boy enough for you, how about the bigger brother, the Zhiyun Crane 3 LAB? We took this gimbal through the paces, and if you only have ten seconds for this review, here is the verdict: it’s the best gimbal we’ve used to date. Is it perfect, no? but it currently has a set of features that no other gimbal at this price point (or probably higher) provides.

As always, if you have any questions about the Crane 3, let me know in the comments and I will answer ASAP.

The Crane 3 is probably the best Gimbal you can buy for $899.00 (basic) or $1,199.00 (Creator Package). If you want a quick overview of what you’ll get with the box, here is a video to look at, but if you came here for function and performance, read on!

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The Lumix S1 – My Top Camera of 2019

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Here’s me, a mirrorless user for about three years now and exclusively mirrorless for the last 18 months. It stands to reason that it wasn’t going to be long before I got my hands on the Lumix S1 to put it through its paces. So, I hired one from Lenspimp and gave it a 10-day test drive.

It’s impossible to discuss this camera without making comparisons; after all, that’s what product development is all about. It’s evolution. Over ten days out and about with the Lumix S1, I built up a pretty clear picture of how this camera measures up to others in the marketplace.  It intrigued me to see the path Lumix has taken with the S1.

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The SYRP Genie II is the perfect motorized slider (just give us the full app already)

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The SYRP Genie is a motor/wire driven motorized slider. This means that it uses a cable to push it forward. You can choose the length of the cable which makes it virtually endless in length. (You can even use hockey sticks to build a sling-cam)

DIYP reviewed the first Genie way back and the next iteration is nicer, more versatile and now runs on 3 Axis

We are taking a look at the Genie II 3-Axis Epic Kit which includes the: Magic Carpet carbon Slider, Genie II Linear, and Genie II Pan Tilt head.

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A Sony shooter’s review of the Nikon Z6

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It’s always interesting to see camera reviews from shooters of systems other than that to which the camera they’re reviewing belongs. There is no doubt that photographer Manny Ortiz is well and truly a Sony shooter after switching from Canon several years ago, but he’s started branching out lately to try the other brands and see what they have to offer.

In this video, he tests out the Nikon Z6 along with the 35mm f/1.8 Z & 50mm f/1.8 Z lenses as well as the Nikon 105mm f/1.4 F mount lens with the FTZ adapter on an urban shoot in Downtown Chicago. As a Sony shooter, his thoughts on the Nikon are quite interesting.

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The Insta360 ONE X is a 5.7K 360° “action camera” which completely eliminates the need for a gimbal

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The pace at which some technologies are developing today is just amazing. One area that’s seen particularly rapid progress over the last few years is 360° cameras. But I’ve often felt that the technology still wasn’t quite there – at least when it came to the 360° cameras that fit in our pockets.

The YI 360 VR was close (at the time), but I always thought they could offer just a bit more. Now, I think all that’s changed with the Insta360 ONE X. I’ve been using one for the past few weeks, and it has absolutely blown me away.

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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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