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The SmallRig RC 450B is a medium power LED light in a streamlined package

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A few months ago, SmallRig entered the LED lighting market with the RC120 and RC220 COB units (reviewed here and here). Even in our initial review, we said that the true verdict of these lights would be their ecosystem. And now, SmallRig is adding four new lights to the mix: RC 350D, RC 350B, RC 450D, and RC 450B. This is a mix of daylight and bicolor lights at 350 and 450 Watts output.

The new lights show Smallrig’s commitment to the LED line, and I would not be surprised if there are more lights to come at higher ratings. After all, this is the path we saw Aputure, Nanlite and Godox go with their road map.

This review, however, will focus on the series leading light, the RC 450B, a 450 Watts Bi-color LED light. (The rest of the series is similar in functions)

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SmallRig announces their new modular MagicFIZ Wireless Follow Focus System

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Camera accessory manufacturer SmallRig has now officially announced their new MagicFIZ Wireless Follow Focus System. No stranger to follow-focus systems, SmallRig’s latest release takes the wheel off the camera for remote use by focus pullers for gimbal, shoulder-mounted, or handheld cameras and for those working in a small crew where you can’t always stand behind every camera.

It has less than 50ms latency up to a distance of 100 meters (328ft) over 2.4GHz and features secure data transmission using what SmallRig describes as “specialized encryption algorithms” to ensure that signals are interference-free, even with multiple units on set. We got to take a brief look at the new unit pre-announcement last month at IBC 2022.

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DIYP reviews the SmallRig Forevala W60 dual wireless Lav mic

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It seems like the new videography gear t get the “everybody makes one” is the wireless lav. RODE were the first with their RODE GO and RODE GO II (reviewed here), and now you have them from Godox, Joby, DJI, and many more.

SmallRig, who by now is making a lot more than cages and rigs, are the last to enter this product nitch with their Forevala W60. We took the unit for a spin, and this is what we found out.

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SmallRig becomes a BigFish with new follow focus, battery and audio system

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SmallRig is on a mission. They may be small by name, but they have big plans. Initially known for their camera cages, rods and handles, they’ve been scaling at an incredible rate and are excited to be expanding their range of products to better serve their customers.

DIYP had a chat with Wilson Chen from SmallRig about where the brand is headed and what we can look forward to seeing in the near future from them.

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We are giving away over $12,000 of cinema gear

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UPDATE: This giveaway has now ended. Scroll to the end to see if you won. Huge thank you to our sponsors for the prizes and support.

With IBC starting this week, we are excited to start our traditional IBC cinema gear giveaway. And this year, we have partnered with top brands to give you the best package to kickstart (or elevate) your Cinematography Career.

Among this year’s participating brands are Sachtler, Sennheiser, B&H, SmallRig, Insta360, Prograde, OWC, Spekular, and Tether Tools. For the full list of amazing prizes hit the rest of the post.

All you have to do to participate is tell us the brand of camera you are shooting with.

This giveaway ends on Tueday, September 20th!

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SmallRig joins the compact microphone market with the new W60 dual wireless system

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It’s like everybody’s jumping onto microphones right now and not being one to be left behind, SmallRig’s decided to have a go at their own system, too. It’s called the SmallRig Forevala W60 and like pretty much all of the other recent small wireless microphone releases, it runs on 2.4Ghz. It’s a dual microphone kit that comes with two transmitters with built-in omnidirectional microphones and one receiver.

It promises low-latency transmission (as low as 10ms) at up to 100 metres away, with adaptive frequency hopping to ensure 48Khz 16-Bit audio without interruption. You also get most of the usual features you might be used to, like a low-cut filter to get rid of rumble and background noise as well as mono or stereo output from the receiver.

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SmallRig releases yet another matte box system – 5th time lucky?

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Regular as clockwork lately, SmallRig has announced yet another new Matte Box. What makes this one different from the SmallRig 3575 Mini Matte Box Lite, the 2660 Lightweight Matte Box, the 3196 Mini Matte Box or the 3680 Mini Matte Box Pro exactly? Well, this one’s modular. It’s the SmallRig 3556 Modular Matte Box, and it comes in a bunch of different kits depending on your needs.

Thread adapters are available to mount it to 67mm, 72mm, 77mm or 82mm lenses as well as the option to mount it to standard 15mm rods. This matte box also offers the ability to drop in the new SmallRig Variable ND Filter Kit that lets you adjust the strength without having to touch the filter itself – you can even motorise it!

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DIYP reviews the SmallRig RC220B LED Light – a small but mighty light

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So, it looks like SmallRig is here to stay as far as LED lights go and the RC120 (reviewed here) family got some new double-the-power members – the RC220B and the  RC220D. (Those stand for bi-colour and daylight).

From what I can tell, it seems that SmallRig has refitted the RC120 body with a more powerful LED. And this is a good thing. If you have any bags, cases, or kits that you’ve built for the 120, the 220 would feel right at home for those.

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SmallRig RC120B COB LED light review

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Today, SmallRig announced their first COB light, the RC120D. This moves the company from being a cages and other mechanical parts manufacturer into the domain of Light Manufacturers. Brands like Aputure, Nanlite, and Godox. It seems that they are aiming right into the “bread and butter” product – the 120W COB LED. They do this with two new lights, the RC120B  and RC120D: a bi-color unit and a daylight unit.

Along with the 120-Watt lights, SmallRig also announced a set of modifiers, which probably signals that they are going to build a family of lights in the future. Let’s see how the light performs and is it worth investing in this system vs. getting an Aputure Amaran or a Godox VL light.

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2020 DIYP Holiday Gift Guide – Tripods, Sliders and Gimbals

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Keeping cameras steady or having complete control over their position is important, regardless of whether you’re shooting photos or video. We’ve already covered cameras, lenses and lighting, so in this gift guide, we’re going to be taking a look at tripods, sliders and gimbals. Let’s start off small and build our way up.

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