REVIEW - iFootage M1-III (3) Mini Crane

The iFootage M1-III (3) mini crane ready to use,
with a Vinten Blue 3 tripod & Radian Pro wireless video set.

First Impressions
iFootage, the creator of the very popular Shark slider, recently added a new product to their impressive lineup: the M1-III (3) mini crane. When you see the bag that holds the mini crane, it is hard to believe that the crane can actually fit inside it. It's similar to the size and weight of a Vinten Vision Blue tripod when stored in its bag, but it is housing a complete camera jib system that can hold 15 kg (33 lbs) of weight and has a maximum boom range of 210 cm (83 inch). Incredible if you think about it! When I opened the padded bag I noticed the great amount of accessories you get included by the mini crane, all neatly tugged away in custom pouches. The mini crane comes with everything you could ever wish for and you can start booming your camera in no time. While taking out the crane I was surprised by how light it felt. It's rather difficult to imagine that it can hold so much weight while staying so light. That's probably because of having a square tube design as main support beam instead of a round one. I've been working with a camera jib in the past that is known for its portability, while still weighing about 13 kg (29 lbs)! It also has less boom range then this iFootage M1-III mini crane, and it was quite a pain to set up. This is the first time that a compact and lightweight mini crane (or pocket jib), originally designed for smaller cameras, manages to come this close to the specifications and performance of a camera jib costing 5 times as much, while weighing only 3,8 kg (8.3 lbs). The iFootage M1-III  mini crane beats the older jib I've worked with in the past in almost every way and it's a lot more fun to work with as well! I don't want to spoil the conclusion of this review, but I do have a new favorite camera jib...

iFootage M1-III (3) mini crane unboxed, showing all of its included accessories

The iFootage M1-III neatly stored in its nicely padded bag

Filming with the Sony FE 24-240mm Lens

I took the Sony FE 24-240mm lens (review here!) with me during the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, to try it out in the field. While taking lots of pictures, I also tried to shoot some footage whenever I had the chance to see how the lens would perform. Everything was shot without a tripod using OSS. The resulting footage can be seen here:

Pictures that I took at the Tour de France with the Sony FE 24-240mm can be found here.

REVIEW - Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Zoom Lens (SEL24240)

Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Zoom Lens (SEL24240)

About three months ago Sony announced 4 new full-frame FE lenses and one of them really caught my eyes. The Sony Fe 24-240mm f3.5-6.3 OSS lens. For APS-C type cameras there are plenty of zoom lenses available to choose from, but there aren't many full frame zoom lenses on the market which are able to cover such a broad focal range. In fact, they are quite rare. The Sony FE 24-240mm is able to capture very nice wide-angle shots at 24mm and has 10x zoom capabilities to capture images up to 240mm! I've been eagerly waiting for such a versatile lens to hit the market and I'm very exited to be able to share my thoughts and comments on this new Sony lens with you.

Like I've said before in my other reviews, I'm not going to spend too much time about the technical aspects of things, nor will I share sample pictures taken with it at my secret camera laboratory underneath my house (which doesn't exists BTW). I'm going to look at it from an user point of view with real life picture samples and footage, so you know exactly what to expect from this lens. There are plenty of great sites out there that can show you diagrams, graphs and lab-results if you search for them and they can certainly be very interesting to have a look at. So grab your favourite cup o' joe and start reading!

Pictures from the Sony A7s

Sony A7s as a stills camera

It's no secret that I love my Sony A7s full frame camera. I've bought it to use it as a filmcamera, but it makes me forget about the photographic capabilities this little mirrorless gem has. Even though this camera "only" has 12.4 megapixels, it actually exceeds my former photo cameras who all start at 16 megapixels. I always looked at it as a fantastic filmcamera with a nifty function to take pictures. You know, like some of the older video cameras that have the ability to take a "picture" at the press of a button during filming. These pictures never looked good and it's save to say this feature never got really popular on video cameras.

REVIEW: Nebula 4000 Lite 3-Axis Gyroscope Stabilizer

Sony A7s on the Nebula 4000 Lite 3-axis gyroscope stabilizer

Introduction

Last week I received my Nebula 4000 Lite from Camera Motion Research. This is a 3-Axis gyroscope stabilizer from FilmPower that I've been really interested in. A few months ago I saw a video online of someone (test) flying a Sony A7s in front of mirrors and I could hardly believe it was real. A MōVI / Ronin like device, only a lot smaller, single handed operation, lightweight and affordable. About two years ago the first (noticeable) handheld gyro-stabilizer was introduced and it took the market by storm. With this device you were able to get Steadicam like shots, only it's all relying on electronics instead of "analog" balance. It makes it very easy to get nice moving shots with your camera, even when you're working in unfriendly Steadicam conditions. It enables you to get even more creative shots and it doesn't take months or even years of training to be able to use it properly. Now, only two years later, we can get all of this great technology in a small and lightweight device that you can easily carry around with you. It's incredible to see how fast things are changing in the world of filmmakers.

Ah yes, filming in the old days. Much simpeler times...

The Nebula 4000 Lite can be used with cameras weighing up to 1KG / 2LB, making it the perfect companion for your Panasonic GH4, Sony A7s and similar sized cameras. They even include a special mount which will help fly your smartphone on the Nebula. It also comes with a nice custom case with strap, charger and a battery that has been fitted inside the handle. The Nebula only weighs 800 grams which is virtually nothing.

Metabones Firmware Update For Canon EF Adapter for Better Performance with Sony a7S

Metabones has released an update (V0.32) for the MARK IV Canon EF Adapter which can be done by the user by following the instructions on the download page. It will improve the performance of the Metabones adapter when working with the a7S. I've already done the update and it doesn't seem to improve focus performance as far as I can tell, but will probably prevent the adapter to lose contact with the a7S.

Sony a7S Hands on Review - Footage Available for Download

Sony Alpha a7S mirrorless digital camera unboxed

Introduction

In the beginning I was a bit skeptical. Could this little camera really produce good quality video? Well, I found out quick enough, the answer is YES. For the last few years I've mostly been using the FS100 and was very happy with the results I got. I did need some time getting used to this little "brick camera", but more because of the form factor and different way of shooting. Before the FS100 I've been working with heavy ENG shoulder mounted cameras that were all about getting your shots and quickly moving on. With the FS100 and cameras of a similar kind, you'll need to put effort in each and every shot to get the most out of it and I've learned to appreciate this kind of filming. Going from the FS100 and now to the Sony a7S I further complete the transition to a whole new way of filming.


Sony a7S first impressions

While taking the Sony Alpha a7S mirrorless digital camera out of the box I noticed that it came with two Sony NP-FW50 batteries, which is a nice bonus. The camera is compact but still feels good in the hand. It's not too light and the LCD screen can be tilted. The viewfinder is surprisingly good and way better then I expected. I can actually use this! Thanks to a few customizable buttons on the body and a dedicated dial for shutter, exposure and aperture it's very easy to use this camera in manual mode and quickly adjust settings. There are a lot of options to go through in the menu so finding that one setting you're searching for can take a bit more time in the beginning. Nevertheless I'm glad the camera has so many options available.

Announced: Sony a7S Mirrorless Digital Camera

Sony a7S Mirrorless Digital Camera

Product Highlights

• 12.2MP Full-Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor
• BIONZ X Image Processor
• Gapless On-Chip Lens Design
• 3.0" 921.6k-Dot Tilting LCD Monitor
• XGA 2.36M-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder

• 4K and Full HD Video Recording in XAVC S
• Full Pixel Read-Out, S-Log2 Gamma
• Expandable Sensitivity: ISO 50-409600
• Fast Intelligent 25-Point AF System
• Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC

The Sony Alpha a7S Mirrorless Digital Camera features a full-frame 12.2MP Exmor CMOS sensor and BIONZ X image processor to enable notable video and still image quality with an expansive dynamic range, low noise, and extended sensitivity to ISO 409600. At the sensor level, this full-frame sensor features a unique on-chip gapless lens design, which incorporates small lenses between neighboring pixels in order to increase light-gathering efficiency and promote greater image quality across the entirety of the sensor plane. The sensor and processor combination also avails a wealth of speed throughout the camera system, including a top continuous shooting rate of 5 fps, support for 4K video recording, and a fast 25-point contrast-detection AF system with sensitivity to -4 EV.

Beyond its still image performance, the a7S is also quite adept in regard to recording video. It supports recording uncompressed 4:2:2 4K video to an optional external recorder, as well as full HD 1080 video in the high-quality XAVC S format at 50 mbps in multiple frame rates. Extending the video recording capabilities is support for the S-Log2 gamma, which helps to expand the effective dynamic range during recording, as well as picture profile options, time codes, and zebra and marker display aids. Sound can be recorded in the AAC/Linear PCM format via the internal stereo microphone, with a built-in headphone jack for on-board monitoring, or via an external microphone.

Rounding out the a7S's imaging capabilities, both a 3.0" 921.6k-dot tilting LCD monitor and 2.36 million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder are available for image monitoring and review. Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, with support for NFC, is available, too, for instant sharing of imagery from the camera as well as remote camera control from a linked mobile device.