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

REVIEW: PRO V-Mount Compact Batteries from BAXXTAR

The BAXXTAR Compact-Serie PRO V-Mount batteries with the BP-2CH Dual Charger 

Introduction
For as long as I can remember, V-Mount batteries have always had a certain size and style. They are quite bulky and heavy, but they are an industry standard for most professional cameras and accessories. The more power they store inside, the bigger and heavier they get. The German company Bundlestar, who's been active in the battery business for a long time, had a unique and fresh approach with their PRO high-end V-Mount batteries. They made them compact!

These V-Mount batteries reduced in size, still provide you with the same reliable power as the bigger ones and are of course fully compatible with all equipment that has a V-lock system. I was intrigued when I came across these new BAXXTAR Compact-Serie V-Mount batteries and was very eager to review them and let you know what I think about them. Later on in this review, I will be discussing the BAXXTAR BP-2CH V-Mount charger, which is definitely worth checking out also. But for now without further ado, let's have a closer look at the new BAXXTAR PRO V-Mount batteries.

Video about the new BAXXTAR Compact-Serie V-Mount batteries:

REVIEW: BAXXTAR Pro-Series V-Mount X4 Charger

The 4-way V-Mount charger from the BAXXTAR Pro-Series

Introduction
The German company Bundlestar, who created the fantastic BAXXTAR Compact-serie V-Mount batteries (review here, go check it out!) have added something new to their growing collection of fantastic camera gear. Their BAXXTAR product line can best be described as high quality products at an affordable price where all their knowledge of the past years comes together. No wonder I was eager to try out their newly developed charger for all your Sony, RED and DSLR V-Mount batteries with the capability of simultaneously charging 4 V-Mount Li-ion batteries at once!

NEWS - Second Generation URSA Mini Pro 4.6K Camera

Next generation URSA Mini Pro camera features new electronics, Super 35 4.6K HDR image sensor, 15 stops of dynamic range, 300 fps high frame rate shooting, Blackmagic RAW and more!

Fremont, California, USA - March 5, 2019- Today Blackmagic Design announced the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, a second generation URSA Mini Pro camera featuring fully redesigned electronics and a new Super 35mm 4.6K image sensor with 15 stops of dynamic range that combine to support high frame rate shooting at up to 300 frames per second. In addition, URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 supports Blackmagic RAW and features a new USB-C expansion port for direct recording to external disks.

Preorder available now: the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 for $5,995 - B&HPhotoVideo.com
Expected availability: Apr 2019

The new URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is a dramatic advancement over the original model as it now features entirely new electronics for higher speed processing. Also included is a new Super 35mm 4.6K image sensor that captures up to 4608 x 2592 pixels with 15 stops of latitude at up to 3200 ISO. This allows customers to record full sensor 4.6K images at up to 120 frames per second, windowed 4K DCI at up 150 frames per second, and windowed 1080 HD at an amazing 300 frames per second. That makes URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 ideal for capturing stylized fast action documentary work, nature photography, sports and more.

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.

Blackmagic Design URSA Broadcast - in depth look

Blackmagic URSA Broadcast camera

On the 2nd of February 2018, Blackmagic Design announced a new high end professional broadcast camera. The URSA Broadcast camera for ENG and programming work as well for studio work and live production. A very versatile camera which I'm very exited about. It's completely tailored to be used in combination with b4 2/3 inch broadcast lenses, by reducing the size of the sensor to 13mm x 7mm so you won't have to deal with crop factor or magnification of the field of view. Of course you won't have the same depth of field as with a full frame camera, but in news- and events coverage or when shooting TV shows this has never been an issue. And from experience I know that with enough zoom and using a wide aperture you can still get some nice depth of field shots. This is what Blackmagic has to say about the sensor: "The image sensor is designed for both HD and Ultra HD so you get amazing texture and detail, accurate skin tones, vibrant color and high dynamic range video, all without the need for post production". So without further ado, let's have a look at some of the key features.

Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 GM and FE 85mm f/1.8 Prime Lenses Announced

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8i STF GM OSS Telephoto Prime Lens

Sony announced two new full-frame prime lenses for their E-mount cameras. The FE 100mm f/2.8 G Master and FE 85mm f/1.8 prime lens. These lenses will start shipping in March 2017 and you can already pre-order them through B&H. The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 (SEL100F28GM) will be available for $1,500 USD and the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 telephoto prime lens (SEL85F18) for $600 USD.

100,000 Visitors on DerranNL!

Normally I wouldn't post about stats, but I couldn't let this milestone pass by unnoticed. This site just reached 100,000 visitors, something I never held possible when I started writing my first post.

Below you will find all the reviews I've posted so far and there's still lots more to come! So thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing my posts and reviews. It's what keeps this site going. Thank you!!

Click on any of the images to read the full review.

Sony SEL24240 FE Zoom Lens

Nebula 4000 Lite 3-Axis Gyro Stabilizer

Sony a7S Hands on Review	Sony SEL1018 E-mount Wide Lens
Vinten Vision Blue3 & blueBridge	Radian Pro Wireless HDMI Video
Blackbird Camera Stabilizer from CMR	Glidecam HD-2000 Review with Video
Vinten Vision Blue Review	Steadicam Arm & Vest and the Blackbird
Petrol PR410 Raincover	FotoMagico 4

GoPro Announces the Hero5 and Karma Drone

The new GoPro Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session cameras

GoPro has announced their latest addition to their camera lineup: the GoPro Hero5 Black and GoPro Hero5 Session. The Hero5 Black will cost $399 and the smaller Session camera will be $299 and both will become available on October 2. A very interesting new feature on the Hero5 Black is that it is waterproof to 10 meters (33 feet) without needing a housing. It also has three on-board microphones for better sound with less wind noise and for newly added voice control. You can start and stop recordings, take pictures and tag highlights in your clips with your voice. GoPro didn't stop there and improved usability by adding a 2-inch touchscreen for easy setup instead of the sometimes painful to use three-button control setup. Further more, the new Hero5 Black can capture 12-megapixel photos in RAW format, records video in 4K-resolution and has a wide dynamic range mode. There's also a new linear-view setting that automatically corrects wide-angle distortions. The new GoPro Session also has this option, but can only capture pictures in 10-megapixels and lacks RAW capture and wide dynamic range mode. The price gap between the Black and the Session is only $100 dollars, but it's a big leap in terms of included features which will make the Hero5 greatly favorable unless you're on a really strict budget.

Edelkrone Announces the JibPLUS

If you've been following the latest updates about all the cool new camera gear at the NAB show, you might also have heard about this very exiting news from Edelkrone. They have come up with something incredible that will turn every DSLR / mini jib into a million dollar production tool. They have surprised the market before with their innovative products, but this one really caught my eye. They call it the JibPLUS. It's an add-on that works with every small jib and DSLR and the components look like this: