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:

Sony Launches New G Master Brand of Interchangeable Lenses

Sony Electronics has just introduced their flagship G Master™ brand of interchangeable lenses.

Sony’s new brand includes three new E-mount full frame lenses including a 24-70mm constant F2.8 standard zoom, an 85mm F1.4 prime and a 70-200mm constant F2.8 telephoto zoom.   Representing the ultimate blend of high resolution and beautiful bokeh, the new lenses feature Sony’s innovative optical element technology, design and calibration.  This allows them to produce still image and video content with a level of detail and expression that has never before been possible.

“The new G Master brand represents the finest and most impressive group of lenses that Sony has ever brought to market,” said Neal Manowitz, Vice President of Digital Imaging at Sony Electronics.  “With our knowledge of what the future will bring for digital imaging, we have designed these lenses and can ensure that the G Master brand will inspire and ‘wow’ photographers and videographers for years to come.”

The NEW Nebula 4200 5-Axis Digital Gyroscope Stabilizer

Nebula 4200 5-axis digital gyroscope stabilizer

Recently Filmpower Inc. announced the Nebula 4200 stabilizer that will become available soon in three different versions. A pro, a lite and a 5 -axis Nebula 4200. Just a few weeks ago, I wrote a review about its predecessor, the Nebula 4000 3-axis stabilizer and included a few pointers on how to use the software to try and get the most out of this already great product. I've been more then pleased with the performance of the Nebula 4000 and was able to capture some incredible smooth footage with it.

The Lite version will be somewhat similar to the Nebula 4000 but this time it will have a more stable platform to stand on and you can balance your camera on it without the need of tools in just three minutes. That's a major upgrade since it can be kind of a hassle with the Nebula 4000 sometimes. And I'm not sure, but it looks like it would be possible to upgrade the lite version to a pro or a 5-axis version through a quick-release system below the yaw motor. Unfortunately I haven't been able to confirm this yet. The pro version requires two handed operation, which will make it possible to work with heavier cameras. The maximum payload will be 1.6 kg / 3.4 lbs for all versions. Now, the 5-axis version seems to be a real special one:

Sony Announces the New Alpha a7SII

The new Sony a7SII with 4K internal recording

IBC just started and Sony already has exiting news for us! They just announced their highly anticipated Sony a7SII mirrorless digital camera. It has the same 12.2MP Full-Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor as its predecessor (the Sony a7S), but as expected the new a7SII has internal 4K recording. It also features 5 axis stabilization like the Sony a7RII has, higher dynamic range and an improved XGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF which supposedly offers the world's highest viewfinder magnification.

No word yet on availability, but pre-order starts Sep 17 at a price of $2,999.00.

Quick overview of all the new features:

• Internal 4K recording to XAVC S (up to 30fps)
• Internal 120fps to 1080p
• clean 8-bit HDMI output in 4:2:2
• 5-axis optical in-camera stabilization for expanded shooting possibilities
• Ultra-high sensitivity up to 409600 ISO with low noise across the whole range
• Wide range of professional movie functionality including S-Gamut3.Cine/S-Log3, new Gamma Assist Display, enhanced Zebra Function, Full HD 120fps recording and 4x/5x slow motion recording and full pixel readout without pixel binning in full-frame format
• High-speed AF with enhanced accuracy in wide-ranging scenes and advanced shooting functions

And here are the full specs of the Sony a7SII:

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!

Sony Alpha a7RII (ILCE-7RM2) Mirrorless Digital Camera Announced!

Sony's new flagship: the Sony A7RII (model: ILCE-7RM2)

Sony has just announced the A7RII Alpha mirrorless digital camera and it's amazing! A big step up from the Sony A7R, with impressive ISO (although the Sony A7s still takes the lead on that one), 5-axis image stabilization like on the Sony A7II and it can capture 4K (QFHD 3840×2160) video  internally! It also features the world's first back-illuminated full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor which is able to capture 42.4MP approx. effective megapixels. Sony never cease to amaze me.

THIS is the Netherlands / Holland - Video

I just uploaded a new video! This time it's a video about where I'm from: the Netherlands. You know, that little country which is easily overlooked on a map.  Famous for its tulips and windmills, but also the healthiest country in the world and home of the tallest people on this planet.

All footage is filmed from a helicopter with spectacular results. Camera operator is Evert Cloetens. Helicopter is flown by: Wim Robberechts & co and Heli Holland BV. The footage is from the popular Dutch TV show "Nederland van Boven.

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.

Sony Announces 4 New Full-Frame FE Lenses!

Joyful news from Sony today! They added 4 new full-frame FE (E-mount) lenses to their line-up. A fast (f/2) 28mm lens, 90mm f/2.8 Macro Lens, Sony-Zeiss Distagon 35 1.4 FE Lens and a 24-240mm OSS Lens. Especially this last lens caught my eyes.

I was seriously missing a good all-in-one lens from Sony when it comes to the full frame E-mount selection. Having a 24mm on the wide end of a full-frame camera is very decent but having the ability to zoom in to 240mm makes it very interesting, especially with added features like optical image stabilization and no less than five aspherical elements. It's also dust and moisture protected. Sounds like a perfect companion for my beloved Sony A7S full-frame mirrorless camera. It isn't a cheap lens, but considering the other options you have right now when you need a nice amount of zoom power on your full-frame camera (like the Sony FE 70-200mm f/4.0 G OSS lens or going with a Metabones Mark IV adapter and Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens), the price doesn't look that bad anymore. On the contrary!

Below you will find all information about these new FE Sony lenses. And perhaps nice to know, you can pre-order all these lenses right now!

The New ARRI ALEXA Mini

The new ARRI ALEXA Mini

Interesting news from Arri today. They just announced the new ALEXA Mini, a versatile additional tool in the ARRI ALEXA camera range, combining a compact form factor with the same ALEV III sensor and unrivalled image quality as all other ALEXA models. Designed for specialized shot-making, the ALEXA Mini features a super-lightweight carbon body and titanium PL mount, frame rates of 0.75-200 fps, in-camera recording of ARRIRAW and ProRes (including 4K UHD) and state-of-the-art integrated functions.

The ALEXA Mini’s camera body has been designed with new-generation brushless gimbals, multicopters and other specialized rigs in mind. It is compact enough in the lens direction to allow the use of standard PL mount lenses even on lightweight and space-constrained rigs, such as gyro-stabilized aerial systems.