Tenba has expanded its Cooper bag collection. The bags-that-don’t-look-like-camera-bags lineup has expanded with two new backpacks, a smaller over the shoulder plus a slimmer 15” laptop shoulder bag. Tenba bill their Cooper line as a collection of luxury – fine materials including leather accents and trim are used to construct them. It seems something of a right of passage for all bag manufacturers – functional bags with more focus on stylish aesthetics; we did a whole article on the very subject back in November 2016. The Tenba Cooper line originally existed as a select few different-sized shoulder bags. The newly announced products are a more compact shoulder bag, a slim 15” laptop compatible shoulder bag and two backpacks. The Cooper 6 is now the smallest in line – it’s designed for mirrorless/rangefinder cameras with 2-3 lenses. Designed primarily for stills but really compact video systems could work with this. Like all the Cooper shoulder bags the Copper 6 features the prominent front designer zip. The Cooper 15 Slim is self explanatory – a slimmer version of the Copper 15. “An exterior built with military-grade CORDURA® canvas and waterproof leather delivers serious protection. CORDURA® canvas blends INVISTA nylon fibers with cotton to achieve an abrasion resistance four times greater than 100% cotton canvas. This gives the bags a long-term, allweather durability that is critically important to photographers and filmmakers. Hand-riveted leather zipper pulls add a distinctive touch.” Perhaps more importantly is announcement of the Cooper Slim Backpack and Cooper DSLR Backpack. The difference between the two is size – the Cooper Slim is designed for mirrorless/compact DSLR systems with 2-3 lenses. The Cooper DSLR Backpack is 20-30% bigger. Other than that the feature list is very much like for like. Both Backpacks are a split design – compartment at the bottom with dividers for camera kit plus a personal compartment at the top for everything else. The top compartment has the aforementioned Cooper designer zip; the bottom compartment is a single leather-look piece, overall contributing to quite a stylish look. What’s nice about the camera compartment (as with many Tenba bags) is that the dividers are removable, meaning in seconds you can take out your entire camera section to place in another bag, or make room for something else. The top compartment has built-in top access pockets, great for small accessories (pens, glasses, phone etc.); there is also space on both models for a 10” tablet. Specifications on all 4 new Tenba Cooper bags: Cooper 6 Weight: 1.1 lbs(0.5 kg) Exterior Dimensions: 9.75W X 6.5H X 4.5D in. (25 X 17 X 11 cm) Interior Dimensions: 9W X 5.5H X 4D in. (23 X 14 X 10 cm) Cooper 15 Slim Weight: 3.5 lbs(1.6 kg) Exterior Dimensions: 16W X 11.5H X 5.5D in. (41 X 29 X 14 cm) Interior Dimensions: 15W X 11H X 4D in. (38 X 28 X 10 cm) Fits a laptop up to 15 inches Cooper Slim Backpack Weight:2.4 lbs(1.1 kg) Exterior Dimensions: 10.5W X 17H X 5D in. (27 X 43 X 13 cm) Interior Dimensions: 9W X 5.5H X 4D in. (23 X 14 X 10 cm) Laptop Compartment: 10W X 8.5H X 0.25D in. (25W X 22H X 1D cm) Fits iPad or similar tablet up to 10 inches Cooper DSLR Backpack Weight: 3 lbs(1.4 kg) Exterior Dimensions: 11,5W X 19H X 6D in. (29 X 48 X 15 cm) Interior Dimensions: 10.5W X 8.5H X 4.5D in. (27 X 22 X 11 cm) Laptop Compartment: 10W X 10H X 0.25D in. (25W X 25H X 1D cm) Fits iPad or similar tablet up to 10 inches All these products are ready to ship, prices below.

The already very versatile Passport Silder from RigWheels just got better. With the introduction of the Passport 2 slider, which comes as a complete and travel-friendly system, RigWheels implemented lots of improvements based on user feedback. The RigWheels Passport 2 slider. The tracks are included! (but the AMIRA isn’t) They also introduced a so-called Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit, which is exactly that: Mount any modestly sized camera to your car’s windshield, fuss-free. RigWheels Passport 2 Slider If you’re a working professional and thus travelling a lot with your gear, you’ll know the dilemma: A) Bring all the gear and risk unjustifiably high cost at the airport or B) Reduce your equipment to only the bare necessities but that way you might miss some of those nice shots on location.. So what do you do? When it come to tracking shots, the RigWheels Pasport 2 slider might be a reasonable compromise between cost/bulk and versatility. The whole system, 6.3″ (1,95m) of tracks, the slider carriage itself, end-brackets and ball-head adapters, comes neatly packed in a custom Pelican 1610 case. Shoving it onto an airport scale will result in a 50lbs (23kg) readout and happy faces on both sides of the counter. The new Passport 2 slider now sports a new baseplate, called the RigPlate Pro which enables easy mounting of dedicated 75mm and 100mm bowl adapters, as well as a mitchell adapter plate. This makes the whole system much more versatile in terms of mounting different types of tripod heads to the baseplate. It also reduces the footprint and lowers the center of gravity since the tripod head now sits directly on the baseplate itself. The new RigPlate Pro with various mounting plates for different tripod heads. If you need your camera to be at a certain height, just two tripods and mount the Passport 2 onto these. Otherwise you can use 2 cases (maybe another Pelicase 1610?) or just put the slider on the ground. As a bonus, the way the Passport 2 slider carriage is designed, it can double as a high-hat stand for your camera. Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit Another neat addition to your kit might be this mounting kit. It enables you to mount your DSLR or other small(ish) camera to a car’s windshield with ease. No suction cups involved here.. and these can be nasty fellows from time to time! The whole system works with strong (and rubber coated) magnets in order to keep your valuable gear in place. These magnets, called RigMount 100, can hold up to 100lbs to a solid steel surface but this is the strength that was necessary to hold a DSLR through glass. The Kit contains several neat components such as the cold shoe adapter with a tiny version of a standard grip head attached to it. That grip head lets you position the camera where it needs to be and then it locks down to the windshield with one magnet inside and another one outside the car. To strengthen the whole setup and keep it in place even on the bumpiest road, another set of magnets attach to the 1/4″ thread underneth the camera using a small magic arm. Now you have to rock-solid mounting points which is enough to hold your camera in place, backlash-free. Originally this mounting kit was announced at NAB 2016 but according to RigWheels CEO Lance Lundstrom they were too busy developing the Cloud Mount and had to delay the production of the Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit until now. Pricing and Availability Both, the Passport 2 slider system and the Magnetic Windshiled Mounting Kit are expected to ship early-mid April. The Passport 2 is $2.500 including everything you need (expect tripods) and it comes in a neatly customized Pelicase 1610. If you want to upgrade your existing Passport slider you can do so for $599. That upgrade kit includes the new RigPlate Pro, a 75mm, a 100mm bowl adapter, a mitchell adapter and a set of 4 3″ stand offs. The Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit is $250 and includes 2 sets of magnets, a cold shoe adpater, a mini grip head and a magic arm. Links: RigWheels Passport 2 | Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit What do think? Would one (or both) of these neat products be worth a closer look? Share your thoughts in the commetns below!

The annual Japan BCN rankings are in and Canon emerges as the winner of some major categories, including DSLRs. Canon also wins the 2nd place in the category “mirrorless” and thus points Sony to 3rd place. Photograph credit: Jakob Owens | unsplash.com What are the annual BCN rankings, you might ask. The winners of one of the many categories are determined by multiple factors, as the Japanese company behind it, BCN (Business Computer News), explains: The “BCN AWARD” is an annual (January 1st – December 31st) sales comparison of BCN, which collects the current sales data of large electronics wholesalers nationwide, PC specialty stores and Internet shops. It is a system for rewarding a manufacturer’s cumulative numbers. These awards can be seen as an indicator of the (Japanese) market situation regarding all kinds of electronic goods, including digital cameras and lenses which renders the outcome interesting for us. The 2018 BCN Awards This year the big winner is: Canon! In both categories, “digital camera (with integrated lens)” and “digital camera (DSLR)” Canon can grab the first place. In regard to the DSLR category, the numbers are pretty impressive: 61.1% market share secures Canon’s triumph. Nikon is ranked second, with only 34.4%. What’s really interesting is the “digital camera (mirrorless)” category: Canon tops Sony by 0.9%, bumping them down to second place in that market. Olympus is the overall winner with 27.7% for mirrorless shooters. Different Markets Mind you, these numbers only reflect the Japanese market! Still, the results are pretty impressive and Canon is certainly happy about them. Companies such as Casio, which ranks third in “digital cameras (with integrated lens)” are not really present on the European or US market. To flip it around, FUJIFILM – quite poular in the US – doesn’t have a real impact on the Japanese numbers. Another interesting category is the one labeled “interchangeable lenses”, from which, again, Canon emerges victorious. As a close second, Sigma comes in. The astonishing fact here is this: Nikon is not on the list! Canon’s market share dropped from last year’s 24% down to this year’s 21.9%, while Sigma’s share rose from 14.3% to 16.2%, and for 2018 Tamron replaces Nikon with a 12.5% market share (link). Of course, these figures can’t be translated 1:1 to other markets such as European or US ones. However, it’s really interesting how well Canon is doing over in Japan, especially in the mirrorless devision, despite the fact that they still don’t have a pro camera line in their mirrorless repertoire. Still, their lineup of full-sized DSLRs are their crowd-puller in terms of market share, but let’s see if they have some surprises ready for one of the upcoming shows! And don’t forget: most buyers are mainly still buying Canon for the photo functions alone, which means that the lack of pro video functionality (compared to the competition) sometimes doesn’t matter so much. Links: BCN awards (jp) | Google translated version What do you think about Canon’s lineup of DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and lenses? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The upcoming Rhino ROV is a sleek and portable motorised slider designed for the smartphone age, with a Pro version also aimed at DSLR users. Their Kickstarter campaign is now live with very affordable pledge levels. The concepts of “motorised” and “portable” don’t usually go very well together when it comes to sliders, but the new Rhino ROV aims to change this. Built around a sleek aluminium unibody design with an internal motor and battery, it brings professional features via a dedicated app. Rhino ROV and ROV Pro The Rhino ROV is being marketed for smartphone filmmaking on the go due its portability and surprisingly low cost of $229: at only 2lbs or around 1kg and a very small footprint, the ROV can easily be transported in a regular backpack. While most motorised sliders in the market make use of bulky external units that house the motor, controller or batteries, the Rhino ROV does away with all the excess – all necessary components are housed right inside the unibody aluminium housing/rail. Making use of a coreless DC motor, the ROV promises to be very quiet at low speeds, yet strong enough to carry a payload of up to 5lbs, or around 2.5kg. The Rhino ROV makes use of an internal built-in battery, which further helps reduce its overall size. While the lack of exchangeable batteries may seem like a disadvantage, the ROV uses a Li-Po battery that promises around 24 hours of power, or even up to 48 in time-lapse mode, so more than enough to get you through your shooting day on a single charge. The slider uses a low-profile iPhone mount with an integrated ball head, so you can angle your shot just right. In addition, the Rhino ROV makes use of the kind of folding, all-terrain feet found in other Rhino sliders, so you can easily go from tripod to ground level without needing to install extra supports. For a slightly higher price of $299, there is a Rhino ROV Pro version that also includes a ball head with quick release plate for use with a DSLR or mirrorless camera. The strong coreless motor comes in handy, as it is capable of pulling this kind of weight even at an incline thanks to its 5lbs payload capacity. Both models come in Everyday (8 inches) or Traveler (16 inches) lengths, or approximately 20cm and 40cm respectively. Rhino Storyteller and ROV Motion Apps To further streamline the smartphone-filmmaking experience, the Rhino Storyteller app gives you full manual control over camera settings such as focus, exposure, ISO and white balance. Additionally, it gives you the tools to fine-tune your slow-motion and time-lapse shots to get your desired results. Not only that, the Rhino Storyteller app also connects directly to the Rhino ROV, so you can both shoot and control the slider movement from a single device. The Storyteller app also includes a video NLE tool to easily edit your captured video using a vertical-style interface, making it easy and quick to work on your footage. Alternatively, if you’re using a DSLR or GoPro on the Pro version of the Rhino ROV, or simply want to use a different filmmaking app on your phone, you can still get full control of your slider with the ROV Motion app. Both apps are designed for iOS, with Android versions currently in the works. The Rhino ROV campaign is already live on Kickstarter with an expected delivery date around April 2018, so head over to look at their various pledge levels, including $229 for the ROV, $299 for the ROV Pro, and various other packages with extra accessories.  Could this be the portable slider you’ve been waiting for? Let us know in the comments below!

That age-old question: what gear should I get? In this episode of cinema5D essentials, I decided to answer this question once and for all, in a video as entertaining and educational as I could think of. Which Gear Should I get? For the last 9 years we’ve been constantly on a quest to find better gear to work with and make digital filmmaking easier and more affordable. As we like to work with the gear we test, my new Gear Guide is an attempt to share some of the experience I’ve had with the equipment along the way. Note that this gear guide reflects only Seb’s gear recommendations for the time being. The other authors of cinema5D will follow. Some of our regular readers will notice that the video is targeted at a broader audience looking for gear tips and recommendations. We receive requests for gear tips quite regularly but, even though we try to answer them individually, this can unfortunately be difficult sometimes due to our everyday workload. Gear Used in the Video The video should really speak for itself, so I will not go through the seven essential pieces of gear in this text. Instead, I would like to give you some background on the video production itself. Camera I used the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K as it gave me beautiful, cinematic 4K rendering in a studio environment. I never use it outdoors, but in a studio environment there is no other affordable camera that’s so easy to use and gives such a pleasing picture. I went back and forth between camera and computer to check and implement my shots into the evolving editing timeline and it was an effortless process. Lens My lens of choice was the Zeiss CP.2 50mm Macro T/2.1. This is probably my favourite lens of all time and, although it’s bulky and expensive, whenever I put it on a camera I just love the image it gives me. Additionally, its macro design means I’m not as limited on how close I can get to an object. Bokeh and highlights are beautifully cinematic. Lights I mention the ALZO 3200 Low Noise in the video, which I used with the ALZO 36″ soft box. While it doesn’t have the best build quality, it is super affordable and is an extremely bright light with a great, clean white rendering. I used it as a key light for the top-shot gear photos and every single shot in the video. Due to its special design it is just a little inconvenient to use, but produces a relatively low fan noise. The second light I used was the Aputure Light Storm 120d. It has a lower output than the ALZO, but delivers good light color and is convenient to use. I used this one with a 24″ Westcott beauty dish, the best soft box I know albeit not the largest, which makes it perfect for a back light. I added two additional CTB gels to give me that blue back-light tone on my skin. The blue color in the video comes from a tiny light that will knock your socks off. The Luxli Viola 5″ is a very small LED that lets you dial in any color you like. It isn’t cheap, but it’s the perfect background color light and is super convenient to use. I have two of these, but only used one of them for the video. Tripod The Sachtler FSB-6 with quick legs was my tripod of choice. It’s getting on in years now and the FSB-8 would be a better option today, but it still gets the job done even though the URSA Mini is a bit on the heavy side. I hope you found this video and gear lists helpful. We have never had a proper gear guide on cinema5D, but I know we’re one of the websites where people regularly look for gear tips. With over 3600 articles on our site, it can be pretty hard to find stuff, so hopefully this gear guide will make things a bit easier. Let us know how you liked this episode of cinema5D essentials. And if you have gear tips of your own, why not share them with us and the rest of the world?

Photographers have been anticipating the Nikon D850 for a while. It’s the Japanese company’s next-generation full-frame DSLR that, according to its specs, will surely make photographers happy. Of course, nowadays no DSLR comes without a dedicated “movie mode” and Nikon promotes this quite self-confidently. But will the camera hold the promise of being a strong video shooting device? Let’s take a look. First off, let’s not forget that Nikon’s cameras are very popular among photographers and even among video shooters. The Nikon D800/D810 (predecessor to the new D850) was once one of the best options and delivered solid HD video files. Also, just looking at the specs of the D850, it seems like Nikon will not disappoint the brand’s fans. Nikon D850 Photo Specs Here are just some of its photo specs: 45.7-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor (very high resolution) No anti-aliasing filter Shoots 7 frames per second (9 frames with optional battery grip) Silent Shooting Mode 153-point AF system from Nikon D5 Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Affordable, considering it’s a pro camera (A little over $3,000) Get all the details in the full press release. Nikon D850 Video Specs And here’s the more interesting part for the readers of this website: Nikon’s first camera to offer full-frame 4K video Shoots 4K UHD at up to 30fps Up to 120fps in Full HD 8K Timelapse function (stores 8K images in a video sequence) For those photographers who record video during their photo shoots, full-frame 4K is certainly great news. For video shooters the specs seem up to speed with what we’ve seen delivered by other brands during the last two years, so there’s not much that is truly tempting, unless you have your mind set on the Nikon ecosystem. There is no mention of data-rate or the existence of a flat profile, let alone a dedicated Log Gamma. From the looks of it – and just like the latest Canon DSLRs – it seems like Nikon is not interested to capture the filmmaker’s imagination with this camera. Unfortunately, the following promotional video further supports the notion that “movie mode” has been primarily added to give photographers an option to record some video too: It would not be fair to judge any camera just by its specs and rather unconvincing promotional films. Besides, the promotional aspect has never been Nikon’s forte, but many people swear on the equipment they produce and rightfully so. Add to that that Nikon has surprised filmmakers with cameras like the D800/D810 before. So, in order to truly evaluate the video capabilities of the camera, let’s wait until we have tried and tested it ourselves. The Nikon D850 is available for pre-order now and expected to ship in September.

Buying quality lenses can get pretty expensive. The Zunow DWA-075 wide attachment for DSLR lenses offers a good cost-benefit ratio if you’re in need of a wide-angle lens, especially as it’s heavily-discounted over at B&H and CVP right now. landscape photograph credit: Vincent Guth | unsplash.com Zunow DWA-075 wide attachment Japanese company Zunow is known for manufacturing purpose-built optical adapters, mostly for wide-angle conversion (you can read all about their IBC 2016 lineup here). When dealing with optical elements, however, things can quickly get a little complicated, as not every piece of glass you put in front of an existing lens will perform the way you hoped for. Therefore, Zunow offers a whole range of different adapters, and each one comes with a compatibility chart. Most of the Zunow range of focal length adapters are made for mid-sized camcorders with fixed lenses, such as the Canon XF-300 and the like. The Zunow DWA-075, however, has been designed to work with DSLR lenses. For this reason, it seems to be a much better fit for more cinematic-looking work than other products in the Zunow catalogue. The Zunow DWA-075 offers 0.75x magnification, so it will give you roughly a 25% greater field of view on your chosen lens. As mentioned above, this wide-angle adapter comes with a compatibility chart of its own, as its 77mm filter thread makes it compatible only with lenses with this filter thread size. Compatibility The Zunow DWA-075 can be used with on of the following DSLR lenses: Canon: EF 17-40 F/4 L USM EF 24-70 F/2.8 L USM EF 24-105 F/4 L IS USM EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS USM Nikkor: AF-S 12-24 F/4 DX AF-S 17-55 F/2.8 DX AF-S 17-35 F/2.8 ED PC-E 24 F/3.5 ED PC-E Micro Nikkor 45 F/2.8 ED Tokina: AF 11-16 F/2.8 AT-X PRO DX AF 12-24 F/4 AT-X II PRO DX AF 12-24 F/4 AT-X PRO DX AF 16-50 F/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX I’m sure the Zunow DWA-075 adapter is compatible with other 77mm-threaded lenses, both prime or zoom, but this is the official list, which you can check for yourself here. Be warned, though: The Zunow DWA-075 does NOT offer zoom through capabilities! Pricing and Availability The Zunow DWA-075 is available now and is currently heavily-discounted over at B&H – you can get yours for $329 (original price: $629). European retailer CVP has some nice discounts, too. Another Zunow adapter on offer is the SWA-06, although – as explained above – this model is meant to be used with fixed-lens camcorders (see compatibility chart here). Links: zunow.tv What do you think? Is a wide-angle adapter a tool you you’d use for your work? The comments section is all yours!

The campaingn’s founder, Ryan Stout, claims that Arsenal is an intelligent camera assistant. The DSLR add-on helps you capture the perfect shot every time with the help of image analysis and machine learning. With the accompanying app for your smartphone you end up with an actual smart DSLR. Let’s have a look! Meet Arsenal There is a new gadget in town. Well, almost – but if you happen to be brave enough for another Kickstarter campaign, the Arsenal might be worth a closer look. The so-far very successful campaign is about to hit the home stretch and the product itself looks very promising: a tiny device which is connected 1) to your DSLR via USB and 2) to your smartphone wirelessly. The unit is programmed with thousands of images which are then compared to the current framing of your DSLR. It adjusts several settings accordingly in order to get the perfect shot, so all you have to do is frame your picture and the Arsenal will take care of the (technical) rest – just like an actual camera assistant. Too good to be true, right? Different Modes The Arsenal is capable of several shooting modes: HDR stacking, long exposures, focus stacking, you name it. The good thing is, you don’t have to think about it. All you have to do is let your creativity flow while Arsenal takes care of the technical execution. Here is a list of things the Arsenal algorithms process while striving for that perfect shot: Compares current scene with thousands of past images using a convolutional deep neural network (the same algorithm used in self driving cars) Optimizes settings based on 18 different factors Avoids settings that produce weak images on your specific camera and lens Uses image recognition to identify subject-specific needs (e.g. fast shutter for birds) Shows safe ranges for each setting based on situational constraints (e.g. vibration) Gives you the ability to change the settings you care about most Controlling the Arsenal is easy: just download the android or iOS app and you’re good to go. All the settings can be accessed and changed via the app, and you’ll get a live preview from your DSLR and a convenient viewer for the pictures you’ve already taken. And since we’re living in a social-media world, you can upload your hero shots straight from the app, of course. The most interesting feature for me personally is the ability to create fully-automated timelapses. Even the so-called holy grail (transition from day to night or vice versa) is supported. I’m very curious how well the Arsenal handles that tricky type of timelapse! Specifications, Pricing and Availability The Arsenal supports a whole range of DSLRs. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, they are all aboard. Check out this webpage and search for your DSLR make and model. The campaign is live until Thursday, June 22th 2017 4PM CEST. While writing this, the “Get Arsenal – Kickstarter Exclusive” tier is still available. That one will set you back $150. The estimated delivery date is January 2018. Just a word of warning: This is still a Kickstarter campaign, not a retail offer, so naturally there are risks. I had a few disappointing Kickstarter experiences myself, so be advised! If you love the thrill, go get one. If you want to play it safe, wait until the actual product is ready and check if it still pleases your needs. If so, go and get one for a slightly higher price. links: Kickstarter campaign | Website What do you think? Does this look like the gadget you were waiting for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!