On the 12 episode of LensVid Talk we discuss our latest product reviews of the Sigma 14mm f/1.4, the Godox P600Bi panel, Falcam F38 Quick Release Kit for Backpack V2, Great Joy 1.5x anamorphic line, Kodak Super 8 Camera, Vaxis Litecomm V1 Full-Duplex Wireless Intercom system, shooting in a nuclear sub, Resolve latest update, drop in folders for Adobe and portable dual 4K monitors.
Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Review (00:29)
On the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 lens review we have been working for months (the review should be posted by mid-Jan 2024) and we have tested the lens in different shooting scenarios as well as in our studio with all of our usual tests.
The 14mm f/1.4 is one of the crown achievements of Sigma’s lens design team and is a one-of-a-kind ultra-wide ultra-fast lens. Even the fast Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM can touch the Sigma in terms of speed.
However, in our view as impressive as this lens is on paper you might be hard-pressed to justify its cost, size, and weight. We took it on a trip to the desert earlier this year with a group of local astrophotographers and asked them what they thought about the lens.
The answers were mixed but for the most part, it seems that at least based on this group’s answers the extra seed is not worth the extra cost/size/weight for stills in most situations (many of the people we talked to shoot at f/2 or f/2.2 anyway) and while it might be interesting to shoot videos of the northern lights this is a very small niche and pretty hard to justify buying for.
Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art DG DN lens
Godox P600Bi Review (05:05)
We have been working with the Godox P600Bi Hard 1×1 panel for a long time now and it is finally time to publish our review.
This is a very impressive panel, it’s compact and surprisingly light for its size but extremely powerful with over 600W output, accurate color temperature, an easy-to-use interface, and plenty of controlling options.
Our only complaint is that it has no built-in diffusion panel and although it has an optional softbox, we are not big fans of it. Otherwise, it is by far the brightest 1×1 that we have ever tested.
Our full Godox P600Bi 1×1 review.
Buy the Godox P600Bi on Amazon.
The Godox Godox P600Bi Knowled 1×1 bi-color panel
FALCAM F38 Quick Release Kit for Backpack V2 (08:31)
Falcam recently sent us a number of products to review including some cages, handles, and quick-release units. The company also sent us their latest backpack quick-release system that we are currently testing and it feels very good (and seems much more usable than the competing products that we have tested in the past.
We will have a review of several Falcam products in the next few weeks.
You can buy the Falcam Backpack V2 QR system on Amazon.
The FALCAM F38 Quick Release Kit for Backpack V2 (Ulanzi image)
Blazar/Great Joy 1.5x anamorphic line (11:52)
Chinese lens manufacturer Great Joy recently changed its name to Blazar and it now has a new line of anamorphic FF lenses called Remus. This line includes a 45mm T2, a 65mm T2, and a 100mm T2.8 lenses all 1.5x FF anamorphic with EF/PL mounts.
The lenses are fairly compact and relatively light (720-780g) have 16 aperture blades and come in amber or blue flare options and 80mm front diameters.
Pricing is under $1000 per lens.
Official Blazar video shot using the Remus lenses
Kodak Super 8 Camera (14:52)
If you have the retro bug then Kodak wants your money. The company has been developing a “modern” Super 8 camera for a long time and it is finally ready to release it. The camera includes a screen with a live-view option and even an option to bring in audio (how it will be added to the analog film we are not exactly sure (it is recorded on an SD card). It has interchangeable lenses with a C-mount, removable handles, and more.
So far so good but what is the catch? well from what we understand Kodak initially wanted to release this at a price of a few hundred dollars but at the actual release the price is now $5500! and at this price
More info on the Kodak Super 8 is on the Kodak website.
The Kodak Super 8 Camera – analog with an LCD
Vaxis Litecomm V1 Full-Duplex Wireless Intercom System (17:24)
Vaxis has been creating wireless systems (and grip systems) for years and they recently came up with a very interesting full duplex wireless intercom system called Litecomm. Unlike other systems including the Hollyland Solidcom C1 Pro Headset that we tested last year the new Litecomm has two parts a very light headset (with what the company calls air conduction) and noise reduction and a belt pack with NFC (for BT 5.1 connectivity).
The system can work from a very long range and be used for a long time (other systems are heavier and can be too hot to put on the heat but the Litecomm is light and looks more like a sports headset).
Pricing for a two-unit kit starts at $620.
Official Vaxis Litecomm V1 video
James Quantz Jr. US Naval Academy Photoshoot in a Nuclear Sub (21:05)
Our Colleague sports photographer James Quantz Jr. is at it again with another amazing project with the Naval Academy shooting their latest football uniforms and this time he had a chance to go and shoot in a U.S. Nuclear Submarine.
Quantz Jr. brings a unique and powerful style to his photography and it is always fascinating to hear how he breaks down a shoot and accomplishes what he sets out to do for each project. On this one, he faced complex hurdles including many that are not common on typical shoots such as dealing with a lot of restrictions and precautions by the Navy when bringing Civilian photographic equipment onto a secret Nuclear submarine and shooting inside.
There were also more mundane challenges such as shooting in a very confined space where you are very limited by the lights that you can use (he eventually used mostly tube lights that were used by the video team). You can see the results for yourself in the video below.
The full video from James Quantz Jr. and the Naval Academy Uniform Photoshoot on a submarine
DaVinci Resolve 18.6.4 (23:56)
On the latest iteration of DaVinci Resolve, we get a long list of improvements and fixes. This is a relatively minor update so there are no major changes but one change did pick our interest and that is the ability to transcribe full bins in one click which can save a great deal of time.
More on the new DaVinci Resolve 18.6.4 on the Blackmagic website.
Portal Access favorite folders from Adobe apps (25:21)
This is a small plugin for different Adobe products (Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and others) that lets you create one-click links to folders on your computer (for MAC and PC). If you are using the same folders again and again on projects (for templates, assets, music, and more) this thing can help you save a lot of time.
The best thing – it’s free!
Download Portal by Knights of the Editing Table
Duoone Foldable Duo-Monitor 16″- 22.8″ (26:22)
Over the years we have tested several mobile monitors. The new Kickstarter project from InnLead Innovative created a series of monitors in different sizes and resolutions (16″-22.8″) with different resolutions (2.5K and 4K) and a dual (hinged) setup.
The units will have a built-in KCM a 100% DCI-P3 with one of the models having 1 billion colors (10bit) although this one is only 2.5K resolution. Contrary to what we mentioned in the video the units do seem to have a 100mm VESA mounts so this can actually be very useful.
Pricing starts at $700 for a 2.5K 16″ version on Kickstarter.
DUOONE: 8K/4K Foldable Duo-Monitor 16″- 22.8″
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Iddo Genuth 
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