Thoughts on the Canon C200 and Sigma 24-70mm Art

I wanted to share a quick post about using these two pieces of gear.  One of my favorite setups is pairing the newly introduced Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 Art lens with the Canon C200. One of the main reasons I like to put these two together is the C200 doesn't have in-body sensor stabilization and the 24-70 offers optical image stabilization within the lens. It's a beefy lens - weighing in at 2.24 lbs - adding weight to the kit making it pretty easy to capture some fantastic handheld footage without having to use an external stabilization system like a gimbal because having that extra weight helps with getting smooth shots. It's not too heavy either, making it pleasant to work with on the run. Additionally, the auto focus works perfectly with Canon's Dual Pixel Auto Focusing system, allowing me to make responsive adjustments within the C200's menu system. Enough chitchat, check out this sample footage I was able to capture on the fly:

All shots handheld using auto focus in the sample video, footage was shot at 8-bit 4K 60p.

I've read some pretty rough reviews on the lens where they've expressed some disappointment in the Sigma glass and some have communicated that the lens shouldn't carry the "Art" designation. I tend to disagree, but I'm using the lens primarily for video and can totally understand why they would feel that way about the it. From my testing the lens holds up really well in a ton of situations, making it my go-to lens for a lot of the work I do. In comparison to other manufactures of similar focal lengths with the features offered within the Sigma, I can't bring myself to being disappointed or complain about the lens because it's only $1,299 - this type of lens could easily top $2,000 from Canon, Sony, or Nikon.

The Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 variant looks interesting and is something I would love to test with the C200 at some point, as it's $100 cheaper than what Sigma is offering; it's just not something that is in my budget at this point.

Ultimately I'm loving the decision I made to move over to an actual cinema camera for my work, it has saved me a ton of time since I've brought the C200 into my workflow and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Putting it with the Sigma 24-70mm is just the icing on the cake and it's been a fantastic experience.

Check out my unboxing of the C200:

What do you think of the sample footage? Is there another lens you would like me to try and do a review on? Drop me a comment down below and let me know your thoughts and opinions!

Happy holiday's to y'all!

SANDMARC Wide Angle Lens for iPhone 7/8 Plus

I recently reviewed the SANDMARC wide angle lens kits that gives iPhone 7 Plus or 8 Plus users the ability to take advantage of a wide angle focal length. 16mm equivalent to be exact:

If you're interested in checking it out for yourself, hit the link below.

Check out these samples. All photos take with the iPhone 7 Plus on the 12MP wide-angle ƒ/1.8 aperture lens and using the SANDMARC wide angle lens.

PIX-E5H with PIX-LR Review

The Video Devices PIX-E5H has been a workhorse for me during the past year of creating content. Every video you see that comes to the channel is a product of recording to this media. I recently added the PIX-LR audio attachment and it has made my content creation that much easier. Having XLR capabilities really makes it easy for me to capture fantastic audio with very crisp footage. Editing ProRes right from the SpeedDrive is a breeze, speeding up my workflow tremendously.

I've been using this monitor mounted to the XTENDER 210 Friction Mount when I'm running and gunning. These three tools have made creating content a dream.

NAB 2017

Learn more about Canon's C-Log Firmware details here!

Learn more about Canon's C-Log Firmware details here!

Unfortunately I was unable to attend NAB 2017 this year, but that didn't stop me from paying attention to all the cool stuff being announced.

Canon

During this year's show Canon announced their firmware update the Cannon 5D Mark IV that brings the C-Log to the camera. This picture profile allows users to handle dynamic range better and with a bit of color grading in post production you can maintain details in the shadows and highlights without sacrificing the awesomeness of Canon's color science. Bad thing about this firmware update, is that it will not be user serviceable - meaning you'll have to send your camera in to Canon to have this update applied. Additionally you'll need to pay a $99 fee for the update. Canon will sell the 5D MKIV with and without the update from this point forward as well. 

SmallHD

SmallHD brought something very interesting to the table that will be available for purchase very soon (May 2017). The SmallHD Focus really caught my attention this year, as it looks to be the perfect companion to any Sony camera. It's an affordable 5-inch external monitor with full articulation that has a few tricks up its sleeve. First, it's rated at producing 800-nits of brightness - making it perfect for shooting in direct sunlight. Second, it was designed in a way that acts as an external power source to your camera; allowing power from the battery on the monitor to be shared to the camera and monitor at the same time, which is extremely valuable to Sony a7RII and a7SII shooters because we all know the battery life on those really sucks. Finally, it's only $499! That's huge, as it's pretty much a SmallHD 501 monitor with all the tools available like focus peaking, wave forms, and LUT preview at a fraction of the price. I'm really excited about this monitor and will definitely be picking one up when it's available.

DJI

DJI finally announced pricing on their CrystalSky monitors, high- and ultra-bright dedicated monitors for you drone operators out there. The CrystalSky monitors will come in two sizes, a 5.5-inch and a 7.85-inch. They seemed very impressive when I got my hands on them at CES 2017, at that time DJI did not give a pricing update. Check out my intial thoughts on the monitors here:

I plan on making it out to NAB 2018 so I can bring you coverage from the show floor. I was bummed that I couldn't get time off work to head out this year, but that gives me that much more to look forward to next year! What was your favorite thing from this year's show? Drop a comment down below to let us all know.

Where Do We Go From Here?

In April of 2014, I decided to start uploading weekly videos - sometimes going beyond that, pushing myself, making sure to continue to try to get better at the craft of making videos with every post. In the beginning my content was absolutely terrible, but I fell in love with the process of creating content. In that time, I've amassed a fanbase that I can easily call the greatest group of people on the Internet. It is that unwavering support that has made it possible for me to make something of this YouTube endeavor. 

My First YouTube Video 😅

As soon as I made this video and posted it I fell in love with making something that could potentially help someone with something, most importantly a purchase decision. As we all know, many of us work extremely hard for our money and when it comes time to buy something of significance, we want to do our due diligence to make sure we're spending wisely. It is that research process people go through that I hope to be a part of. I hope to be of help to people in that way and I still think of that to this date when I'm making my videos.

A little more than a year after my decision to try and push YouTube to something more lucrative, I reached a huge milestone. I was able to surpass 5,000 subscribers. This was largely in part of the support of some great guys (JBTech17, Armando Ferreira, and SnazzyQ). After this, I got really hungry for growth and to be honest with you my focus changed a bit. The support from my new audience began to grow stronger and I found myself really loving them, the YouTube community, and most importantly the creation process became my new addiction.

Over the next year, I found my groove and making videos was something I looked forward to every single week. I friggin' loved (and still do) every part of the creative process. I wanted to take my new influence capabilities and try and use it for good. That's when I thought it would be good to try and inspire my audience to donate to organizations I was passionate about personally.

After many successful donation drives to these organizations, my addiction got even stronger! I got really excited about the idea of growing more to try and inspire more to help; even if it wasn't to an organization I was pushing for, I hoped to inspire the best in people. Thankfully I had some awesome friends help me get this thing off the ground and it was a smashing success.

Things were good, I lined up my goals for the channel and I started to work toward meeting or exceeding those goals. I kept working hard at my 9 to 5 job, worked so hard that I worked myself into a promotion with more responsibility. Friday's would hit and I'd pull all-nighters to get my next video shot, edited, and prepared for posting. In that time, my sons continued to grow and their need for attention also grew. Even with that I kept chipping away and burning the candle at both ends. That wasn't nothing new to me, I remember the very long days and nights during my time in Iraq - so staying up all night to do something I loved was no big deal at all, I felt blessed to be able sit safely in my home editing something awesome!

⬆️ the very first video I ever edited ⬆️

My addiction for making video grew, as the process of making videos was just so damn fun and it still is. Additionally, my hunger for new gear grew too. It's a slippery slope when you start buying gear that you "NEED" for making YouTube videos. In reality, you only need a smartphone that shoots decent HD video and a simple editing software to make great content on YouTube. It really boils down to having a great personality on video. I know I have a really polarizing personality and it's amplified by a 100 times with me on video, I can attribute that to the time I spent in the Marine Corps. I think this is one of the primary reasons I haven't been able to grow to the levels I have aspired to. It's just my personality, some love it and some hate it. I will say that almost everyone I've ever met in person, usually likes me. I get along with almost everyone really well and end up becoming friends if we spend enough time together.

⬇️ someone uploaded a video of me on LiveLeak ⬇️

Time is still pushing forward and the support for my content is amazing. I can't thank y'all enough. Without your support, the stuff I make means nothing. I continue to grow very slowly and my content has been consistent, but it's time I need a break. The return on my investment (ROI) just hasn't been there for this endeavor, and that's part of the risk I decided to take when I started making content. So I really need to sit back and reevaluate if and how I move forward.

Subsriber Growth

View Growth

After a long time deliberating if I would close up shop, I've decided I can't quit now - especially since I've invested so much energy, money, and time into YouTube. I just need some time to regroup and analyze my goals further. Maybe the answer is pursing video opportunities outside of YouTube - I don't know just yet. With time being so limited in my life as of late, I really need to think about how I am going to go forward from here.

I can't continue to push myself beyond my limitations as I've been doing for the past three years. I need it to pay off if I'm going to push this hard. This year has been especially difficult, and I think it stared with how much work I put in during CES. I had a friggin' blast covering the show, but I swear to you this was one of the toughest things I've done in awhile.

Ultimately this is my letter to you, my supporters, as without you I'm not even debating how I move forward from something you give me the ability to do with your share, like, tweet, comment, and view. I thank each and every one of you for everything. There's no way you can know how much your support means to me and I sincerely appreciate it.

Until the next one, Tomas

LG G6 - In Pictures

Here are some sample pictures I took with the LG G6. Feel free to drop a comment below with your thoughts on how the 13-megapixel camera holds up against the competition.

Normal Zoom Range (shot in all auto)

Wide Angle (shot in all auto)

Some official specs are as follows:

  • Display - 5.7” Quad HD 18:9 (2880x1440)
  • Processor - Snapdragon 821 quad-core
  • GPU - Adreno 530 GPU
  • RAM - 4GB RAM
  • Storage - 32GB storage
  • MicroSD - Yes, expandable up to 2TB
  • Battery - 3,300mAh, non-removable w/ wireless charging
  • Water resistant rating - IP68
  • I/O - USB Type-C, NFC, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • OS - Android 7.0 Nougat
  • Colors - titan, black and white (white will NOT be released in the U.S.)
  • Cameras:
    • Dual Rear sensors 13MP (71 degrees + 125 degrees), Aperture (wide - f/2.4, normal - f/1.8) 
    • Front: 5MP 100 degrees, f/2.4

See more on the LG G6 here in my first impressions!

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International CES 2017

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I was lucky enough to attend this year's International Consumer Electronic show thanks to two great companies! dbrand and Anker where awesome enough to help me make it to the show this year, and without them my coverage would not have been possible.

You could spend a month on the show floor and still not see everything there. I did manage to find some interesting stuff. The first and most interesting item that I found was Synology's new RT2600ac wireless router that gives users the ability to create and manage their own VPNs.

Second would be DJI's new CrystalSky monitors, giving operators a dedicated screen to flying their drones. These are DJI's super bright monitors that will work fantastically in direct sunlight, giving users the screen realestate they need to be effective drone operators.

Roland had some really awesome stuff on display. They're going to bring to market some super affordable audio interfaces and have already made available an affordable livestream switch.

Panasonic had a bunch of cool stuff, but the only thing that had my attention was the GH5. It's a great improvement over the GH4, and will make a ton of people extremely happy considering the price and all the features you will get.

LG's booth was probably the most impressive in my opinion. Everything they showcased was presented really well and there were some things that I wanted to buy and put in my own house right now.

And finally here's all the stuff I took with me to cover CES 2017.

Hopefully you enjoyed my coverage and if you wanted to let my sponsors know they sponsored the right guy, feel free to visit dbrand and Anker. You could also tweet them by saying they made the right choice in supporting me!