QuickHitRecord

I've been enjoying my Canon Elan II. It feels almost exactly like my 5Diii and I can use the same lenses too. It definitely produces a look that I enjoy. Been experimenting with different film stocks too: https://distanceelevation.com/blog/2021/7/5/northcascadesgoatmountainheliotrope The next step will be to do some of my own scans.

Thought I'd share that I have now successfully swapped out the fans in both of my FS300s, following the excellent video that @scotchtape posted. The first took me about an hour to do and the second, about half of that. The adapter cable from Amazon mentioned earlier in this thread works well. This modification makes a huge difference in the sound level coming from these lights.

Good stuff. I wish every instructional video was like this. I already have all of the replacement parts. Hopefully I'll get around to doing it this weekend.

My two new FS300s came in yesterday. The build quality is quite good and the output will be plenty for most of my OMB work. If more light is needed, I'll rent or recommend budgeting for my regular gaffer and his 600Ds. It's nice not to have a separate control box/ballast and it means that using the lights with smaller stands is possible. Since the replacement Noctua fans are not here yet, I went to Lowe's and Home Depot to see if I could find a sensible carrying container for these. I tried every ruggedized bin and tool box they had. The best fit I was able to find was the Craftsman 23" tool box at Lowe's (see attached). A little foam cutout on the bottom and I think that these will work nicely. There should be plenty of room for an extension cord too.

@scotchtape Thanks. I ordered that adapter. If it turns out not to work, I'll share that here and post any other findings.

@scotchtape I decided to order two of these lights, largely based on your notes about replacing the fans. Thank you for sharing your discoveries. Is this the correct CRJ cable?

Appreciate the update. The fan is clearly the major weak point of this design. For a few dollars more, Nanlite could have easily and significantly improved this and had a real contender straight out of the box. On the other hand, the fact that it's easy enough to swap the fans out is actually an advantage over the Forza line. How does the FS300 output stack up to the 300D?

Thanks for sharing your notes and glad you found a fan significantly that reduces the noise. When doing the swap, was there any soldering involved?

I don't know much about fans or computer components. The Be Quiet fans are only on my radar because of this video:

Thanks for sharing your findings. I looked around a bit and found a document claiming that it's 1600rpm, moving 55 CFM: http://www.sunon-wh.com/upload/fan/20190312/767df8c97d0717daff833a42ba552f5d.pdf For a fan, what about a Be Quiet Silent Wings 3?

@scotchtape Any luck with the fan replacement? And would you mind sharing the stock fan make/model?

I shot a short film with a BMMCC and three Kern Switar primes in 2019. This was when the cards needed to record raw were simply not available, so we shot in ProRes. I enjoyed working with the camera and generally like the soft, retro look we were able to achieve. Some shots looked better than others. I ultimately decided to sell it and put the money towards a Red One MX, which I think is much more in line with my personal aesthetic. But I do sometimes miss the small size and softness of the BMMCC. Hoping to get back to short films once the pandemic has eased up a little more. I can't share the whole film yet because it's still in its festival run, but here's a teaser.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4K-Digital-Camera-Video-Camera-for-YouTube-Kenuo-48MP-Vlogging-Camera-Camcorder/274715463111 (Just kidding).

A great read, Kye. Way to roll with the punches. It's neat to have what is probably the only instance of this lens in use with this camera in the world. I look forward to seeing your footage with this setup.

Good news for me, bad news for my camera cabinet. Looking forward to this.

Looks like this idea was realized as a blog post rather than a competition. Glad I didn't snap up that NX2000! I already own too many cameras so it's probably for the best. A while back, I started a Facebook group called 'Junk Camera Cinematography' that is based around this premise of spending as little as possible and shooting with a lesser camera. Here's a link in case anyone is interested. @Andrew Reid What was this camera?

Ah, my mistake. There was a guy who went by 'Tony' back when this forum began. He knew more about anamorphic lenses than anyone. He turned me on to Redstan/Alan's clamps and I guess I always thought they were the same person. Tony was a great resource to us all. This still might be him; I suspect that it is. And even if it's not, I hope he beats this thing. Wish I could change the topic name but it looks like I can't.

If I'm not mistaken this is an article about Tony, who goes by Redstan on this forum: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9244525/Grant-Shapps-reveals-89-year-old-father-fighting-life-Covid-ward.html I really hope he pulls through.

This is super intriguing and it's great to know about this inexpensive action cam for lens experiments. Thanks for sharing the detailed notes. Hope we can see some video soon.

I loved the idea of this competition. Wish I'd been able to participate but I was in the process of buying a home. I hope there's another one soon. In a similar vein, I've just launched a new group on Facebook called Junk Camera Cinematography with the following thesis: I'm hoping that this group can be the antidote for those that feel like there's too much emphasis on new and better gear. It would be great to see some of you in there.

When the unit is powered on, does it automatically load the last lens profile? Or does it need to be selected from a list?

There's a thread over on DVXuser: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?356042-The-Hunt-(F3-still-delivering-the-goods)

I mean, this looks pretty good to my eye. Certainly as good or better than most of the current crop of mirrorless cameras. Plenty of IQ there to tell a story. I'm shocked by how well the auto WB works. Thanks for sharing.

I'd be interested in this. I bought an EM10iii last year for a pittance because I liked the idea of an inexpensive camera that could shoot decent, stabilized 4K through my Kern Switars but I haven't had much of a chance to shoot with it. I finally put it through its paces on the stills side this weekend (photos here). Hoping to capture some video soon.

Pretty sure I fall into this category. The footage from this old sensor just looks better to me than anything else that's out there, including the new cameras or the really high end cameras. That's just my personal aesthetic.