The EOS-1D X will cost around £5,299.99, though this has yet to be confirmed. (ref).

More info on the DigitalCamera review site.

Skip on over to their blog for what they’ve found so far.

Zacuto Target Shooter

First up, we have the Zacuto Target Shooter. I’ve used it out in the field on a couple of shoots now out (see below) in the UK countryside and I’ve found it to be a really useful bit of kit.

It’s essentially made out of a couple of tubes with a gun stock that butts into your chest, that you can adjust, to give you that extra support and stability. To adjust, Zacuto have small red levers to move the parts to fit your shooting position.

What I would say is the quick release screw (on the Gorilla baseplate) is one of its best features. I shoot outdoor sports events on a Canon 7D and because I’m moving from a tripod to handheld and back again, flicking the red lever on the Gorilla baseplate drops the rest of the rig off and, because it has a few tripod plate screw holes underneath, you can bang it on to a tripod lickety-split.

What it does is it adds support, so instead of using your two hands, you have four points of contact (Shoulder, two hands and eye – if you have the Z-Finder or another viewfinder).

For an entry into dslr support kit, it’s a great start and thoroughly recommended.

Zacuto Z-Finder Pro (2.5)

Next we have the Z-Finder Pro and what I always say is the first bit of kit you get is a viewfinder – I’ve been using the Z-Finder Jr for over a year and you need it to focus.

When you’re starting out with the dslr shooting video, you need a focussed shot – because it’s a manual focus – there’s no autofocus here. Yes, you need sound and lights, if appropriate, but to retain focus, it’s the number 1 accessory.

The one thing that the Z-Finder Pro does have over the Z-Finder Jr is the anti-fog coating. Most of my shooting is outdoors and when the weather is cold and wet, or because your eye is butted up to the Z-Finder for long periods, the glass will fog up, and it’s very hard then to focus. The Z-Finder Pro doesn’t have this problem, with it’s special anti-fog coating.

It comes in two sizes, the < a href="http://store.zacuto.com/Z-Finder-Pro-2.5x.html">2.5x and the 3x for different magnifications suited to how you like to monitor your shot, but the same price.

Easy to setup, it comes with a mount this time. The only method to attach the old Z-Finder was to use the adhesive frame, attach it to the camera body, put a book on it and leave it overnight – not anymore which gives you more options when it comes to changing bodies and fixing accessories to your camera.

It’s essential – that’s my recommendation. If you can afford the Pro, get the Pro. If you only have a limited amount of money, get the Jr, but just be aware that it’ll probably fog up in some shooting situations – that’s my experience.

You can get the Z-Finder Pro and the Zacuto Target Shooter in the UK from Creative Video.

If you like this review, we’ll make more of them – please leave your feedback in the comments.

I went to Amazon for the 7D I bought 2 years ago – it was the cheapest I could find, and delivery times were ideal. But could I have found it cheaper? Probably. Why didn’t I? Err….

We’ve been busy behind the scenes bringing you something special – a Video DSLR Price Comparison Engine. We’ve just got Cameras at the moment, but we hope to bring you all the accessories you need to produce your productions.

One of the “holy grails” in video editing, is to make your video as “film look” as possible, and with the help of plugins like these, it’s within the grasp of indie filmmakers like us.

Lumineux is essentially a load of filters and transitions to use in Final Cut Pro that adds “light leaks” to your footage. What some editors do is use too much – the trick here is to use as little as possible – the less light leaks you use, the more convincing your treatment of the video will be.

Here’s a taste of what Crumplepop have produced. If you want to shoot straight to their shop to buy the pack, click here.

CrumplePop Lumineux from CrumplePop on Vimeo.

You can see the full breakdown on a certain Philip Bloom’s website, but personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

The one thing I like about the look of this mic, is that on the old VideoMic, the suspension rubber clips broke, and often. This version seems to do away with them and instead use a rubber bands, which I have yet to see, will be sturdier for those who throw it in the bag and go on to the next shoot.

More info here: Rode VideoMic Pro

“I made this video using a canon 7d, a canon 17-55 lens and a glidecam hd 2000. It’s a music video for a young rock band and just last Sunday was awarded as The Best Italian Independent Music Video of 2010.”

More info: “Cyclops is as simple as a viewfinder, or as elaborate as a full HD DSLR support solution. In the 3 part video series, Cinevate CEO Dennis Wood builds up Cyclops from the basic sled, adds grip handles, carbon rods and follow focus, builds a cage, adds a full shoulder and counterbalance and then ices the cake with a fully articulating viewfinder option. If you’re using a video or HDSLR camera with a flip-out LCD (Like Canon’s 60D, the articulating mount option is what you need.

Using precision molded fibre-reinforced composite, the Cyclops sled starts out as a highly engineered foundation for nearly limitless rigging options. The impressive 72mm optic uses several exotic glass elements that are optically bonded, then fully coated for maximum brightness. The optic can be quickly removed and attached to the front of your camera via its 72mm threads. The result is a +5 power macro with resolution to match even full size HDSLR sensors. If you’re looking to capture detail like the compound eye elements of a spider, you’ll want to try this macro out front! If it’s that good out front of your camera, imagine how razor sharp it is out back. Fully adjustable (3 axis) to accommodate even larger cameras like the Nikon D3s and Canon 1D MkIV, the finder does not attach in any way to your LCD. No velcro, sticky tape or elastics!

Its size is 20cm (8″) long, 14cm (5.5″) at its widest and 7.5 (3″) high. Why is Cyclops as large as it is? The answer is immediately obvious when using the finder. Rather than having one eye “locked” to the viewfinder, a shooter can achieve critical focus from as far away as 36″ from the camera! Both eyes can be used to frame/focus and there is no need to remove eye-glasses. Unlike typical viewfinders, you might look at Cyclops as an alternative to a monitor as a director and shooter can view images at the same time while using Cyclops! Future proofing (and we know camera LCDs are getting bigger!) is achieved by using interchangeable front/rear hood elements.

Recipient of 3 innovation awards over the last 2 years, Cinevate is not content to follow the crowd. We’re pretty sure you’ll agree with our philosophy once Cyclops has changed your view on LCD enhancements!”