James Ewen

I had my copy of this lens serviced by Agis Loukas at One Stop Films in London, he did a great job.

I am looking for a used Cooke/Universal to PL Mount to use on my 25-250 mm T4 Thanks, James

You need to make a little 'widget' that you push open the lever with. At its simplest it can be a toothpick or section of q-tip but its better /safer to make something that will stay in place. Have done this many times. Don't chuck the lens, FD lenses are great, especially the L-Series.

Hi Bill, The Century 150-600 5.6 could work for you. Its actually a converted Canon FD lens and comes in many different shapes and sizes, the most simple are the retrofitted stock lens with a PL mount and aperture. With that you could put a pola into the rear filter slot, I wouldn't much fancy putting one in front of a 600mm length. I have used these lenses extensively for natural history work. You would rig with 19mm rods. There are also a lot of Canon FD telephoto primes about that have been converted to PL, all have rear filter slots. Good luck, James

Hi Stephan, I work in Norway, 1x1's work well in the cold but as you say the batteries can be an issue, both on the camera and on the lights. For lights I tend to hire in 12v blocks that come in a Pelicase. They give you a bit more juice than V-locks and you can slip heating pads inside the case. Camera batteries you should keep in your inside pockets, you can run an umbilical from the battery to the camera but thats a pain for mobility as you are then attached to the camera. Alternatively a polar bear case from Portabrace can work, I haven't tried it on the F55 though, keeps the batteries warm so they last for longer. Forget L95's etc, use larger 190's and plenty of them. Good luck, James

There are a few organizations that have invested resources into looking at this; http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resour...tions/greenfilm http://www.filmnz.com/production-guide/green.html James

Thanks Bob and Jake, Jake what rig were you using on the Microdolly cable head? Could you use the cable drive with a F900/HJ11 combination? I guess this is around 17lbs/8kgs. James

I was not specific enough. I want something with a minimum 12' reach but as stated, the bigger it is the heavier it is. Previously for me 'ballast' was not normally an issue with the smaller jibs (Losmandy, Camcrane 200), I tend to fill canvas bags on site with sand, earth, rocks, whatever is there... obviously when you are talking about ABC cranes and 360lbs it's much harder. Now I need something longer, this is why the Microdolly kit looks good as it can be configured with a weight cage on the back end. I will have a look at the EZFX jib, if it takes the payload then it could certainly be an option. Thanks

I need a lightweight crane for a job overseas. It should be light enough to be carried by 1 or max 2 people into remote locations on foot. It should have a long reach. It should have a cable driven hothead (not big batteries) and it should be able to take an F900 rig. Any ideas out there? The ABC 100 is good but is heavy to transport, the Microdolly also looks good, has anyone ever used their cable driven powerhead. Thanks in advance, James

A well used and well loved Super16 Aaton LTR54 Kit that comprises: 1x Aaton LTR 54 Body (Serial Number C840)- this is upgraded to run at 1-72 fps, crystal 24/25 3x S16 magazines, (M2647, M3400, M2583) 1x Extension Viewfinder 1x Canon 12-120 Macro Fluorite Zoom Other: Walnut hand grip, short/long rods, spare claw, fuses, charger, 4 very old batteries (barely work and need re-celling, various other bits and pieces inc. series 9 filters Here's the lowdown. It was originally owned by a BBC wildlife cameraman who fitted a Canon FD mount in place of the Aaton mount, this means that you can use any old Canon FD mount lenses directly on the body. Canon FD glass is very good and is very cheap, do a search on Ebay and see for yourself. I am also including a Canon FD to Arri Standard MT adapter (from Les Bosher) and a Canon 12-120 Macro Fluorite Zoom that covers S16 for most of its range, it is old but it works although it could probably do with a clean. Removing the FD mount and fitting a PL mount onto the body is easy and many people can do this for a reasonable cost. I have included the old Aaton mount should you decide to re-fit that instead. The camera is guaranteed not DOA but it is not an unscathed example of the camera, it has been very well used both by its previous owner and by myself. It was last serviced in 2006 and the tech was very happy with the camera, since then it has had 400 ft of film through it. One LED in the internal light meter is dud but the meter is still usable. The kit comes without a case but I will include a laser cut insert for a Pelican case. I am asking a bargain basement price of 2500 GBP for the kit which at the very favorable dollar rate is roughly $3500. The kit is heavy so courier will not be cheap and the buyer would pay any tax costs. Send me a PM if you are interested and I can send you pics.

Hi Ian, I live and work in Uganda, travel with large amounts of equipment a lot in the region and have done so for the past 6 years. We only have issues if travelling with a big crew and a lot of gear (10+ Pelican cases). I have never been hit up for a bribe and have never used a carnet as there are few customs officials here that are aware of the ATA carnet system. Generally a smile and some good manners help. Remember that accountability and anti-corruption procedures are being pushed throughout Africa and customs officials at the airport are very visible, thus are not likely to try anything. Two things that might help you allay your clients fears and your own... Judging by the subject matter you will be working within the health system and/or with organizations that would be able to write you an official letter explaining why you are bringing the equipment in. If you are only bringing a DVX and a few lights then say you are a tourist coming to video gorillas in Bwindi. So many people come through Entebbe with huge amounts of expensive camera gear so it is completely feasible. Good luck, James

Thanks for that information Bart, I had always thought they were one and the same.

I think it is called Blue Audio Visual. It used to be part owned by the Mike Valentine BSC (UW DP)... They are not cheap but do get some nice bits in.

Apologies. It seems I had a serious lapse of concentration when posting this. It is of course meant to be Jack White 'COKE' ad, and here is the URL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWoLu_Hvbbw&eurl James Ewen DP Earthmedia Mozambique

Fantastic ad. Does anybody have an idea how this was shot? James Ewen DP Earthmedia Mozambique