This is going to be an odd review. I decided to not only do a review of the new Aputure EZ Box but give you some first impressions of the Veydra Mini Primes and editing my first review with FCPX.
Veydra Mini Primes in E-Mount
I just received a set of Veydra Mini Primes in E-Mount to test out. The 25mm, 35mm and 50mm, These are very nice lenses by the way. Here I have the 50mm attached to this crazy o rig. I shot the review with this setup. All of it including the on camera with the Sony a6000 and Veydra Mini Primes. The 50mm is crazy good.
I used the Veydra 50mm primarily for all the b-roll. It close focuses very well for some of the tight shots of the EZ Box. Worked great wit the Zacuto Z-Drive. The follow focus barely fit. I used the 35mm for the on-camera scenes. Since the Sony a6000 doesn’t have audio inputs I used a Tascam DR-40 with a RODE Lavalier. The Rode Lavalier is very handy. The ends can be changed to several different connections. I swapped out the mini jack to an Micon 5 XLR and plugged it straight into the DR-40.
I’m very happy with the Tascam DR-40. Large display that’s easy to read and the menu is easy to to use. Oh and it sounds great! 😀
Aputure EZ Box
The new EZ Box is a new soft box accessory for the HR672 LED panel. Check out the full review below.
Like I mentioned in the review I still would prefer having a larger diffusion farther away than the 4″ the EZ Box offers for a key light. It’s still a little to hard for me as a key. The 35 Degree grid does a good job of focusing the light on the subject so that to me makes the EZ Box a win. I think I would use it more as a back light of accent or key for product shooting and avoid it for the main key on interview lighting.
Editing in FCPX….. Finally!
LOL! Yes I finally did it! I actually completed a full edit. Yes this review of the EZ Box was my first ever fully completed edit with FCPX and the experience was very positive.
The magnetic timeline got me frustrated at times. I wanted to move things around but the audio track would be attached to the video and I couldn’t figure out or was to lazy to go to a tutorial and figure out how to undo this. Yes I know now. Hey! it’s all part of the learning right? I use SmartSound for music and the plugin works pretty well. Keyframing is easy. Effects are easy too. I like how you never stop to render. FCPX takes care of it when you stop editing then pauses again when you are active. It’s crazy cool. The resolution drops a little but i’m fine with it since it’s not that bad. The way FCPX saves your project is interesting. I decided to import or make a copy of my graphics that I use for other reviews so it would be self contained for archiving. This little bundle makes it nice and clean and everything goes together. I like that.
Color Finale is very nice and a must buy if you like to color grade your video. Easy to use and powerful.
Title tool is simple to use. I like that.
I do find skimming the clips and putting in and outs is a little strange. I think I prefer having a clip in a viewer instead of skimming in a bin. Might be something I have to get used to. It did crash a couple times in the 8 hours I spent editing but I never lost any work! And yes I still keep hitting “CMD S”. Bonk!
I have a ton to learn and I will stick with it. I think FCPX is a powerful NLE and when I get better at it I can see the potential.
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Interested in buying a new camera? Well I have a course on Lynda.com you should watch that will help you pick the right one for the job.
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Great to see you using your a6000 for video! I have one but have just added a c100 to my arsenal. Do you think cutting between them will be an issue?
Thanks
Nice, but where can I get one?
They should be shipping in a couple weeks and available at Amazon. I’ll update the post when they start shipping.
I wouldn’t call a diffusion “box” that is only a couple inches larger than the light itself a “softbox.”
I’d LOVE for one of these LED panel companies to come out with a Chimera-like softbox that’s measured in feet. like 3-feet wide.
THEN it’s a softbox.
Hey Erik,
Thanks for the review – a few months down the track now, of course.
I have a couple of the 672’s, and they’re quite impressive for the money.
I use a Lastolite diffusion screen attached to the lightstand to get the softness you were talking about, but it’d be great to have a light-mounted solution for quick n easy setups on the run – I was wondering whether it would be possible to use longer plastic tubes and use the little hooks from the existing tubes to achieve the greater distance you were talking about… Yes, you’d have to fashion some larger diffusion sheets, but it could still be light and easy to set up… and effective… What do you reckon?
Cheers,
Nigel