Category Archives: Flash

Flash, Studio JPIC

Lite-Scoop by Light Genius review and demo

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The Lite-Scoop by Lite Genius is a flash modifier which allows you to improve your flash photography and save time. Perfect for wedding and event photography, as well as taking photos of your family and friends, the Lite-Scoop works great in both landscape and portrait modes, improves your photos by diffusing your flash, works great everywhere, makes it easier to achieve perfect exposures for each photo, and can be combined with an umbrella for even better results.

To find out more about the Lite-Scoop by Lite Genius and get free shipping, visit http://www.litegenius.com/JPIC

Advantages of the Lite-Scoop:

  1. Can be used anywhere, does not need a wall or ceiling to bounce off.
  2. Works great for photographing one person or even a large group.
  3. Mounts on the narrow side of your flash, making it quick and easy to switch from Landscape to Portrait mode.
  4. Diffuse and soft light makes it easier to achieve correct exposure.
  5. Using the Lite-Scoop with an umbrella makes the light even more diffuse.
  6. Much more affordable, quicker to use, and easier to carry than using a flash bracket or light stand.

Properties of the Lite-Scoop:

  1. Very lightweight – weighing less than 1 ounce, you will not even notice it’s there.
  2. Waterproof – very easy to clean.
  3. Soft foam – helps protect both the your camera flash and anyone or anything coming in contact with it.
Cameras, Flash, Lenses, Photography, Studio JPIC, Videography

Lens Rentals Canada review

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In this video I do a review of the Lens Rentals Canada camera and lens rental service: www.lensrentalscanada.com

I wanted to test out the Canon 400mm f/5.6L with 1.4x and 2x teleconverters for some wildlife photography. I’m still not decided which lens I would like to purchase, if any, so renting seemed like the most logical choice.

For a very affordable price, I was able to rent the lens and teleconverters for 10 days, which gave me plenty of time to test things out and take some great wildlife photos.

I received the lens the same week I put in the order, and it came in pristine quality. The lens and teleconverters were perfectly clean, and everything was in like-new condition.

I picked up the lens at my local Canada Post office on the expected delivery date, and on the last day of the rental I dropped it off to the local Canada Post office. It came with all the pre-paid paperwork, and the local Canada Post office helped me removing the old data and putting the new one in.

For a very small amount, you can add a damage waiver where if the lens accidently gets damaged, you only have a 10% deductible to pay and they take care of repairing or replacing the lens. The few dollars extra this costs is definitely worth it to give the peace of mind in case the worst happens. Thankfully everything went well and I returned the lens in the same condition I got it (except probably not as clean), so I thankfully can’t comment on this add-on service, but online reviews I read seem to be favourable even in those cases. :)

So if you live in Canada and want to rent out a lens for a special project / vacation, or want to rent backup gear for a wedding or other event, I definitely recommend checking them out.

My biggest disappointment is their third-party selection is quite small. There are a couple of Tamron lens I’d love to test which they don’t yet have in stock, but I noticed they did add some other third party lenses in the last 6 months, so there’s still hope for the future.

Accessories, Administration, Cameras, Flash, Hardware Tutorials, Lenses, Microphones, Music, Photography, Software, Software Tutorials, Sound Recorders, Studio JPIC, Videography

Studio JPIC 2013 Year in Review and 2014 Preview

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In this video, I do a recap of what I have been up to in 2013 and what’s to come in 2014. If you hover over any video, a link should appear to bring you to it in a new window.

Happy New Year everyone!

Flash, Photography, Studio JPIC, Videography

Westcott 43″ collapsible umbrella flash kit with black cover demo and review

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In this video, I do a demonstration and review of the Wescott 43″ collapsible umbrella flash kit with black cover. This is a great starter kit for both photography and videography which comes with a light stand, a swivel head, and an umbrella. The umbrella is collapsible, which means it can go from 43″ down to about 1/3 that size for easy storage and carrying. The black cover gives you the option of going from a shoot-through umbrella to a reflective umbrella in a minute or two, making this a very cheap yet versatile kit.

Support us by buying this kit from one of our affiliates:

Amazon(US): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OKBLEE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B001OKBLEE&link_code=as3&tag=sj0c-20
Amazon(Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001OKBLEE?tag=sj02-20&camp=8641&creative=330649&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B001OKBLEE&adid=07M34MC0JX1YCWZYC0ZK&
ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B001OKBLEE&link_code=as3&tag=sj0c-20
eBay: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/706-53473-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=9&pub=5575018904&toolid=10001&campid=5337428598&customid=&icep_uq=westcott+43%22+collapsible+umbrella&icep_sellerId=&icep_ex_kw=&icep_sortBy=12&icep_catId=&icep_minPrice=&icep_maxPrice=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229529&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg
Adorama: http://www.adorama.com/WE43CUFK.html?KBID=67818

Flash, Hardware Tutorials, Photography, Studio JPIC

Canon Speedlite 600 EX-RT flash review

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In this video, I do a review of the Canon Speedlite 600 EX-RT flash.

What sold me on this flash was the following features:
-Guide Number of 60m at ISO 100
-E-TTL II, TTL, and Manual modes
-High Speed Synch (HSS)
-Built-in Wireless and IR remote master and slave
-Auto-Focus assist infrared beam (works in total darkness!)
-Depth-of-Field (DoF) preview button on camera activates flash for 1 second to see shadows
-20mm to 200mm zoom
-Light and Dark Orange gels and gel holder
-Built-in diffuser panel and bounce card
-Pouch that can attach to a belt or strap to carry your flash and flash foot

Support this channel by purchasing your Canon 600 EX-RT from one of our affiliates:
Adorama: http://www.adorama.com/CA600EXU.html?KBID=67818
Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007FH1KX2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B007FH1KX2&linkCode=as2&tag=sj0c-20
Amazon (Canada): http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B007G3SYWU/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B007G3SYWU&linkCode=as2&tag=sj02-20

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Flash, Photography, Studio JPIC, Videography

Aputure Amaran AL-528S Demo and Review

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In this video, I do a review of the newest addition to my lighting kit: the Aputure Amaran AL-528S LED video light. Being the spotlight version, it offers quite a large amount of light which could be very useful for both photography and videography.

It can be powered through an AC power supply, or using two Sony batteries, and if you plug it in while you have the batteries inside, it also acts as a battery charger.

It also comes with a diffuser panel which does a pretty good job, and an orange gel to match tungsten lighting.

The umbrella adapter that comes with it is very practical, allowing you to pivot the video light, and attach an umbrella if you have one.

In this video, I do a demo of the Aputure Amaran AL-528S LED video light. This video is lit up completey by 1 AL-528S located about 1m (3 feet) away from me, with no modifiers except for the diffuser panel that comes with it. It allowed me to film at 1/60sec f/4.5 ISO 100, which is quite nice, and I like the way the colours are rendered with it.

Support this channel by purchasing your Aputure Amaran AL-528S from one of these links:

E-Bay: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=9&pub=5575018904&toolid=10001&campid=5337395872&customid=&icep_uq=Aputure+AL-528S&icep_sellerId=&icep_ex_kw=&icep_sortBy=12&icep_catId=&icep_minPrice=&icep_maxPrice=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg
Amazon (Canada): http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00DHGZNJM/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=212553&creative=381305&creativeASIN=B00DHGZNJM&link_code=as3&tag=sj02-20
Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=Aputure%20AL-528S&linkCode=ur2&tag=sj0c-20

Accessories, Cameras, Flash, Lenses, Photography, Studio JPIC, Videography

Wedding Photography tips – minimum camera equipment

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In this video I share my thoughts on what I believe is the minimum equipment to successfully shoot a wedding.

While most wedding photographers feel uneasy if they have less than 10’000$ worth of gear with them, I show a kit that can get the job done in the 1500-2000$ range.  Any less than that is still doable, but will most likely give way more headaches.

Flash, Hardware Tutorials, Photography, Studio JPIC, Videography

Yong Nuo YN 160 LED Video Light

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In this video, I do a review of the Yongnuo YN 160 Pro LED Video Light. I got the model with the reflective barndoors, which allow to sculpt the light better.

I will be posting another video shortly to demonstrate the intensity of the light, but so far I am quite amazed. Just as any other light, though, it would probably work better if I had some sort of diffuser.

In this video, I do a demonstration of the Yongnuo YN 160 Pro LED Video Light.

With the T2i at 720p60, I usually set my camera at ISO 800 and 1/60sec shutter speed. With a 500W work light reflecting off the wall, I can use an aperture of around f/2.0 to f/2.4.

Using the YN 160 directly gives much more brightness, but it does blow off the highlights on some spots of the skin, so I would probably need some sort of diffuser.

Accessories, Flash, Photography, PhotoNewsReviews

Orbis ring flash

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In this video, Matt Granger shows how to turn any flash into a ring flash using the Orbis ring flash accessory.

Flash, Hardware Tutorials, Photography, Studio JPIC

Light tent cube Photo Softbox Unboxing 20 inch 50 cm

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In this video, I unbox a light tent I bought from a Chinese company on E-Bay. At the end I show examples of a product picture before and after using the light tent to diffuse my YN-560 II flash.

After I have more experience with it, I will do a demonstration and review of it. But basically you can use it to diffuse light coming from any light source: flash, continual light, sun, regular light bulbs, etc. I would be careful with work lights because of the heat though.

With the 4 coloured backgrounds, you can quickly change the background of your product photography, or you can quickly edit it out of your photo. I would have preferred a green screen colour to make it disappear, but you could easily buy or create one yourself.

Link to this product on EBay:

Photo Softbox Light Tent Cube Studio Soft Shooting Box 20″ 50cm + 4 Backdrops