Balvanz Enterprises

Pick up a camera. Shoot something. - Filmmaking Quote - James Camron

2021-09-03T17:06:00.001-05:00

"Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director. Everything after that you’re just negotiating your budget and your fee.” - James Cameron

The Canon EOS Rebel SL2

2021-08-25T11:00:00.005-05:00

A solid choice for any photographer or filmmaker looking for an ultra compact DSLR that won't break the bank. Capable of 24.2megapixel stills and 1080p at 60 frames per second. Paired here with the Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 STM lens, it's perfect for low light, portrait, indoor and bokeh photos and video. One could say it's the jack of all trades setup.

Canon EOS Rebel T4i DSLR Camera

2021-08-24T11:30:00.005-05:00

The Canon EOS Rebel T4i DSLR Camera blends the experience of the best point-and-shoot features with the creative freedom allowed through traditional DSLR technology. It's the first DSLR camera that can track and stay focused on moving subjects during video recording. Making it a great buy for low budget filmmakers and photographers.

Whats in your camera bag?

2021-08-23T11:30:00.008-05:00

Every photographer and filmmaker has a bag, and every bag has a story behind it. Tell us your bags story. Why that camera (or cameras) those lenses? what's missing from your bag?

Origins of Image Stabilization for DSLR Lenses

2021-08-14T14:54:00.004-05:00

Did you know? The origins of Image Stabilization for 35mm DSLR lenses dates back to the EF 75-300mm 4-5.6IS USM lens released by Canon back in September of 1995. These lenses predated the mainstream adoption of digital technology by a long shot, but pioneered the way for many more to come. In 1995 you could buy an EOS DCS 3, but it was only a 1.3MP camera and would cost you around $20,000, so needless to say many continued to use film at that time.

Because Canon developed the technology prior to mainstream DSLR adoption, putting stabilization in the lens made the most sense. The only other way it could have been done would be to physically move the 35mm film up and down/left to right to counteract vibrations, which would be an engineering nightmare. The system Canon developed works by physically moving elements inside the lens to counteract any vibrations in the camera body.

Utilizing a lens with image stabilization allows you to drop to lower shutter speeds without sacrificing picture clarity, making it a great option for shooting in low light situations. It also benefits telephoto lenses, as vibrations are amplified the more you zoom in, and of course for all of our filmmaking customers, optical image stabilization is great to have when shooting video as well.

Used Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 STM Lens

2021-08-07T19:47:00.002-05:00

Up for sale is a used Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 STM Lens. All photos are of the actual item. All exterior surfaces have been detailed. Includes the original box!

Canon‘s most compact 50mm lens, the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM has a rugged metal mount, plus an improved minimum focusing distance of 1.15 ft. (0.35m) and a maximum magnification of 0.21x. Known by many as the nifty fifty. Perfect for low light, portrait, indoor and bokeh photos and video. One could say the lens is the jack of all trades.

Full specifications can be found on Canon’s website: https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/lenses/ef/standard-medium-telephoto/ef-50mm-f-1-8-stm

Nifty Fifty Battle - Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II vs Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM Lenses

2021-07-31T20:02:00.002-05:00

Canon lovers have long enjoyed the 50mm lens, so much so that they nicknamed it the Nifty Fifty. Over the years Canon has come out with a few variations of it. We're going to compare two of those, the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II, and the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM.

Both lenses are of course 50mm, have an aperture of 1:1.8, and lack image stabilization, so we're going to focus more on the differences between the two in this blog post.

Lens mount - [Winner] Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM

Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM: Metal
Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II: Plastic

Starting with the painfully obvious difference between the two, the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM features a metal lens mount, which means it'll hold up a lot longer when it comes to users that switch lenses on a regular basis. If you're the type that sticks with just one lens, I wouldn't consider this a deal breaker.

Aperture blades - [Winner] Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM

Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM: 7 blades
Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II: 5 blades

The aperture controls how much light gets through to the camera’s sensor. You will often see higher blade counts in more expensive lenses because the more blades you have, the nicer looking the bokeh is when blurring out your background. Fewer blades often results in a harsher, more polygonal bokeh. So the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM(left) win this one as well with the higher blade count of 7.

Manual Focus

Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM: Via focus motor
Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II: Mechanical

This is where things get interesting. If you're like me, nothing beats the tactile feedback of a mechanical focusing system. So for some, the use of the ultra quiet focus motor on the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM with electronic control just won't give you the same experience. During testing I found the electronic focus to be accurate, but the lack of motor noise, or tactile feedback of the mechanical movement takes some getting used to. The Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM also supports full time manual focus, so you can make adjustments after auto-focus completes. With the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II, one must mechanically disengage the auto-focus motor to switch to manual mode.

Focusing Motor - [Winner] Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM

Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM: Silent focusing motor
Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II: Noisy motor, not great for video

If you plan on using the Nifty Fifty for video recording and also capture sound on or near the camera, the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM is by far the winner here with the silent focusing motor. If you're looking to save some money and don't intend on having auto-focus running while shooting video, or you'll be capturing audio via a remote mic, the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II is a great alternative.

Overall

Ultimately, both versions are great lenses that will serve you well, but it's clear Canon made some great improvements when they released the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM.

DIY Table Top Dolly Wheels Camera Stabilizer Machining

2016-01-01T19:35:00.001-06:00

Behind the scenes look at machining the dolly wheels for a DIY Table Top Camera Dolly. Follow along with your own tools, or check out the link below for a set ready for a beginner DIY stabilizer project.

Available at: http://www.balvanzenterprises.com/DollyWheels.html

Unique Short Film/Music Video - Sent to us by Christopher Jared Cotton

2014-06-07T15:05:00.002-05:00

Drizzy Dro- "Live or Die" A Panasonic Gh4 Short Film/Music Video(Panasonic 12-35mm 2.8)

Long time customer Christopher Jared Cotton released a unique Short film/Music video yesterday. Blending together a fast paced custom rap song with an extended storyline with literally no budget, no script, and no planning in advance. Check it out and tell us what you think in the comments below!

Low Budget 3-Axis Camera Stabilizer Gimbal - Perfect for your DIY Project!

2014-06-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

In our continued effort to bring camera flight to low budget filmmakers, we've put together a Low Budget 3-Axis Gimbal perfect for the DIY crowd. Featuring a two piece CNC design to offer you a low price, without sacrificing precision. This would be a great addition to any DIY Camera Stabilizer build.

Learn more at the link below
Low Budget 3-Axis Camera Stabilizer Gimbal - Perfect for your DIY Project

The MiniDV Stabilizer 2 - Camera Stabilizer

2014-06-05T14:06:00.000-05:00

The MiniDV Stabilizer is back with a NEW and IMPROVED design based exclusively on customer feedback!

Check it out>>http://balvanzenterprises.com/MiniDVStabilizer.html

Lighter than the original, designed for compact point and shoot cameras like the GoPro Hero while still supporting compact DSLR's like the Canon T3i, T4i and T5i, Featuring a new head plate and so much more...

New Head Plate makes balancing the camera stabilizer faster than ever!


Featuring a new design that reduces the weight of the base plate by 44%.

Designed to be slightly taller than its competition to offer more stable footage, as well as a wider weight range.

Prototype Multi Mode Balanced Shooter

2014-04-22T20:45:00.001-05:00

As a filmmaker you are unique, so shouldn't your gear be too? There is nothing more unique than a prototype. Add three more shooting modes to you gear bag with our Multi Mode Balanced Shooter. This product is truly one of a kind as only one will be sold. Check it out at the link below:

http://balvanzenterprises.com/ProtoTypeProducts/ItemPage/Prototype%20%20Multi%20Mode%20Balanced%20Shooter

3-Shooting modes

Low Mode

Over Shoulder

Gun Stock

Over Shoulder/Gun stock


Low mode with extendable counter-balance weights

Low mode shooting

It's not what camera I use, it's how I use it that makes me a filmmaker...

2014-03-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Post by Balvanz Enterprises.

Like if you agree, share if you are following your film making dream.

Continuum - Part 1 (Dir. by Ben Hughes)

2013-12-06T13:12:00.002-06:00

Long time customer Ben Hughes of Ben Hughes Studios just dropped Part 1 of his suspenseful, thrilling feature length film. Check it out!

Machining Camera Stabilizer Head Plates, One Hole at a Time.

2013-10-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

Whether you're interested in building your own DIY camera stabilizer, or just enjoy seeing the process behind the product, follow along the hand crafted journey as we go from raw material to finished product.

The process begins with the top plate of the camera stabilizer head. A paper template is glued on to the surface, then 27 holes are hand drilled with the help of a laser guided drill press. If the head plate is intended for use with our Specter Stabilizer, the holes are also counter-sunk.

7 years and an estimated 100,000+ holes drilled by none other than the owner himself, precision can be seen in the alignment test.

Moving on to the middle plate, slots are machined with the help of our manual 3-axis mill. These slots allow for the front-to-back adjustment of the camera.

Holes are drilled for the mounting screws that connect the middle and bottom plates.

Then counter-sunk on the drill press.

1/4"-20 mounting holes are drilled in the sides of the plate, allowing users to attach our inertial dampers for added stability.

With the help of the 3-axis mill for alignment, the holes are hand threaded to prevent damaging the threads.

A custom metal template is used to mark the cut lines for the next step.

Once marked, the final shape is cut via the scroll saw.

Another custom metal template is used to mark the bottom plate on a longer strip of material, then cut to length using the scroll saw.

Slots are then machined using the 3-axis mill. These slots allow for the side-to-side adjustment of the camera.

The mounting hole is drilled and counter-sunk in the plate, allowing it to attach to the main tube of the camera stabilizer.

With machining done, the parts are ready for sanding.


A majority of the sanding is done by hand. The matte finish on the left is used for our MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2 and requires two grits of sandpaper to complete. The more time consuming gloss finish is used on our Specter Stabilizer and requires six different grits going all the way up to 2000 grit paper. The gloss finish can take up to several hours to complete.

Once sanding is done, mounting hardware is added, and the camera stabilizer head plates are complete.

Machining required

32 holes drilled

4 slots milled

6 holes threaded

Learn more about the MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2 and Specter Stabilizer at the links below:

MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2 - Camera Stabilizer
Specter Stabilizer - Camera Stabilizer

New music video sent to us by: Ted Cole

2013-10-20T14:11:00.000-05:00

We would like to thank Ted Cole for sending us his most recent music video filmed with a Canon T3i and our MiniDV Stabilizer.

You can learn more about the MiniDV Stabilizer at the link below:

MiniDV Stabilizer - Supports 1-2.25 pound cameras

Music video filmed with our Specter Stabilizer

2013-09-22T15:07:00.000-05:00

We would like to give a special thanks to Christopher Jared Cotton from Cotton Films for sending us one of his latest projects. He filmed the following music video using only our Specter Stabilizer, a Canon EOS 6D with Canon 24-105 f4l lens and a reflector. Overall amazing results, keep it up Cotton!

If you're in the market for a camera stabilizer and want to learn more about our Specter Stabilizer, check out the link below:
http://www.balvanzenterprises.com/SpecterStabilizer.html

3-Axis Camera Stabilizer Gimbal

2013-09-18T20:46:00.000-05:00

Over the course of several hours thirty four different parts come together to produce just one of the high precision 3-axis camera stabilizer gimbals found in our Specter Stabilizer.

For precise alignment of the mounting holes, the middle layer of the gimbal starts out as a square. Once the holes are drilled and threaded the corners are cut off prior to final rounding(Shown on right).

Designed with three layers that are machined together for a perfect fit, lighter weight, and calibration adjustment for perfect balance.

It takes over seventy different parts to assemble just one of our Specter Stabilizers, seventeen of which are custom machined with tolerances of just a few thousandth of an inch. Here’s a close up look at just two of those custom parts found in the 3-axis gimbal.

With high precision ultra low friction surfaces, the new fully ceramic main bearing will give you the super smooth footage you need. With a bearing that retails just under some of our competitors products, we're confident you won't be disappointed.

Learn more about the Specter Stabilizer at: http://www.balvanzenterprises.com/SpecterStabilizer.html

Camera Stabilizer Review - MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2 - Submitted By: Dave Andrade

2013-09-14T11:24:00.000-05:00

A special thanks to Dave Andrade on YouTube for sending us his review of our New MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2 Camera Stabilizer.

MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2 Camera Stabilizer Tutorial - Canon T3i DSLR

2013-09-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

Setup Tutorial for the MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2 Camera Stabilizer.

The Canon T3i was used for example purposes, but the instructions apply to any camera both DSLR and Camcorder format within the 1.25-4.25pound weight range of the camera stabilizer.

Learn more at: http://balvanzenterprises.com/MiniDVStabilizerPro.html

Labor Day Sales

2013-09-02T16:27:00.004-05:00

Have your eye on our MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2?

Now is a great time to take the plunge.

Bring your videos up to a whole new level at a great low price. Right now for the very first time our MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2 is on sale for only $179.96! Adding that beautifully smooth footage to your next video might just land you that big bonus you've been hoping for.

Learn More

http://www.balvanzenterprises.com/MiniDVStabilizerPro.html

Offer Ends 8th of Sep 2013

Impress your customers with a more professional look.

Showing up with gear all safely stored in our Hard Shell Case vs that old duffel bag you have laying around shows your customers you care about what you do. Upgrade now without breaking the bank. Take 30% OFF the regular price of our Hard Shell Case

Learn More

http://www.balvanzenterprises.com/HardShellCase.htmll

Offer Ends 4th sep 2013.

July Customer Video Submission

2013-07-17T01:17:00.001-05:00

Bringing us some super smooth footage from his maiden flight with our MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2. We want to give a big shout out to DongTZ on YouTube.

Filmed with a Canon t2i with a tokina 11-16mm lens.

Want to learn more about the MiniDV Stabilizer Pro V2? Check out the link below:
http://www.BalvanzEnterprises.com/MiniDVStabilizerPro.html

June Customer Video Submissions

2013-06-19T11:37:00.001-05:00

JAY R DA STAR OFFICIAL VIDEO

Filmed with a CanonT3i/50mm lens and the MiniDV Stabilizer Pro

Submitted by: TJ Parker

Deluxe Camera Stabilizer Combo - Limited time offer!

2013-05-13T16:38:00.000-05:00

Bringing together some of our most popular products at a great low price. For a limited time only get this great camera stabilizer combo for only $190. Stable rolling and flying video is just a few clicks away!http://balvanzenterprises.com/SpecialCombo.html

Upgrade your MiniDV Stabilizer Pro Purchase!

2013-04-20T19:38:00.000-05:00

Available for a limited time only, you can now upgrade your MiniDV Stabilizer Pro purchase to include a 7-12" extendable main tube for only $20 more.

Benefits

With the help of the 3" extension kit included with the MiniDV Stabilizer Pro, the extendable tube increases the maximum camera weight support to 4.25 pounds.
Fine tuning vertical balance is as simple as adjusting the length of the extendable tube.
Thanks to the more adjustable alignment of the components, it also reduces the pressure on the main bearings, reducing friction on the panning rotation a stunning amount, giving you super smooth flying.

Offer valid on new MiniDV Stabilizer Pro purchase only. Offer subject to change.