The FALCAM F50: A Fast-Launch System for Quick On-Set Modifications
The FALCAM F50 by Ulanzi Group is a quick-release system has an extremely easy worth proposition. For those who’ve acquired cameras that use a number of varieties of stabilization (gimbals, tripods, rigs, and many others.), the FALCAM F50 goes to make swapping between them a breeze.
The FALCAM F50 guarantees to make it a lot simpler to swap your digicam between totally different help techniques with out interfering with stability. The corporate says that, historically, these sorts of swaps require you to screw and unscrew plates and heads in what’s a cumbersome and time-consuming course of. Talking from expertise as a man who operated his personal video manufacturing studio for over seven years, I can agree this course of is often the worst.
There have been earlier makes an attempt at making this relationship between a digicam and the numerous totally different help techniques a photographer or filmmaker wants much less of a ache level, however what makes the FALCAM F50 stand out is that it’s comparatively cheap, it’s nicely made, and it doesn’t add a lot peak to a setup. That final notice signifies that the FALCAM F50 system avoids what I name the “totem pole” downside, which is the place a setup will get so tall that stability is compromised.
FALCAM F50: Design and Construct High quality
For those who’re like me, you’ve by no means heard of Ulanzi or FALCAM earlier than, however that doesn’t imply the product isn’t top quality. I acquired three separate units of the FALCAM F50 system and each single one of many six plates and mounts are extraordinarily well-made. For a system that’s designed to take a seat on the core of a photograph or video workflow, that couldn’t be extra necessary.
The FALCAM F50 system is constructed on a few core tenants. First, the vast majority of the models are constructed from aluminum alloy which feels extraordinarily powerful and sturdy whereas additionally not weighing a lot. Every system is rated to face up to 110 kilos of vertical load capability, which is far more than a overwhelming majority of shooters will ever be placed on it, even when you had been to rely a full-size film camcorder, rigging gear, and a complete video tripod head.
The FALCAM F50 additionally contains non-slip rubber pads to guarantee the hooked up tools stays firmly in place and it ships with a ton of screw sizes in order that it will probably seamlessly match into any photographer or filmmaker’s bodily workflow.
FALCAM F50: Usability
The way in which the system works is just like the expertise I’ve had with different comparable units. It’s sooner to connect a digicam to it than it’s to take away, however not by a lot.
To take attachments off the FALCAM F50, you should pull again on the silver set off on the facet, which retracts a bar from the plate and will let you pull no matter you could have hooked up — in my case, a complete video tripod head — off. Pulling again the set off and eradicating the plate leaves the bottom in a “prepped” place, with the set off locked again and open. To re-attach, you simply must set the plate again on the bottom unit and push down, which clicks the entire thing again into place securely.
What I like about this explicit method is that when the tools is clicked into place, you’re accomplished. There is no such thing as a must tighten something or ensure that it’s set in place. Nope, as soon as it’s in, it’s not going anyplace. In alternate, you do have to tug again on that silver set off fairly laborious with a purpose to launch the highly effective springs inside the pinnacle, so there is a little more effort concerned within the removing course of than I’m used to.
Actually, that’s a tradeoff I’m keen to make. I would favor to know that one thing is locked and never transferring than have one thing simpler to take away. Chances are high, I don’t need my digicam to maneuver as soon as it’s on this factor, so understanding that it’s securely in place is healthier for my peace of thoughts than the choice.
The FALCAM F50 isn’t before everything designed to be a direct camera-to-tripod plate system however there isn’t something, specifically, stopping you from utilizing it like this. It’s mainly like the highest portion of any tripod head and might connect to a variety of screw sizes and function precisely as anticipated the place wanted.
For instance, my webcam setup is fairly DIY, that means that initially I used to be simply attaching my digicam behind my monitor by screwing the bottom into a lightweight stand. However for the reason that FALCAM F50 can connect to that screw as a substitute, I used to be in a position to really make a system that capabilities just about like a tripod.
Clearly, there are quite a lot of alternative ways you should use this method ought to the necessity come up.
One final notice I need to make is that the FALCAM F50 plate is interchangeable with most different video plates available on the market — you don’t want to make use of FALCAM attachment factors with FALCAM plates. The corporate says it’s suitable with 90% of Manfrotto’s customary quick-release plate techniques, which makes it practically common throughout a lot of the business. That’s enormous, as a result of the entire concept of utilizing this method is to cut back the friction it takes to connect one factor to a different factor, and FALCAM didn’t add any friction only for the sake of promoting extra plate techniques.
The FALCAM F50 Simply Works
So many merchandise in pictures and even normal know-how are over-engineered to supply far more options than anybody feasibly wants. In consequence, the FALCAM F50 and merchandise prefer it simply really feel like an enormous, deep breath of recent air. They aren’t advanced and carry out the job they’re assigned with precision and with out situation.
FALCAM is asking much less for the FALCAM F50 than different choices and it’s out there in two totally different configurations relying in your want (lengthy for camcorders, or squared-off for extra conventional cameras or for positioning beneath tripod heads). Additionally it is in a position to present quite a lot of the identical performance of different choices available on the market whereas being significantly extra compact.
That final bit is the most important upside to me. I like the benefit of use merchandise just like the FALCAM F50 supply, however a few of them are simply too massive to me and that dimension can severely impede the general stability of a setup. The FALCAM F50 doesn’t do this whereas nonetheless giving me that performance I would like, and it’s laborious to elucidate how a lot worth I get from that — definitely greater than the $74 or $89 (depending on which plate you want) cost of entry.
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