The FALCAM F50 by Ulanzi Group is a quick-release system has an extremely easy worth proposition. Should you’ve bought cameras that use a number of sorts of stabilization (gimbals, tripods, rigs, and so on.), the FALCAM F50 goes to make swapping between them a breeze.
The FALCAM F50 guarantees to make it a lot simpler to swap your digital camera between completely 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 digital camera and the numerous completely 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 properly made, and it doesn’t add a lot peak to a setup. That final notice implies 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
Should you’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 essential.
The FALCAM F50 system is constructed on a few core tenants. First, nearly all of the models are made out of aluminum alloy which feels extraordinarily robust 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 should you have 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 could 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 related gadgets. It’s quicker to connect a digital camera to it than it’s to take away, however not by a lot.
To take attachments off the FALCAM F50, it’s good to 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 have got hooked up — in my case, a whole 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 have to 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 specific strategy is that after the tools is clicked into place, you’re performed. There is no such thing as a have to tighten something or be sure that it’s set in place. Nope, as soon as it’s in, it’s not going anyplace. In change, you do have to tug again on that silver set off fairly laborious in an effort to launch the highly effective springs inside the pinnacle, so there is a little more effort concerned within the elimination course of than I’m used to.
Truthfully, that’s a tradeoff I’m prepared to make. I would like to know that one thing is locked and never transferring than have one thing simpler to take away. Likelihood is, I don’t need my digital camera to maneuver as soon as it’s on this factor, so realizing that it’s securely in place is best for my peace of thoughts than the choice.
The FALCAM F50 isn’t in the beginning 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 principally like the highest portion of any tripod head and may 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 digital camera 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 capable of really make a system that capabilities just about like a tripod.
Clearly, there are lots of other ways you need to use this technique ought to the necessity come up.
One final notice I wish 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 appropriate with 90% of Manfrotto’s commonplace 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 technique 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 expertise 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 a giant, deep breath of contemporary air. They aren’t complicated and carry out the job they’re assigned with precision and with out challenge.
FALCAM is asking much less for the FALCAM F50 than different choices and it’s obtainable in two completely 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 capable of present lots 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 convenience of use merchandise just like the FALCAM F50 supply, however a few of them are simply too giant to me and that measurement can critically impede the general stability of a setup. The FALCAM F50 doesn’t try this whereas nonetheless giving me that performance I would like, and it’s laborious to elucidate how a lot worth I get from that — actually greater than the $74 or $89 (depending on which plate you want) cost of entry.
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