Cameras | Gear Diary

GoPro Is the HERO of Awesome Action Video

Ever wonder how producers are able to capture those awesome video shots that seem to put you right in the action? Simple, they have the right equipment (and, of course they eye and technical skill.) One such tool, the HD HERO, is a cool little camera that came on the market a few years ago and it has really taken the action and adventure world by storm. Developed by GoPro, this very compact unit is capable of recording video and still shots in high-definition and, while not the only sports camera on the market, it is the king when it comes…

Reviews

Seeing Greater Things for New FishEyes Smarter Rod and Reel with Underwater Video Camera

I have to admit that many items I review do not receive much thought after I post their story, but after spending a short time with this new FishEyes Rod and Reel With Underwater Video Camera I realized here was an item with much broader usage. Sure, this is a unique product that every father needs to bring along on a fishing trip with the kids to enhance their experience while you do your best Bill Dance or Jimmy Houston impression, but I began seeing other opportunities for FishEyes. While it really only looks in one direction (down) as I…

News & Features

The Next Innovation in Photography Could be Just Around the Corner Thanks to Lytro.

Image from Lytro Digital photography seems to be stagnating a little. Yeah there is High Dynamic Range photography, but that requires either an iPhone or some photo editing skills that are above the skills of most people. Other than that, little has changed other than megapixel ratings. Lytro aims to change that soon with their new light field camera. What makes Lytro’s camera so special? Well imaging taking a picture and not being concerned about having to actually focus? That sounds like it may make for a bad picture. So when do you focus? You focus after. That’s right I…

News & Features

Olympus’ New LS-20M Linear PCM Recorder Aims to Unite High-Definition Video and PCM Audio

Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know what PCM Audio means, because I wasn’t sure either (and I had to look it up). PCM stands for Pulse Code Modulation, and it is a “means by which standard audio signals (which are represented by waveforms) are converted to digital audio signals (which are represented by 1’s and 0’s – much like computer data) with little, or no, compression. The method of audio conversion is used on most digital audio formats, including CDs and DVD-Audio, and is also used to some extent in Blu-ray and HD-DVD applications. The PCM signal is…

News & Features

Review: Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera

Cisco may have shuttered the doors on the Flip camera, but there are many other cameras out there that are still available that are as good or better than the venerable Flip. Today I am going to take a look at the Kodak Zi8, which I recently purchased with a gift card I received from Judie for my birthday [Aww, that’s awesome! ~ Judie]. I’ve always wanted a dedicated video camera, and my old Aiptek died long ago. The Zi8 was high on my list for many reasons, and even though it’s not the latest and greatest, I thought I…

Reviews

Review: Lowepro Compuday Photo 250 Backpack

I love gear bags, especially backpacks. The great thing about a gear bag is that I can carry more of my stuff. I have a backpack for my DSLR as well as a backpack for my MacBook and all of the items that go with it. Just the other day we took a short family trip and my wife was amused that I had to carry two backpacks with me. She asked why I did not just find one that could fit all of my stuff I was taking. Well, lucky for me, I was able to review the Compuday…

How to Do It Yourself!, Reviews

HDSLR, Part 3: Enter the new Nikon D5100

In part two of this series on using DSLR cameras for capturing high-definition video I teased to the new D5100 camera coming from Nikon. It’s here … and my favorite little camera store here in Dallas had one. Now it’s mine. What drew me to the new unit is the variable-angle LCD monitor which will make shooting my own stand-ups a snap. And the introduction of full-time-servo autofocus (AF-F) to the HDSLR line when capturing video. The D5100 loses the additional memory card slot that the D7000 has and overall it is a smaller and lighter camera than the D7000….

How to Do It Yourself!, Vehicles & Gear

HDSLR, Part Two: Getting It In Gear

I did not choose the Nikon D7000 for its digital still photography features, no, I solely based my purchase on its HD video capabilities. This morning I ran out to shoot a few shots of a couple of vehicles I am reviewing this week and the D7000 had the lens on it that is my new workhorse, the 16-85 VRII. Wow, what a nice still camera.

How to Do It Yourself!

High Def with D-SLR – Adding the Nikon D7000 to My Gear Bag

Offering to help out landed me some new work. Paying work. Sweet. It starts, as most things do, innocently enough. “Hey, can you take some pictures for us for the annual company banquet?” “Hey, can you get with supervisor so-and-so and see if they need any help with getting the highlight slideshow/video ready for the banquet?” “Hey, how is that video coming, and hey, how about an extra slideshow to run in the background while guests arrive and mingle?” And then, “Hey, awesome job. I haven’t met you but I am one of your really big bosses and I want…

News & Features

Random Cool Video: Hotel Room Boredom at 2,564 Frames Per Second

Last week many sites posted images shot at 2,564 frames per second. Now we have full video, and more details about the monster camera that can shoot that fast at full 1080p resolution! The cameraman was Tom Guilmette, and here is what he had to say: Violating the laws of nature. Playing God. Capturing stuff we are not supposed to see. Potentially opening up a wormhole in the fabric of time. These are a few of the things I think about while shooting with a Phantom High Speed Digital Cinema camera. The above video is a bunch of test footage…

Reviews

The Mili Power King P18 External Battery Review

Word spread yesterday that Apple might be looking to radically change the makeup of the batteries they use and, if this rumor bears fruit, have batteries in their devices that last much much longer. Just imagine how great it would be to have an iPhone that gets a few DAYS of runtime!? Unfortunately it is just a rumor. Moreover, while such advances would be great they do nothing for us as we sit her using the current devices available to us. For that we need external batteries and, as the saying goes, bigger is better. We’ve looked at a few…

Gear Bits

GD Quickie: Pay No Attention to the ’60 Minutes’ On Your Flip Mino HD

I love my Flip Mino HD, I really do. Since getting it I have used it extensively, capturing tons of our kids’ activities and so on easily and without any fuss. There are no accessible settings – you just record and use the digital zoom. But until last week I never really pushed it. Sure I have had it run out of time on me, but that is after capturing a bunch of different clips, usually during the holiday school concert season. But last week both of my kids had lead roles in the middle school play. Based on last…

Reviews

Gear vs Gear- Flip Camcorder vs… Flip Camcorder

When the iPhone first gained the ability to shoot video I thought it was all over for the Flip camcorder. When the iPhone began shooting HD video I knew it was all over. I was wrong on both counts. Turns out there is still a huge market for relatively inexpensive dedicated camcorders. They often do a better job recording sound, they are specifically designed to shoot video and, in a world where battery technology is still way behind, they let you shoot video without burning through your phone’s charge. Flip recently updated a number of their camcorders. They can now…

News & Features

Valentine’s Day Gift Idea: Stylish Flip Video CamCorder

Even in a sea of sea of HD-recording smartphones the Flip line of video cameras still reigns supreme as the easy-to-use, affordable pocket camcorder. The cameras shoot high quality video, make editing easy and, perhaps best of all, let you capture memories without running down your phone’s battery. Over the last few years the Flip line of cameras has added something else: STYLE. You can now get the cameras with a variety of designs… All of which makes them a great gift for the person you love this coming Valentines Day. It gets even better though. You can now give…

News & Features

Contour GPS Adds Bluetooth to Hands-Free Video

It’s an issue as old as Xtreme Sportz. You’ve strapped a video camera to your helmet, and you’re convinced it’s absolutely killer footage. Unfortunately, you taped the camera at the wrong angle, and instead of seeing your wicked skating set everyone sees the sky. Luckily, ContourGPS has a hands-free video camera that solves this issue by turning your phone into the viewfinder via Bluetooth. I can see where this would be helpful since without some sort of screen you don’t know that your camera is aimed properly. However, may I make a suggestion? If you’re going to be using this…

News & Features

Did You Catch Last Night’s Lunar Eclipse?

Last night Kevin and I watched the lunar eclipse. It was cold but clear outside as we watched the earth’s shadow pass over the moon, and I was able to snap a few photos with my Canon G11. I didn’t have a special lens attachment, I wasn’t using a tripod, these aren’t going to win any awards, and I sure wish that I had planned ahead and got a camera mount for our telescope … but even so, we had a lot of fun watching our fully moonlit yard go dramatically black. How about you? Did you catch the eclipse?…

Reviews

TWIN VIDEO Review: The World’s First Dual Lens Video Camera

Vlogging is a very popular activity these days. If you’re not familiar with it, the process involves recording a video-diary of your life and then posting it online for the world to follow. It seems everywhere I look there’s someone who’s decided to record a portion of their life and post it on the internet. If you’ve ever tried to record yourself while “out and about” you know it’s not easy. Using a standard video camera requires what I like to call the “one arm reach” where you hold the camera in one hand and turn it around. Then you…

News & Features

Random News: Woman Who Put Cat in Trash Pleads Guilty to Animal Cruelty

Do you remember the story from a couple of months ago about a woman in Coventry UK being caught on a security camera tossing a cat into a trash bin? Well, take a look to refresh your memory: Well, after tons of international outrage and attention, the woman was charged with animal cruelty and was fined 250 British pounds. The reason for a fine compared to a more severe charge: District judge Caroline Goulborn said the potential for harm to the cat had been “substantial” but the reality was she had not been hurt. “The media interest in this case…

Editorials

Use Your Cell Cam, Go to Jail

Photo courtesy of ABC News© We don’t talk much about politics here at Gear Diary. It’s not our thing. We’re geeks and nerds here, not PoliSci majors. We like to talk about the positive side of tech. But every once in a while, tech news and politics do bleed into each other. One of the classics is Net Neutrality, of course. Gizmodo being raided by the police for purchasing an allegedly stolen device. Early in my career, encryption software being treated as equivalent to a munition was a hot topic. You get the idea. Since 9/11, a lot of the…

How to Do It Yourself!

Fun on the Fourth and fabulous fireworks photos

While preparing for part II of my ‘Picture This’ digital photography series I discover the calendar has turned to Independence Day here in the States. Many of you will be heading out to catch your local fireworks displays this evening, and some may have already been treated to early celebrations that lit up the night skies. This is not intended to be the definitive authority on fireworks photography, but I hope to assist you in getting better images with some advice I have learned over the past digital decade. First, and perhaps foremost especially given my new series covers photography…

Editorials

Do I Still Need a Flip Camcorder If I Have an iPhone 4?

We received this question from one of our readers… here are the answers from our editorial staff… Dear Gear Diary, Does iPhone 4 kill the flip? I’ve wanted something like that for a while but think the new iPhone might be as good or better. Signed, Flipping Out For The iPhone 4 Dear Flipping Out, Dan: I love my Flip Video Camera. I really do. But I do worry about their future… unless they make one significant change in a hurry. When the iPhone 3GS came out and had the ability to shoot video, I questioned how it might impact…