You know that cool effect in Hollywood movies where they shift the focus from something in the foreground to something in the background (or vice versa)? Trying to achieve that on your own can be quite the challenge, because autofocus doesn’t give you adequate control and regular manual focus can be finicky to do on the fly.

If you want an easier way to achieve that follow focus effect, you’ll probably want to have a look at this FocusMaker rig. It’s so brilliant in its simplicity. Basically, it’s a giant halo ring that latches onto the manual focus ring on your DSLR lens. There’s a big handle on the outside to give you greater precision and control, and then you can put little markers for your set focus points.

What this means is that when you are actually shooting your video, you can quickly (or slowly and smoothly) jump between the focus points that you’ve already set. Those focus markers can be active or passive. The active mode gets them to protrude, stopping the sight when they hit, whereas passive mode allows for free motion.

More information can be found on focusmaker.com. It retails online for $90.

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Up until earlier this week, you could expect to pay about $300 or more for a GoPro Hero2. It really was the de facto “action camera,” but GoPro is starting to face some potentially stiff competition in the space by the likes of Sony, JVC and others. And so, the GoPro Hero3 has been formally revealed and it improves on the Hero2 in just about every way. Indeed, all three versions come with built-in Wi-Fi.

Remember that you had to buy a Wi-Fi accessory for the GoPro Hero2 in order to gain wireless functionality. That already saves you a bunch of money. The other kicker is that the cheapest of the new Hero3 cameras — White Edition — is only $199.99, a full $100 cheaper than its predecessor. For that price, you get the aforementioned Wi-Fi, as well as 1080p full HD video (at 30fps), 960p at 30fps, 720p at 60fps, and 5MP stills with a 3fps burst mode. The Wi-Fi makes it compatible with the Wi-Fi remote, as well as the compatible GoPro apps on iOS and Android.

If you step up to the $299.99 Silver Edition GoPro Hero3, you get the fundamentally the same video capabilities, except the 960p HD video can be recorded at 48fps. Also, the stills have been upgraded to 11 megapixels with a 10fps burst mode.

And finally, at $399.99, the most expensive version is the Hero3 Black Edition. You get bumped to 12MP stills with a 30fps burst rate, but the real kicker is that you go beyond full HD and gain the ability to shoot 4K video at 12fps. There are also settings for 2.7k at 30fps, 1440p at 48fps, 1080p at 60fps, and 720p at 120fps. Bundled in with the Black Edition is the Wi-Fi Remote, which is an additional purchase for the Silver and White Editions.

Pre-orders are being taken now at GoPro.com.

The post GoPro Hero3 Camera Captures 4K of Phenomenal Action Video appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The GoPro Hero line of “active” HD camcorders has been hugely popular about extreme enthusiasts, but there’s only so much you do with one camera. The newly announced Wi-Fi BacPac and Wi-Fi Remote take care of that.

They work in tandem with existing GoPro cameras, so you can go ahead and use all the different mounts for all sorts of interesting camera angles. Use the helmet cam, the chest cam, the handlebar cam… whatever tickles your fancy. Then, with the Wi-Fi BacPac and Wi-Fi Remote combo kit, you can then control multiple (up to 50!) GoPro cameras from your smartphone or tablet. You can also use the included waterproof Wi-Fi remote.

You get an ideal wireless range of 600 feet. While you can currently stream the video from the GoPro cameras to your smartphone or tablet, a future update will let you livestream that video onto the web. A multi-camera action-enthused livestream! GoPro’s wireless combo is available now for $99.99.

[Source]

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I saw the AR.Drone 2.0 in action when I attended CES earlier this year, but now it’s out in the wild and a sample of the HD video shot by the quadrocopter has been uploaded to the Internet. The video sample, embedded below and available in 720p, provides an aerial view of San Francisco Peaks and Mt. Elden from Flagstaff, Arizona.

Not surprisingly, the video is filled with wavy undulations as the quad-rotor aircraft makes its way up into the skies. The quality of the video isn’t the best either and the lack of audio really takes away from the experience. Even so, I imagine the AR.Drone 2.0 is a really fun toy to have, especially since all you have to do is double-tap a button in the provided iOS or Android FreeFlight app to make it do a flip.

There are better ways to spend $299, but a sensible desk or a nice toaster oven just don’t sound as fun.

[Source]

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When camera phones came around, people still wanted to have their regular digital cameras to take better pictures. When those digital cameras gained the ability to take video, people still wanted to have standalone camcorders to take better video. While there are certainly cameras and cameraphones that shoot some pretty great video these days, there is still something to be said about having a true dedicated camcorder for your movie-making purposes.

Offering full 1920×1080 HD video in the palm of your hand is the Samsung HMX-QF20. The Samsung QF20 is a very compact camcorder, but it comes loaded with a number of impressive features, like integrated Wi-Fi and an assortment of art filters.

Features and Specs

Even though the QF20 is marketed as offering full HD video, that’s only partly true. It shoots 1080i at 60fps or 720p at 30fps, with no option to shoot at a true 1080p at all. This isn’t a huge deal breaker for the average consumer, but the discerning techie would have likely wanted to get that full 1080p HD treatment.

The high-quality Schneider Kreuznach lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 38.4mm to 768mm for a suitably equipped 20x optical zoom. There’s also the digital zoom factor in there if you want to bump that figure to 40x. The aperture range is F/1.8 to F/3.9, giving you plenty of light even at full telephoto. For stills, you are limited to just a 5.1-megapixel imaging sensor.

Unlike the Samsung HMX-H106 HD camcorder, which has a built-in solid state drive, the HMX-QF20 relies on its SD card slot for storage. Thankfully, it’s also considerably cheaper as a result. Rounding out the specs are optical image stabilization and a 2.7-inch touchscreen LCD.

The QF20 is more compact that I expected at about 12cm in length and a 5cm diameter, making it somewhat pocketable (depending on your pockets, of course).

User Interface

There is no power button or switch on this camcorder at all. Instead, it automatically turns on when you flip out the touchscreen panel and it turns off when you close it back up. That touchscreen can also rotate around as needed for a better viewing angle. If you close it up with the screen toward the outside, the QF20 will automatically enter playback mode.

As far as the touchscreen UI goes, it’s all pretty basic and standard. There is a physical “home” button next to it that brings up the main menu with the ability to switch between modes (like Smart Auto or Art Time Lapse), as well as access to the Social Sharing, Auto Backup, TV Link (AllShare), and Settings menus.

While shooting, there are a few icons available to you on the screen too, like switching between video and stills. You can optionally bring up virtual buttons for zoom, but the five way controls at the back of the camcorder are generally more comfortable to use. As with so many other similar products, the touchscreen on the QF20 isn’t the best; we’ve become far too accustomed to the responsiveness of capacitive smartphone displays, so going to this plastic-y resistive display is disappointing.

There is a built-in lens cover and this is opened and closed via a switch on the right side, just in front of the hand strap. The stereo microphones, which seem to be very sensitive, are located on top towards the front of the barrel.

Switch Grip and WiFi Functionality

Lefties of the world rejoice! The trouble with most camcorders that take on this form factor is that they are very rightie-centric. While that’s still mostly true here, you can simply “flip” the camcorder over and the UI on the touchscreen will also flip accordingly. This way, you can hold the camcorder in your left hand and everything will work just the same (without an upside down video).

Another selling feature is the inclusion of integrated Wi-Fi. You can use this to upload videos directly to Facebook and YouTube, for example. This sounds like it could be an interesting feature in concept, but entering your access point and social media account credentials via the touchscreen can be the expected exercise in frustration.

For my part, even though the Wi-Fi could be interesting, I can’t see myself ever using it. Even if I didn’t want to do some basic editing on my computer, I’d want to be able to write up a proper description and tag my videos before uploading. But that’s just me.

Still Photo Performance

So, how do those 5MP photos turn out?

Here is an example of an indoor shot taken on an overcast day with a fair bit of interior incandescent lighting. I left all the settings at full auto. You can see that there is noticeable noise, particularly visible on the black portions, and the details aren’t nearly as “crisp” as they could have been. It does the job, but it could be better. The lack of flash makes taking stills with the QF20 under darker conditions virtually impossible too.

There are a number of digital effects that you can apply to both videos and stills. Here is the “art” effect, for instance. There is also black and white, sepia, negative, ghost, noir, western, and dazzle.

Overall, the quality is probably best described as just decent. It may be a step above some cameraphones, but you’ll likely get better results from a suitable point-and-shoot digital camera.

Video Performance

Comparatively, the video performance on the QF20 is quite a bit better. The details come through quite well, but I did find that the “Smart Auto” mode goes too far in overcompensating for backlighting. This is understandable and it’s a common problem, but it goes even further in this regard than many other cameras.

Video quality is definitely better than what you’d get some of the pocket camcorders out there, like the Flip MinoHD, and having access to a true 20x optical zoom lens is a huge plus. The file sizes are typically smaller than what you would get from shooting 1080i or 720p with a conventional P&S too.

Here is a sample compilation video that I put together. It was shot at 1920×1080 at 60i, de-interlaced in Pinnacle Studio 14 Ultimate with the “blend” function, and then rendered out in 720p HD. Aside from that and the titling, the video was not otherwise edited or altered.

To see how slightly edited 720p video looks, you can watch this video that I shot at a Japanese restaurant. It also clearly demonstrates the issue with overcompensating for the backlighting, resulting in a complete loss of visibility for the faces of some people at the table.

Conclusion

The Samsung HMX-QF20, despite its shortcomings, is quite the nice little camcorder. I like the compact size, as well as the “switch grip” feature. You can even shoot vertical HD videos, if you ever decide that’s something you want to do. Having 20x optical zoom (and 40x digital zoom) is incredibly useful too.

The lack of onboard storage is certainly forgiveable and while I still find the touchscreen to be not as responsive as I would have liked, it’s still perfectly usable without too much trouble. While the quality of the stills aren’t up to snuff, they’re still decent and the video quality is really why you’d want this camcorder anyway.

With retail going anywhere between $300-$400 (toward the higher end of that in Canada), the QF20 is a moderately priced camcorder that–for the most part–gets the job done. You might want to use the available manual mode to avoid over-exposure, though.

The post Review: Samsung HMX-QF20 HD Camcorder appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The biggest name in this wearable action video camera niche has to be GoPro, or at least the ones with the most marketing bucks. But it’s starting to face some stiff competition from Swann, a company you may be more familiar with for its surveillance products. They now have a GoPro alternative and its called the Freestyle HD. Talking with one of the reps at CES, it has already had a soft launch with some strong and positive feedback. It brings a lot to the table (or the top of your snowboard helmet, as the case may be) that competing products might not. For instance, it has a detachable LCD screen. That’s handy.

There’s also a remote for starting and stopping the recording without having to physically handle the Freestyle HD itself. A built-in laser helps you line up shots. And since you can’t see that when the camera is mounted to the side of your head. it obviously make sense. While the MSRP is set at $280, the street price can drop close to the $200 mark.

The post Swann Freestyle HD Wearable Videocam Challenges GoPro Market appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Sony’s latest “World’s First” is set to ring in a new era of voyeurism: The DEV 3D HD video recording binoculars.

While I’m struggling to think of a use for these that any good DSLR and telephoto lens can’t do, I’m sure birdwatchers or sports fans might feel differently. The binoculars record full 1080p HD video in either 2D or 3D, offering three hours of 2D recording time on a single charge. More impressive, though, is the stereo mic with audio input, two Exmor R CMOS sensors, dual f/1.8-3.4, 0.5-10x optical zoom lenses and Memory Stick Pro Duo and SDXC support.

But they’re not just for recording things way out in the distance, says Sony. The binoculars will capture 2D video of subjects only a half-inch away from the lens, or 36 inches away in 3D mode. With 5.4x optical zoom and up to 20x digital zoom on the DEV-5 model, that could make for some pretty stunning macro B-roll provided you hadn’t had too much coffee in the morning.

The DEV-5 also features a built-in GPS receiver for geo-tagging clips and shots, a feature passed over for the less expensive DEV-3. Both models, however, do feature electronic auto-focus to keep moving subjects in crisp focus while recording — an option they say is easily overridden by the manual focus dial on the top of the binoculars.

I have to say it’s their “stealth design” that bothers me most.

“The binoculars feature a ‘stealth’ design that eliminates distracting buttons or external details that could reveal a user’s position to wildlife,” reads Sony’s press release. “Both binoculars feature an ergonomic grip area that’s coated with an elastomer material for sure handling and stable operation. Top-mounted controls allow easy operation with gloved fingers, while dual buttons are provided to start recording instantly with either hand.”

I can’t seem to get the image of a glove- and trenchcoat-clad cat-burglaring pervert out of my head, hiding in the bushes outside the apartments across the street and operating a set of these effortlessly with one hand.

The DEV-3 and DEV-5 will be hitting shelves this November, when they’ll cost $1400 and $2000 apiece — right about the time I’ll be investing in some curtains.

The post World’s first 3D, HD-recording binoculars set for release from Sony appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

That’s right. SanDisk has created what they’re calling the “world’s fastest high-capacity CompactFlash card.”

Which means it may not be the fastest or the highest in capacity alone, but it’s the best combination of the two so far. With a 100MB per second writing speed, you won’t have to wait long to fill up the 128GB of storage with full-HD video or burst sequences from your 21MP DSLR.

But it’s not all magic and sunshine. The read speeds are lower, though they won’t say by exactly how much. The “lifetime limited warranty” drops to only 30 years if you live in Germany, and they warn the statistics are based only on their internal testing.

There is one other more very high number that’s worth noting. The price.

Just one of these babies will set you back $1500.

[SanDisk Product Page]

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Yes, it is able to record at full 1080pHD at 30 frames per second, but the kicker is that it is the only handheld capable of doing that and recording in HD audio (24-bit/96kHz). Audio, after all, is Zoom’s bread and butter.

Among the highlights in this newest pocket camcorder are a larger aperture with three lighting settings, the 120-degree X/Y microphone capsule configuration previously found in the zoom H4n recorder, and a built-in HDMI port for instant sharing on the big screen. It’s powered by a couple AA batteries and supports up to 32GB SDHC memory cards.

Doubling up on the HD-ness, for both audio and video, comes at a premium over devices that don’t do full HD in either department. The Zoom Q3HD is shipping now for $299.99 from online retailers.

[Samson Tech, Amazon]

The post Zoom Q3HD full HD camcorder ships right now appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The new iPod Touch will come in three versions, an 8GB for $229, 32GB for $299 and a 64GB for $399.  You will be able to edit videos, do FaceTime between iPod Touch and iPhone users, or iPod Touch and iPod Touch.  The Camera is similar to the iPhone 4s, with VGA on the front, no flash however, but HD Video is possible on the rear camera. Battery life is rated at 40 hours of music playback.  It uses the Apple A4 chip found inside the iPhone 4 and iPad, a 3-axis gyroscope, iOS 4.1 and Game Center.

Like the iPhone 4, you get the retina display on the new iPod Touch, with LED backlighting, 326 ppi which equates to 4x the pixels of previous versions.

Photo: Giz

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