You’ve upgraded your social content, right?
In these crazy times you’ve realized that video gets more traction than straight still posts.
It’s true, as I’m writing a non moving post.
So let’s look at some of the highlights from this past year in the video game, and see what may be right for you, or a giftee.
Light is everything, whether you shape what is natural, or control it.
This year, I watched a pretty solid webinar by Nanlite, and tried a coupla units.
Wow!
Solid high adjustable output, well built, and consistent through the line so you can add additional lights as needed, knowing your color will be consistent.
They have some units with a variety of output, shape, and most importantly, are silent! That seems to be the issue with a lot of units out there.
I went with 2 x 100 units as a start and have been very happy with them. check out the line and see what may be on your list of needs. And yes, part of the line is battery powered as well.
Nanlite Compac 100 Dimmable 5600K Slim Soft Light Studio LED Panel

On the more portable line up, the Lume Cube Go, is always in the bag, and adds that extra bit of kicker for your DSLR/Mirrorless vids, or even yor smartphine vids.

And if you are shooting video with your phone, I’d like to recommend the BeastGrip. It has all of the handheld versatility you need. Cold shoes all over, you can add more, and it fits a ton of phones. I use it with a Samsung Note 10+ primarily, and sometimes an iPhone 11Pro

OK, now let’s up the ante a bit.

If you have gone into the world of sliders, one of the stars in that universe is Edelkrone. Even if your goal is to get a great B-Cam footage of an interview, having a SliderOne V2, with a HeadOne, plus a flex head, will serve you right.

Once you program it with the free app on your phone, you can repeat a motion, so you set and forget it. Sure, you need to keep a distance locked , or a t/ stop that gives you a good depth, this company makes a solid product, and your should have some in your kit. Just make sure you have batts to power em both. They last a long time, so no worry. I’m using my Canon batteries.

 And a huge sale going on RIGHT NOW!!

And when you want to shoot with a larger screen, and take that sweet 4K output out of your camera, and put it onto a SSD drive with no time constraints. (30 min? hahahahah) How about 150 min in 4k on a 1TB drive?

Go for the Atomos Ninja 5

When you want to trick out your rig, and need that cage for your camera, or need an arm to attach a monitor, or any number of ideas you have to make content creation easier, my highest recco for SmallRig. Many items are available here in the US, although originate in Asia.

I usually go right to the site and figure out what is needed to make the rig work thew way I want.

here is just some of the range of items they make:

So maybe this became a list of what to ask for the holidays. Or maybe , you just want to make sure your are buying the gear you need before year end.

Whatever the case, stick around as tomorrow we will tackle the audio parts of your content creation, including podcast reccos!!

HI-
How are you doing as we go headlong into the holiday season in an unprecedented (yep,I said it!) time?
I’m hoping that the time spent working from home has made you think, or rethink the best ways and tools you need.
We’ll start this years series of gift reccos with items that can help you work better at home.
Laptop stand – MOFT Z
This thing folds flat, is made of fiberglass covered in material, and lightweight enough to move around your home office with you. Stand up desk, perfect angle for vid conference, or just a good angle for general couch work!

Logitech Brio -Best Webcam

If you are tired of being a blurry blob, and want to show you have stepped up your remote video game, this is the webcam to get.

Had been out of stock for awhile( I scored mine on EBAY near the beginning of all this) Put your order in!
Lume cube Mini

And to compliment your new webcam, is a bit of extra light so you don’t look like you are sitting in a cave. Plus it’s a good, soft, light, bi-color, and can be charged as you use it, for those loooooong days of meetings. Now the whole set-up, including the suction mount for your laptop, is about $55.00!

For your audio pleasure, there are a couple of ways to go. Yes, you can you your wireless ear buds. I’m partial to AirPod pros, but any Bluetooth will do.
If you want to go for the full look, this
Jabra Evolve 70 has a ton of bells and whistles.

Optimized for Skype for Business, you can get it with, or without, a charging dock, has 100′ ranges, and has a cool red light they call a busy light, on both earcups that lets’ people know you are on a call. 15 hours of talk time. It comes with a great case, but where am I going?

And next to your laptop, you may want your phone for txts email, stock tips, or gamesA couple of ways to go here: One I’ve tried, and it works, is a double pack of this Anker charging base. It’s simple, 2 of them cost about $40.00, and I can even put my AirPods wireless charging case on them.

A more versatile, although not a charging deal. is the new Peak Design mobile system. You can get a case for your phone that will let you attach a slim, and strong folding stand.

Brilliant design, and you can take the stand part off, and the phone will still wireless charge.

OK, only on Kickstarter for now, but keep your eyes peeled, and maybe back em. they have been pretty successful so far!

And an item, I just reviewed, the OWC dock:

These items have been tried, used, and proven to be useful.

Where it’s for your, a partner, or a gift, these will make anyone smile when they unwrapped it, and send you a FaceTime thanks!

More Gift Guides on the way!

Working from home is where we are at now, and you may have found that the lightweight slim laptop you have from the office was great on the road.
But you’re not on the road these days.
Being able to add some versatility, additional peripherals, is what you need right now.
How about a larger screen, for the interminable remote meetings? Or even streaming a great movie?
OWC has got this handled.
The Thunderbolt 3 Dock   has all you need to plug in your extras, and increase the productivity of your laptop.

As you have discovered, USB C needs extra power than on-board BUS power for older USB plugs.

This unit gives you the power you need, (yes, you have to plug into an outlet) to super charge your basic USB outlets, and gives you additional Thunderbolt 3 ports.

And with media card readers, you now get back the ability to load in Micro-SD (go-pro?) and regular SD cards, back at your fingertips. Plus you can plug in your headphones, or Jabra Type headset. Although most laptops have the headphone port, you could use it for a mic.

I know, you may move around your home office. Is the couch better for you? Maybe a balcony?

This unit has a software feature for an easy disconnect, when you need to leave the extras on a desk, or dining room table, for the comfort of a simpler workspace

Safety first, right?

All in all, this unit has been designed by a trusted manufacturer, gives you 14 ports of usability, solidly built, lets you charge your electronics from one place, and basically lets you take the power inherent in your laptop, and utilize it to max capacity.

Is there a downside? Hmmm…

Well, it’s not cheap, which in a way is a good thing, $250 USD. You know a solid company, with a track record will stand behind the product.

Who knows, watch for some holiday deals and you may catch a break.

It’s already in my home office, and working away.

It’s time to build out your home office, for real.

Yep, wireless charging for your phone is pretty cool.
Just laying it on top of a pad with no cables does seem like an easier deal. And with multi-use charging pads so you can charge your watch, air pods and phone at once is super useful.
Until you wake up and your phone hasn’t charged. At all!!
Has this ever happened to you? Jiggling your phone till you see the charging symbol, or percentage ring, confirming the right placement, only to find out that it wasn’t quite in place, or moved?
It has happened to me more times than I care to know.
Frustrating at best, causing me to use a cable on an external battery to get the day going,
Mophie has come up with a solution that may seem simple, but works like a champ! The Mophie 4-in-1 Charging Mat

With ridges outlining 2 places for phones, and 2 places for air pods, a dock for your watch (need to add your own charging cable) this unit has been a lifesaver!
It. Always. Works!!!!
They call it the EASY-ALIGN design, and i have been waiting for something like this.

Now, if you work at a company that requires you to use a company phone, and you have a personal phone (keep all of that stuff separate!) this dual charger is what you need.
And maybe it’s a couples thing where you can both charge your devices at once. Only one watch port though. There is an extra USB port on the back if you need to add another charging cable. Or if your other smart watch can lay flat you’re good.

This sits on my bed stand and I know, when I wake up, the devices are charged and ready.

Simple, yes? and about $125 .

Time to start your gift lists!

Truth be told, I don’t ski, skateboard, sail, or bike.
I DO snorkel a coupla times a year.
SO why would I want or need an action cam?
Good question.
And the answers are many: time lapse being a huge one, having a small, quality, capture vid camera for the beach, body mounted cam for documenting the day, a diff kind of webcam. etc..
Basically, a small video camera that can capture life.
Having used everything from the first GoPro to the current DJI Action Cam, there have been some great improvements along the way.
Front and Back screen, and simplified touch screen menus are 2 of the majors upgrades, plus image stabilization.
They may all come from the same factory, so many features are shared, although the apps, and build, are specific to brands.

A new player in the field, Akaso, sent me their new entry into the market to check out. The Brave 7 LE!

4K, waterproof down to 131FT/40M while equipped with the included waterproof housing, water resistant right out of the box.
and the beauty here is that everything you need is INCLUDED!! Continue Reading »