Cokin MAGNE-FIX lens adapters for small cameras

At PodCampAZ this weekend I ran into an old friend who had one of these magnetic adapter lens for his Flip Video camera. In his case, it was a wide angle attachment that allowed him to shoot himself more easily for video blogs. The built-in lens on the Flip Video makes you extend you arm almost all the way to get your entire head and shoulders in the frame, but this adapter expands the view of the camera and makes it much easier.

They also have telephoto and filter attachments that work with a variety of point-and-shoot camera. These adapters attach to your camera using a magnetic ring that is stuck to your camera body which that connects to the adapter. This allows you to easily attach/detach the adapter depending on the shooting situation.

Amazon.com: Cokin Magne-FIx Products

New: Zoom Q3: Flip Video-type camera with better audio

This new product from Samson seems an odd duck. It looks like a Flip  video grafted onto a Zoom H2 recorder. While that is certain to up the audio quality, the standard 640 x 480 video falls short of the Flip HD. I will be more interested to see the next revision of this device.

Zoom Q3: Finally A Flip-Type Pocket Cam With Decent Audio [Camcorders]

from Gizmodo by Dan Nosowitz

Our Battlemodo showed that while cheap pocket camcorder video quality has come a long way, audio quality is usually abysmal. The Zoom Q3 aims to change that with TWO directional microphones that can be focused much like a lens zooms.

Read the entire article

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Video: SteadyStick CamCorder Stabilizer Demo

I came across a link to this video in my Twitter stream today from Guy Cochran. This could be a relatively inexpensive addition to your new media toolkit and boost the overall quality of your videos.

Elsewhere Online: DVeStore’s Shotgun Shootout

Image via Wikipedia

I came across this blog post via Twitter user @guycochran . This is something I have been wanting to create for a while, so it is great to be able to pass it along to you.

DVeStore’s Shotgun Shootout

This is the most amazing mic comparison on the internet! Listen to a variety of shotguns and compare the sound quality right on this page!

A good quality shotgun mic will pickup great sound a few feet directly in front of the mic while at the same time rejecting sound from the sides. This is great for picking out just the sounds you want and is the most desirable and common microphone for DV filmmakers.

A question most new camcorder owners have is, “Which shotgun mic should I buy?” This usually happens after they shot some awesome footage, but later found that they can’t quite make out the intriguing dialogue from what was a light breeze but somehow now whips, rumbles and howls like a tornado.

Read the entire article and listen to samples of each microphone

New Gear: RODE VideoMic

I saw mention of this new consumer level shotgun mic in my RS feeds today — Douglas

RODE VideoMic – Walk the walk and talk the talk

from The Red Ferret Journal by Dan

Let’s face it, the microphones built into camcorders are pretty rubbish. The cameras might be able to push out HD [...]

Recently Shared: DIY Camera Stabilizer

My fellow Friends in Tech member, Kreg Steppe, shared this interesting link for a homebuilt camera stablizer. I have been wanting one of these. — Douglas

DIY: Camera stabilizer

from MAKE Magazine by Marc de Vinck

Shared by Kreg Steppe

This is really great looking camera stabilization rig. It certainly can compete with the professional models and seems to cost a lot less. I really like the universal joint that allows for some incredible movement.

Inspired by the Steadicam Merlin, and unwilling to spend £500 on that device, I set about making my own, following the basic principles of the Merlin and other similar designs viewable on the internet.

More about DIY: Camera stabilizer

News: Samson Go Mic to be unveiled at CES

I haven’t laid hands upon this mic, so the term “revolutionary” might be a little grand, but it could be an interesting addition to your podcasting kit. Blue already offers its similar Snowflake mic which you might want to check out. (Links: Blue Snowflake and Blue Snowball)

Samson to Unveil Revolutionary Go Mic at CES
TechWhack (press release) – New Delhi,Delhi,India
Additionally, Go Mic is ideal for applications such as Skype, iChat, webcasting, podcasting, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and voice recognition …
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