Video With A Bang

Casting about the other day for some sort of a handle to attach my mobile phone to for video work, I came across a couple of German accessories. Unfortunately they were not fitted with gimbals on the top for the camera , nor with a clamp, nor a 1/4" tripod screw. In fact, I don't think they were intended for modern video filming at all. They did have a pull-string at the bottom of the wooden bit so I pulled one but nothing happened. I threw it in the bin after a couple of seconds...

Note: The neighbours in this suburb are a nervous lot. Loud noises seem to make them very angry. I just found this out.

Well I should have gone down to the new Camera Electronic shop near the corner of Murray and Queen Street in the city. They've got a new cabinet with drone camera systems and accessories in it and one of the displays has a handle called an Osmo Mobile. THIS is what I needed.

DJI, the drone people, make it. It clamps your mobile phone and then lets it turn to follow you - automatically - as you move. It makes all the camera movements that you wish to do smooth and steady - like a professional mounting and crew would do.

It also has time-lapse capability as well as the facility to stream live video out to the world.

The business of moving with a video or motion picture camera has always been a two-edged sword - you get more drama by following or coming into the action, but you pay the price of jerky and disruptive movements with the camera - and these come out on-screen as jumps and bounces that spoil the effect. We can all remember the home movies of the 50's when the camera operator got excited and jumped up and down.

The Osmo Mobile smooths these out - you can walk through a sequence and it looks as though you have been moving the camera on a smooth track. You have become a dolly system that can go anywhere!

But here's another feature of this device - if it can steady out moving pictures, it can also steady out still ones. You can take still images with the mobile phone and hand-hold them for up to 1 second exposures. The results are streak-free.

More - Take panorama photos with automatic internal blending of up to 9 images.

Even more! Prop it onto a tripod and let the tracking facility help you make start trails.

Note: Some mobile phones may be unsuitable for these functions. Make this simple test; if you pick up your phone and girl's voice says " Hello, Central. Number Pleee-uz " you probably won't be able to use the Osmo Mobile.

Everyone else come into the new Murray Street shop and have a look at the gear.

2/324 Murray St, Perth. Click here for details on extended December trading hours.

Sikorski Never Had It So Good - The New CE Drone Cabinet

Look up. What's that flying by? A bird? A plane? A man dressed in red and blue tights?

No, it's a DJI drone with a camera mounted on it. Someone is making an epic movie and they've decided to incorporate aerial views as well as the ground-based ones. They've gone further than the old trick of mounting a camera on a long boom - or of hanging out off a nearby building's roof. They've got the spectacle of the flying camera.

Well, so has Camera Electronic. We've had the gear in the Stirling Street shop all along and now we're featuring a dedicated drone cabinet in our new Murray Street shop - please see enclosed pictures.

 

And there's more - that's our own staff member Ricky calibrating the GPS system on a drone out the front of the shop. Don't panic - he's not flying combat missions from 230 Stirling Street. He hasn't attached the propellors or the ordnance to the machine in the picture. Yet. And you will be pleased to know that our Repairs Workshop is getting increased experience with drones as they come into commerical and artistic service in Western Australia.

The new Murray Street Shop - that's near the corner of Murray and Queen Street in the city - has the new cabinet. They've got extended trading hours that let you browse for new equipment later on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This might be a good time to take stock of your photography and see if a fresh viewpoint - from the air - would boost your sales and fun.

Remember that Shoot Photography Workshops right next door to the 230 Stirling Street shop also run periodic courses and workshops that deal with drone and aerial photography as well as other aspects of videography. Ring to Shoot and see if there is a new world of fun awaiting.

See the DJI range on the Camera Electronic website
The new Camera Electronic city store is now open at 2/324 Murray St, Perth.
For opening hours click here

Photo Live Expo 2016 - The Flight Of The Drones

Love 'em, hate 'em, or sell 'em, the subject of the drones and aerial photography in general cannot be ignored in today's imaging world. Anyone who has seen television or the cinema recently has seen the work of the photo drone and some photographers have become inspired by them.

The Speaker Session between 11:30 and 12:00 at the Photo Live Expo 2016 will be on the subject of drones and aerial photography by Christopher Fulham - who is eminently qualified to speak about it - He is a licensed CASA  UAV pilot. UAV is the fancy name for drones - he can legally fly  in the 7-20 Kg class.

A great deal of confusion surrounds these useful tools - we hear no end of rumours and mate's talk at the pub about the legalities and complexities of the UAV. It's not helped by the fact that there are political and military questions too...and people in pubs always know politics...so this is a good chance to hear Christopher debunk some of the myths and show some of the real capabilities of the aircraft.

It's a rapidly changing field of photography - and you can be sure that there are a number of new products and ideas each month that will be added as it evolves. For those inspired by Christopher's talk and the sight of some of the images that he makes, it is a good idea to get into the habit of consulting Camera Electronic regularly.We have various models of the popular DJI line of vehicles together with the light but sturdy accessories that help them fly...and the equally light and sturdy action cameras to capture the footage.

Of course, if your ambitions range further, with heavier payloads , we can also supply DSLR and mirror-less cameras and lenses too. We stop short of Hellfire missiles or 30mm chain guns, however, which is a keen source of disappointment to at least one member of staff...

Book your tickets to the Drone and Aerial Photography session at Photo Live Expo 2106 

Aviator Goggles For The Drone Flyer

Don't expect fashion in this column - you won't be wearing a leather coat and a RayBan's for drone flying. You'll be lucky to score a giggle hat and a worried expression - and no-one will be shouting " Chocks Away ", " Tally Ho ", and " Wizard Prang " when you stack your expensive machinery into the side of a bus.

If you're flying it with straight visual control you are in much the same position as any of the R/C airplane types - peering into the sky trying to see what altitude, attitude, and wind reaction is going on at any particular time. Good luck with that...I have memories of crashing balsa wood all over the place in my youth. Model airplanes move in three dimensions up and down, side by side, and fore and aft. Their pilots also move in these ways but they add the additional dimensions of fear, expense, and regret.

But back to the drones. Some of the civilian ones may be fitted with cameras rather than 20mm cannon and these cameras can send images back to the operator - this allows them to see what the drone sees - effectively putting the pilot in the driver's seat of a plane that has no seats. The images that come back to the ground can be received by smart phones and pads with appropriate apps.

Well and good, but anyone who has ever tried to see the screen of a flat smart phone or pad in glaring sun knows that it can be nearly impossible to pick up details. And if you are busy operating the radio control set with both hands you have no way to shade the screen. Until now.

  
Hoodman have brought out a set of hoods and accessories that will blank off extraneous light from iPhone 6. iPone6+, iPad Mini, and iPad Air devices. The hoods attach by various elastic straps and velcro pads to firmly grip the screens - no falling off in the heat of the moment if your flying style involves a lot of body English.

You're not restricted to just one style, either- if the shorter hood is not doing the job for you there are extension packs that velcro on with padded edges so that you can push your face right down in there and no extra light gets in.

If you need to poke away at the phone or pad screen there are cut-aways and elasticised panels that let your fingers into the dark. You may look like a bit of a robot attached to your control panel and screen but at least you will have the best view of what the drone is seeing and that has to give you better control.

You can buy the individual parts to fit iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ as well as the iPad Mini and iPad Air or you can elect to get them as paired kits. The all go under the moniker of Hoodman Drone Aviator and they are all very well made.

They are in stock right now at Camera Electronic or you can order them through the on-line shop. good insurance for that vital flight.