THE SMARTPHONE FILMMAKER: PRO KIT
Anyone can become a vlogger. As long as you have a camera. If you have a smartphone, you have a capable camera. With the right equipment, you can turn it into a more-than-capable production tool.
There are cameras everywhere-in our smartphones, tablets, and laptops. You can use any one of them and be a filmmaker or vlogger (Video Log). After many attempts and different approaches to smartphone filmmaking and vlogging, this is a nimble set up for anyone with a smartphone. With a few reasonably affordable gadget attachments, you can transmit amazing audio and high-quality video across Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, or manage your own Youtube Channel.
iPhone 6plus with LED light, directional mic, smartphone mount, and wide lens on a mini-tripod
THE PRO KIT
After trying out different configurations of gear, this is what you'll need:
- a mini-tripod
- a universal smartphone mount
-a wide-angle, clip-on lens
-a directional microphone.
-a clip-on LED light (for low light situations)
With these items, you can greatly improve the quality of your productions. The universal mount to will attach your smartphone to the tripod. The mini-tripod will add stability to your shots and also give you a handle to hold. A clip-on, wide-angle lens will give your video the necessary breadth/room for you to speak. The microphone will improve your audio signal. Finally, the clip-on LED will come in handy, when light becomes lighting is an issue.
There are many different products you can substitute, but the ones here are of quality.
MINI-TRIPOD AND SMARTPHONE MOUNT
The Manfrotto Pixl mini-tripod is one of the best mini tripods around. If you can find the older model shown here, they are virtually "bomb proof'. They are robust and extremely stable and can hold a large DSLR with a Prime lens easily.
Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod
If you're lucky you can find the package including the Manfrotto Universal Phone Mount for $30: https://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-PIXI-Mini-Tripod-Smart/dp/B018N7G2S0/ref=sr_1_16?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509622247&sr=8-16&keywords=manfrotto+mini+tripod
There are definitely cheaper alternatives . Some have a small hook-like piece welded to the ball, allowing the phone to be stood vertically for Facetime. If you go the cheaper route, get this model and it comes with a Manfrotto Universal Phone Holder knock-off for $7: https://www.amazon.com/eCostConnection-Rotating-Universal-smartphones-Microfiber/dp/B072L2JLVK/ref=sr_1_46?ie=UTF8&qid=1509622818&sr=8-46&keywords=mini+tripod+smartphone
WIDE ANGLE LENS
There are a number of cheap lens kits available online. Usually they include a wide angle, a macro, and a fish-eye. The main lens you need is a wide-angle. Aukey makes a variety of different lenses and they are amazing. The cheaper kits are a great start, but the Aukey Ora 0.45x 120° Wide Angle is a fantastic lens with very little vignetting. It is the sharpest lens I've seen for smartphones. If you can place it on correctly you get no distortion in the corners, well at least on an iPhone 6Plus. It just makes your pictures look way better. It's also a beast of a build and will hold if you happen to bang it around. It also comes in a nice portable hard case.
AUKEY Ora iPhone Camera Lens, 0.45x 120° Wide Angle + 15x Macro Clip-on $30
Get the AUKEY Ora iPhone Camera Lens, 0.45x 120° Wide Angle + 15x Macro Clip here for $30:
If the $30 price is too steep, get something like this similar lens for $14:
MICROPHONE
Once you start recording your audio with a mic, you'll definitely notice the difference. Sound on any smartphone sucks. You should never use that audio unless you absolutely have to. Invest in an affordable lavalier mic like the Sony (the ECMSCC3, $20). Either clip it to yourself or figure out how to mount it on your smartphone "rig".
RODE Videomic Me Directional Microphone for Smartphones $60
What's great about the ME, is that it just plugs right into your audio jack on your phone; provided your phone still has one! You can also plug in headphones to monitor your sound too. It is an awesome little mic. The audio quality that comes out of this mic is amazing. You can get the mic for $60:
If $60 is way out of range for you, try this Sony Lav Mic for $20:
LED LIGHT
The torch or LED light that is on your smartphone is not going to cut it in a really dark area. Even in a lit area, a nice bright LED will add the extra pop and sharpness to your footage. There are so many LED lights out now. Look for ones that are rechargeable and don't take up to much space. The Pickogen LED light can be adjusted (lo, med, hi), is really bright, rechargeable, and made of metal. In a pinch, the Pickogen can be unscrewed and used as a flashlight. It is really bright!
Pickogen LED Smartphone Light
You can grab the Pickogen LED light here for $16: https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Portable-Spotlight-Samsung-Motorola/dp/B00ZJGQ59A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509631160&sr=8-2&keywords=pickogen
and $16 is too much, try this light for $9:
So you've seen what you should have in your Smartphone Filmmakers Pro Kit. This gear has been tried and tested over a couple years. The Pro Kit shown here comes in at around $150. That might sound expensive, but it is way more affordable than investing in a separate camera. If you go the more affordable route, the set up comes in at $50! Hope you enjoyed a close-up look at some great gear and what's possible. Please like, leave a comment, and follow.
- Digital Ninja®
iPhone 6plus
The DJI Spark: Why I Held Off Getting into 4K
Recently I picked up a quadcopter by DJI, called the Spark. I purchased this model over the DJI Mavic Pro for a number of reasons; price, size, and image quality. In my post I offer a couple of smaller quadcopter models I used to practice.
I have been flying Quadcopters for the last year. Some people call them drones, but to me those drones are aircraft used to take out high value military targets. They have four propellers, so "Quadcopter" seems to describe them more accurately. In the week I've had it, I've had a number of flights with it. One near a secluded beach and one flight in a busy harbor town. And in that time I've had to learn a significant amount of knowledge. These devices require a lot of responsibility and sensibility to fly; they are not toys. Federal guidelines require, because of its weight, that I register it with the Federal Aviation Administration. I've also come to the conclusion that while these products are great tools of creativity, the potential for other nefarious uses are all also there.
The Spark was a natural progression from the sizes of Quadcopters I've already flown. I've flown a Sky Viper Nano Drone: https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Viper-m500...
The Sky Viper has its own pre-programmed launch and land buttons, but when it takes off, it is a little squirrelly. You've got to adjust the trim on the controls almost every time. That takes a little off of your flight time. Once dialed in and you get used to flying it, it's probably one of the more fun quadcopters to fly. Another great feature of the Sky Viper is that it takes a beating. It bangs into things and keeps on ticking. It is a tough little sucker and that's what makes it a really fun toy. I was carrying this with me everywhere for a while and I would charge it using a battery pack. It takes about 30 minutes to charge completely, but it only lasts about 3-5 minutes. Great starter quad to learn how to fly indoors. and then I moved up to a Holystone Predator: https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Stone-Pre...
The Holystone Predator is a perfect beginner quadcopter with a lot of features. It's really quick, responsive, and you can change the batteries so you can fly longer.
Both Quadcopters have their own idiosyncrasies and helped get me ready for the Spark. The Predator is a complete Quadcopter you control in a "Sport" mode. Sport means it is extremely responsive to the controls and it is zippy. What's really cool with the Predator is that it has 3 speed settings (slow, medium, and fast) and it can also go headless (making it easier for children). Headless System is explained here: http://www.rcdronearena.com/2015/02/1...If you were thinking of getting into Quadcopters and looking for one to practice with, the Predator is really good. Although it doesn't have a camera, it has a lot of features for such a small device and at a great price point. You can also get batteries and multi-chargers for it really cheap.
The DJI Spark is the smallest quadcopter in the DJI product line up. It is this main characteristic that led me to purchasing it. It can shoot 30 fps at a 24 mbps Bitrate in HD at 1920x1080p with its 12 megapixel camera. It's basically a flying iPhone. The picture quality on it is pretty amazing. It has its hiccups here and there, but only if you move it really quickly. When you have smooth actions it looks really great. That was the second characteristic that had me purchase it.
While 4K is all the rage, I can barely store all of the camera footage and photos now, and I have close to 12 Terabytes! 4K imaging must be difficult to manage and severely expensive. You also have to have the hardware to manipulate it too (faster processor, memory, fans, heatsinks, monitors, etc.). If you're into details and numbers, these are some of the specs for the DJI Spark: https://www.dji.com/spark/info#specs
4k looks amazing when compared to other footage, but we've had 1920x1080p for a little while now, and it is acceptable. It looks really good on small monitors, laptops, cellphones, and other mobile devices.
The Mavic is compact when folded up, almost as small as the spark, but not when you have the wings out and add the prop guards Not everybody is a fan of this emerging technology. The Mavic Pro, with all its accessories looks a little scary, like a device Batman would use. The Spark comes in different colors and is way cuter.
The Spark is not like the other "toy" products. DJI makes a quality product and there is a lot to learn before flying. I've since joined a couple of groups and forums specifically devoted to learning how to "pilot". The Spark is quite capable of producing some amazing imagery. Check out some of the footage I shot. I hope you dig it.
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Digital Ninja® out.
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