camcorder

Stabilize your smartphone moviemaking with iStabilizer Dolly and Glidepro

With decent lighting and a modern smartphone, you can shoot some pretty impressive movies.

Take "Olive," a feature-length film shot entirely on a Nokia N8. And Chan-wook Park shot a 30-minute movie, "Paranmanjang," using only an iPhone.

Of course, there's only so much you can accomplish holding your phone in those shaky hands of yours. If you want rock-steady images, you'll need some accessories.… Read more

Best waterproof rugged cameras and camcorders compared

The number of waterproof rugged cameras has exploded over the past few years. The segment was basically owned by Pentax and Olympus, but now all of the major compact camera manufacturers have a rugged model, if not two or three.

The upside to that is there is something for just about everyone at various price points, starting at just more than $100. The more money you spend, the tougher the camera, though, so make sure you get something that meets your needs.

And if you're more interested in shooting video than photos, check out the two minicamcorders that follow the camera list. … Read more

JVC enters action cam market with rugged Adixxion camcorder

People must really want to record a lot of first-person videos while being active because there seems to be a new "action camera" every day.

A couple days ago it was the Liquid Image Ego, before that was Pivothead, and, today, it's JVC's turn to join in on the, um, action, with the GC-XA1 Adixxion.

Without the need for an additional housing, the XA1 is waterproof to 16.4 feet, shockproof to 6.5 feet, dustproof, and freezeproof. It records MP4 video in HD at 1080p30 and 720p60 resolutions (WVGA is available, too) and 5-megapixel photos. … Read more

Sony Handycam GW77V is waterproof, not cheap

Feeling let down by the MP4 video quality of your waterproof pocket video camera? Probably not, but if you are, Sony's got you covered with the newish Handycam HDR-GW77V.

Announced for Japan in May, the GW77V is headed for the U.S. in June, bringing with it all of its powerful Handycam features (this is no Bloggie Sport!) and ridiculously high price of $700.

Waterproof down to 16 feet as well as dustproof and shockproof from up to about 5 feet, the camcorder features a Sony 1/3.91-inch-type Exmor R backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and Bionz image processor that … Read more

Sony debuts first waterproof Handycam

Set to debut around late May in Japan, Sony's first waterproof Handycam packs a cavalcade of features that would make nearly any similarly sized shooter blush in comparison.

Despite the small stature, the HDR-GW77V can go up to 16 feet under water (for up to an hour), survive a near 5-foot drop, and resist dust.

As for imaging specifics, the engineers at Sony packed a lot into a very little device, with buzz-worthy features such as 20.4-megapixel resolution, full 1080p (60fps) video capture up to 28Mbps, and 10x optical zoom. Other notable features in the tiny shooter (1.2-inch width and 4.15-inch height) include a pop-out 3-inch touch screen, 16GB internal storage (with option to expand via SDHC or Memory Stick Micro), panoramic photos, and a built-in GPS chip for geotagging photos. … Read more

Blackmagic Cinema Camera aims to make pro video more affordable

There have been a few video camera announcements coming out of NAB 2012, but this one from Blackmagic Design is a surprise.

Called the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, it promises to put professional feature-film-quality results in reach of those on a tighter budget. However, at $2,995, it's by no means inexpensive.

This camera's got a lot going for it, though, including a superwide dynamic range, a large high-resolution 2.5K sensor, and full compatibility with Canon EF and Zeiss ZF mount lenses. The 5-inch touch screen on back can be used for direct metadata entry as well as … Read more

Canon hits 4K at NAB 2012

Canon's big news for this year's NAB show are the announcements of a $15,000 4K-capable version of the EOS-1D X, dubbed the EOS-1D C, and a prototype preview of the C500, a 4K- and 2K-capable new model in its Cinema EOS line. And while the prototype sounds quite interesting, I suspect the 1D C will trigger more irritation than jubilation for Canon video shooters.… Read more

Kickstarter project promises dirt-cheap smartphone video stabilization

Earlier this year I wrote about the Kungl, a nifty plastic iPhone case with an embedded 1/4-inch tripod mount.

At $19.99, it's one of the more affordable tripod accessory options out there. But what if you want to shoot video with, say, an iPod Touch? Or an Android phone? And what if you don't happen to have a tripod handy?

This Kickstarter project might be just the answer: the SlingShot is a universal smartphone video-stabilization system that has a few nifty tricks up its sleeve. And you can get in on the action for just $14.… Read more

Does it still make sense to buy a camcorder?

I love making movies. If I could have a do-over, career-wise, you'd see my name in film credits instead of on blog posts (not that I don't have equal love for the latter, of course).

That's why I've always been drawn to camcorders, which let me indulge my inner Spielberg--even if it's just to create music video-style family montages. I've purchased several over the years, always relishing the improvements in resolution and image quality.

But, let's face it, things have changed. Now that most smartphones and many tablets can shoot video--in some cases … Read more