In my review of the iPhone 3GS yesterday, I noted that one of the features I really like is the ability to record video. I just ran across a website called The Automatic Filmmaker which is published by Steve Ellington, an independent film director from the U.S. who currently lives in Switzerland and who knows a thing or two about video. He recently posted this great article that includes a lot of information about recording video on the iPhone 3GS, including tips on using focus, how the auto exposure works, etc. He even has an educational video that shows you exactly what he is describing. If you plan to use your iPhone 3GS to record video, you should definitely take a few minutes to read his post and view the video.
While you are there, you might also want to take a look at what he says is the first music video shot on an iPhone 3GS, titled Technologic Overkill.
Yesterday, I talked about how difficult it can be to hold the iPhone 3GS steady while you are taking video. At least two companies have announced products to compensate for this. Both seem a little over the top to me, but I love the creativity, and I'm sure that many will consider these useful and worth the money.
First, Zacuto, a company that sells and rents professional video cameras and equipment for filmmakers, has announced the Zgrip iPhone PRO, an adjustable and quick releasable handgrip system for shooting professional, stable video using the iPhone 3GS. Here is what it looks like:
The Zgrip iPhone PRO is for professionals, and the price reflects that: $295, plus you can add extras like a $40 ten inch rod that allows you to get your iPhone 3GS up above the crowd for taking shots and a $50 tripod mount. If that price is too steep for you, a consumer version is coming out "soon" that will be cheaper but offer fewer options. Here is a video that shows you more about this product:
Second, a company called Optical Widgets for Life Enhancement (OWLE) has announced a product called BUBO. It is a gadget with two handles that surrounds the iPhone 3GS and adds a widescreen lens (to which other filters or lenses such as a telphoto can be added) and an improved microphone. It looks like this:
The BUBO is in production now and will be released later this year for between $30 and $50. The best way to see what the BUBO can do is to watch this video from one of the developers of Qik, an iPhone app that allows you to stream live video from your iPhone to the web. At least, that is what they want to do. Right now, Apple and AT&T are holding up the approval of this app, presumably because of concerns about how much pressure this would put on AT&T's network. The first few minutes of this video are recorded using a BUBO, and the quality is quite good. Then, around the 4:30 mark, they remove the iPhone from the BUBO and you can immediately see and hear the difference.
Thanks to Engadget for the post that first informed me about these two devices. I'm sure that they are the first of many video-related add-ons for the iPhone 3GS.
