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.
Geez, I wanna move to Zurich.
Who would buy any of this crap? If you were going to carry all of this stuff around, why not carry an HD camcorder with a decent lens so you actually record something that you would want to watch. The only reason to use the iphone as a video recorder is to record something spontaneously, because that is all you have.
This is probably slightly off topic (and more fodder for the “who would buy any of this crap” crowd) but I just downloaded a new app named Tweet Reel which uploads a tweet via your Twitter account with a URL to a video or still taken with the iPhone.
[Jeff responds: Charles, let us know if you like the app and how it works for you.]
Jeff: I’ve only used the app for a day but I’m pleased with it and believe it’s worth the $2.99 charge.
Before buying the app I went to tweetreel.com and reviewed their FAQs. I wanted to confirm that there were no other charges because it was obvious that whatever is uploaded from the iPhone is stored on their server. Indeed, the tweet that I created with Tweet Reel contains a link that brings any follower to my personalized tweetreal.com page that contains the media.
Setup was a breeze and the app is simple to use. Once the tweetreel.com account is established using your Twitter username and password (which Tweet Reel maintains it does not keep), the app gives you the choice to “Shoot New Media” which takes you to the iPhone Camera, “Tweet Existing Media” which takes you to your Camera Roll, or access your personalized tweetroll.com page via Safari.
After you either shoot a new video (or still) or select an existing video (or still) from your Camera Roll, the upload of your media and the creation your simultaneous tweet takes seconds (over wifi).
As far as I can tell, anyone accessing the tweetreel.com website can access my media because the home page has a frame for “Recent Tweets”. So, even people who don’t follow your tweets or know your tweet screen name can access your media and observe your Twitter photo. That may cause some people concern.
All in all, this app performs as advertised. I appreciate that primarily it will be used for recreational purposes but I see that it could be easily be used for some meaningful business or professional purposes.