Apologies
Apologies for being very slack in posting of late, had a lot on since coming back from our trip to Rome and getting Karma. Hoping to get some reviews done for you all this week.
Quick question for you all, do you want more live content or are you happy with written reviews? Or both ? Comment below.
Power when you need it
So this weeks review is all about power.
Most of you might have experienced this, your out getting some awesome footage and then you see the warning “battery low” what can you do if you have depleted all your batteries well we have had chance since our last blog to try out a couple of power banks, we decided to keep them both the same capacity (10000 mAh) to make a fair comparison. This will be split in to two parts.
First up we have the OKZU.
A. USB output & Torch B. Specs C. Power on/off & charge
Size (LWH): 145.23mm/5.718in, 74.92mm/2.949in, 14.68mm/0.578in
This power bank from OKZU boasts a 10000 mAh capacity with a micro USB input and dual standard USB outputs putting out 1A to 2.1A respectively. Includes a small duel LED touch that can be turned on with a log press of the power button.
Design wise its very slick with a very low profile roughly the size of an IPhone 6 so very portable, red accent around the edge that complements the black exterior made of a rubberized plastic but the only down side I found with this was that lacks grip in the hand due to the very smooth finish.
The power button is integrated on the side but recessed enough so not to accidentally turn it on although it does auto shut off after 1 minute if no charging device is connected so not really an issue. There are 4 LED indicator lights next to the power button showing how much charge is left on the power bank (4/100%, 3/75%, 2/50% and 1/25%) and when not in use its advised to charge the power bank every few months.We managed to charge our IPhone 4 times before the power bank was depleted so was impressed and just charged up the power bank over night and was ready to go again.
For the Gopro Hero 5 and Hero 4 this is an ideal unit to have with you if your carrying one or more of the Gopro Dual Battery Chargers (if you haven’t got already then we highly recommend you do) as you can charge from the Gopro itself and the charge unit and managed 3 full charges so its invaluable to keep in your bag.
Safety: Supports over-charged, over-discharged, over-voltage, over-current and short circuit protection. Automatically detect the input of devices connected and therefore output the most appropriate current, making the charging process safer and faster.
Final thoughts on this device from OKZU, well its a must for power users or people that like to travel. Would have been nice to see maybe 4 charge ports but that’s being picky maybe a bit too much. The flash light could be handy in a power outage but other than that we cant really see any other point for it but still a bonus none the less. Only negative we have is that although the design is slick and complements the device the fact that it has no grip could be an issue should it slip from your hands. That being said though it now has a home in the travel bag.
So how much will this set you back ?
Cost usually start from €15.00 and up Look around on some of the most common internet sites (EBay, Amazon).
Part 2 will be up in the next few days, the Ka-ns 10000mAh next.
1/4″ cold shoe adapter with tripod mount review
So whats it used for and why would you want one?
First off what is the definition of hot shoe and cold shoe well here is an extract from dslrfilmnoob : A “hot shoe” has active electronics attached to it’s base and can do things like trigger a flash or interface with proprietary equipment like microphones and lights. Basically it refers to any shoe mount with an electrical interface. A “cold shoe” is the same mount without the electronics or ability to trigger a flash. A cold shoe can be used to hold a piece of equipment in place but it does not have any electrical connections and is instead a purely mechanical device.
Nowadays most people want to see BTS (behind the scenes) or POV (point of view) when it comes to photography / videography and is proving more and more popular with creatives, amateur and professional alike. Basically this adapter allows you to mount your Gopro to your hot shoe on your DSLR / SLR to give the cameras perspective be it via video or picture.
Essentially though it is a two in one as not only is it a cold shoe it also comes with a tripod mount that enables you to well attach it to a tripod / light stand with the 1/4″ screw thus giving you an off the camera angle also.
Using the wide angle of the Gopro gives the viewer more of a perspective of the surroundings of the studio / set so then offering a more in depth view of what actually went on to create that image / video so in turn giving the avid viewer a better insight as to what goes on in creating these pieces that they have grown to admire, for example lighting setups.
Now you might be thinking its not for you but you do not need to be someone providing BTS or POV, or even a professional photographer / videographer in actual fact even if your someone that just likes to take holiday snaps the DSLR / SLR becomes an instant stabilization unit AKA the tripod. Capture a wider focal length of the area your shooting also will minimize the amount of gear you have to take with you, maybe you want to take a family “selfie” at a dinner or lunch place it at the end of the table and there you have it without the need of carrying a tripod or “selfie” stick!
Another good use is say your having a wedding party or another type of celebration taking a couple of light stands and a couple of Gopro’s you can capture the celebration from many different angles, maybe set one for video and one for time laps? the possibilities are only limited to your own imagination and all from this tiny little tripod adapter.
It does have one drawback though that comes to mind for a photographer, if like myself you use studio strobes with a radio trigger unless that radio trigger has an additional hot shoe on it you will not get the POV shots from the Gopro. You can kind of over come this though by mounting it on a tripod under the camera or invest in a head strap mount !
All in all its very hard to fault this adapter as it has many uses for the novice to the professional taking there passion to the next level in so many diverse ways.
So how much will this set you back ?
Cost of adapter usually start from €1.99 and up for just the cold shoe mount. Look around on some of the most common internet sites (EBay, Amazon).
Best value though would obviously be the 1/4″ tripod mount and the cold shoe mount usually starting from around €3.00 and up again just look around on the common sites (EBay, Amazon).
NB: when looking it is very commonly listed as a hot shoe mount (as explained at the start of this entry this is not actually the case).
It’s Raining drones?
So let’s get this out of the way shall we, so in late 2016 Gopro released the Karma drone and you must have all heard about it by now “FLOP” they all came tumbling from the skies. Sure they might have wanted to spend a little more time testing after all this is there first ever drone, now think about that for a moment Gopro have taken a step that is way out of what most people thought was there capability and I was inclined to agree also to a point, after all they specialize in action cameras not flying drones. This did not phase them however and for that I do admire, after all innovation is not done by staying in your comfort zone but rather pushing the limits.
Gopro Karma flopped a few days after the launch and I personally think mostly down to lack of testing and a rush to meet dead lines. Sure they could have postponed the launch but what back lash would they have received ? I think they were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t, so they took the chance and wow! what an impressive launch I was mesmerized by how this drone folded up and with such a low profile I had to have one, coming in its own back pack no extra gear to carry no cumbersome boxes, everything there in one pack, then the news hit Karma is falling from the sky !
First and foremost I was very disappointed in Gopro after all this company is famed for the near on flawless execution of its action cameras the Hero and Session series so much so that now there are so many more companies now producing them. This made me ponder for a moment to come to the realization of this, Gopro developed the first ever action camera with such a compact size that it never interfered with what you intended to use it to record/picture now look where that same company took that design we are now on to the Hero 5 (of whom I am proud owner of) now each time it has got better and better and better and no one can really question that, can they ? Sure there is a lot more competition and options on the market but that’s what you get for being an innovating company so my hats off to them.
Now back to Karma, this is there first ever drone they envisioned this to be the next step of the Gopro evolution and all in all they accomplished that and delivered exactly what they said they would (minus the falling from the sky part), they have developed ways that the average consumer can capture events be it from extreme sports to holiday snaps with very little effort and knowledge just by adding a small accessory be it a pole, dome, helmet or one of the many other attachments available. The next logical step was obviously the sky and they have managed to do it in such a way never to have been done before. Karma is (now) a flying capture devise, steady cam and stand alone Gopro all in one package not one other company can make that statement. I for one will be pre ordering mine as currently its only available in the US but us folk in Europe will have to wait till spring 2017 ( I hope).
Lastly I will do a very in depth and honest review ( I know there are loads out there) once mine arrives.
Gopro Malta 