There isn't much to say about this product, it performs the job needed efficiently and is very simple to use. By unscrewing one side of the mount you can slide it onto the pole and then by screwing it back up you can secure the mount in place. The only problem I found with this mount is that sometimes it slips and slides, however this can be sorted with a rubber insert normally found in bicycle accessory boxes. The newer versions actually do come with a rubber grip insert now as standard.
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Education is Conservation! This phrase will probably become a lot more frequently heard in the next few decades and although this may be considered good it could be due to the struggles our native wildlife will face, as we, the human race, develop our technology, build bigger housing developments and struggle to appreciate our marvelous wildlife. Consumption of fossil fuels (that I won't go into) and 'nature deficit disorder' is expected to increase dramatically in only a short amount of time.
The Rode Deadcat is a windshield Mic protector. Considering the price I feel there are better ones on the market, but in the UK this is the only product which fits the Rode Videomic directly. When purchasing this product you should be looking for around the £30 - £35 mark. The windshield is a useful accessory and great to use when trying to eliminate, or reduce the odd gust of wind during filming. However the windshield doesn't live up to its price when filming in more violent conditions. To be fair, not many shotgun mics cope in hard wind and a proper blimp would be a better purchase; although these are often over the £150 mark. One tip I will share is that in windy conditions always test the audio first with headphones before going straight into filming, if the mic and deadcat aren't working then switch to a smaller lavalier mic - best used with a wireless transmitter. This smaller Mic will often not pick up wind interference as much, especially when the audio levels are configured manually (Recommended)
You may be aware that when you buy a GoPro there are many different accessories you can purchase to add to the existing kit. One of these is the 'Spare Part Grab Bag' which includes -
Below is each part with a small description of its purpose. The retail cost of this bag is around the £20 mark. The all new article page is about bringing good, detailed reviews to the general public and photographers alike. I myself sometimes search the web for a good review and can often not find one or the one I do find doesn't go into enough detail about the product itself. I've set my ambition to change that... Part of this process is your feedback, I want to know when I may have gone off track or you feel I may have missed something out that you want to know about.
You may be glad to know that all the photos on the article reviews pages have been taken by me, in a bedroom, with a make do product photography set up. If for any reason I did need to borrow an image from the internet, the right credit and links would be provided to the person or place I got it from. This week I won a hedgehog house from a wildlife photography competition, a first sight it looks like a good sturdy box and well made and it is. It doesn't have many features but I'll explain what it does have in the review below. I would like to say thank you to the Sutton Biodiversity team who ran the fair and competition and hedgehog street who donated this house to the competition prizes.
Biodiversity website - http://suttonnature.wordpress.com Hedgehog street - http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/ NOTE: PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS THROUGH MY CONTACT PAGE AS THEN I GET NOTIFIED STRAIGHT AWAY UNLIKE THE COMMENT SYSTEM WHICH I HAVE TO CHECK MANUALLY The TT520 Speedlite is a relatively cheap alternative to the big brands own products. I purchased this one for a mere £28 and within a few days I felt is not only suited my needs but went beyond. By searching the web I found out this Speedlite can be purchased from many different brands or no brand at all, mine personally came with the well known brand Neewer on the front. The Flash offers a wireless function for off camera work and this is why a flash stand is included in the box with a cheap 'velvet' cover to protect the Flash. The speed of the flashes include 1/128, 1/64, 1/32, 1/16. 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1/1. The flash comes with a in-built diffuser and reflector, plus the flash can be rotated 90 degrees in one direction and 180 in the other. It will also angle upwards from 0 degrees to 90 degrees with a few marks on the body to show you the angle you are positioned at. Please read on to explore more features and the features above in more detail.
The Rode Videomic is a studio quality recording condenser microphone, It costs around £80 setting it on the 'amateur' priced market but offering amazing results. The construction is sturdy and it comes with its own foam wind screen - which helps but you have no chance in high wind without buying the optional extra of the Rode Furry windshield for the Videomic. The Microphone has low circuitry noise and low handling noise due to the suspension. It comes with a one year guarantee but if you register it within a month of purchase you get another 10 Years warranty! I would say this is a really good quality and priced all-round mic for any situation. I personally use it out in the field for my documentary's but if the wind picks up I swap to my audio-technica lavlier mic which does a good job of cutting out wind. I did buy the furry windshield from another company on Amazon but they send me the one for the Rode Videomic Pro (which is smaller) so I sent it back and haven't got round to buying another one.
For the last week I have had the privilege of borrowing a local photographer's 100-400mm lens. Her name is Sarah Goodman and here is her website and facebook page - http://www.penuelphotography.co.uk & http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penuel-the-photography-of-Sara-Goodman/166835363429631.
I've been testing the lens out for later this year when I hope to be filming some nesting birds of prey for my documentary and I thought I would do a review on the lens itself. As always on a canon L lens it has a very good quality image and is well built, there are a few more modes on the lens and interestingly it is one of the few lenses that you don't twist to change the zoom but instead, in a sense push and pull. Below I have covered several topics including size, weight, focusing, stabilizing, test photos and the general features. |
AuthorHi there, I'm Mark the author of this blog. An amateur wildlife film maker and photographer... hope you enjoy my blog. Archives
August 2014
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