http://epicureancyclist.blogspot.com/2008/09/introducing-flip-ultra-wide.html
Hack your Flip
Ive had my Flip Ultra for a few weeks now and I feel like I can give
a good review of it. Theres a lot to like and as long as you dont
expect it to act like a Canon XL2 then I think youll be okay.
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What really piqued my interest about this nifty device was this post
by Kirk Mastin on his. In it, he literally tapes a Flip to his pro
video camera to capture the same footage and edits it the same way.
The result? Well, it looked pretty darn good (for web use) when
stacked upon the pro gear. The lesson is that technique/compelling
content will trump technology every time.
Im not going to go too deep into the geek spec review details, but
talk about it in practical use.
All about the battery..
Firstly, I chose the Flip Ultra over the newer Mino because of the
battery. The Ultra takes AA and the Mino has an internal rechargeable
battery (that must be charged via USB). When Im on a bike tour, I
cant really tell when Ill run into a USB port in the wild. However,
Im pretty sure I can track down a gas station to buy some batteries.
On my recent tour (just 3.5 days), I went through 4 pairs of
rechargeable AAs. I didnt run into a free standing USB port anywhere
on the trip.
The form factor is pretty small and it fit (unmodified) in the breast
pocket of my seersucker shirt and would also probably fit without a
problem in the back pocket of a jersey. This is great if you want to
record your riding, your commute or some cager doing stupid. When I
ride, I use a Joby Gorillapod (the SLR model
which btw CANT hold up
an SLR) wrapped around my handlebars. The mass of the camera is low
enough that it holds it pretty steady.
Now for the fun stuff.
Making it a Flip Ultra WIDE
The lens on the Flip is about a 38mm by most reports (yawn). Its a
pretty boring/normal focal length. Not quite the length for narrow
depth of field and not wide enough to make dynamic feeling wide shots.
Im a photojournalist at heart and I see everything wide. If I could
live with one lens it would probably be a 24mm.
So
.I did a few things to my Flip to better accommodate MY needs.
First, I knew when I was going to edit the video I would do it in a
16:9 aspect ratio. So, I took some electrical tape, cut it in half and
taped an approximate crop on the screen. No harm. No foul. Your
warrantee is still good
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BUT, I wanted the optics to be wide too. So, I bought a cheapie wide-
angle lens adapter kit made for more sophisticated camcorders (the one
I bought was made by Sunpak). The wide angle lens kit I bought came
with a series of step-down rings. I took one of the rings and roughed
it up with sandpaper (from a patch kit) and super glued it to the
front of the Flip (be sure to glue it so you can still remove the
battery cover!). This gave the front element some threads so I could
screw on the wide angle lens!
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What follows is pure awesomeness. Not quite an Oscar worthy for
Technical Achievement, but close
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Now you have a Flip Ultra that can shoot a normal focal length that
you can convert into a wide-angle action machine. It gives your
footage a bit more dynamic feel and it also mitigates the small camera
shake quite a bit!
I used this set up for my recent trip and it worked great. I did note
some possible and simple room for improvements on the Flip for action
based Videography. Flip, if youre listening..here they are:
-a red indicator LIGHT on the BACK as well as the front that tells the
user instantly its recording! I found myself losing some time
checking the screen and making sure the counter was red, which was a
hassle while I was riding my bike.
-an INSTANT on/record setting, so you can just use the jog button to
turn it on and record simultaneously. I was late for a few shots
because I had to turn it on, wait for it to load, then hit the red
record buton.
-the addition of a simple Mic IN would be AWESOME!
I think the Flip is a great tool for bike tourists and
photojournalists. The HOLGA camera of the video world. In the right
hands it can produce some great content!
Click here for Bike Commuter Essentials from PricePoint.com Copyright
2007-2008 www.bikecommuters.com
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Bike Commuters08/09/2008 16:53Russ Roca Commute Comments
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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