When Steve Jobs announced the ability to record video on the iPhone 3GS back in July, amateur videographers over the world rejoiced the fact that they finally had good reason to buy an iPhone. With the ability to record full SD video at 640×480 in such a tiny package, it seemed like the perfect device to record every kind of noteworthy moment. On the flip side though, professional videographers immediately realized the limitations: the lack of standard attachments, the inability to zoom or change lenses, the lack of manual controls, a microphone that pointed toward the floor while you recorded, and most of all video that’s more shaky than a standard political career.

Even with these obstacles, iPhone owners still began uploading all kinds of creative content to the web. YouTube alone had over 400% more mobile uploads the week after the iPhone 3GS went up for sale. Even the entertainment industry got onboard with the simplicity of recording video by producing entire music videos with the built in camera and software on the iPhone. Chase Jarvis, an award winning director, who has done campaigns for Mountain Dew and Nikon, even has an entire web site devoted to work that’s been done on the iPhone called www.thebestcamera.com.

Small camcorders are nothing new. Videomaker reviewed another popular camcorder called the Flip which has a lot of the same advantages as the iPhone. What’s interesting is how third party companies found a way to fix the limitations of video on the iPhone. An early example was from accessory makers USB Fever and Factron. They took a shot at solving the iPhone interchangeable lens issue by making small magnetic wide angle and macro lenses that fit right over the iPhone’s stock lens, giving you up to 40% more viewing range. Even professional camera accessory company Zacuto got in on the action by introducing its Zgrip iPhone Pro, allowing for an adjustable, quick releasable handgrip for shooting more stable video. Unfortunately, this grip was restricted to one hand, making it difficult to keep such a small device steady.

One accessory that has come close to solving the iPhone’s video problems is the OWLE Bubo. Looking more like a big Sega Genesis controller, OWLE’s two firm handles finally give videographers a real chance at solving the biggest limitation of the iPhone: super shaky footage. Additionally, OWLE has also taken a note from the devices before it by allowing for interchangeable lenses, a shotgun microphone, and a tripod mount, giving good cinematography on the iPhone a fighting chance. Who knows, with a rig like this and with the tight budgets all around the nations, you might be shooting your next interview in front of an iPhone.

We got an early release of Motorola’s new Droid phone and took it for a quick test drive to see if it’s got what it takes to be a competitive camcorder.

Charlie Fulton, our Tech Guru had the chance to play with the phone and was surprisingly pleased with the quality of the video it recorded.  The Droid can upload video directly to YouTube, so when you shoot it now, you can share it with the world in only seconds, a cool feature if you’re the first one to catch the return of Elvis from an extraterrestrial spaces-ship. Now that’s a video the world will want to engage in! Read the rest of this entry »

How many apps do you have on your iPhone? Here’s one more that, you as a video producer, would love to have. We know you’ve been busy shooting and editing and have lots of  video to share, so why not check out Magnify Mobile?

Now with Magnify.net’s new iphone app, it’s easy, fun and it’s FREE!
Magnify.net’s new iPhone app is about to remake the personal video syndication industry. For the first time, an iPhone app will enable iPhone users to shoot, upload, store, and share videos. For free. The app, Magnify Mobile, provides a simple, easy way for iPhone 3GS users to submit videos to channels that they can create – for free – on Magnify.net. Magnify’s platform provides for easy search, sort, and delivery of video based on a site’s niche interests – whether Native American videos, real estate, travel, gardening or skateboarding – and enables discovery and ranking for both relevance and entertainment value. Read the rest of this entry »