As you can see above, when in the closed it’s tiny. In the picture below, you can see it being used with my ADDIXXON. The head pivots 36 degrees so you can put it on the table and point it up towards the action. Too bad the ADDIXXON doesn’t come with this imbedded in the camcorder itself. That would be a good idea.

The only small grip I have is that it’s so small, I think I’m going to lose it. It would be great if there was a way to keep it tied to my camcorder.

Otherwise, this little micro tripod has made my ADDIXXON more useful, especially when used in time lapse mode.

The post Joby Gorillapod Micro 250 Review appeared first on Cochinoman.

So I decided to look around for a light that goes on top of the camcorder instead of around the lens. Last time I was at the Sony store in Century City, I saw a great LED light that mounds on top. The Sony store online has it on sale for $220 as shown below.

Even at $220, it seemed like a lot of money for a matrix of LEDs so I kept looking. On Amazon, I found a very similar LED light by Neewer for only $40 as shown below. This unit has the same features as the Sony with a dimmer, filters, and can use AA batteries or Sony camcorder batteries. In fact, this Chinese knockoff light seems to be exactly that.

Amazon also recommended that I buy a Sony NPF550 battery (from Eforcity $7.88+tax ) and charger (from DavisMAX $4.56). Both are knockoffs and not Sony factory units. The battery I got from Eforcity worked but unfortunately, the charger from DavisMAX was the wrong one. I called them and although they insisted they sent the right charger, they told me I can keep the unit and they refunded my $4.56.

After all this regurgitation, I found a better deal at Amazon from Best Stop Electronics which was the correct charger + 2 SONY InfoLithium L NP-F550 batteries for $14.19+S&H. This one worked perfectly with my Neewer light and the charger was correct as well.

But I digress.

First of all, from the box, to the “instructions” to the lighting unit itself, everything about this product looks and feels cheap. It’s one of those things that you feel you have to be careful with because you think the battery door will break if you don’t use it gingerly.

Having said that, the light does work as advertised, and the filters do make the video have a nice warmer look than without it. The brightness of the LEDs can go from barely noticeable to so bright that you cannot keep your eyes open.

Before I charged my camcorder batteries, I tried the unit with AA batteries and it does work. It took me a few minutes to figure out how they go into the unit but they do fit. However, I highly recommend you use the rechargeable camcorder batteries instead. They fit nicely and work perfectly and last longer than the camcorder itself.

There is also a battery test LED on the back that shows the strength of the battery but it’s just as easy to just turn on the light to see if it’s working. One strange thing I noticed was that if you leave the battery in the unit, it will eventually drain all the power from it, even if it’s turned off the entire time. So you will have to take the battery out when not in use.

All in all, for the price, this unit is a great addition to your indoor camcorder recording bag of tricks. Even in natural light conditions, you can use this light to light the subject a little better and improve your image and can be used all the time, in indoor and outdoor situations.

The post Neewer LED CN-160 Dimmable Video Light Review appeared first on Cochinoman.

Here are the great hardware specs:

Back when JVC first announced this camcorder, I already decided I was going to get one because of all the great features. Some may wonder why I didn’t go for the GoPro which is basically the industry standard and even used by professionals. My 2 main reasons were because you have to get a LCD backing and waterproof casing with the GoPro, both of which are included with the JVC ADIXXION. Less parts equals less to go wrong. Knowing myself, I would put the waterproof case in a drawer somewhere and I would never be able to find it.

But I digress.

As you can see below, the record and power buttons are on top of the unit. And you can see there are very large buttons for the menu and navigation. Because the unit is water proof, it has a rubbery feel to it, which is a good way to prevent dropping it. Note that the unit does not float so if you’re in the ocean and you drop it, it will sink to the bottom.

One thing that’s a little annoying is the large rubbery buttons are sometimes hard to press. In fact, even the record button sometimes doesn’t seem to press correctly. Luckily, it makes a beeping sound so you know when it was pressed properly. I assume this is because it is water proof and the buttons have to be made differently from non-water proof units.

The back opens up to reveal a HDMI and mini USB 2.0 plugs, as well as the battery (see below). Although I did test the USB port, I have not tested the HDMI port. It just seems ridiculous to connect this tiny camcorder to my giant HDTV to watch a video.

The website says you will get recording time of about 1:10 minutes off the battery but I think it’s more like 40 minutes. Your mileage may vary. I did purchase extra batteries from another vendor. More on this next time.

One of the first things you might want to check is to make sure that your firmware is the latest version. You can check it by going to the JVC website and registering your unit there. While there, you can download PDF copies of the user’s manual. The box does not come with printed versions of anything so it’s a good idea to get these. There is a copy of the manual stored inside the camcorder but it may not be the latest version so get it from the website.

When I first got the unit, I was having problems setting up the unit but was able to solve everything by contacting JVC at 800-252-5722.

The unit also comes with 2 lens covers which snap on. However, I had a really hard time trying to get it off the lens and when I used a screw driver to try to pry it off, I totally ruined the cover (see below). I’ve yet to figure out the proper way to get the lens cover off so I’m not messing with it any more.

After testing the drop test (by accident) and using it under water, my first impression is good. If you go in and out of water, you’ll hear some strange water sounds, even if rain drops on the camcorder. Sometimes the sound is a little noisy if there’s any wind but not much worse than some regular sized camcorders. If you use it in a Jacuzzi or bathtub, the lens will fog up and you will have to wipe it frequently.

Because the LCD is on the side, it takes a bit of getting used to. The LCD is so small that basically it can only be used to determine the framing when you’re setting up your shot. For me, that’s all I wanted from this tiny unit. You won’t be looking at the LCD for any details during the shoot and you won’t be able to see it from an extreme angle. One interesting feature I like is, if you mount the unit upside down, you can use the settings to flip the image so it’s right side up. This saves you a step in having to do it in post.

The video quality is acceptable for non-pro use. I’m not qualified to determine if the quality is good enough for pro use but it’s definitely good enough for using for a website and in surveillance work. When used in low light conditions, although the video becomes grainy, the unit does adjust nicely and you will get a viewable image. In fact, it works better than many of the more expensive camcorders I’ve owned in the past.

All in all, I’m satisfied with my purchase and my next blog posts will include sample videos (including time lapse), setting up the Wifi and other important features.

JVC’s ADDIXXION website

ADDIXXION Facebook page

Next time: Wifi and Setup

The post JVC GC-XA1 ADIXXION Camcorder Review – First Impressions appeared first on Cochinoman.

First off, after you record your video, you connect your eyewear to your computer via a provited very short USB cable. It’s a standard cable so you can use your own longer one if you want. Your Pivothead shows up as a regular drive as shown below.

The first video is of Weller Court Mall in Little Tokyo. I’m coming from an underground parking lot, up to the ground level, during the day. You can see that when I first come up to the bright light, there is a little lag while the camera adjusts the lighting level. You can also hear the clicking sound when I press the still picture toggle button 2 times during the video.

These are the pictures that were taken during the video. You can click on the pictures to see the full resolution version of the pictures. I have the Pivothead set to the middle still image resolution which is about right for blogs. If you want to print them out, you will probably use the high resolution setting.

Keep in mind that there is no preview video while you are recording. So as you can see from the picture below, the top of the spaceship is cut-off. I would never shoot a picture like that normally, but without a preview, you really don’t know exactly where the picture ends. Of course, if you wanted to take well framed pictures, you shouldn’t be using a video eyewear device.

Here is the second picture from the Weller Court video below.

Now I walk around the Japanese Village Plaza Mall in the next video. I walk through some shaded areas and the camera seems to adjust accordingly. However, walking around a lot does create some shake, not unlike holding a regular camcorder in your hand while walking. Once again, I take a picture and you can hear the click in the video.

Picture taken in video above.

Next, I test night outside lighting in Westwood. This time, I’m walking quickly and the shaking is worse. It’s at the Blair Witch level of shake and would not make for a good video other than for some family vacation level usage. However, low light video quality is good.

Lastly, I enter a CVS at night with indoor lighting. As you can see, the regular indoor lighting is more than sufficient to make the video bright and you can see all the detail in the store. Notice also that you can hear the ambient noise and conversations going on as I walk past other customers.

There are no tests of the time lapse mode because it doesn’t make sense to me to use this mode on a device that you wear. Time lapse should be done with the camcorder on a tripod. If you move around a lot, the time lapse video will be ruined because you won’t be able to tell what is going on with all the movement.

Other than the complaints from my first look review, I would like to see a wider angle lens on this Pivothead eyewear. That would reduce the shaking while walking and also make it easier to capture the subject without trying to figure out if your head is pointing in the right area.

The video quality is good considering how small the lens and camera are. The battery lasts for a reasonable amount of time, even though it’s a tiny one imbedded inside the eyewear. The still pictures are good for a video recording device. Of course, you don’t expect it to be as good as an expensive digital camera, but it’s a great feature to be able to capture stills while video recording.

All in all, if you need to record action video and have both hands free, and not have everybody and his brother stare at you while you are recording, this might be the solution for you.  Unlike the GoPro, which mounds on your helmet or bike, you don’t really need to be prepared to record. Just put on your eyewear and you’re ready. That’s the biggest difference. If Pivothead put a wider lens on it and made it water proof, it would be a no-brainer.

The post Pivothead Video Recording Eyewear Review – Part 2: Video Tests appeared first on Cochinoman.

As you can see, although this eyewear is not the geekiest ones that I’ve ever seen for a video recorder, you probably won’t be modeling for a magazine wearing them. It feels and looks more like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. The frame temples are rubber-tized so they won’t slip off your head while doing your crazy X-Games moves.

From what I can tell, all the hardware seems to be inside the left frame temples as shown below. There is an USB rubber cover that reveal the connector underneath. To the right of this connector, you can see the power button, which when pressed will cause a blue LED to come on indicating it’s ready to record.

When you flip the glasses over, you will see the toggle switch which allows you to start recording by pressing forward. The red LED will blink while you are recording. To stop recording, press the same toggle forward again and the red LED will turn off. At any time, even while recording video, you can press the toggle backward to take a still picture.

Unfortunately, you cannot see the LEDs while wearing the eyewear. This is a big design flaw in my mind. If they could have moved the LEDs just slightly forward, you should be able to see them without having to move the eyewear. Hopefully Pivothead will fix this in future versions.

My biggest complaint is when you put the eyewear in power save mode, it will automatically turn off after a while. However, because you cannot see the power LED, you might think you are recording when you aren’t. To make things worse, it takes about 2 seconds for the power to fully come on so if you assume the power is off, and press the power button, then immediately press the record toggle, it won’t record because the power is still off. You have to count to 3 or so, then press the record toggle. If somehow you mis-time this procedure, when you press the toggle again to stop recording, you will actually start recording instead. This happened to me several times.

One of the first things I noticed is when you take a still picture while video recording, you can hear the “click” of the toggle on the audio track. This is very similar to regular video recorders that I’ve used where even using the zoom toggle will often cause audio noise to be recorded. It can be a little annoying but not something that doesn’t happen with other similar devices.

Here is a closeup of the lens in the center of the frame between the lenses. It’s not hidden and would not be a good idea to try using this eyewear for undercover DEA work.

The eyewear also comes with a case that has a zipper to close and a belt loop, as well as a USB cable to connect your eyewear to your computer or laptop.

You can download software for your MAC or PC to be able to change the setting for your eyewear. There are tons of settings you can change, including the video resolution from 1080p @30fps down to 720p @30fps, as well as the resolution of the still images from 8MP down to 3MP. You can also do time lapse photography and change the exposure settings. Most of the settings are not changeable without this app, except for the video resolution which can be changed using the toggle button.

The Pivothead eyewear is amazingly light and very comfortable to wear and would not bother anybody who wants to make POV recordings. Pivothead says you can record 60 minutes of HD on the 8G provided and the battery should last long enough for that recording mode.

All in all, although not cheap, the quality of this POV recording device is good, although not fashionable, and the video quality is also acceptable. The microphone will pick up pretty much anything that goes on near the eyewear and can be optionally turned off using the software.

Next time: Video tests

The post Pivothead Video Recording Eyewear – First Impressions appeared first on Cochinoman.

As you can see below, the camcorder has a built in LCD but that’s just the beginning.

The unit is waterproof to 16.4 feet (without a case like GoPro), takes 5MP stills, shockproof and can be dropped from up to 6 feet. One of the best features is a built in WiFi that allows you to see live video on your smartphone. This is a really great feature. One of the options you can get is a side mounted goggles as shown below.

Pricing will be around $350 but the actual release date has not been announced yet. This will be a very good match-up to the GoPro HD which requires an option for a LCD viewer and a separate waterproof case.

The post JVC Adixxion Action Camcorder Announced appeared first on Cochinoman.

It’s not out yet and although they are taking pre-orders, the business is using a donation system to fund their project so I’m not sure if this will ever come to market.

But if this thing ever makes it, you know people are going to be doing some bad things with it at concerts, strip clubs, and other places you shouldn’t be recording videos. But it could also get the next Rodney King video while you get your next ticket, so there’s that.

The post Zion Eyez Spy Camcorder appeared first on Cochinoman.

This LED based close-up photography light/flash can be used as a continuous light source for videography. In my case, it’s for making home made pr0n and other indoor activities where the lighting conditions are not great.  The “ring” is made up of a bunch of white LEDs and is amazingly bright.

The unit uses 4 AA batteries or you can plug it into an adapter (not included) but that would make it less portable when you’re moving around.

With the brightness setting at the highest level, it’s very bright and might be too bright for using in close-up situations, especially pointed at the face.  At the lowest setting, it’s still bright enough for normal close-up situations.

The picture above shows the knob for the brightness control.  It’s a bit small for my taste but I suspect that most people who use this may not be changing the setting all that often.  The little switch causes the left/right side of the ring to turn on/off.  This is for photography where the objective is to make the item look more 3D.  For most uses, one would normally have both sides turned on.

The picture above shows the on/off switch, the DC input and sync plug if you are using this unit for still photography.

The picture above shows the unit with the LEDs on at full brightness.  As you can see, it’s pretty bright and will be able to light up objects or people 10-20 feet away.

The following pictures show the light in action.  The first picture below shows an object with regular indoor ambient lighting.  The object is about 12-15 inches from the camcorder.

The following picture shows the same object using the built in LED light of the JVC unit.  As you can see, the small LED causes uneven lighting, not to mention a blue-ish tint.

The next photograph shows the Digi-Slave with the LED brightness setting to it’s lowest level.  As you can see, the lighting is more even than the previous picture.  However, there is a similar blue tint as with the JVC LED.  This might be something that could be reduced or removed via white balancing on the JVC but this test was done with the automatic setting.

In the following last picture, the Digi-Slave unit is set to the brightest level. Now you can see that the lighting is much more even and the blue tint is gone.

All in all, I’m happy with this product which operates and works exactly as advertised.  It’s a little bit on the expensive side but if you want your amateur pr0n to look good, you have to pay the piper.

The post Digi-Slave L Ring 3200 Review appeared first on Cochinoman.

The Raynox website listed the US distributor as Digital Distributors. The U.S. distributor had it in stock for $141.75 and after ordering it online, they sent it out the next day via UPS.

This wide angle lens screws onto the Everio without any adaptors so it’s a good match.  The mounting thread is 43mm and the front filter size is 72mm.

The first picture below is with the Everio set to the widest setting without the Raynox lens. Click on the pictures to see the full resolution version.

This next picture below is the Everio with the Raynox wide angle lens. Again, click on the image to see the full resolution version. You’ll notice some blur and distortion on the left side of the image.  This is a common problem with wide angle adapters, and I’ve seen it even on semi-professional pr0n and even cable TV content.  The blurring is not so much that it’s annoying but you can notice it.  If you zoom in, the middle area is sharp.

The picture below is the Everio with the Raynox lens and the Digi-Slave L-Ring light attached on the Raynox. This is the way it would be used if I was indoors needing a light.  Of course, in real use, I would zoom in to remove the ring in the picture.

This last picture is the same setup as the one above except that I’ve zoomed in to eliminate the appearance of the L-Ring in the picture.  As you can see, the end result is about the same as the setup without any extra lens.

So far, I’ve used this lens about 4 times with good results. The blurring is there, but not so noticeable that it ruins the image. If you were shooting something for commercial use, it may or may not be acceptable quality. For the price, it’s more than acceptable for home use.

One problem with the lens is that it blocks the built in LED light on the JVC. In fact, if you have the setting on the JVC for automatic lighting, and the LED comes on, it will cause a strange half light on the right side. So be sure to have the setting on the “off” setting before starting.

All in all, I can recommend this lens for light semi-pro use, home pr0n use, and any amateur use.

The post Raynox 0.66x Wide Angle Conversion Lens – Review appeared first on Cochinoman.

Some of the “must have” items this time around were:

After looking at the Canon and Sony HD camcorders, I finally settled on another JVC Everio. This one is the GZ-HD40 shown above:

The GZ-HD40’s MSRP is $1,299 (online from $845-$1,299) and features:

• 120GB hard drive
• 10x optical zoom
• 2.8″ LCD
• HD (1920 x 1080) resolution in 16:9 aspect ratio
• Still resolution: 2432×1368
• AVCHD / MPEG-2 dual-format
  1 minute in MPEG-2 format is approximately 195 MB
  1 minute in AVCHD format is approximately 123 MB
• USB, Firewire, Composite out, Component out, HDMI out
  USB, composite and component cables included
• Microphone in, headphone out
• LCD video light
• MicroSD slot (card not included)
• Micro remote control
• Image stabilizer
• Night recording mode

The JVC Everio is small and light (less than 1 pound) and easy to carry around in a small pouch or purse.  The LCD is a good size and relatively bright even outside.  Compared to my old Everio, the sound comes in much better, and 120GB of hard disk space is more than enough for even a fairly long trip.

If you’ve never used a hard drive based camcorder, let me tell you right now that this is the way of the future.  When SSD prices come down, that’s the next stage.  Using tape or even DVDs will soon be a thing of the past.  Why have a bunch of tapes around your house when it can be all in your computer? It’s a no-brainer.

One of the big features of this unit is the dual recording format (MPEG-2 and AVCHD).  This is one of the major reasons for selecting this unit.  Not all editing programs use the new AVCHD format but it does save some disk space.  The editing applications that come with the JVC, as well as Adobe Premiere Elements 7 allow you to edit with AVCHD format.  Some Blu-ray players (e.g. Playstation 3) can play a AVCHD disk directly without even having it converted to MPEG-2.  However, it appears that you cannot fast-forward the AVCHD disk (at least not on my Playstation 3.)

If you’re using Adobe Premiere Elements 7, when you import the AVCHD format, it will convert it to MPEG format when writing out to the DVD so you will be able to fast-forward like a normal DVD.

On a smaller note, one of the most annoying things about my old Everio was the plastic lens cover.  Thank goodness this new version comes with a built in lens cover.  It may seem trivial, but it’s was much needed and a great addition to this new version.

While on this subject, JVC also changed the way the unit turns on and off.  When you flip the LCD open, it will turn on, then when you flip it closed, it will automatically go into some type of low-power sleep mode but will turn back on very quickly when the LCD is opened again.  This is so much better than the old unit that I have where you have to use a button to turn the unit on and off.  Nice improvement.

Most of the settings are changed via the micro-joystick on the LCD flip-out and is relatively easy to use. The modes and settings are organized well and the LED light can be turned on using the joystick without having to go into any modes.

As for the “Night recording mode”, this is different from the green IR night recording that you see from Sony or other manufacturers. This mode just changes the settings for darker situations and does work.  For example, without this mode, my computer area with the lights off (using only ambient lighting), looks almost completely dark.  But with this mode turned on, you can see everything.  However, it does cause some graininess so you’ll have to weigh that versus the darkness.

Well, you know I don’t do reviews without a section of complaints.  Here they are:

Although the Camcorder itself has HDMI output, strangely, the docking station does not have one. WTF? This is very odd to me. I guess they must think that the docking station will be next to your computer and not next to your HDTV.

One very interesting feature is the ability to take still pictures WHILE you are recording video.  It’s in video resolution but it’s a nice feature.  However, you can only take 3 still pictures maximum during each video shot.  In other words, after 3 stills, you would have to stop video recording, and restart a new video segment to get 3 more stills.  I’m assuming it’s some type of RAM limitation but sometimes this limit can be a little annoying.  Of course, you can always get stills after the fact on your computer.

The built in LED light is located on the right side and can cause uneven lighting, not to mention a blue-ish tint to the image.  If you want professional looking video, this will not do.  For amateur pr0n or vacation videos, it might be okay.

Here are some more pictures of the Everio from different angles.  Click on any thumbnail to see a larger gallery version.

All in all, I’m happy with this unit, especially compared to my older JVC.  I’m completely sold on hard drive camcorders and will never buy a media camcorder again.  Compared to SD, HD images on your big HDTV looks fantastic.  However, don’t expect HD quality that you get from those $5,000 professional units.  You get what you pay for.

The post JVC Everio GZ-HD40 – Full Review appeared first on Cochinoman.