Category Archives: techniques

Better Videos

equipment, informational, movie, personal, reviews, techniques, video, , , , ,

with your mobile phone

I enjoy attending the Consumer Electronics Show to see the plethora of different devices that are available to a gadget junkie such as myself. This past January I again walked through the miles of the Las Vegas Convention Center to see what might attract my attention. One of the booths was Hohen.

Hohen makes a series of handheld gimbal equipped devices.

These devices are for enthusiasts and professionals who want to shoot better quality movies by stabilizing their videos. They also have other features such as remote control, built-in lighting, subject tracking and more.

Their representative demonstrated a few of the features for me and I was impressed.

When I returned home, I ended up purchasing the V3 model
It has a builtin tripod, telescoping extension and auxiliary fill light.
This closeup shows the controller which is removable for remote use.
Here my mobile phone is mounted on the gimbal. On the left is a small fill light and the tracking sensor.
This short video demonstrates the tracking capability of the gimbal. The representative has ordered the gimbal to follow the movement of the yellow ball. You can see the camera moving on the gimbal as the yellow ball progresses on the track.

The unit communicates with your mobile phone with bluetooth. The mobile app has multiple templates to make it easy to produce fun and exciting movies. You can add various filters and create slow-motion and timelapse content.

Hohem’s V3 model sells for about $125 and has so far proven to be a good investment. I’ve happily added this gimbal to my photography accessory bag and am hoping that the quality of my movies improves.

The Hohem X3 model lacks the telescoping extension and the builtin fill light but sells for about $65.

Written by:

Arnie Lee

The Return of Radio Shack?

equipment, informational, personal, photograph, presentation, sales, techniques, , , , ,

Bringing back a brand

Last week as I was walking through one of the aisles at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, I I saw a familiar sign from the past. Perhaps you remember the sign too.

It was a Radio Shack sign. As an electronics and computer nerd I was a frequent visitor to their stores for many years.

Radio Shack carried many of the small components and parts that I used for my various hobbies.


These are a few of the items that Radio Shack was exhibiting. They are using the brand to promote electrical accessories and unique electrornics.

I was told that the company was initially starting as an online sales operation.

If you’re looking to see what they have in store, here is their website.

Written by:

Arnie Lee

CES 2025

books, equipment, informational, personal, photograph, presentation, reviews, techniques, , , , , , ,

The Consumer Electronics Show

I’ve attended CES for many years.

Going back to the mid 1970s we atteneded CES as an exhibitor. Our company ABACUS faithfully exhibited at the Las Vegas venue showing our software and books to the trade and computer enthusiasts.

Since 1975 my guess is that I’ve been to the CES Show about 35 times.

Abacus bowed out about 2010, but I’ve continued to attend the show as an industry participant. My nerdy interests have kept me going back to learn about new and upcoming electronic gadgets of all shapes and sizes.

We started Stay Focused as a website to write books and articles about technical and photographic products.

This year management estimated that 4,500 exhibitors greeted more than 140,000 attendees this year. It remains one of the largest conventions in the USA.

Following this article I’ve written several “reports” on some of the products that I learned about at CES. I hope the articles give you a sense of the exciting products that were exhibited this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Written by:

Arnie Lee