Tag Archives: video

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

Yellowstone Geysers

informational, nature, personal, photograph, travel, video, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Virtual Tour of the Park

I have to admit that I’m addicted to our country’s national parks. Over the years I’ve visited many of the parks all over, from the east to the west and from the north to the south.

In particular I’ve trekked the 1300 miles from my home in Grand Rapids, Michigan to western Wyoming – home to Yellowstone National Park – at least a dozen times. Yellowstone is one of my favorite destinations.

The souvenirs that I take from Yellowstone are strictly the photographs and videos that I capture.

For those of you who might want to experience a few of the varied and amazing thermal features found in Yellowstone, I’ve posted them below.

PLease note that each geyser is on a separate page in order to minimize web page delay.

PAGES

  1. Beryl Spring
  2. Black Pool Geyser
  3. Blue Mud Steam Vent
  4. Canary Spring
  5. Chinese Spring
  6. Lakeshore Geyser
  7. Minute Geyser
  8. Old Faithful Geyser
  9. Palette Spring
  10. Puff N’ Stuff Geyser
  11. Steamboat Spring – eruption
  12. Steamboat Spring – calmer
  13. Upper Yellowstone Falls
  14. Vixen Geyser
  15. Water Runoff Firehole River

Enjoy!

Beryl Spring -A powerful geyser thought to be one of the hottest (190+ degrees) located just north of Gibbon Fall May 2023)
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Riding The Rails

informational, movie, nature, personal, photograph, presentation, travel, video, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A 70 Mile Journey in Minnesota

I grew up the the New York City area and would regularly take 45-minute long ride on the passenger train from New Rochelle to Grand Central Station. Did this qualify me as a rider of the rails? Let’s see.

Some 20 years ago I was involved developing software for personal computers. One of our projects was to make simulations for trains. We found an interesting and unique train route that delivered raw materials from a mining area in Minnesota to the awaiting freighters along Lake Superior – known as the Erie Mining Corp route.

My task was to research the terrain and surroundings along the route so that we could reproduce the journey in a simulation. After arranging the “special” trip with the LTV Corporation (which owned the EMC route), I drove to Hoyt Lakes to meet with two members of the staff.

When I arrived, I was escorted to the rail head where we climbed aboard a vehicle that was outfitted to travel on the rails. I was seated in the front with a video camera where I would record all 3-1/2 hours of trip through the hills, mountains and flatlands to Taconite Harbor on north shore of Lake Superior.

This modified Ford pickup truck was specially fitted to ride and self-propel on the standard tracks.

On the right is one of the diesel freight locomotives that pulled the taconite pellets from Hoyt Lakes to Lake Superior.

It was an interesting ride – the tracks took us through forests, into narrow canyons, along open and hilly fields, passing rocky mountains, traversing bridges, through a tunnel and over rural road crossings.

For me the highlight of the trip was the 30 seconds or so that are illustrated below.

Erie Mining Corporation Route
Here we slowed down as we came upon a local resident as we were riding the tracks from Hoyt Lake to Taconite Harbor, MN

Towards the end of the route we arrived at Taconite Harbor. Below is the large unloading area where the taconite pellets are unloaded onto large lake freighters.

Approaching Taconite Harbor
Quadruple speed arrival into Taconite Harbor

This journey in 2001 was the only time where I actually felt that I was riding the rails. An interesting and memorable ride.