iStabilizer Dolly Short Review

OK. I saw this in one of my Facebook feeds and it was marked down 40% off so I went for it.

The gadget is called the iStabilizer Dolly and I snagged one for $40 at this link.

It is a Panning "stabilizer" dolly for small cameras. It is targeted for iPhone and smartphone users. However, my larger HTC ONE M8 didn't fit the cradle. It has a standard tripod screw head so you can use any small camera/dSLR with it. Think of this as a mini tripod on wheels. I've always been trying to get the perfect panning shots and I figure $40 is a small price to pay for something that will improve my shots. You can read my short review and watch my demo shot to conclude if this is a cheap thrill gadget worthy of your consideration.

First, the packaging is real simple. The wheel base, the adjustable pod, and a smartphone cradle. I didn't even find any instructions nor did I need it. It is pretty easy to set-up.

Next, it has adjustable wheels so you can have it go in a curve, certain angle, or straight. The tripod stick articulates like a Joby and similar gadgets. This allows you to do crazy angles or pan an object in circles. It could come in handy if you wanted to shoot something like jewelry on a table.

Here are hero shots with the iPhone and Olympus Micro 4/3 OM-D camera. This is how it looks like with cameras/phones attached. It is very low to the ground.  I think it is too short to be of meaningful use. I guess you can prop it up if you plan to improvise.

Next, I would not call this a "stabilizer." Panning Dolly, yes. It does work as a Panning Dolly but stabilization is out of the picture. I think the name is a bit misleading.

However, you will need a pretty flat surface. You can use plywood or something flat to help smooth out the panning but the wheels have no articulation or suspension to stabilize the shot. Shooting with an  iPhone, I could not get any decent shots. This is mostly due to the focal length of the iPhone's lens. After most tries, I found it too jerky to be of any good. I had to resort to using my Olympus OM-D which has optical and digital built in stabilization. I shot in various locations around my house with hardwoord floors.

Here is a sample footage shot with an Olympus OM-D in 1080p.

Was it worth $40? I don't really know. I'd need to be in a situation where I needed that panning B-roll shot. Still, I think it is cheaper than rolling my own contraption with various bits and pieces from a hardware store.

Editing old VHS & MiniDV videos on the iPhone 5

Editing videos on the iPhone and iPad is absolutely amazing. OK, you won't get Final Cut ability to do multi-track, multi-layers and other stuff like that but you do get absolute convenience and portability.

The iPhone 5's improvements makes it even better for mobile video editing.

You also get a banging deal on software. The iOS platform is loaded with great apps. A color grading on the application on the PC will cost you $300. On iOS, it won't have all the bells and whistles, will only cost you $3-4. You won't be fine-tuning and matching skin tones or anything like that but you will definitely have the best home "cinematic looking" video from that soccer game that separates you from the rest of the other dads. I've been editing on my iPad since day one using the camera connection kit and it has been great. I would go to a family event with my DSLR and by the end of the function, I will already have an edited video complete with titles and soundtrack in glorious 1080p HD video. In other words, simply amazing. The iPhone 5's larger screen and faster processor makes it reallty enjoyable.

I've been using applications like iMovie (I love the trailers functionality), Splice, Intro designer for titling, CinemaFX and Red Giant's Movie looks for color grading. There are also countless vintage, retro, effect apps on the app stores that I can't mention all their names. Mobile devices won't compete with desktop as I've said before but the key thing is flexibility and portability. I can quickly edit a video on my lunch break, in the bathroom, or in a car ride home.

Now for the meat of my post. I've been storing years of VHS/MiniDV videos on my NAS and decided to edit a few of them. With 64GB, I was able to load up quite a bit of video on my iPhone 5 to take with me and edit whenever I had the chance.

My videos have been converted and imported a few different ways in the past 15 years. Most of my videos have been converted via Firewire-iMovie on my old 233mhz iMac from the turn of the century. I've also used RCA-Firewire converters like the ADVC-1000. I've even converted videos using a $30 DVD recorder I got from Cost-Co. Hours and hours of footage has been archived in Quicktime and H.264 format just sitting on my file server.

To edit on the iPhone, all you need to do is get a h.264 version into the camera roll. It is simple as that. Before, I would use the 30 pin camera connection kit and simply plug in a USB or SDcard to import my footage.  Or you if you are on a Mac, you can use iPhoto to import them into your camera roll.

I've been using a swiss army knife File manager application called Files Connect. It allows me to mount Appletalk, Samba and SSH/SFTP volumes. This is how I've been getting videos on to the iPhone and iPad. I have over 3TB of footage on a NAS (FreeNAS) and I simply copy over the clips I have.

Now here are caveats. The file names needs to be 8-9 characters in DOS 8.3 format. The file also needs to be in H.264 or Quicktime format. However, I've notice iMovie works with a lot other files like AVHCD, motion-jpeg and most files on modern cameras.

Once you copy the file over, you will need to "save to Camera Roll" by using the Open In key press. Once the file is saved in the Camera Roll, you are good to go.

As I've said before, you can use iPhoto if you are on mac to import your video. As long as the file is readable, you can create a specific album and import it as well. I created an album called "Old Movies" with my old VHS/8mm/Hi-8/MiniDV rips.

Here is an example of a footage shot in 1998 being edited in 2012 on a smartphone. Simply amazing. The same footage would be edited on super expensive Pentium 4 / PowerPCs rigs of that era. And you wouldn't be able to color grade or add fancy effects that you have today. You can also mix and match video footage in iMovie. I've had 640x480, 480p, 720p, and 1080p files in the same project.

To add titles, I use a $3 titler called Intro Designer. It is more than sufficient for home videos and has a good selection of themes/templates.

Here, I am tweaking videos using Movie Looks from Red Giant. This app is $2 and their high-end desktop app is $300 (and up) used professionally by Hollywood film makers. It won't be like the desktop app but it is a great start. You can select some presets and voila - Cinematic looking graded video.

Another grading app I've used in the past is CinemaFX .  The app is $2 with add on packs you can buy. It has over 55 effects with some vintage and retro grading. You can apply vignetting and other things.

So, as you can see, you can do quite a bit with the iPhone  (including the iPod Touch and iPad).
The iPhone 5 makes it enjoyable due to the sheer improved performance and screen.

$2 to $4 for an app is cheaper than buying a cup of coffee. I've gotten hours and hours of amazement and seeing people's emotional reaction is simply quite magical. The editing also feels quite natural and not at all contrived as some naysayers have suggest. It has been a good solid 3 years since the 1st generation iPad (when iOS iMovie launched) and there is simply nothing like this on other platforms. I've seen the splice-n-edit offerings on Symbian and Android and I must say the fun factor and useability is heavily weighted on Apple's eco-system. Other phone cameras may have superior capabilities but none of them give you the creative tools to express them in a polished final output.