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NAB Video: CineChopper on Modifying the DJI Phantom

04.29.13 @ 9:55PM Tags : aerial, cinechopper, djiphantom, gopro, helicam, helicopter, nab, nab2013, nabfreshdv2013

If you thought you were safe from more NAB videos, well, you were wrong, as we’ve got a few additional interviews from our friends over at FreshDV. The DJI Phantom has certainly brought down the cost of entry for getting great-looking aerial footage — especially with cameras like the GoPro HERO3 — but right out of the box, there are some modifications that can be done to improve the steadiness. Here is Chris Newman from CineChopper on his modifications: More »

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NAB Video: DJI Phantom for Flying GoPro Cameras

04.9.13 @ 6:14PM Tags : aerial, djiphantom, gopro, helicam, helicopter, nab, nab2013, nabfreshdv2013

The DJI Phantom is DJI‘s first consumer product, a small helicopter unit designed for GoPro cameras, guided by GPS (from space!) for capturing aerial photography at an accessible consumer level. Hit the jump for the video coverage from our floor partners at FreshDV: More »

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Watch: Robert McIntosh's Aerial GoPro Footage is Absolutely Breathtaking

03.10.13 @ 3:43PM Tags : aerial, djiphantom, gopro, goprohero3, helicopter, quadcopter, watch

There has been an explosion in aerial videos over the last few years thanks to cheaper “drones” and “copters” and smaller and smaller high-quality cameras, but it still takes a tremendous amount of skill and patience to properly take these machines into the air and get usable footage. We’ve posted a number of these videos in the past, but GoPro recently shared one from Robert McIntosh that blew me away. Taking his GoPro to the Santa Monica Pier, Robert does a few maneuvers that had me expecting the worst, but his camera and the copter came out the other side unscathed. Check it out below: More »

23

GoPro HERO3 Meets the DJI Phantom Quadcopter and Gets the Aerial Treatment

01.20.13 @ 7:00AM Tags : aerial, djiphantom, gopro, goprohero3, helicopter, quadcopter, watch

Several impressive videos achieved with minicopters have surfaced in the last year or so (pun intended). We’ve seen soaring ghost’s-eye views of hauntingly deserted urban nightscapes, and ninjas battling through ruined buildings in impossible ‘dolly shots’ — only made possible, of course, with such compact aerial shooting platforms. Now, the ‘King of the Action Cam,’ that is the GoPro HERO3, gets the sky-flying treatment — and if there’s any camera you won’t be too worried about strapping in to the DJI Phantom Aerial Quadcopter for blast-off, it’s the GoPro — check out the footage below. More »

23

Watch the Entrancing Hacked GH2 and JamCopter-Shot Aerial Nocturne 'FIREFLY'

12.14.12 @ 10:46AM Tags : aerial, helicam, helicopter, hexacopter, jamcopters, lowlight, short, watch

We’ve posted about minicopter-mounted cinematography before by the companies Helicam and omstudios — both of which created some spectacular RED EPIC aerial shorts — thought they require a rental/operation package. This is more simply to say that you can’t purchase the minicopters directly from these companies. Recently, another impressive aerially-shot short has surfaced — that’s a bird’s eye night view of a traffic circle (or rotary, or round-about, depending where you’re reading from) at left. This time, the company supplying the minicopter — czech manufacturer JamCopters — actually has their quadrocopter, hexacopter, and octocopter for sale. Read on for some details and the beautiful and quieting FIREFLY short. More »

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Low-Cost Video Tools on Kickstarter: $50 Follow Focus and $999 DSLR Helicopter

01.25.12 @ 4:44PM Tags : aerial, dslr, followfocus, hdslr, helicopter, kickstarter

I’ve always thought Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and other crowdfunding platforms are actually “best” suited for gadgets and technology products where you pre-buy something out of self-interest (as opposed to helping someone make something, as you did with me). Despite this, on Kickstarter Film & Video was the largest category in 2011, which is a testament to the generosity and connectivity of the filmmaking community. Here are a couple of filmmaking-friendly products for DSLRs on Kickstarter, both of which are looking to lower the price point for follow focuses and remote-control helicopters: More »