Camera

Mevo Live Event Camera Review / Test

Today we are talking about another product that you wouldn't expect to see on this channel. The Mevo Live Event Camera. This is a camera designed by the folks over at Livestream.com that allows you to live stream directly to Facebook Live (which is why I picked it up) as well as the Livestream service. 

Not only does this camera allow you to live stream in 720p, but it allows you to record your video directly to an internal SD card. I should note that this camera is only compatible with iOS devices, so for the time being any android users are out of luck.

If you are interested in this live streaming camera, it will set you back $400 on Amazon

What's In the Box

  1. MEVO Camera
  2. MEVO Mount
  3. 16GB Micro SD Card & Adapter
  4. Power Brick
  5. 10-Foot (3m) USB Cable

Specifications

  1. Sony 4k Sensor
  2. 150-degree Field of View Glass Lens
  3. Front Facing STereo Microphone
  4. 1-Hour Streaming Battery Life (can connect to power brick while streaming)
  5. Dual-Band Wi-Fi
  6. Bluetooth 4.0 LE
  7. Streams at 720p

Performance / Features

The build quality of this camera is all plastic, but it feels pretty sturdy like it would be able to handle travel decently. However, I do wish that it had come with some travel case to ensure that it is adequately protected. The entire top of the camera acts as the power button. You'll need to hold the button down a few seconds to power on/off the device. All around this power button you will find an indicator light to let you know if the camera is getting power, charged, connected to wifi, lacking connection, or if you're streaming/recording. On the back of the camera, you'll just find two ports, the top port is your charging port and the bottom port is your SD card port.

I'm sure some of you are asking why this camera has a 4k sensor, but only streams at 720p. To be honest, the reasoning behind this is the real selling point of this camera. While controlling the stream from your iOS device you can manually direct shots. For instance you can click on a face to zoom in, without effecting the stream quality. You can also pinch to zoom & unpinch to unzoom, as well as drag your finger to pan.

Another really great feature is Autopilot. This will utilize the front facing stereo microphone to determine where the sound is coming from and zoom in on the face of the person speaking. This is a great option if you have multiple people on a podcast and you are unable to focus on directing the shots.

Both of these features give your livestream the appearance of having a multi-thousand dollar camera rig and camera mixer, when you're only streaming on a $400 camera!

The camera's built in microphone is nothing special, but it does allow you to connect an external microphone to your iOS device to improve the audio. Unfortunately, the current microphones/interfaces that are compatible are relatively limited, so I would recommend checking their site prior to buying a microphone/interface.

Pros

  • Allows you to direct shots
  • Has autopilot director
  • Records to SD Card while streaming
  • Streams directly to Facebook live
  • Allows for external microphone connection
  • Compact

Cons

  • Limited microphone compatibility
  • External mics sound overly processed
  • Stream is only 720p
  • Limited to iOS devices

Conclusion

I think that this is one of the coolest and most innovative cameras I have come across in years. It allows you to direct shots like you have a multi-thousand dollar camera rig. It allows you to stream directly to facebook live & livestream. It allows you to connect an external microphone. It honestly has everything I could want in a live streaming camera; there are just a few small oversights, updates, and compatibility issues they need to work on to make it the go to entry level live streaming camera.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who is looking to live stream to facebook. This gives you a professional look and amazing features that will help set you apart from everyone else who is jumping on the live streaming train.

If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them in the comments on this site or on the youtube channel, and I will try to reply ASAP. 

Buy it on Amazon
US: http://amzn.to/2bKzoRL

Saramonic VMIC Recorder Review / Test

Today we are looking at a product that's a bit different than usual. We are looking at the Saramonic VMIC Recorder. I do need to note that this microphone was provided to me by Saramonic so i was able to review it.

This is a camera top shotgun microphone that can be placed into the camera shoe on your DSLR/Video Camera, or mounted to a 1/4" tripod mount. What really sets this microphone apart is the fact that it not only has an output to connect the microphone to your camera, but it also allows you to record directly to an internal SD card.

If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $200 on Amazon

What's In the Box

  1. Microphone
  2. Pop Shield
  3. 3.5mm to 3.5mm Cable
  4. Documentation
  5. Warranty Card

Performance / Features

The construction of this microphone feels very good. The main casing for the recorder is metal, and the front/back plates are a firm plastic. The windscreen is pretty thick and should also provide adequate protection from wind/pops. The display on the back of the mic is bright enough that you should not have any issue seeing it while in direct sunlight. The 3 control buttons under the screen also feel well constructed.

On the front of the microphone, there are two 3.5mm jacks. The top jack is the output that you will use to connect to your camera's microphone input. The bottom 3.5mm jack is an output to connect your headphones to for live monitoring. Directly below these jacks there is the battery compartment/SD slot. The microphone takes (2) AA batteries that will provide you with 8 hours of recording time. As far as the SD card, it takes a micro SD card, and according to the documentation, the mic can handle up to a 32gb card.

The back of the microphone has an LCD screen that shows you battery life, level monitoring, as well as recording time. Directly beneath the screen there are three buttons. The left button is your power button, the right button is your record button, and the center button is a d-pad that allows you to select between input volume, headphone volume, and low cut as well as navigate menus. 

The bottom of the camera has a standard camera shoe mount and also allows you to mount it onto a 1/4" tripod screw.

The frequency response is listed as 50Hz - 20kHz which is adequate for a camera top shotgun microphone. The mic records 16-bit 48kHz WAV files, and takes (2) AA batteries which will give you 8 hours of record time.

The polar pattern is listed as super cardioid. When directly in front of the mic it sounds pretty good. As you move off axis you start to witness a large drop off of high frequencies, but it does still pick up a bit of noise. As I moved around the sides and behind the microphone, I felt that it picked up a little too much sound as well.

Pros

  • Records to SD Card & Camera
  • Compact
  • Headphone port for live monitoring!
  • LCD Screen to monitor levels & battery life
  • Good build quality
  • Mounts to camera shoe or tripod

Cons

  • Seemed to have a wider polar pattern than expected
  • Somewhat compressed sound/tone

Conclusion

Similar to other camera top microphones, I found this microphone to have a similar compressed sound and tone to it, which gives away that it is an ultra compact shotgun microphone. I also thought that the polar pattern allowed for a bit too much noise to make it to the microphone.

Other than that, I think that this thing is a great deal. I love the fact that it is so small and portable. I also like that it provides a screen to monitor the battery life and levels to ensure you're not clipping as well as a headphone port for live monitoring! Another great feature is the ability to mount the mic to your camera or a tripod. My favorite feature on this microphone is the fact that it allows you to record to an SD card as well as output to your camera. This will give you the added security of an audio backup if the camera input is clipping, or the mic input causes too much line noise.

I would recommend this for vloggers who are out and about a lot and require a camera top microphone. It will give you all the functionality you need with additional features to ensure you are getting the best sound possible. If you are recording in a studio setting, I would suggest looking into a full size condenser shotgun microphone because those will provide you with a better sound quality.

If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them in the comments on this site or on the youtube channel, and I will try to reply ASAP. 

Buy it on Amazon
US: http://amzn.to/2c05NkF
UK: http://amzn.to/2bPxRs7

Canon DSLR That Shoots 4K Video

You read that title right. After years of waiting, Canon has finally announced that their Canon 5D Mark IV will be able to shoot 4k video!

The camera will utilize their new 30.4 Megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor which is a 6 megapixel increase from the prior iteration. This new sensor also allows you to shoot 4k video in 24 or 30fps. Just like the other canon DSLR's I've used for video, it does still have the 29:59 second limit.

One of the coolest photos on this camera is Dual Pixel RAW setting. What this allows you to do is make minute adjustments to focus and bokeh. Unfortunately this feature does take up 2x the memory, and decreases your buffer size for bursts down to 7 images.

The camera provides an ISO range of 100-32000, which is expandable to 50-102400! It also offers 63 points of autofocus, covering approximately 80% of the image plane.

For more information here is canon's product page as well as a video from Fro Knows Photo discussing the features of the 5D Mark IV!