Tag Archives: diy video

Lapdock as DSLR Video HDMI Monitor • 74 Comments

Emm • May 23, 2012

Here's something pretty interesting that reader Nathan Smith shares for an external HDMI Monitor. The Motorola Lapdock is used to connect to Android phones via HDMI and provides a keyboard, larger screen, two USB ports, and more. The Lapdock also has an internal battery that claims an 8 hour life span. Well the Lapdock never really took off as a product, and now you can find them on clearance or at discounted prices. Nathan was lucky enough to grab one for around $59 dollars. So what does this have to do with DSLR Video and cameras?

There were a few forums that claimed the Lapdock will perform as a normal HDMI screen with the right adapters and some videos have shown it being used with a Playstation. If you're wondering, the Lapdock has a Micro Male HDMI connection, so you'll need a female Micro HDMI to start with. Here Nathan proves that with the right cables, you can even use it to display the HDMI signal from your camera. Can't beat that for $59 bucks.

I also found this interesting because the Lapdock provides two USB ports. The Lapdock with it's internal rechargeable battery can be a remote monitor receiving the HD video feed and power the Asus through dual USB power without extra batteries (theory). I've updated the comments in this article with some information about the adapter and cable you'll probably need. Anyways, it's a neat idea and could be a fun thing to have with the clearance prices~~, but the only thing i'm still unsure of is the exact model that Nathan is using.~~ [Update] He's using the Atrix 4G Lapdock and you can find the Lapdocks online via Amazon (click here)

Motorola-Lapdock-HDMI
AT&T Laptop Dock SmartPhone

$2-$6 Dollar DIY’s for Budget Minded Students • 18 Comments

Emm • October 1, 2010

Ok, you professionals can skip right over this article. This may even fall under 'tacky' for the seasoned Pro's. There's surprisingly a lot of young readers at this blog, possibly still in high school and unemployed. Aspiring to make fun YouTube videos with a standard handheld camcorder, they need an extra hand in some low budget DIY advice. These are probably the easiest & cheapest DIY stabilizers I could think of. So here you go kids, I hope you enjoy it, as I looked quite silly modeling these brackets on various parts of my body in the aisles of Home Depot like i'm creating the next Lady GaGa costume. It's ok though, I can rock a $2000 dollar Steadicam setup and still rock a $2 dollar Shelf Bracket, it's all good....i'm all about inspiring the creativity.

All of these 'Heavy Duty Shelf Hangers' can be found in the same place. These curved brackets are typically used for hanging heavy objects in your garage such as bikes and ladders. Unlike flat steel angled brackets, these are round (tubular) which are more comfortable to grip. There's plenty of different shapes and sizes to use these for adding extra support for your video camera.

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First up is a one sided angled bracket. By just adding a quick release plate on the bottom, you'll have yourself a very sturdy (very very sturdy) handle to your camera. Flat black paint and wrap up the handle with some Tennis racket grip tape, and you'll be in business. Notice the little angle at the top? Could be a nice place to add a cold shoe to mount another accessory. The rest of the bracket can be drilled to further hold more accessories like LED lights and portable recorders. By the way, just click any of the images to get a better look.Single bracket stabilizer for just $2.36.

click images for larger view

Second on the list is a double sided bracket. This is actually larger than what appears in the photo, and the double sides can act like handles on a Fig Rig. Hey this is way easier than trying to build the Cheesycam DSLR Cage Fig Rig. Just place a Quick Release adapter dead center, a little grip tape along the sides, and you'll have yourself a fig rig style camera stabilizer. Yup, there's another angle up top for that cold shoe accessory too for just $5.98.

click images for larger view

Third on the list, another simple bracket. Used in the position shown in the photo (above) the short angled end (left) actually feels comfortable as a small handle. The (right side) flat side has enough area to act as a chest plate. Throw a quick release adapter on top and you'll have yourself a steady little camera shooter for $5.24. Sure it's not offset, but should work pretty wicked for an HV20 or HV30 with flip out LCD, hey maybe even a Canon 60D with it's flip out LCD.

Yeah I know what you guys are thinking, pretty crazy right? For a group of young students looking to have a bit of fun making videos, so long as the bully doesn't steal your lunch money, you could gain some steady shots with these ideas. Oh and i'm guessing a few of you DIY'ers will be heading down to Home Depot later today to secretly play 'Heavy Duty Shelf Hanger Dress Up'. LOL...Try it, you'll be surprised.....

DIY is becoming more mainstream in DSLR’s • 4 Comments

Emm • September 20, 2010

Watching more and more behind the scenes videos and especially those DSLR meetups going around, you'll catch tons of wicked DIY rigs amongst the crowd. It's quite interesting to see how many people connect and how many conversations can be started from simple ideas. Even though it's also available for purchase, when I released the SpiderTrax Dolly on the internet, it was released as a DIY project.

Igus, the manufacturer of linear guide rails, for the past few months have been selling a DIY kit over at Amazon to make your own Camera slider.

The most recent announcement of DIY gear for sale is from audiophile JuicedLink. Yeah unusual as it might sound coming from a purely Audio Gear company, they're taking a different approach to "securely and cost effectively mount stuff to your camera". Looks like they are working on a DSLR cage and bracket of some type very similar to the K-Tek KN2274 Norbert Camera Mount Frame, but let's hope it's not coming in at the same price range. There's a few raw mock up images of their ideas in place, and more information about their new product lineup at the following this link: https://juicedlink.com/blog/2010/09/new-product-preview-affordable-dslr-accessory-brackets/
juicedlink-diy juiced-link-diy-rig