Actioncam – lightweight filming.

Actioncams there are a lot of them around at various levels of price and quality and after playing with the Silvercrest camera from Lidl. I decided I wanted something a little better. 

After a little research the answer was the YI 4K Plus it can handle 4K at 60 fps or 24fps The firmware is customizable with scripts in the micro sd card. To return to standard just change the card. 

One thing i wanted to try was the moondog anamorphic on the camera. I was just able to get the lensclip on to the silvercrest camera and found it was big enough to record anamorphic footage on that actioncam.

One problem with actioncams is no filter ring and then i found a chinese seller with an aluminium case with a 37mm filter ring. This gives the opportunity to use faders cpl filters and the moondog anamorphic lens. 

One problem with actioncams is the lack of a focus ring they tend to focus where they want.  with the silvercrest model it did an excellent job of focusing on my wipers through the windscreen, not really what was wanted. 

These guys are actually manufacturing replacement lenses for actioncams that have manual focus.  

Pretty nice, relatively expensive compared to the price of an actioncam but kinda special. 

Most actioncams use electronic image stabilization basically lining up each frame and losing some of the outside edge.  For a gimbal and softer filmic look this is not needed and can result in a fight. Also deliberate vertical movements can become jerky as the camera tries to keep the framing the same. 

My gimbal also was part of the reason to get the 4k plus as it has a remote app using wifi and also bluetooth that will send what the camera sees to a phone and tablet. Great for boom shots.  

The other thing the 4k plus has is a flat profile this is very useful for color grading and maximising dynamic range. 

There is also a possibility of live streaming with the 4k plus.

All in all the next few weeks will be interesting.