Stuff Gadget Guide - UK - Issue 4 (2022-01)

50

GoPro Max

This waterproof 3-in-1 shoots

stabilised single-lens footage like

a regular GoPro, but its multiple lenses

also let you capture immersive 360°

clips and log your adventures from

all angles. Its vlogging skills are also

top-drawer thanks to that front

cam, a front-facing screen and

six microphones that deliver

shotgun-mic performance.

£480 (£380 with sub) / gopro.com

FreeFly Movi

Cinema Robot

Regular gimbals can smooth out

phone footage but this dual-motor

stabiliser goes way beyond, helping

you shoot a range of Hollywood-style

hero shots including automatic pan

and moving timelapse that speeds up

the world as you move through it. You

can set it down without a tripod and

one charge powers 8hrs’ shooting.

$299 / freeflysystems.com

Pivo

The Pivo puts you centre-stage at all

times in your adventure storytelling.

Its full 360° auto-tracking follows

you wherever you go, swivelling to

keep you in shot like some sinister

surveillance bot. You can also use it

to stream live to YouTube, Twitch and

Instagram, while Bluetooth remote

and gesture controls are great for

hands-free footage.

£125 / getpivo.com

Zhiyun Smooth-X

This versatile hybrid video tool is

half foldable smartphone gimbal,

half selfie stick. At 246g, it’s nicely

packable and combines a smartphone

clamp with a two-axis gimbal and

a 260mm extendable arm, opening

up more interesting angles. The

ZY Cami app also offers a range

of built-in shot-by-shot templates

for simplified storytelling.

£50 / zhiyun-tech.com

Turn off auto mode

Play with your camera’s

full capabilities to get

a better shot. Manually

adjust the colour space,

shutter speed and ISO;

experiment and find

settings that work for

you. And definitely use

ND filters.

See the light

Think about how the

available light affects

your image. Dawn and

dusk: softer, richer, for

filmic-ish shots. Midday:

strong, contrasty,

for a documentary

feel. Artificial lighting:

a whole other world

of possibilities.

Respect your kit

Rinse water housings,

clean off grit and always

protect the lens in

transit – even if that

just means sticking the

camera in a sock.

Get a new perspective

Don’t simply snap away

at eye level. Introduce

additional story and

context by playing with

the position you shoot

from. And think about

including foreground:

shoot through trees

or a crowd of people

to give images depth.

OUTDOOR FITNESS

OUTDOOR ACCESSORIES

THE LENSWEAR

DEPARTMENT

ShiftCam

These phone cases

house up to six

selectable lenses

so you can switch

shooting setups in

seconds, moving

between wide-angle,

telephoto and macro

to nail perfect shots.

from £80 / shiftcam.uk

Olloclip MultiClip

Filmer’s Kit Plus

The multi-device

version of Olloclip’s set

of five interchangeable

lenses will fit most front

and rear phone cams,

bringing a bit of extra

pro styling to your

smartphone photos.

£95 / olloclip.com

MacTrem Lens Kit

If you’re just starting

out in bear-wrestling

photography, this

budget-friendly 4-in-1

kit comes with macro,

wide-angle, fisheye and

telephoto lenses, the

latter providing up to

20x magnification.

£17 / amazon.co.uk

EXPERT TIPS

Award-winning

adventure filmmaker

Patrick Bowyer

(patrickbowyer.com)

shares his outdoor

shooting wisdom